Page 111 of Family (Academy of Misfits 3)

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Camden steps out of the police station two weeks later accompanied by Hudson. Alongside me are my boys and the remaining Freed brothers. I run into his arms, almost barrelling him over with the force of my hug.

“Bae-by,you need to let me breathe,” he laughs, folding me into his arms and hugging me back just as tightly. “It’s only been two days!”

“Two days too long,” I complain, drawing back only to kiss him passionately, my fingers feathering over the scar on his face. Behind us my boys whoop and whistle, reminding us both that we’re on the steps of a police station in a very public place.

“I’ve missed you all too,” he responds, hauling me into his side and fist-bumping Ford, Sonny and Eastern.

“You good?” Ford asks him.

“I am now.”

“We were worried for a bit, mate,” Eastern says, swiping a hand through his thick hair. It’s a little longer than he usually wears it, falling in long curtains to his cheekbones, but instead of making him look younger, he just looks sexier. Plus, it’s pretty nice to tug on.

“Hud’s lawyers are shit-hot, there was no way he was going down for murder, not with all the evidence stacked against the King and the admission of guilt from Carmichael,” Sonny points out.

“That and the fact that Camdenwasn’tactually the one to pull the trigger,” Ford adds, grasping Camden on the shoulder, a look passing between them.

“Wait until we’re in the car,” Hudson admonishes. “It’s still going to court, and Camden is awitnessto the events of that evening, as are all of you.”

“Yeah, not the best conversation to have in public,” Max agrees.

We all pile into Bryce’s eight-seater, settling in for the two-hour journey back to Oceanside. We’ve been on a hiatus from the academy, staying with the Freed brothers whilst each of us took turns being questioned by Crown with the support of their lawyers. The day after Mr Carmichael’s arrest on the island, the Freed brothers turned up ready to murder us. I expected their anger, what I hadn’t expected was their concern nor their love and unwavering support.

In the beginning, I’d believed their guilt at not acting sooner had forced them to help us, but pretty soon I realised that wasn’t the case. They’re good men. The best, actually. We all owe them more than we can ever repay.

“Tired?” Ford asks Camden as Hudson pulls out of the station.

“Fucking exhausted, actually,” he replies.

Camden has been questioned twice. This time he’s been held in custody longer than the first. Both his and Mr Carmichael’s prints were found on the weapon used to shoot a hole in the King’s head, and despite Mr Carmichael’s confession, Crown has been like a dog with a bone. But with Mr Carmichael’s confession there’s nowhere he can go with it. For now it’s over. Until the court hearing, that is.

“Let’s get out of here,” Camden says, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. I’m betting they’ve not given him much time to sleep even though he’s still classed as a minor in the eyes of the law. His eighteenth birthday is in a month’s time, followed shortly by Ford’s then Sonny’s. Mine isn’t until the end of the year. I’m still the baby of our crew. That’s if you don’t include Kate and Pink who are both younger than me by a couple months. And we do include them, just not when it comes to the bedroom, because in there they’re all mine.

As the car moves through the streets of London, my thoughts stray to Mr Carmichael. Or should I say, Grayson Bennett, the oldest heir of the King crime dynasty. A man who tried, and failed, to extricate himself from his family’s legacy of violence, crime and corruption.

Underneath all the mistakes, I do believe he’s a good man who was born into a bad family.

He proved how good the night he threw himself at the mercy of the law, admitting full culpability for his brother’s murder and taking the flack for everything that happened at Oceanside Academy leading up to that moment. Both his admission of guilt combined with the fact that Grim came up good by gathering enough information on the King’s drugs business and sex trafficking ring at the spa in Hastings, has got Crown off our backs.

“Anyone heard from Malakai?” Camden asks after a while.

“No, he’s still AWOL,” Hudson confirms.

Shortly after Mr Carmichael’s arrest, Malakai left the island and Grim retreated back into the underground fight club scene, sending just a single text message to us via Ford.

You did good. Anytime that you need a friend, hit me up.

“What about Connie?”I ask.

“She’s getting on with her life, hopefully,” Sonny responds. He wasn’t keen on Malakai, neither are the rest of my boys.

“Hmm, perhaps.” Though I’m not so sure. I saw the way they looked at each other. Their story hasn’t ended yet, I’d bet my life on it.

“Connie and Ma Silva have extended an open invite back to their home on the island,” Eastern says to Camden, who pops one eye open and gives him an ‘I don’t fucking think so’ look.

Eastern laughs. “Yeah, that was my response too.”

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