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I nod in understanding as the headache that was putting me even more on edge begins to fade into the back of my mind.
“What happened?” I ask, knowing I’m ready now to hear the answer. Damien tells me about everything that went down and my heart warms knowing Angelo stood up for me. I know in some way he wants to make up for what happened to his daughter; I hope this was able to help him. If it was the only good that came of it all, then at least there was good.
I tell him about how Bryce must have gotten to my drink. A lot of his words are fuzzy near the end, but I remembered how he had his camera pointed at me like he was recording me. I also remember him saying someone told him to get to me, but I keep that part to myself.
“Did he send it to anyone?” I ask.
“I smashed it on the wall the second I saw him pointing it at you,” Damien says. “But we can have Lev search to try and find any trace of it being saved somewhere.”
Lev walks into the room then and Damien steps back. He hands me my blades, and as I strap them to my thigh the familiar weight brings a sense of comfort and control.
“You okay?” Lev asks, and I nod.
“Still processing. What do you think will happen to Bryce when we report him?” I ask, not knowing the protocols for stuff like this. In my experience, men aren’t usually held accountable for their actions.
“Alexi is working on alerting them now. I believe when he makes it back, if he does, then he will be held until a trial can take place. His parents or the ruling authority that sent him here will come to help dole out the punishment as well. Since he is part of the Spanish Cartel, they take the abuse of women very seriously. His family doesn’t deal in human trafficking, so I would assume they will either ask to punish him themselves or let the council do it. You do have the right to ask to be there if you wish.”
“Can I be the one to punish him?” My question causes Damien's face to light up with childlike joy.
“Yes,” Lev says, smiling as well, “You have the right to a duel. You can invoke a Challenge of Omerta and The Society will be required to offer you the arena for a fight.”
I smile then, knowing I’ll have my revenge is enough to banish the last of the bad thoughts.
“Are we docked?” I ask, wanting to take a shower desperately.
“We are,” Lev tells me. “Alexi mandated a curfew for the day so you won’t have to see anyone on the way back. He’s also taking the time to see if anyone else could have been involved with Bryce’s plan.”
My forehead wrinkles in confusion. “He’s helping me? Why?”
“He’s trying, Little Shadow,” Damien says, taking my hand and guiding us out of the room. “I know you don’t believe him about the video, but…” As he trails off he looks at Lev, a silent conversation seeming to pass between them.
“What are you not telling me?” I ask. It didn’t escape my notice that they would disappear at night, sometimes coming back bloody. I figured they were keeping order on the island, but now I’m sensing something else may be going on.
“We may have withheld telling you about some stuff,” Lev says, lowering his head.
“Why would you do that?” I pull my hand from Damiens and fold my arms over my chest as we exit the boat. I need to go back and thank Angelo for what he did, but I’m too desperate to hear what they’ve been hiding from me.
Lev finally turns to face me as we step onto the shore. “At first, we wanted to give your heart time to heal. We didn’t want you to have any reason to be stressed. So we dealt with it ourselves.”
“Dealt with what?” I say again, getting impatient.
“The aftermath of the video,” Damien says. I turn my head, my furious gaze on him.
“What. Aftermath?” I ask between clenched teeth.
“Some people thought they could use you because of the video,” Lev begins, “a few instructors thought they could make you pay for grades. When I saw that you got every answer right on your poisons test, but he marked a handful wrong anyways, I knew what he was up to. A student attempted to sneak into the suite as well.”
“Is that why we no longer have a poisons class?” I ask in shock. “It wasn’t supposed to be a temporary class like the email said, you guys got rid of him?”
They look at each other like they’re afraid to answer.
“Tell me,” I demand, raising my voice. “I am not a little princess who sits on the sidelines. I am not someone who needs the truth hidden from them because they can’t handle it. While I appreciate you looking out for me, and I really do, I’m so fucking pissed at you two.”
I throw my hands up in the air before clenching my hair in my fists, frustration pouring out of me in waves. “How many?” I ask.
“Eight,” Damien answers instantly, “not including Bryce.”
“And they’re all taken care of?”
