Page 91 of Ravage

The only stipulation I have is I'll be the one to kill my father. Grey can have Arthur if he pleases—I'll happily watch him tear Arthur limb from limb.

We exchange a few messages back and forth, agreeing to meet in the hallway before the guards arrive. It wouldn't be the first time they have seen us moving freely in the mornings, making a mockery of their security system. But this time, it's a statement.

"What are you doing?" Avery mumbles sleepily, eyes still closed as she rests her head on my shoulder.

I look away from the cell, glancing down at her relaxed frame. She's still wrapped around me, fitting into the edges of my body perfectly.

Smiling, I throw the cell to the end of the bed, discarding it entirely as I grab the blanket and pull it over our heads.

"You," I murmur, rolling over and straddling her.

By late morning, word has already spread like wildfire.

I can hear the heated whispers and feel the stares from the patients. I have no doubt the guards also reported back to Arthur after breakfast, so when Christopher corners me in the hallway while we're standing outside Markel's office waiting for Avery, I assume he's coming to make some snarky comment.

"I'm not interested in whatever you have to say," I tell him lazily before he can speak.

Christopher stops a few feet away, hands in his pockets. "I think you will be."

His eyes shift to Grey, before returning his attention back to me.

"Get on with it," Grey states, clearly already irritated by his presence as well.

My dear cousin half-rolls his eyes at the command, pulling something out of his pocket. He quickly shoves it into my chest and my hand darts up, catching his fingers and crunching them painfully before he can pull back.

But curiosity gets the better of me and I let him go, looking down at the plastic card in my hand.

"What the hell is this?" I ask him.

Grey straightens up with interest, unfolding his arms. His eyebrows are raised, likely thinking the same as me.

"It's the spare card to solitary confinement," Christopher murmurs low, confirming our suspicions. "I swiped it from Dorothea's drawer this morning on the way in. She's called out today."

I pass the card over my shoulder to Grey who quickly snatches it up, putting it in his pocket. "Why?"

"Get Theo out and come meet me in my office as soon as possible. She's written down the latest code with a sharpie on the back."

There's an urgency to his voice that triggers alarm bells. And instantly I know why.

"The order went through, didn't it?"

Christopher nods, face stern. "First thing this morning. I have a copy of it on my laptop."

I close my eyes for a second, taking a breath and practicing my usualmediationtactic—imagining my father in a pool of blood. It does the trick, and I open my eyes again, locking them with his.

"Grey," I say with a silent command, not taking my eyes off Christopher.

"On it," he replies, immediately taking off down the hallway.

When my eyes glance over at Markel's closed door, Christopher's face flashes with worry. "Wait here," he says, knocking on the door and cracking it open.

I can hear muffled words exchange before he closes the door, gesturing for me to follow him. Raising an eyebrow, I stay put. He pauses, looking back at me.

"Markel is going to bring her to my office himself. I told him she has a session immediately after he is finished with her."

"And you think I'm going to leave her alone with that old dingbat?" I question with a scoff. "Is he going to protect her against Arthur?"

"Arthur is out for lunch," Christopher snaps back. "Celebratingwith your father. My office is less than thirty feet away. We'll leave the door open if you like."

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