Page 60 of Cruel (Brutal Academy)

I started to shrug but stopped and winced. "I've had worse." I nodded towards the dead bodies lying on the floor. "I'm better off than them."

"That's true," she said. "We still need to get you to—"

The lights flickered and came back on.

I blinked against the sudden glare.

The floor of the corridor was covered with a combination of blood and water. It looked like a literal bloodbath. Here and there, bullet holes dotted the walls. I didn'tthinkthey'd been there before. No doubt they’d be patched up by the end of the week like they were never there.

The attackers all lay dead, each dressed entirely in black. Unless I was mistaken, none would carry ID, or anything to indicate who they were and who hired them. They were nothing more now than nameless, faceless mercenaries. Which was just how guys like them liked it.

"What a mess." Hunter clicked his tongue. "I hope they don't expect us to clean that up." He glanced over at me and realised I was injured. "Didn't duck fast enough?" He grinned.

"Fuck off," I said cheerfully. "I love you too, bro."

He laughed. "It's just another scar. You'll live. This time."

"Just trying to make it easier to tell us apart," I said lightly. As if my crooked nose didn't do that already. Although, statistically speaking, chances were Hunter would get punched in the nose at some point. It might even be someone other than me that did it.

Hunter patted my other shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that." He peered towards the window. "We should go and hide. There's a couple of cars approaching."

I looked in the same direction. Two black cars were headed up the driveway, both illuminated in the blazing lights at the front of the Academy building.

"What the hell?" Lila's face paled.

"What is it?" I asked.

It was Chloe who answered. "That's Dad's car. What the hell is he doing here?" She glanced over at Zachary, who shook his head.

"I have no idea," he admitted.

I squinted as the cars came to a stop outside the building. "This gets weirder and weirder. That looks like Reuben's car."

"It really fucking does," Hunter said. "I'm going to go out there and see."

"I'm coming with you," I told him.

I turned to say something to Lila, but she was already halfway out the door, Chloe right behind her.

"I guess we're all going," I said to myself. "What could possibly go wrong?"

My hand pressed hard against my shoulder, I headed out the door and down the steps.

Both of the cars were parked side-by-side. Reuben stood leaning against one, his arms crossed over his chest.

Samuel Bell stood beside the other in a similar pose. His brown eyes took in his daughters and Zachary as they stepped out of the building together.

For someone who would happily see Samuel Bell dead, Reuben had a remarkably similar expression on his face when he looked at Hunter and me. Although, where Samuel looked slightly disappointed, Reuben looked disapproving.

"You're alive, I see," Samuel drawled.

"You were expecting to come here and find us dead?" Hunter asked.

"I was hopeful you might be," Samuel told him. His gaze swung back to Lila and Chloe. "You survived this little test."

Lila sucked in a breath.

Time stopped while we all stared at him, trying to absorb what he just said.

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