Page 38 of Evading Darkness

Beforegoing upstairs, Kyler told me they wanted to talk to me. We'll see how this conversation goes, considering the last time I talked with one of those assholes, it landed me back in this dank-ass room.

I guess I have to hear them out and find out what they’re planning. I know one way or another, it involves me and my father. Before we get to this little talk, I want answers and proof. Barrett is some security buff, so there's no reason he won't be able to prove to me that Kyler wasn't lying about Julian waiting to look for me. If he was telling the truth, I'll do my best to work with them to take down my father. If I find out they lied, I’ll make it my personal mission to destroy them.

After taking a few deep breaths, I walk upstairs to the pool house to meet Kyler. He leads me to the lounge, where we are now all sitting in the most awkward silence I've ever been a part of in my life. I take this time to shoot Sebastian a nice scowl so that he understands my disdain for him. He surprises me by being the first one to break the silence.

"My brother here seems to think that you were telling the truth about Maxton. I’m not as convinced, but we all agree that you're a pretty little pawn in your father's world." He takes a drink from his cup and looks at me, waiting for my response.

"Like I’ve already said, I’m not lying, so you can fuck right off if that's what you want to believe." He raises his brow at me, but I won’t back down. "Here's what's going to happen. You brought me here to talk for a reason, and before I move forwardwith whatever conversation you want to have, I expect proof that I can trust you," I say while glancing over to Barrett.

"What sort of proof are you looking for, princess?" Barrett asks.

"Kyler told me that Julian waited a week before trying to look for me. I want to see proof of that. If I believe you, then we can continue talking. Until then, I'm not trusting you, especially after dickface decided to make me a promise, break it, and throw me in a fucking prison cell for the night." Barrett and Kyler laugh at my statement. I'm glad these assholes think my annoyance is funny.

"Give me five minutes, and I'll be back with your proof," Barrett firmly states, walking out of the room.

We sit and wait in more silence. I've had enough of this, so I get up to make myself a drink. I won't let them see me as weak anymore. Barrett returns to the room after a few minutes with his laptop in hand. He passes it over to me and tells me to press play.

The screen lights up with a video and audio clip of Julian talking to Avery. He called her from my phone, and she answered, thinking it was me calling. He’s apparently confused by this and tells her he thought I was with her. They go back and forth for a few minutes before I hear Avery call him out for waiting an entire week to look for his fiancé. He conveniently left out the fact that we broke up. I stop the recording. I don't need to hear anymore. It hurts to hear Avery's voice. She must think I abandoned her.

"How do you have this?" I ask Barrett.

"When we started watching you, I put cameras in your house. We've had access to all of you since before we took you," Barrett confesses.

"Talk about invasion of privacy." I turn my gaze to the floor, thinking about all the possible conversations or private moments they could’ve potentially heard or watched.

"We didn't watch when things got personal." He quickly says, as if reading my mind. "I had a program set up to monitor for certain words when the feeds were off. The goal was to try and determine your routine. We didn't need to listen to every intimate conversation you had." I nod at him. The small admission makes me feel a little less intruded upon.

Seb takes the opportunity to open his stupid mouth. "If you have the proof you need, can we get a move on with all of this? I’d rather not sit here all day if I don't have to."

"That may be the first thing you and I actually agree on. The less time I have to spend in a room with you, the better," I shoot right back at him.

"I'll get straight to the point then. We want revenge on your father, and we want to know if you’d like to be a part of it," Seb says.

Are they really asking me if I want revenge on that man? Of course, I want revenge. It's something I’ve dreamed about my entire life. Deciding to ask me to be a part of this proves they trust me at least a little bit, so I need to use this opportunity to my benefit if I can.

"I'm in. I know you all expect me to contribute some kind of information on my father that will help take him down, and I’m happy to provide that, but I believe there’s something I’m owed first." The men all look at me with questioning looks on their faces. I look Sebastian dead in the eyes as I make my next statement. "I want the phone call I was promised."

Kyler and Barrett turn to look at him as we all wait for his response. I won't accept anything less than a phone call. I need to reach out to Avery and let her know that I am okay and that I didn't willingly leave her. She needs to know that once my father is dealt with, she and I can go somewhere together and start over without the threat of Rogue.

"You want your call, fine." He tosses me the phone from out of his pocket. "You have three minutes, and we will be right here the entire time, so make good use of it."

I quickly dial Avery's number and wait for her to answer. I memorized her number when I realized how important she’d become in my life. If something were to ever happen, I needed to make sure I had a way to get in touch with her. She picks up on the fourth ring, and my heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice.

"If you're calling to spam me, do us both a favor and just hang up now," she sings out.

"Avery?"

"Cals? Where the fuck… where are you? It's been almost two months. I've been freaking out, completely sick to my stomach worrying about you."

"Listen, Ionly have a few minutes to talk, so I really don't have time for all the questions, but I wanted to make sure you knew I was ok."

"Was it Rogue? Did they find you? Julian has been losing his mind, too, you know. His annoying ass keeps calling me." I can almost hear her eyes rolling.

"It wasn't Rogue, and I promise you I’m ok. I'm sorry I left without telling you, but I haven’t had access to a phone until just now. There are just a few things I have to handle before I come back home, but I need you to do me a favor." The guys all seem to be visibly tense when I tell her that.

"You know I’ll do anything for you. What is it?"

"I need you to tell Julian that you heard from me and that I moved on. Tell him I don't want to be with him, and I won't be reaching out to him." I just want him to leave her alone.