Page 25 of Cruel (Brutal Academy)

"I have an idea." Asher pulled out his phone, pressed the screen, and put it up to his ear. "Jackson—"

CHAPTER10

LILA

"Nothing says subtle like a massive bus with Wolf Venom written down the side." I leaned back against Hunter and let him wrap his arms around me.

Hunter chuckled and nuzzled his face in my hair. "Sometimes being subtle is underrated."

"What would you know about being subtle?" Penn asked. The band's keyboardist glared at us. At the twins in particular. "You two are as subtle as a pimple on the end of a cock. Two pimples."

Parker laughed. "I see you still have your sense of humour intact."

Penn flipped him the bird.

The rest of the band was gathered near their manager, Jackson. Older than the rest of them by about a decade, I gathered he was also involved with Abbie. Three guys was plenty for me. I didn't know how she coped with seven. Unless they were all trained to put down the toilet seat.

"We also have another several of the tour cars coming," Jackson was saying to Slade. "We would have brought a rig truck, but Asher said no trucks." His denim blue eyes regarded the women before sliding over to me and the twins. The sides of his mouth pulled back slightly before he looked away from Hunter and Parker.

"Anyone would think they don't like us," Parker remarked.

"We don't," Penn told him. "You're a pair of assholes."

"What Penn said," Channing remarked. The band's saxophone player gave us a dark look, which was ironic given the things he got up to. Things, according to the twins, they'd helped him with.

"They're not worth it." Landon grabbed Channing's hand and pulled him over to where Abbie stood beside Zeke.

She was pretty, in spite of giving the twins the same look as all her guys did. Okay, in her case it was slightly understandable. Theyhadkidnapped her. Twice. Up until now, I wasn’t particularly sympathetic.

Now, I had some idea how it felt. Still, the twins were never going to do anything to her.

"Yes we are," Hunter said. “We’re totally worth it.”

Parker laughed and they exchanged high-fives.

"I see you two haven't grown up," Abbie told them.

"Nope," Parker agreed. "Still singing with these assholes?" He gestured around at the band and Jackson. "I bet you 'sing' really pretty."

The grin evaporated from his face when Penn lunged at him, and gripped him around the throat.

"You fucking little—"

Without thinking, I pulled away from Hunter, raised my gun and pressed it to the side of Penn's head.

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Him," I growled.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Abbie pull out the gun Asher had at his hip. She aimed it at me, her blue eyes steel.

"Back the fuck off," she said coldly.

"You're not going to use that," Hunter told her.

"Don't count on it," Tully Cole, the band's lead guitarist, told him. His tone was cool and calm, almost amused. A trained assassin, not much ruffled his feathers.

"Zeke, don't make me threaten your girlfriend," Slade warned.

"Don't make me threatenyou," Zeke replied.

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