Chapter 10 To none of our surprise, we're the last to arrive at the hall for lunch. Grey mutters something about joining us shortly, and I give a quick whatever nod before leading Avery over to our usual table, fingers still firmly entwined. She watches Grey closely as he approaches another table in the middle of the room, full of people from their little club. I suppose our club now. I wasn't given much choice in the membership, but I'll follow Avery wherever she goes. Circus society-whatever they call it. It's all the same to me. There's an unsightly amount of knockoff SWAT guards lined up against the wall, covering every entrance and exit to the hall. Their beady eyes scan the hall like metronomes, hands hovering over their weapons. I'm not sure what bullshit story Whittingham has fed them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they got trigger happy and started shooting up the place at the first misplaced sign of commotion. Tension is thick. People aren't stupid though. Even the most ignorant patients here would be able to sense trouble-if the blood splatter in the corridor didn't give it away. People keep their heads down, chattering among themselves as they pick at the poor excuse for food that's barely fit for human consumption. Avery can sense it too-not bothering to join the tiny queue to grab some lunch. She keeps flickering her gaze to Grey, spare hand clenched tightly in a ball as she waits for him to re-join us. I can tell she's worried that the guards may accidentally-or deliberately-shoot him, but if Damon can survive a gunshot wound, I'm sure Grey would be fine too. 'Are you going to eat?' I ask her. 'No,' she answers with a small shake of her head. 'You should though.' When I don't respond, just raising an eyebrow at her clear self-abandonment, she turns her attention to me. A smile suddenly breaks out on her face, as if she's forgotten about the babysitters watching us. I admire that after everything she's been through, she's still able to beam as happily as she does. It uses less muscles to frown, and frankly, giving minimal effort to people is more rewarding. But not to Avery. I suppose after her brief trip away from this madhouse, she's probably feeling somewhat refreshed. Even five minutes away from the soul sucking void would be a breath of fresh air. I'm glad she was able to be away for one night-just a fucking shame there was a price we all had to pay to achieve that. Damon is fine though. I've been briefed on his situation and from what I understand, Avery and Grey are stepping into his place as locum. They are organizing a meeting straight away since there's no telling what the Lilydale cunts will do next. I thought my family was messed up. Apparently, Damon's is on a whole other level. My parents abandoned me-a surprisingly better alternative than firing a bullet into my abdomen. 'You should eat,' I tell her firmly. Despite my tone, she just smiles brighter, immune to my deadly demeanor. 'I ate my weight in hospital food,' she says proudly. 'It was better than the shit they are serving here on a daily basis.' 'As long as it wasn't-' 'Don't say pineapple on pizza,' she interjects. 'You're wrong. Just admit it.' I snort, giving her a rare smile. 'Make me, Avery.' Rolling her eyes and dismissing the challenge, her cheeks still turn pink. 'Why don't you make me?' I'm ready to pick up what she's throwing down, or rather, throw her down onto the table, but Grey climbing onto the real metal version grabs everyone's attention. 'Listen up,' he says loudly to the room. It falls quiet immediately, and when the guards tense up and focus on him, Avery sucks in a nervous breath. I squeeze her hand for support, silently reassuring her that they are nothing more than gutless spectators, probably terrified of their own dicks. 'A situation has gone down. Stay vigilant and keep together. Do not allow staff to trick you into false promises. If you see anything worth reporting, see me immediately.' It's short and sweet, the sound of his heavy landing echoing around the quiet room as he jumps off the table and makes a beeline for us. Sliding in next to Avery, he throws her a grin. 'Hey, baby girl. You okay?' 'You're going to get shot, you adorable moron,' she grumbles, tilting her head toward the guards. 'By those assholes? Unlikely,' he shrugs off, kissing her cheek. Avery huffs under her breath, but the sudden, sharp gasp she makes has both our attention immediately. Grey and I glance at her in unison, her eyes narrowed on the main entrance. Twisting my neck, I spot what has caused her reaction. The head cunt himself stands in the doorway, muttering low to a guard. As if sensing our heated glares, Whittingham pauses, looking in our direction. His eyes mainly settle on Avery, and if I knew I'd get away with it, I'd walk over and snap his neck into multiple pieces just for looking at her. Hostility and anger radiates from him, directed at the three of us. Grey slowly lifts his hand, rotating it until his middle finger is solidly pointed up in his direction. Whittingham's cheeks puff out, his stocky frame vanishing out of sight as he storms off, the guard close behind him. 'Asshole,' I hear Avery mutter angrily. 'I've never wanted to kill someone more and I killed my father. Well, maybe Alexander. I wish he'd vanish off the face of the planet too.' I can't stop the smirk that I flash in her direction. There's something about hearing her desire for acts of violence that speaks to the monster inside of me. Grey apparently agrees, his eyes darkening as though he's ready to fuck her in front of the entire room. Eyes darting between us, Avery blushes, suddenly turning shy. She clears her throat, looking at Grey. 'Did you speak to everyone?' Grey takes a moment to respond, probably still mentally undressing her. 'Sure did. Want to handle the food again?' Avery nods eagerly. 'Have Byrone and Jillian managed to access the systems yet?' Shaking my head, I leave them to their conversation, almost lost and not overly interested in being that involved in Damon's business. I start scanning the room, taking note of everyone. People are easy to read if you know what to look for. Now that Grey has made his little speech, I'm curious if anyone begins acting suspiciously. From what I've been told, Whittingham has a nasty habit of trying to blackmail patients to get them to do his dirty work. Whether that's demanding them to be spies or attempting to harm one of us if they have a death wish, we need to ensure that there's no other threats lurking nearby. Everyone has happily returned to their food, a few sneaking glances in our direction as if trying to find out what the situation is that Grey speaks of. They don't come across as disingenuous though-merely curious like normal human beings. Patients in Lilydale all have one thing in common. Trauma. And with that comes forced personality traits. Untrusting, anxious, fearful. It's the main reason why the psychiatrists struggle to engage with anyone here. Even professionals come across as a potential danger-and in Lilydale, they have good reason to be wary of them. 'Teamwork makes the dream work,' Avery snorts with amusement. Grey cackles. 'I'm sure Deadman is absolutely thrilled being stuck in a hospital bed.' 'Oh, please. If he was here, there would be no teamwork-just follow the leader.' 'That's your husband you are talking about.' Avery points her index finger into his chest. 'Are we going to continue this vicious cycle? Because I'll go another round if you want to bring up the marriage thing again.' I lift my eyebrow at her. 'My condolences,' I cut in. 'For having to work with him.' Tilting my head in Grey's direction, Avery fights back a laugh. Grey threads his fingers with Avery's other hand, mustering the most serious expression he can manage. 'Just think of all the late night one on one time I'll have to spend with her. I bet your pillow gives good hugs though.' My eyes glance over our hands, Avery holding onto both of us. We're almost like that stupid fucking Spiderman meme where the three of them point to each other. Except there's no chance in hell I'm holding Grey's hand to complete the triangle. Though, it would be rather bemusing for the patients. They are used to blood, violence and promises of death from Grey and I. But linking palms? Their remaining sanity would cease to exist and the whole facility would erupt into chaos. 'Would your face like to find out?' I shoot back. 'Play nice,' Avery teases, though she knows we're just exchanging friendly banter. Death threats are the epitome of friendship for us now. 'I'm always nice,' Grey exclaims happily. 'Do I need to remind you just how nice I am? After all, I do prefer to complete things in sets of three. So, I should be extra nice and give you two more nice orgasms with my tongue.' She shifts slightly, thighs obviously clenching together. 'Anyway,' she murmurs, deflecting. 'I'll organize the food if you can ensure the library gets set up. Hopefully we don't experience any access issues tonight.' 'Whittingham won't be back tonight,' I say confidently. 'He hightailed it out of here awfully quick like the gutless fucker he is.' 'I agree,' Grey nods. 'We're in the clear for now.' Avery's face flashes, as if a light bulb has gone off above it. 'Damon said something about Mark and Louis-whoever they are.' Using his middle finger, Grey points out two men sitting at a table down the other end of the hall. They are large men-built like linebackers. Judging by their antisocial behavior and annoyed expressions, they keep to themselves. Intelligent, unlike others here. 'Right,' Grey answers in surprise. 'That's good thinking. I'll catch them after lunch.' They continue talking, dropping more names I can't be bothered to learn. As I continue my initial observation of patients, someone grabs my attention. That new patient keeps glancing over at us. I didn't take much notice at first-everyone was doing the same. But as the hype has worn off with people going back to their conversations, he's continuing to sneak glimpses. I lower my head so as to not make it obvious that I'm watching him, and when he lifts his head again for another peek, I check to see who he's looking at. Well, it appears Rian Thatcher has a kink for pain. Because I'm going to cave his face in and rip out his eyes since he's so fixated on my girlfriend. Aves has temporarily forgotten about her leadership role, engrossed entirely in a sandwich that's as big as her head. To my surprise, there are no pizzas at all tonight, let alone a single piece of pineapple. Instead, Avery has opted to arrange sandwiches and finger foods for the circus gathering. I linger close by to her, sending Damon's minions in the other direction if they attempt to approach while she's eating. They can wait. Avery didn't eat lunch and I wouldn't put it past Whittingham to resort back to old tactics of starvation if he can find his balls. Without warning, said sandwich is thrust into my face, Avery grinning at me. 'Try it. It's good.' I shake my head, amused. Her eyebrows pull together in frustration, stepping closer until she's got me caged in against the wall. 'Eat, Theo Ashwood,' she demands. Snorting, I hold her locked gaze, leaning down to take a bite. She looks satisfied, ready to step away when I grab her waist and pull her against me. In my peripheral vision, I spot Grey watching our exchange, grinning while chatting to the one who's permanently attached to a laptop-Byrone, I believe-and as I focus, I catch little snippets of their discussion. From what I can make out, someone died during the hallway ordeal. He's briefing the guy quickly and quietly, probably while Avery is distracted with her desire to shove the sandwich down my throat like we're on a cute couple's picnic during a random Tuesday afternoon. That's good though. Avery doesn't handle death on her conscience well. Grey probably wants to sort out a plan before he updates her so that she doesn't have to do anything in regards to it. When she starts to glance around, likely searching him out, I grip her chin and face her toward me. 'How are you feeling?' I ask. I know she's handling things exceptionally well. I'm proud of her for that. But the exhaustion and stress is still present in her eyes as well as a lingering longing and sadness. It's clear who it belongs to-the one person who should be here, dealing with this. I never thought I'd see the day where I cared, let alone, acknowledged, Damon's welfare. But he's grown on me as well. It's evident he loves Avery and will protect her with his life, and despite my desire to remain away from people, I believe in morals. Damon is a loyal man, and he treats people well-most of the time. He's looked out for me despite our differences, and I respect that. This dynamic was never going to be easy for everyone, but we've all made it work, and by bringing me into his circle, I've given my loyalty to Damon. As long as he treats Aves well and doesn't hurt her, it will stay like that. I appreciate the fact he took a bullet for her. We'd have all done the same, but we're here with her-he's not. He's paying a price that we'd all struggle with, while still ensuring that she's protected and loved. Madison deserved that. And she paid the ultimate price for people's selfishness. While I never saw eye to eye with Damon and Grey, we can all agree on one thing: Avery is the priority. She has brought us together. What was it that Grey called us? Brothers-in-law? I guess that rings true now that Avery is a married woman. It did cross my mind to warn Avery of the plan. The three of us discussed it in great detail. Ultimately, we all agreed that we needed things to be as authentic as possible with as few people involved. A dick move for sure from Avery's point of view, but we couldn't risk someone hurting her. We needed to move fast, and Avery likes to weigh up all the pros and cons. I believed her when she said she would have agreed. There was never any doubt in my mind. But she would have dwelled on the details and guilt, sending her mind into a spiral, and time was of the essence. When she asked how we felt about it, I was completely honest with my answer. A piece of paper means nothing to me. I'd already given thought about polyamorous marital situations with Madison-long landing on the point that love doesn't always need to go by the societal book and normal standards. Avery is mine, in every way, shape and form that's important. Her being legally wed to someone else doesn't take away from what we have. What we have is unique, consensual, and customized to suit our individual relationships with her. She wears my ink and marks on her skin, I wear her on my dick. And she has my little black bleeding heart in her hands. That's all that matters. I keep my arm tucked around her waist as she ponders my question. 'I'm okay,' she answers honestly. 'Just worried about everything.' 'And about Damon,' I point out. She nods. 'I know Alexander won't stop. He made that clear when he cornered me at the hospital.' After she filled us in, detailing all the events from her departure from Lilydale to her return, I can't say I'm surprised. Alexander Dale is a sly bastard, completely self-absorbed and obsessed. He's dangerous, and I won't hesitate to subject him to the same fate that led me here if he comes near Avery again. 'We won't let him,' I promise her, meaning every fucking word. 'Or that pathetic excuse for a shit stain that sticks to him.' 'Whitface will already be planning something. He's spiraling. Did you see his face at lunch?' I nod, watching as Grey finishes his conversation and heads in our direction. He comes up behind her, Avery shooting him a smile as she kisses his cheek. 'I think I know a way for us to find out,' Grey says, clearly having heard the last part of our exchange. 'Oh?' Avery perks up. 'How?' Grey gestures toward Byrone and the tech girl. 'Jillian still has access to the cameras we placed around, including the one in his office. As long as the servers and connection stay online, we can monitor his conversations.' 'I asked Dr. Smith to purchase some new cells for us as well,' Avery responds. 'That way we can communicate with each other. Whittingham hopefully won't take notice since he confiscated the other ones and likely won't be expecting us to have new ones so soon.' He grins at her proudly, planting a kiss on her forehead before taking a huge bite out of the sandwich still in her hand. Whether he knows my mouth was on it before or not, he doesn't seem to care. Fucking brothers-in-law. Madison would have liked him. She would have lectured me to like him. The two of them would have fed off each other's energy. He's almost the male version of her-if Madison was a homicidal maniac with a weird kink for blood. Swallowing the food, I notice his change in demeanor immediately. He gives me a tight smile, before spinning Avery around to face him. 'Alright, little killer. I have some news.' Avery stiffens, nodding for him to continue as she braces herself for whatever's coming. Grey cups her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. 'Leighton was killed in the fight. One of the guards injured him.' She doesn't react, the only telling sign she's affected by the news are her eyes which become a little glassy. Still, she holds herself together, lowering her head. 'Shit,' she mutters. 'But that's not all, is it?' Grey shakes his head slowly, grimacing. 'We've completed a headcount on all the patients, checking to make sure no one else was injured.' 'And?' I ask when Avery stays silent, her face suddenly full of dread. His eyes dart over to me, gaze reflecting the severity of his next words. 'Four patients are missing. They weren't involved in the hallway incident. But they did sign Elsher's bullshit consent form for voluntary treatment.'