Huxley

The men are all arguing around me, unaware that Tia has drifted away into the study, alone.

I want to follow her, talk to her, now that my truth is out. I want her to know everything. That I never intended for anyone to hurt her. Even now, I‘ll make sure her father never sets eyes on her again.

“This is my fight,” I yell, when Fallon gets in my face again, clearly not as easy to forgive me as Tia. “It has nothing to do with any of you. I’ve taken care of--”

“You’re wrong,” he growls out, trying to pull his alpha shit on me. “We all have a part in this fight, but you just brought the enemy to our shores.”

“I have a plan,” I rub the back of my neck, knowing they won’t listen, at least not Fallon. He’s run by too many damn emotions.

Maybe I am too. At least when it comes to Tia, to my sister, and those innocent girls who Thorne is planning to do God knows what with. A shiver races down my spine. Maybe I should have just gone to the labs in the dead of night, rescued the girls, and slit the bastard's throat in his sleep.

But there were already rumors circulating that patient C65 had been located in Alaska. Thorne’s hounds were already on her scent. And I saw only one way to throw them off, by giving them the damn bone they were searching for.

And it worked. I still have Thorne’s trust. And in two days time, I’ll also have his life.

“Well your plan is shut down,” Fallon says, finger pointed at my chest. “You’re not leaving this fucking house until we figure out what we’re going to do.”

“You can’t tell me--”

“He’s right,” Giles says, his voice calmer than the others, but still strong with resolve. “I’m not sure if you’ve been hearing us lately, Hux, but we’re a family. We’re in this together. What one person does, affects us all.”

“Well, maybe that’s the problem.” I glare at them all. “You keep thinking that I’m part of this damn family. And I’m not.” My stomach twists at my words, because I know they’re a lie. But I can’t let them talk me out of what I have to do.

Five sets of eyes are on me, still full of mistrust.

I suck my lip back over my teeth, then spit out. “I’ve already set in motion reports and documents that prove none of you were part of any of my plans.” I focus my gaze on Salinger. “Even you. I’ve wiped your name from the brothel and any activity there.”

“Bullshit. People will talk--”

“They can talk all they want, but they’ll never find any physical proof.”

Emerson crosses his arms over his large chest and frowns. “You can’t wipe your name off the marriage certificate. Whatever you do will reflect back on Tia. She’ll be brought in and questioned. Even if you take all the blame, the spotlight will be on our family.”

I crack my knuckles. “A little media attention is nothing compared to what Warren Thorne will do to her, to our children.”

“He wouldn’t have found her if you hadn’t given her up.”

I laugh darkly. “He’s known for weeks where she is. He was just biding his time waiting for the right time to strike, waiting...” I clench my eyes shut. “Waiting until she was pregnant.”

“You told him she’s pregnant?” Fallon takes a step towards me ready to strike again, but Giles holds him back.

“No.” I glance over at Banks. “It looks like there was a leak with the medical documents. But it wasn’t me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us all this before?” Salinger asks, suspicion still bright in his dark eyes.

“Because I knew this was how you would react. I was handling it. And I didn’t want you knowing anything that could implicate you.”

“Well, we’re implicated now,” Salinger says, rubbing his hands over his face. “We need to get her inside my mom’s bunker. She’ll be safe there while we figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” I say, wishing I would have thought of it. “I’ve already deposited enough money in a bank account that will help you build the house you were talking about, on Emerson’s island.”

“And there you go again, talking like you’re not going to be there with us,” Giles says, shaking his head. “There isn’t a man in this house that will let you--”

“Unless you plan on tying me down, you have no other choice. I’m doing this.”

“I have no qualms about tying your fucking ass down,” Fallon shouts, and I see something in his expression, behind the whole alpha anger and Neanderthal chest banging. I see real fear. And not just for Tia and the others, but for me.

But this isn’t the time to let emotions get in the way.

“Look.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale, long and deep. “If you think I’m walking into this with a death wish, you’re wrong. I’ve had months to prepare, and if everything goes as planned, I’ll walk scot-free.”

“With another man’s blood on your hands,” Giles says severely.

I hold his gaze. “Not a man. A murderer.”

There are a few murmurs of agreement with my statement.

“I’ve taken a life before,” Giles says roughly. “It’s not something you can just walk away from unchanged.”

I give a hard shake of my head. “You think I don’t see the faces of all those women I sent to their deaths every single night? That I don’t dream about the horrors that were inflicted on them? This isn’t murder, it’s justice in an unjust world.”

“Fuck,” Fallon mutters pulling at his short cropped hair, but I see in his eyes that he’s finally coming to grips with what I have to do.

What I will do.

Silence settles around the room.

“If we allow this,” Giles finally says, causing a few heads to snap up in his direction. “You tell us everything. Every detail of your plan.”

My back teeth clench, but I nod and spend the next hour going over the fine point details I’ve formulated. There are a few shocked intakes of breath when I disclose the amount of money I’ve placed in a secure location for them. It’s only a fraction of my net worth, but the rest of my funds have gone into paying off specific bodyguards and hacking into Thorne’s security systems, making sure that no one will be able to trace the transaction to me or my family.

The only small flaw in my plan, the one concern is that Thorne won’t come on his own, that he’ll send one of his thugs in his place.

But I can’t think about that now. And as far as I’m aware, according to my sources, the man has every intention of flying into a small private airport twenty miles from our meeting point in two days’ time.

Banks is the first to speak after I’ve laid out my plans. He whistles low, “Damn, Huxley, I knew you were a schemer, but this impresses even me. You might actually get away with it.”

“I will get away with it,” I say with all the confidence I can muster. False confidence, of course, because I knew from the moment I formulated the plan, that I would be giving up my freedom for my family’s safety.

It’s late when I finally find Tia curled up in the study, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she stares into the fireplace where small flames lick at the burning wood.

I place another log on, before sitting next to her.

“Tia, I--”

“Huxley.” She takes my hand, and shifts so that her head is on my chest. “I heard everything you said to the others. I wish you would have told us, but I understand why you didn’t.”

Of course, she does. She’s the one who kept so much from us at the beginning, in order to protect us. Maybe we’re not as different as I’d always thought.

“You’re not going to fight me on it?” I ask.

She takes a few small breaths before saying, “No. My father needs to pay for what he’s done. Someone needs to stop him. And maybe...” Her hand rests on my chest. “Maybe in another world where governments aren't corrupted by money and power, he would be tried and prosecuted by a court of law. But we both know that will never happen. Not while men like Lawson fund him.”

I press my lips against the top of her head. “I love you, Tia.”

She looks up at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I love you too, Hux.”

“Would you...” I press my forehead against hers and close my eyes. “Will you do something for me when this is all over?”

“Yes. Anything.”

“If I go to prison over this. If I...” Shit. My reality becomes more real when I’m with her. “Will you take care of the girls. My nieces. Will you--”

“Huxley.” Her brows draw down and anxiety washes over her face. “I...”

“Sorry, I know it’s a lot to ask. You have our babies to think of--”

“No.” She stops my words with a kiss, and when she pulls back there are tears in her eyes. “That’s not it. Those little girls are part of our family now. And you have to believe that everyone in this house will make sure they’re safe. No matter what. Okay?”

I let out a small sigh. “Thank you.”

Her smile falters. “But you weren’t here earlier when Banks told us he found a cure.”

“It’s great news.” I kiss her hard, not understanding the tension that rolls off her.

She pulls back. “Banks believes he can create a cure. For everyone. But it means taking fluid, both spinal and embryonic from me. Enough that would put both me and the babies’ lives at risk.”

“Fuck no,” I spit out angrily, remembering a piece of the conversation from earlier, but I’d been too much in my own head at the time to really listen.

What the hell was Banks thinking even mentioning it to her?

“How can I not?” Her fingers twist in my shirt, her eyes begging me for understanding. “You get it Hux. You’re willing to risk your life for your nieces, for all those women my father has in his possession.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“One life for the greater good.”

I place my hand on her stomach. “But it’s not just one life, it’s seven.”

“I know. And trust me, it’s not a decision I take lightly. But if anyone found out that I may be carrying the cure, do you think I’d be given a choice? A piece of me believes that even Salinger’s mom would have me strapped down to a gurney without blinking an eye.”

A warning slices through, and I jump up from the couch. “Shit.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to talk to Banks,” I say, starting to shake. “Because if he’s documented any of his findings on his laptop, then your father already knows. And it won’t be long before the whole damn world does as well.”