“What good is that going to do? Are the social media leeches going to bully him to death?”
“It’ll leave the government no choice but to act once the people know about it. They’ll be forced to investigate it, including anyone else in office who was involved. Not only will Avery get caught, but his public image will tank. He’ll be ruined—”
“And he can either let them arrest him or be stupid enough to wander the streets with us looking for him.” Damien finishes Alex’s explanation, then looks to Victoria, almost regrettably. “We’ll find a way to keep you safe, Victoria, but wehaveto dothis. We have a good lawyer, and we’ll give you the support you need…”
She finally tears her eyes away and looks back at us with a conflicted gaze. I don’t believe it has anything to do with her father, because she glances at Elizabeth before addressing him.
“I know. As long as she’ll be safe, I can handle whatever comes from this.” Zeke snorts at her remark, but I try my best to ignore it.
She has every right to fear what’s to come. This may prove his involvement and creation of this scandal, but it may not clear her completely, even though none of this is her fault. The pharmaceutical company that created the poison for him is still in her name. There’s no way the federal police will just overlook that, and she’ll have a lot of questions to answer by the time this is all done. I guess we’ll have to consult with Matt, Damien’s cousin’s lawyer-husband, and ask him what we can do for her.
“Adrien’s downstairs training. I just texted him. He’s on his way up,” Alex blurts out, and that’s when Damien snaps his head in his direction.
“He’swhat?!”Oh, shit.Adrien is strictly media and was always supposed to stay that way. Damien thinks he’s too innocent and soft to do this job. I can’t say that I disagree. “He’s eighteen, Alex! Why the fuck is he downstairs?!” Alex shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant, despite his wide eyes.
“He wanted to learn how to fight in case Zeke tried to break his nose again.”
Carter bursts into laughter, throwing his head back and almost falling out of the chair. Zeke just makes a ‘pssh’ noise, as if the thought alone is insane.
“Like he could stop me.”
“Stop hurting the kid, Zeke,” I berate him, sure to keep my annoyed tone. He’s been really off today. We’ve waited for this for so long, and I know he has, too, but there’s no anticipationin his body language, and his eyes look even angrier than they normally do.
“Well, tell the little shit to stop trying to hug me.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“Last time, he was just saying hi.”
He lifts his eyebrow in a jerky motion, almost like he’s twitching.
“Close enough.”
“Carter, get this shit ready to send out. We’re plastering it everywhere. I want into the news networks, social media, and law enforcement databases—anything that has a screen, I want to be on it,” Damien demands and then looks down at me. He’s breathing heavily and his eyes are filled with elation, like it’s rained for months and the sun finally came out. I smile sweetly at him, feeling the same emotions take over my chest.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” I say softly.
“Merry Christmas, little wolf.” He leans down to kiss me, tasting like victory and energy. His face is warmer than usual, and his lips pulse faintly against me—hopefully because he can't contain his excitement and not because he's about to have a stroke. I pull away in just enough time for him to grab my hands and help me stand, then lead us out of the room with renewed urgency. Everyone else follows, Carter frantically so, juggling his laptop to catch up.
Adrien rushes towards the conference room, clearly panicky. He's panting heavily and his red hair is plastered to his forehead from sweat, but the moment he sees Damien, his jaw drops from shock. I suppose since Alex texted him, he wasn’t expecting to see Damien…and now he knows he’s caught. He trips over his own feet and fumbles like a baby deer as he tries his best to straighten himself. From the trembling in his hands, I’d say it doesn’t work very well.
“What’d you need, boss?” he asks Damien nervously. We continue walking down the hallway and towards Adrien’s studio, not bothering to slow down so he can keep up easily.
“We’re going live, and Carter is going to broadcast it everywhere. I need you to record it, add the evidence to the video, and contort my voice. Can you do it well enough that it can’t be cracked?”
Adrien nods frantically, like he’s just been handed the opportunity of a lifetime.
“Yeah. Yes, you got it, boss.”
“Stop calling me that,” Damien sayssoseriously, but I almost choke. He commands these men every day, telling them where to go, what to do, and who to kill, but they can't call himboss? In all fairness, Adrien is the only one that calls him that. So, it probably sounds even worse coming from the youngest one in the group.
Once we reach the studio, Damien turns abruptly and kisses me again. I want to smile against his lips and press myself against him, but his skin charges with uncontainable energy. When he pulls away, I gasp softly, hating the loss of his touch.
“Are you ready?” he asks with tense features, probably thinking the same things I am. I’m so angry with myself for not answering right away, but truth be told, how can I? This is impulsive. We haven’t thought about what could come from this, or what could happen if Avery somehow gets away and retaliates. Hell, we still don’t know where Satori is, and surely, he’s out for blood after what happened.
But for some reason, none of that matters right now.
Damien has tried to be so careful, even before he was taken, and look where that got us. He’s at his best when he acts on instinct. The darkness that lives within him thrives under this kind of pressure, and if he believes that this is the best course ofaction, then so do I. I trust him wholly and completely. Whatever life throws at us next, we’ll handle it together.
