God, I want him to be wrong. Not surprisingly, my phone is the only one completely silent, so I have to wait as they all check their messages. Cillian smiles at me with his bloody teeth, one missing after Soren kicked his face. Having him here for this is actually pissing me off, and I wonder if we can pile him with the rest.
“Lock him in the butler’s closet,” Lex says the moment his eyes rise from the phone.
“Sure?” Orion asks.
“Yes, let’s deal with this first.”
No one tells me what we have to deal with first, but I understand we don’t want to talk in front of our hostage. Parker and Orion drag Cillian, completely ignoring his screams as the others take a duffel on the side and change their clothes. The deed snaps me into action, and I start helping wipe any visible blood.
Orion and Parker join us, and everyone changes and cleans up until we look presentable. Orion looks me over, checking for any signs of blood, but besides the blood from my neck and the wound there, I’m clean.
“He’s going to pay for that,” he comments.
“He will,” I agree.
“Hold your dress up high as we leave,” he tells me. “Don’t let blood get on your hem.”
That makes me smile a little, and I do as I’m told as we jump around the bodies until we reach the door. Hadrian closes and locks it up.
“What are we dealing with?” I ask now that we are away from Cillian.
“The police.”
CHAPTER 76
HADRIAN
“Wait, what?”Sable stumbles, but I clasp her arm before she falls.
“Don’t say anything. It’s all going to be fine,” I assure her.
“How do they know?” she whispers, and it’s fucking adorable.
“Maybe the older man didn’t believe we switched teams so easily.” Orion shrugs.
“So he called the police?” She shakes her head, scared, and I have to keep guiding her through the halls.
“Don’t forget the police are in their back pocket, Sable,” I whisper as we turn into an especially crowded hall, and every head turns back to us. It’s not surprising. The messages from various students warning us were clear. The police are down in the atrium waiting for us, and we’re covered in fucking blood, even if we managed to change our clothes and scrub the worst of it off, we only used rags.
Bellthorn holds its secrets. Many people knew the families were here today. Their arrival was hardly missed. But the police don’t get to enter Bellthorn so easily. Their power means nothing here. Someone decided to let them in.
We arrive in the atrium, and sure enough, the detective is there along with two uniformed officers. We all know his face. It’s the same asshole we’ve been seeing far too much of lately. I’m starting to think he can smell a bribe a mile away. The President of the University is there too, and I can bet anything he’s only here helping because he thinks our fathers are somewhere in this building. Still breathing.
“Mr. Morwen, Mr. Hollow, Mr. Vale, and both Mr. Rooks.” His mouth stretches in an evil smile, and Sable presses against me.
She’s proving herself so strong today, more so than before when her life was on the line. She did this for more than just herself, but everyone our families have hurt. I hate that this day is ending and I haven’t had a chance to fuck her brains out.
“Hello, Detective.” Parker steps in. “Why do I keep seeing you everywhere?”
“I have a few questions for Miss Briarwick,” he says as his sleazy eyes move to our girl.
I expect her to cower behind me, but instead, she steps forward. “Why?”
Her confident tone throws him off. He wanted her to be scared, but Sable has been through too much at this point. She steps forward, arms crossed in front of her chest, staring him down, even if she’s a foot smaller.
“Let’s go to the precinct. I will?—”
“Miss Briarwick is not going anywhere,” Soren says.
