Page 75 of Exile
"Bullshit," Avery cuts her off. "You knew how much you were hurting me but you still ignored it, quoting it was forthe greater good. You have no right trying to play God, Melanie. We're not your play toys—we're goddamn human beings. Did you do the same experiments on them?"
To both our astonishment, she answers quickly and shamefully, "Yes."
Avery looks away with disgust, deep in thought. For a moment, I see the hurt appear behind her eyes, but it's extinguished a second later. She gazes over at me, lowering her voice. "Let her go, Theo."
"What?" I snap. "You can't be serious."
"I am. Because I genuinely believe she's learned her lesson. Dr. West was too far gone and corrupt, but Melanie… I think she'll think twice as hard now about her chosen career path."
The doctor wails, and in a moment of frustration, I release her, launching her frame toward the floor. She trips and stumbles, landing in a heap at Avery's feet.
"T-thank you," she stutters, climbing to her feet as fast as her heels will allow her.
Avery straightens up, anger appearing on her face. I start to wonder if she's changed her mind, but then I realize she'sallowing the doctor to see her pain, the direct effect of her actions. "Remember I showed you mercy, Dr. Cromwell. Remember that I, someone you deemed unworthy of being treated like a human, showed you compassion when you didn't do the same for me. That's the difference between us. I'm a good person. You are not. But it's my hope that you'll use your degree for good and change lives like you claim you want to do."
"Y-yes," Dr. Cromwell murmurs between sobs. "Yes."
That's all she's able to muster, taking off down the corridor to a door and disappearing from sight.
"You should have let me kill her," I say gruffly. "I would have done it quick and painlessly if you asked."
Avery smiles sadly, silently pulling me into a hug as she wraps her arms around my frame. "We're not like them," she mutters into my chest. "We're better than them."
"I'm not," I answer. "I have no qualms torturing them with their own devices."
She shakes her head amused, stilling when she starts groping the hardness pressing into her. "Is that something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"
Laughing, I reach into the hoodie pocket, lifting out the blowtorch. "Both."
Avery stares at the blowtorch for a moment. "What are the chances of the entire building burning down if we set the lab on fire?"
"Judging by the sprinklers along the ceiling, probably minimal if we do it properly."
"Good thing I'm well versed in fire," she murmurs, grabbing the blowtorch from my hand, turning on her heel and heading down the corridor.
Amused, I lift the cell phone from my other pocket to my ear. "Did you hear that, Damon?"
A sigh filters through the receiver. "Loud and clear unfortunately. Make it quick—we need to get her back upstairs. Connor has just given word that some guards are on their way. I'll distract them."
Following Avery, she heads into the room with the electroshock equipment—the same room I killed the other doctor in. Poetic, if you ask me.
She starts going through the cupboards, searching through chemicals until she pulls a bottle down. "I don't know what this is but it has a flammable symbol on it. That's a good sign, I think."
Dousing the chair and machine in liquid, I stand back as she fumbles with the blowtorch, pressing buttons until she finds the right combination and the flame shoots out. Doing one last check at the roof to confirm there's a sprinkler above, she lights the liquid on fire, quickly stepping back.
It engulfs in flames rapidly, the room lighting up as heat starts to warm up our skin. Avery laughs under her breath, the sound music to my ears as she gives me a smile over her shoulder.
"We should grab the files on the way out—just anything to prove what was happening here."
I nod. "Come on, pyro. The last thing I need is to be hauling your unconscious body out of here from smoke inhalation."
As we exit the room, Avery pouring a trail of liquid along the floor, I spot something out of my peripheral vision. Spinning around, I lift an eyebrow at the person standing in the walkway, watching us with interest.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I snap, making Avery turn.
"Rian…" she gasps, squeezing the chemical bottle.
Crossing his arms, I narrow my eyes as Rian Thatcher stares at us unbothered. "Always causing trouble, aren't you?"
