Chapter 19 The scream rips out of me before I can stop it, my stomach heaving as I quickly cover my mouth. Despite my best effort, I have to run to the tiny en suite in my room, stomach emptying into the toilet in violent waves. When the door to my shoebox opened, I was expecting one of the guys to be on the other side. No one pushed open the door, so I got up from the bed to investigate. Outside my door was a tiny white caddy, unmarked but clearly discarded. For a moment, I thought it was a gift from one of the guys, a surprise since they have been so generous lately. How wrong I was... I jump a foot in the air as my door crashes open into the adjacent wall, wild footsteps rushing into the room before a body appears in the doorway. 'Little killer?' Grey breathes out, relief flooding his face at my seemingly okay figure. I'm far from okay. I fear I never will be okay again after what I just witnessed. Damon peeks over Grey's shoulder, wide eyed with semi-composed Damon level panic. 'What the hell was the screaming about, Avery?' I can't muster words, a fresh rush of vomit coming when I try. All I can manage to do is point my finger in the direction of the door. Grey shares a look with Damon before stepping into the bathroom to hold my hair. Out of the corner of my eye, Damon vanishes, en route to investigate. 'Well, fuck,' his voice mumbles, completely different from his usual unfazed tone. It's obvious that part of Grey wants to see what's caught our attention, but he stays put, stroking my scalp as he gently holds back tendrils from falling into the path of my partially digested meal. 'What is it, Deadman?' 'You better come see this, Grey.' I motion with my hand that I'll be fine for a moment, gesturing for him to go look. I'm fairly confident that I've gotten it all-at least, I hope. There's nothing but silence from the pair of them. I don't dare leave the bathroom, leaning against the wall as I resist the urge to lose my shit or cry. Monsters. Grey heads back into the bathroom a minute later, arms outstretched. 'Come here.' Moving with speed that would almost be impressive considering what just came out of me, I launch myself into his chest. 'It's bad...' I manage to mumble. I feel him nod above me. 'Are you okay?' Pulling my head back, I gawk at him wide-eyed. 'Absolutely not. There's a fucking severed head at my door.' Teddy's head to be exact... Fucking hell. I thought her body had been escorted from the property. I was told that Whitface had organized for her to be released to her family. More lies. It never ends. Damon hovers in the doorway, and I do a double take at his face. 'What?' I ask, dreading the answer. It looks as though he's fighting the idea of whether or not to tell me, but with a sigh, he does. 'There was a note inside.' I definitely didn't see any note but to be fair, the half a second glance I had inside sent me sprinting. 'What does it say?' Grey's arms tighten around me. 'Deadman,' he warns. 'She needs to know,' Damon replies sharply. 'No more secrets, remember?' 'I'll take a secret marriage over this any day,' I mumble, dry-retching before quickly recovering with a hand over my mouth. Damon offers me a tight smile. 'See-the idea of being tied to me isn't so bad now.' 'You're deflecting,' I grumble, waving my hand. 'Tell me.' He suddenly looks standoffish, almost worried about delivering this news. But I already can sense it's something messed up. In fact, I have a pretty good idea of what it says. Bringing his hand up from his side, I spot the blood-covered paper in his grip. It's scrunched up, crinkling sounds way too loud as I wait nervously. Damon flips the paper around so I can see the words, and it's exactly what I suspected. YOU'RE NEXT. I'm not sure what's more disturbing; the fact that I'm doing this... or that it was my idea. In theory, the reaction of the guys should probably be up on that measurement too, but when you're dating psychopaths, it's easy for moral compasses to get a little lost. 'Cameras are offline,' Damon confirms, giving me a sharp nod. The three of them are staring at me with different expressions. Damon looks determined, like this is just another everyday mission. If gravity wasn't a thing, Grey would be bouncing off the ceiling with excitement. And Theo... if we weren't in the open corridor, he'd probably throw me against the wall and make me forget what I'm holding. 'Let's do this,' I answer, face tight. Damon takes a single step forward, lifting his hand to gesture for me to go first. I know it must be difficult for them-their instincts wanting to kick in and walk ahead of me like protective guard dogs. But this is about me. Glancing at each of them a final time, I start walking down the corridor, the sounds of their footsteps following immediately. We pass the staff rooms and I'm unable to resist peering inside. I'm disappointed to find Elsher's door closed, probably in session with an innocent patient. For a moment, I'm tempted to kick his door down and put on a show for him. But I know this will get back to him regardless. We can save him for another time. Dr. Smith has his door wide open, alone in his office. His neck nearly snaps with a loud crack as he does a triple take, mouth falling open in horror as we stroll by. Grey cackles behind me, obviously amused by the chaos we're causing. Fuck-I'm going to be grilled in my next therapy session. Alexander should really pay Dr. Smith more because my mental health alone is disastrous enough for the man to handle. Damon hums quietly to himself, and if I had to guess, I'd say his mind is somewhere along the same lines as mine-more likely amused at his cousin's distress than anything. Of course, Theo says nothing. Swiveling my head, I check that he's still following, his eyes immediately finding mine as I do. He gives me a small smile, silently reassuring me that he has my back and I'm safe. Safe. I can't ponder the alternate reality that if I'd never crossed paths with these three that my existence in Lilydale would be anything but safe. I'd already be dead, or even more broken than I was when I entered. Pausing as we reach the final door, I wait for one of them to unlock it. To my surprise, a staff card is handed to me over my shoulder. 'Damon?' He holds the card out. 'Yours, Avery.' I guess we're actually doing this and not cutting corners. Nodding, I take the card with my free hand, swiping it on the keypad before punching in the code that Damon had me recite before we left the rooms. The light on the access pad flashes green and I waste no time pulling open the door. There's no hesitation, no fear. We're fucking doing this. Stepping into the Lilydale foyer, the sound of our four sets of footsteps echo around the marble. Whittingham's door is wide open, his head down as he pours himself over paperwork. I actually wonder if he does much work or if he just spends all his time planning malevolent ideas. His head jerks up, and despite my best efforts to keep my face expressionless, I can't help but smirk in amusement at his sudden panic. He stands before we even reach his doorway, and I spot his eyes darting between our distance and the door, probably wondering if he has time to lock us out. He doesn't, of course. Behind me, Grey growls low in his chest, his own amusement left back in the corridor now that we're face to face with the man who stars in all of our nightmares. 'Whitface,' I greet, strolling straight over to his desk. 'A displeasure as always.' Normally, there'd be some snarky reply or threat, but Arthur Whittingham is completely speechless. And I don't blame him. Lifting my arm, I drop his present in front of him, a sickening bang drawing his attention. 'You lost this,' I say calmly-my tone surprising even me. Whittingham's eyes widen, glaring at me before dropping down to the severed head of his lover on his paperwork. Damon steps up beside me to my right, placing his left hand on my shoulder. Whittingham looks at it, eyebrow twitching as he takes in Damon's wedding band. 'Threaten my wife again and next time it will be your head,' Damon promises coldly. I'm not sure if they practised it but as if on cue, Theo and Grey split, closing in on Whittingham on either side of the desk. The older man stumbles back at their advance, unable to hide the sheer horror and fear at realizing the four of us have him blocked in. 'I have no idea what you're talking about,' he spits out, moving behind his cushy chair and using it as a barrier. Grey grins at him, reaching down to grab the beloved letter opener from the stationery canister. 'I used this to pluck your guard's eye out. If you even look at our girl the wrong way, I'll shove it so far up your dick hole that you'll be pissing out of your belly button.' 'Good luck with that,' Whittingham snaps heatedly, although his expression fails him. 'You'll be out of here by the end of the day.' Damon smiles saccharinely. 'Because of the cameras, you mean? The cameras that are currently switched off?' I fail to hide my grin as his eyes check the corners of the room, omitting the usual red light. Theo stalks forward, grabbing Whittingham's arm and violently pulling him forward before slamming him back down into the chair. 'When Grey's finished with you, I'm going to drag your bleeding useless carcass downstairs and fry your mind so much that you forget your own name.' 'Don't touch me!' Whittingham yells, slapping his hand away. 'I'll have you all arrested, you delinquents.' 'Big word for a little man,' Grey laughs. 'Did you learn that from your friend, Alexander?' At the mention of his father, Damon stiffens next to me. I reach out and grasp his hand, threading our fingers. The act doesn't go unnoticed by Whittingham, a look of disgust crossing his face as he spots my ring. 'We'll prove that this marriage is illegal. This is only temporary.' I lean forward, patting the top of Teddy's head as I hold eye contact with him. 'I'm not next, Arthur. You are. And don't even think about coming after my guys.' Pausing, I reach down and collect the paperwork from under her gray neck, tossing it in his face. 'And when you're in here, taking your last breath, we're going to kill your good buddy Alexander and send you both to Hell where you belong.'