Chapter 54 CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Blue's POV
The name made the air in the room turn cold.
"My cousin is here at Bellamy," I told them. "You are to avoid him. Do not engage with him, do not go to his 'parties,' and do not take our family feud upon yourselves. Don't go picking fights with him or his goons out of some misplaced sense of loyalty."
I paused, glancing at Scarlett. She was watching me intently. I felt the softness she’d brought out in me trying to leak into my words, and for once, I didn't fight it entirely.
"If you find yourselves in a situation with him, stay calm. Take whatever he throws at you. Don't escalate. Trust that I will get justice for you later." I cleared my throat, trying to sound tougher than I felt. "I don't want any of you getting hurt pointlessly."
I moved on quickly to the next point before the guys could register the uncharacteristic concern in my voice.
"Intel," I said. "Things are going to get complicated in the coming days. I’m selecting two of you to defect. You’ll pretend to join Derek’s side. You’ll have to play along with his nonsense and maybe do some things that aren't honorable, but it’s for the greater good. I’ll tap who I want for that after we're done here."
Finally, I reached the last point on my list.
"Next," I said, my gaze shifting directly to Scarlett. "We need someone to familiarize themselves with the ventilation system. It would come in handy."
Scarlett had been looking slightly bored, but as my attention fixed on her, her eyes went wide with a look of sudden alarm. She sat up straighter, realizing that I was about to give her something to do.
"I’m going to give you a map of the ventilation system," I said. "You need to memorize every turn, every grate, and every dead end. Once you’ve got the layout down, you’ll practice moving in it. It shouldn't be hard for you since you’ve got a slender build. You’ll fit where the rest of us won't."
Scarlett didn’t shrink back. Instead, she nodded fiercely, her jaw set in a way that made her look like she was trying to convince me—and herself—that she was the toughest person in the room. I had to tighten my expression to hold back a smile. She was trying so hard, and I found that I liked seeing that fire in her.
For the next hour, I addressed the smaller, more tedious parts of the business. After the general meeting broke up, I stayed in my chair as different guys approached me individually. This was the part of the job I actually respected—the responsibility. It was on me to make sure their sentences went off without a hitch, that they weren't being harassed by guards I couldn't control, and that they left Bellamy exactly when they were supposed to.
As I listened to a guy named Dennis complain about a locker thief, I watched Scarlett out of the corner of my eye. She was wandering around the perimeter of the dining hall, tracing the lines of the wood paneling and looking at everything with genuine curiosity. She looked out of place compared to the hardened expressions of the men surrounding her.
"Jax. Mark. Stay behind," I called out as the last of the group began to trickle out toward the exit.
Mark was a talkative guy, a bit of a motormouth, but he knew how to read a room. Jax, however, looked like he was already bracing for bad news.
"The two of you are defecting," I said without preamble. "You’re going to Derek."
Jax’s jaw literally dropped. He stared at me like I’d just told him to jump off the roof. "Me? Are you kidding? Blue, there’s no way."
"I’m not kidding," I said, my voice flat.
"Why?" Jax asked, his voice rising in disbelief. "Why me?"
"Because it makes the bait more tempting," I explained calmly. "Derek is obsessed with his own ego. It would amuse him to no end to think my second-in-command, my most loyal friend, has finally had enough of my 'weakness' and crawled to him. He won't be able to resist the win."
Jax shook his head. "There’s no way he’d believe it. He knows how long we’ve been together. He knows I’m loyal to you."
"Derek thinks with his ego, Jax, not his brain. He wants to believe he’s better than me. He wants to believe people are abandoning me for him. He’ll buy it because his pride won't let him do anything else."
Jax looked over at Mark, his scowl deepening. "And what’s the rationale for choosing him? Mark can’t keep his mouth shut for five minutes."
"That’s exactly why he’s going," I said. "Mark knows how to sweet-talk. He knows how to fill a silence with exactly what people want to hear. The plan is for Mark to make Derek feel like a king while you gather information on every move my cousin makes."
Mark puffed out his chest, looking far too pleased with himself. "Yes, boss. It is my utmost privilege to lay down my life for this cause. I’ll have him telling me his life story by dinner."
Jax rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. I dismissed Mark with a wave of my hand, and he hurried out, probably already practicing his "I hate Blue" speech.
Once the door closed, Jax stepped closer. "Why are you really doing this? You’ve changed, Blue. Ever since she showed up. Do you really not want to work for your father anymore?"
I looked him straight in the eye. "That’s right. I’m done, Jax. How much longer was I supposed to stay under his thumb? How much more of his dirty work was I supposed to do before I stopped recognizing myself?"
Jax looked like the world was shifting under his feet. He didn't like change; he liked the structure the Lindens provided, even if that structure was built on blood. "So who’s going to be your assistant now? Who’s going to watch your back? Nobody is good at it like I am."
I reached out and tapped his shoulder. "Stan will do it. He’ll learn."
Jax looked like I’d slapped him. "You’re giving my job to a newbie? A guy who’s only been here for like five minutes? Blue, that’s demeaning."
"It’s not demeaning, it’s a strategy," I said firmly. "Come off your high horse, Jax. You need to learn a little humility. Not everything is a personal insult. You have a job to do, and I need you to do it perfectly."
Jax still looked unconvinced, his face clouded with bitterness. I’d always known he had a bad temper and could be difficult to reason with, and a part of me felt a twinge of worry. Sending him to Derek was a gamble. If Jax let his bitterness turn into real resentment, the bait might actually become the enemy. But I had to trust him. I wanted to leave Bellamy on my own terms, free from my father, and I intended to take Jax with me when I went.