Chapter 457 Anxiety Pt 2

Chapter 457 Anxiety Pt 2
AMELIA 

She's silent for a beat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I can't give her details. I don't know much about it myself and it's not like she'd support me even if I did. Devon refused to tell me. I can't think about it now, because if I give that treacherous bastard a thought, I'll lose my nerve. "Just leave it to me."

"Amelia."

"I don't have answers," I tell her dismissively. I'm stunned by how hurt I feel. I guess this was sitting inside of me for a long time, waiting. "I don't know how anything is going to go. All I know is that I'll stop at nothing."

"Are you listening to yourself?" she asks, rising from the seat. "Stop that. Stop it right this second. You're not going to do anything. We're cutting all ties with him. If it's a war he wants, it's a war he's going to get."

"You just told me that the council abandoned us," I remind her. "We don't have enough people to fight him. Damien won't want a war."

"Damien won't want you associating yourself with him. How many times do I have to tell you this? We'll find a better way. I'll talk to the council again and ask them to reconsider. I'll tell them you did it to save Ethan and that you succeeded."

I scoff. "They wanted Ethan dead, remember? He cheated us all by giving in to Ash's demands for an entire year. That'll make everything worse. Don't you see? We don't have another choice."

This makes her pause. I've already taken all of this into consideration, which is why I'm going to meet him tonight. I don't know what his intentions were when he let Ethan go, but it could be a test. Besides, letting Ethan go would mean nothing. It's not like it changes anything. Ethan's at the hospital. He's got a systemic infection and he's severely dehydrated, among other things. It'll take a while for him to recover. It could be that he simply wants to show me that he's willing to cooperate. Either way, I'll find out today.

I'm going. It's my only chance to end this.

Her eyes start watering. She looks at me for the longest time. Oddly, I'm devoid of any emotion. Her tears aren't affecting me at all. She says, "I know you're mad—"

"Do you?" I ask, watching her intently. "No, I don't think you do. You're acting as if I'm enjoying this, as if kissing Ash's ass is such a pleasant experience for me. If you think that there's a better solution, by all means tell me."

She wipes her tears away with the back of her hand, smudging some of her mascara. "I'm not judging you; I'm worried about you, there's a difference. I don't want you to get hurt, is that so hard for you to understand? You're like a little sister to me, Amelia. You've got no business getting involved in any of this and I know Damien agrees with me. You're young and inexperienced and you've lost so much already. You're stubborn and I hate that you never listen to me. Ash is dangerous and unpredictable, and he has horrible intentions."

Her speech deflates me a little, but it still won't stop me. "I decide what I can or can't handle, Theo. All I need is your support, not your judgement. Ash took a lot from me in a short amount of time. He ruined my wedding, he nearly got the love of my life killed. I have to do this or I'll never find peace."

"You're going to kill him, is that it? How do you plan on doing that when you're standing right in front of him? He's bigger than you, he's stronger than you. It's a fact."

I gulp. I don't know. I'm counting on Devon here. He said he'll organize everything, that all I had to do was show up. "I'll figure it out when I get there."

Her eyes search my face. "You're hiding something."

"I'm not." I'll never tell her about Devon's involvement. No one needs to know that part. It's embarrassing enough that the one person that practically destroyed my life is helping me now. The truth is that I can't hate Devon, not really. I only met Damien because of him, and I'd be a hypocrite if I said that never leaving my sleepy little town would've been better than this.

She shakes her head. "Don't tell me you're going to meet that man."

"I will," I say to her. There's no point in lying, she'll find out either way. "I'm not giving up on the plan."

"Plan? What plan?"

"Leave it to me, Theo," I say, rising from the swivel chair. I don't have anything left to say to her. I grab my bag and leave the office. I have to get going, there's nothing left for me to do here. I have to prepare myself for tonight. I'm scared, but it has to be done. I'm the only one that can stop this now.

I stop by the boutique and pick up the dress I bought online earlier. I ask Roger to drop me off at the apartment, then I decide against it. A hotel will be better. The hotel Ash suggested. Theo might try to stop me there. There are guards all over the place, after all. He does as instructed and I pay for the room. I have everything I need with me, I won't need to go back there.

My phone doesn't ring. Theo doesn't call me. My mother doesn't call me, which means that Damien doesn't want to talk to me either. I'm on my own. Later, I'll be meeting Ash downstairs. I open my bag and peer inside. Right at the bottom, there's the gun I took from the office in the morning. I knew where Damien kept it.

I have to be on the safe side.

I close my bag quickly and take a deep breath. I don't know if I'm ready for this, if I'm strong enough. I don't even know if Devon is telling me the truth, because he hasn't given me any instructions. I have to be prepared, in my own way. Ash might not frisk me, he didn't at the restaurant.

For now, all I have to do is wait.