Page 79 of Exile

"Good luck to them," I reply, pushing my plate of plain pasta away. "It's a lot of money to fork out. Even with the trust fund and Alexander's ability to access it, they won't want to. They are too greedy."

"Agreed," Damon says. "But it means they will turn their sights to us. We need to stay on alert. It's likely there's other people here that are willing to do their dirty work for them."

And by dirty work, he means kill me. Or any of us, really. Damon and I are public enemy number one.

"We need to keep Avery with us at all times," Grey comments. "Even at night."

"Implement theASS scheduleagain?" I joke.

Grey grins at me. "Fuck that. Literally and metaphorically. You'll be staying with one of us. We'll need a new roster.Unless of course these two assholes are happy to just let you stay in my bed every night."

"Not a chance in hell," Theo replies. "Aves can stay with me and the pair of you can cuddle."

"Damon cuddle?" I snort. "Not sure he's capable of such a feat."

Damon cocks an eyebrow at me. "Do you want me to cuddle you?"

"Is that code for strangulation?" I tease. "Because yes either way."

His lips twitch, fighting back a smirk. "It can be arranged. I'll leave you to question which one."

"He's after my wealth," I tell Grey. "Cashing in on the life insurance policy. Oh, wait—I left it all to his dad."

The three of them simultaneously put down their forks, glaring at me.

"Oops, too soon?"

"Theo, control my wife," Damon says. "That smart mouth of hers is going to get her in trouble."

The hand on my leg shifts higher. "I don't think she knows how to stay out of trouble."

I throw Theo a side eye. "You're one to talk."

"Speaking of talking," Grey interjects. "Perhaps it's time we tell the other patients what's going on. We need everyone to stay on alert and the only way we can ensure their safety is to have them on board."

"Will they even believe us?" I ask warily. "I mean, when you think about it, it sounds outlandish."

Grey nods. "It does, but now that we have nearly a dozen patients who have been subjected to their bullshit, it's more believable."

I frown. "Maybe we should have Dr. Smith help with this."

Damon deadpans. "He's not going to tell patients what is secretly happening behind closed doors."

"Maybe not," I agree. "But with some of their conditions, it could be upsetting. They need support. The last thing we need is for a bunch of struggling patients to lose their shit."

"She has a point," Grey says. "He doesn't have to confirm or deny it, but we can't risk the whole facility being triggered. People could get hurt."

"People are already hurt," Theo replies, unfazed. "Give them some credit. Most of them have never been given the opportunity to be in control of their own situations. If you tell them, while we run the risk that they might react badly, many may appreciate the gesture of being given information."

"You sound like Dr. Smith," I joke. "Who are you and what have you done with Theo?"

Theo narrows his eyes at me. "It's as if you like my angry side. Want me to practice on Grey?"

"Try your luck, asshole," comes the reply from across the table.

I hold up my hands in defeat. "Alright, wise one. Let's fill Dr. Smith in and start warning patients. Maybe it will be better if we do it one by one, rather than making a loud announcement where it will get back to Whitface."

Damon nods. "I agree. We'll arrange a meeting tonight and have the other Cirque des Morts members assist. That way we can get it done faster and all have the same story."