Page 130 of Cruel Elite (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 3)

“And you know if you take another step, I’ll blow your brains out.” Penny tightens her grip on the gun, her finger hovering over the trigger.

She’s stone. Not trembling or quaking in fear.

She’s solid and determined and protective, and she has never looked hotter.

“You can’t shoot all of us,” Tank says. “There’s only so many bullets in that gun, and I’m guessing your aim isn’t perfect.”

“Probably not,” Penny says with a shrug. “But I’m sure to take at least one of you down with me. Are you willing to wager it won’t be you?”

Tank pauses, and Penny turns to the other Hell Princes.

“What about the rest of you? Are you willing to risk your life for this revenge plot? If you are, I’m happy to oblige. If not, walk away. I won’t shoot you in the back.”

The two guys holding Caleb let go one after the other and step back. The Hell Prince next to J.C. steps back, too.

Tank looks at them like he’s going to rip them apart.

“Fucking traitors,” he growls. “My little brother is sitting in jail because of these guys.”

“We didn’t call the police on him,” Caleb says. “I knocked him out and left him.”

“And I helped.” Haley raises her hand.

Caleb winks at her.

“Then who the fuck did call?” Tank asks. “I know it wasn’t any of my guys.”

Looking around at the way “his guys” are backing away from this fight at the first sign of trouble, I’m not sure Tank’s guys are quite as loyal as he thinks they are.

Whoever called the cops on Bumper, it wasn’t one of the Golden Boys. Tank’s got a rat in his ranks.

“We didn’t do it,” Caleb repeats. “Just let it go.”

“We can all walk away from this,” Penny says.

Tank looks around at the gathering of people and then, finally, lets his eyes fall on me. When they do, I see something in them I recognize.

Hurt.

Betrayal.

And, worst of all, the deep need for revenge.

I’ve looked in the mirror and seen the same expression on my own face.

For years, I held onto hurt I should have let go of, no matter that it was hurting me worse than anyone else. I can tell Tank is making the same mistake.

His hand brushes along his waistband and there’s a flash of something just before he lunges towards me.

Voices rise up, shouts of surprise and calls to action, a flurry of chaos.

But then there’s the clear ring of a shot.

And blood.

40

Penny

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