Released (Highgate Preparatory Academy, #3)

by Rosa Lee

“Hi, Lilly. I’m Mai and I’ve bought you something to eat,” she tells me, carefully stepping towards me, and placing the tray on the table while making sure not to knock the plate already there off. “I made it myself, and no one else has touched it,” she divulges, looking me straight in the eye with a frank and open look on her face. She knows about the drugs, right?

“Ash told me to tell you ‘rubber duck’ if you had any concerns,”

“Have we met? Your eyes remind me of someone.” “The twins are my cousins, bloody reprobates,”

my spine through my nightgown, fingers digging into my hips painfully as a hardness is ground against my arse.

“Violet…” a deep, male voice groans, his painful grip loosening, then his palm glides down my thigh, fingers searching for my hem and leaving a sickening tingling in their wake. All whilst his hot, alcohol-scented breath washes over the back of my head, making me want to throw up.

Remember, Baby Girl, go in hard and fast, like you want to push through...

“Lilly?! Everything okay?” a loud voice sounds from outside the door, the handle rattling.

“Rowan?” I croak, turning just as the dark shadow of a man flies across the room, pausing at the wall opposite the bed before disappearing through it. What the fuck?

“Sorry, pixie girl,” he soothes, his fingers becoming a little more gentle. “It doesn’t look like you’re bleeding. What in the ever-loving fuck happened?”

“There was someone in my bed…” I shiver, tears filling my eyes and my cheeks reddening with shame at what I have to say next. “H–he was—he was touching me, so I headbutted him with the back of my head,” I tell them, feeling a drop of liquid hit my hands which are resting in my lap. “He called me Violet.”

“I–I think maybe, but I’ve been too out of it to know if it was just a dream or not,” I confess quietly, pausing when his steps stop. I look up to see that his jaw is clenched, his face hard. I swallow thickly, trying to find the courage to ask a question in return. “D–do you know who it was?”

“We’re not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your uncle has a broken nose and two black eyes tomorrow.” His eyes soften, his hand squeezing mine gently.

“Hey, Princess,” a deep voice I vaguely recognise sounds as if from far away. “Look at me, Lilly,” the voice commands, and I turn my head, finding familiar grey eyes full of worry looking back at me. “That’s it, my love, good girl. Now breathe with me, in and out,” Ash orders, and it takes me a second to realise that he’s on a phone screen and not actually in the room.

“H–he touched me, Ash.” “I know, Princess, I know. And I will personally chop off each and every one of his fingers for daring to lay a hand on you,”

“I wish we could come and get you right the fuck now but we can’t, Princess.” Frustration is clear in the way he says the last part through clenched teeth. “If my father even suspects…shit, he may order Adrian to kill you, and I just can’t live in a world that you are not a part of. That’s not an option, Princess.” His eyes beg me for my understanding, for my forgiveness.

“We’ll tell him that Julian has given us orders to,” Roman tells me, and I look away from Ash into his laughing brown eyes, which currently are full of evil humour. It also confirms my suspicions that Julian has something to do with this.

“He won’t question it if it’s my father’s orders,” Ash interjects, and I look back at him. “Because then he’ll have to admit what he’s been doing, and Julian won’t like that one bit.”

“I’ll fight him,” a familiar, deep voice states into the quiet, and the crowd parts like the red motherfucking sea to let Asher Vanderbilt saunter through, his signature smirk plastered on his lips.

A fissure of guilt runs through me at the knowledge that either Lilly would hate this—us fighting—or really fucking love it. Kai and Loki told us all about how much she enjoyed their company. Fuck, I can’t wait for her to be back with us. I’d even touch this asshole’s dick if she asked me to, just to see that fire in her eyes again.

“You think I’m pretty, Griffiths? I’m afraid you’re not my type, too much between your legs for me,”

“We both know that your wife certainly enjoys what’s between my legs,” I reply, grinning smugly when a dark flush creeps up his neck. “What does she call it again…oh yes, my monster cock. But I’m sure that you’re…adequate, pretty boy.”

He groans as his long, black eyelashes flutter—no wonder Baby Girl fell for him so hard, fucking pretty boy indeed—and he rolls onto his back.

“You were the one that beat the shit out of me, what do you have to be salty about?” I look down into his grey eyes, one almost swollen shut, and just give him a look. “You're still sore about me marrying Lilly, aren’t you?” he questions, a stupid fucking smile on his face. “I just did what I had to do.”

Hand clenching the door handle hard enough that my bloody knuckles turn white, I look to the star-freckled sky and send up a prayer to whatever motherfucker might be out there. Keep her safe for me.

Her situation is so similar to my own, her uncle is as much of a pervert as mine. More so if he is actually her father. Sick fuck. The blackness of my own rage threatens to consume me, eating at the corners of my vision, but I keep my head. Pushing it back until it simmers in the corner, waiting for its target; Adrian Ramsey.

“But as far as he’s aware, we believe that she’s missing,” Ash answers, rubbing his face then hissing when he hits a sore spot. “She could stay missing, he could move her or just cut his losses. Unless we confront him about it, which just feels too risky with her still there, I can’t see any other way forward but to wait until it’s too late for him to do anything about it.”

“I know, I fucking hate it as much as you do,” Ash confesses, voice fractured and pain-filled. “But I’d rather that than not have her at all. We can help her get over this. We can’t bring her back from the dead.”

We stay that way for a long time, drinking in the sight of the girl who stole our hearts, our souls, before we’d even realised what she was doing.

I turn and smile to see Rowan jogging towards me. Both boys have become like the brothers I never had, teasing me to keep my spirits up and fiercely protective when it comes to my safety.

Kai Evil Genius Matthews: So we can keep in touch, darling xxx

Loki Your Favourite Boyfriend Thorn: *winking face emoji* Fucking cuntmuffin!

Ash Our Almighty Leader: Who the fuck gave us these stupid-ass nicknames? Hello, Princess xxx

Jax Weapon of Mass Destruction Griffiths: I’m betting Loki, fucker. Baby Girl, you there? Lilly Sexy AF Baby Mama: I’m here. And I like the nicknames *kissing face emoji* Lilly Sexy AF Baby Mama: Are you sure this is okay? It’s not going to be tracked? Xxx

Kai Evil Genius Matthews: It’s a burner, my darling. Untraceable, so just keep it hidden xxx Loki Your Favourite Boyfriend Thorn changed the group name to Lilly’s Not Gangbang Boyfriends. My hand slaps over my mouth as a shout of laughter leaves my lips.

Ash Our Almighty Leader: I’m her husband, dickhead *middle finger emoji*

Lilly Sexy AF Baby Mama: Got to go, I’ll text later. Love you all xxx

Kai: Having trouble sleeping, darling? Lilly: How did you know?

Kai: There’s a camera in your room… I fucking knew it!

Kai: Don’t worry, darling. I’ve looped the feed so that it only shows your uncle you sleeping at night, and then doing your usual routine during the day.

Lilly: What can you see?

Kai: You…in bed… Kai: Wearing too many clothes…

Lilly: I can’t exactly sleep naked, especially with Roman in the corner…

Kai: Problem solved, Pet…

Kai: Good girl, now that nightgown.

Ash Our Almighty Leader: What are you up to, Princess?

Kai: Prop yourself up on your pillows, Pet, legs open.

Loki Your Favourite Boyfriend Thorn: Naughty, Pretty Girl, giving us a show like such a good little slut.

Kai: Such a clever, beautiful girl. Now, suck your fingers, two should be enough.

Kai: That’s it, Pet, make them all nice and wet.

Jax Weapon of Mass Destruction Griffiths: Baby Girl…fuck you’re killing me here…