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Turner shakes his head. “Only because Red killed his ass. She shouldn’t have had to do that when one of her boyfriends is supposed to be this badass.”
Greg blows out a breath with a nod. “You’re right, and I still kick my own ass every day when I remember what she went through. I was digging into her ex’s past, and somehow I triggered an alarm with my hacking.”
“Oh shit,” Jordan mutters.
“Yep, I was trying to get access to a file that was above my clearance level, and received a call from Mr. Xav half an hour later. He told me to cease and desist in my search for information on Anthony St. James, or he would be forced to move forward with repercussions. Mr. Xav enjoys torturing the families of operatives who don’t follow instructions, and while I no longer worked directly for the government at the time, his reach did not have an expiration date.
“He’s the enforcer for the shadow government organizations that aren’t supposed to exist, and he enjoys the job entirely too much. So I had to get really inventive in how I protected Tori, and had to teach her to do it herself,” he explains. Greg did what he could for her, but Turner never forgave him for it and it’s obvious.
Greg sighs, guilt riding him hard. “I was worried about Miguel and his sister and Link. He would have killed them all in the sloppiest, goriest way possible. And then he would have come for Tori once he realized how important she was to me. I’m still haunted by guilt, no matter how many times Tori tells me it wasn’t my fault.”
His eyes turn steely and angry as he looks up. “I changed the direction of my company after that happened, worked to get in as an operative on an as-needed basis, so I could protect my family. I never want this to happen again. I need to be there for the people who are important to me. I am an asshole with few friends, but you and Lennon are family. It also gives me the ability to end Mr. Xav. Let me make a few calls to make it an official order, but I’m in either way. This fucker is dead.”
Greg tosses his computer on top of his bag and strides out of the room. Layla hugs herself as the door slams behind him and Mav picks her up, hugging her to him. “I do believe we’re all on the same page then,” I rumble.
Derek chews his lip as his phone rings. “We are, except I’m about to have to do something that’s gonna piss you off,” he confesses.
Grant Williams is calling his son home again. Fuck.
LENNON
Istare at my doctor across the desk, slightly out of breath from being wrestled back into another straightjacket, and then marched here.
“Lennon,” Dr. Bennett says smoothly as he leans forward. “Do you know why you’re here?”
I shake my head because I really don’t know. I’ve had a small hallucination and been almost assaulted by a nurse and an orderly. I haven’t been told shit.
I take a deep breath, because my anger can only hurt me here. “No, doctor. I don’t,” I say carefully.
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Goosebumps rise on my skin, and for once I’m glad my skin is hidden by this contraption. I force my breath to stay even, so I can stay coherent. Something tells me I need to stay calm, though I don’t know how long it’ll help.
“You are suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations, Lennon. You were found walking aimlessly in downtown Albuquerque after your show, trying to find your mother. You were talking to someone who wasn’t there, and became combative when people asked if you were okay,” he says. The doctor’s eyes narrow as he watches me. “Your mother suffered from manic depression, didn’t she? Did she also see things that weren’t there?”
My lungs start to saw as I realize what he’s implying. “No, no I don’t believe she hallucinated,” I say softly. “What was I doing outside the stadium after my show? Where’s Roark and Turner?” I ask, my voice starting to rise in panic.
“Lennon, there’s no reason to feel anxious here,” he soothes. “You’re absolutely safe here now.”
Nothing about this place is safe.
“Why am I here? And where exactly am I?” I plan to keep firing off questions until at least one of them are fucking answered
“So full of life,” he murmurs under his breath. “You’re going to be so much fun to break.” Louder, he continues, “Your band members reported your behavior has been erratic over the last two weeks, and agreed you needed a little vacation from your day to day life. They called our facility, and we picked you up. As far as where you are, you’re at Hidden Hills, but that’s all I can tell you.”
I shudder as I process this, tears beginning to prick my eyes.Roark and Turner had me placed here?
I feel betrayed, and have a flash of memory of Roark puking as he got clean from drugs. “No,” I rasp, shaking my head. “They wouldn’t do that. Roark and Turner are loyal, and wouldn’t just disappear from my life.I do not accept this,”I say firmly.Family doesn't throw you away.
And yet… both of my parents did.
Dr. Bennet shrugs, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “I don’t really give a flying fuck what you accept, my dear,” he says. “We have a no contact policy here, which means you will never know the difference.”
My jaw drops, almost surprised by how fast he dropped his semi-nice act. I’m beginning to see that everyone here is seriously fucked up.Are any of the patients here actually unwell?
“—There’s a list of afflictions here that appear to need to be managed before you will be able to be released into your own care,” he says, and I realize I spaced out.
Fuck.
“What exactly does this mean?” I choose a safe question, since I am unsure of what he said earlier.
