Page 59 of Cruel (Brutal Academy)

I took a moment to glance at Lila, who looked hot as fuck in dripping wet clothes. She looked hot as fuck in and out of everything, but the way her clothes clung to her body made my balls heavy.

Yeah, when were they not heavy? Especially around her. Especially when the fabric was all but transparent, her nipples visible as peaks in the cotton. I wanted to close my lips around one of them and suck.

I shook droplets of my face and focused my attention back up the corridor. If I let myself be too distracted, I could get her killed. No one would ever forgive me if that happened, including me.

The sprinklers shut off, leaving us in damp silence, except the sound of dripping, which gradually slowed. Clearly the electricity was still running to the building, or the sprinklers wouldn't have worked. The assholes must have messed with the fuse box to shut off the lights.

For mercenaries, they seemed to know what they were doing. They'd planned this in advance. They must have if they knew where the fuse box was. Although, they'd missed the weapons shed. Or had they? The more I thought about it, the less sense this made.

Who the hell had the time and money to send dickheads like this after us? It must have cost a small fortune. Who was so desperate they'd bother? We were hard to kill, but there were easier, cheaper methods than this.

I caught Lila in the corner of my eye as she turned her head.

"Fuck," she whispered.

"What is it?" A second later, I realised our mistake. Half a second before the door behind us opened and gunshots rang out again.

CHAPTER22

PARKER

Hunter raised the rocket launcher. He pointed it at the four attackers.

"Die motherfuckers!" He pressed the trigger. It clicked but nothing happened.

"Fuck." He gripped it in two hands and smashed it into the head of the nearest attacker. The man went down with a cry of pain.

Hunter threw the rocket launcher aside and pulled out his gun to finish the job.

I put myself between the assholes and Lila, while at the same time shoving her back up the corridor.

The last three attackers surged inside the building. One of them took aim at Zachary. He ducked aside at the last moment and the bullet hit one of his friends in the chest.

I took the opportunity to shoot that guy in the head. The attacker, not Zachary, tempting though that was.

A second later, pain and heat passed through my shoulder. It took another few seconds to register I'd been shot. It wasn't much more than a graze, but it hurt like a bitch.

"Parker, are you okay?" Lila stepped out from behind me, barely glanced at me before putting a bullet in the chest of the guy who shot me.

"I am now," I said approvingly. She killed a guy for me, what could be hotter than that?

The last attacker turned and ran, but Dane put a bullet between his shoulder blades. He flew forward and slammed into the floor.

Silence fell, heavy and oppressive.

"Are we sure that's the last of them?" Chloe asked finally.

"I wouldn't assume anything," Lila said. "Not yet." She was wet and tired, but her chin was raised. If this was only the beginning, she'd keep fighting.

"Everyone hunker down," Slade said. "I'm going to take a look around outside."

"I'll go with you," Dane said.

Slade regarded him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Everyone else, stay here." They moved slowly towards the door and slipped out into the night.

I pulled off my shirt and pressed it to my shoulder.

Lila put a hand over mine to help hold the fabric in place. "That looks painful."

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