Cruel Hearts: A Reverse Harem High School Bully Romance (Knights of Templar Academy Book 2)
Page 21
“Everyone who consumed even one portion of the curry must come forward,” said Mr. Burgh. “We need to have you checked by a doctor to make sure there aren’t any adverse side effects.”
Gideon leaned into my side. “Did you know the curry was addictive?”
“Fuck, no.” Everyone I knew snorted cocaine, not mixed it into their food. This was so much worse than dealing drugs. Elizabeth must have gotten a bunch of girls hooked without their consent.
The scraping of wood against stone turned everyone’s attention to the far right of the room, where Maeve sat at a table for six with two other girls.
“I had the curry and the pills,” she said.
Straightening in my seat, I gave her an encouraging smile.
Mr. Burgh glanced around the room. “The culprits told us they had at least thirty customers. We have reason to believe that a controlled substance was in those slimming aids.”
The girls sitting around Maeve pulled back their seats and rose.
Then more girls around the table stood.
I leaned toward Gideon and whispered, “Shit. It’s going to take a ridiculous amount of bribes to keep this quiet.”
“Many of these families would pursue damages from the Liddell estate,” muttered Kendrick. “It won’t be cheap.”
“True,” said Orlando.
One of the second-year girls raised her hand. “I only had one.”
“You’d better come along, just in case,” said Mrs. Campbell, her voice choked.
After that, over a dozen first and second-year girls stood. Most of them hadn’t even started developing and were just kids.
A lump formed in my throat. What kind of monster sold drugs to little girls?
“Is that everyone?” asked Mrs. Campbell. When nobody replied, she turned toward the double doors, leaving Mr. Burgh behind. “Follow me.”
As the chatter resumed in the dining room and the waiting staff removed the discarded cups and plates, l leaned forward. “She had better not get away with this.”
“She might,” said Gideon.
I turned to my best friend and frowned. “Why do you think that?”
“If she kept the substances in other peoples’ rooms and carried out all her transactions in cash, it might be their word against hers.” Gideon pursed his lips.
“And Lady Liddell will cover it up,” said Kendrick. “More than anything, she wants to avoid scandal.”
I slumped in my seat. “Shit.”
Gideon placed a hand on my wrist. “I suppose all the furious parents will bring charges against the academy, as they owed the students a duty of care.”
Kendrick frowned. “There’s a school down south that got sued for negligence.”
“Corporate manslaughter.” Gideon reached across the table and grabbed the teapot. “The court found the headmistress guilty of criminal negligence, and the judge sentenced her to two years in prison.”
The boys continued talking about an expelled girl who murdered two students with class A drugs, but I couldn’t focus.
A sliver of dread rippled through my insides at the impact it would have on Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Burgh. They did their best to maintain discipline in the academy, but with its owner’s wife meddling on a regular basis, there wasn’t much they could do about Elizabeth.
Mr. Burgh clapped his hands together. “The bus to Glasgow will leave in an hour.”
Maxwell leaned forward and gave me a wink. “Let’s put her out of our minds for the weekend and return ready and refreshed to work out another game plan in case she slithers away from punishment.”
“Good idea,” said Orlando.
Kendrick shrugged.
Gideon dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “I won’t let that girl ruin my weekend.” He pulled himself out of his seat. “Play safely.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. The cheeky git acted like he wasn’t planning on doing exactly the same with Lachlan and Francesco.
As soon as Gideon left, I turned to Kendrick. “Are you coming with us?”
He stared down at his empty plate. “I don’t usually.”
“Join us for the concert,” said Orlando. “You can always go to bed early if you don’t want to join in on the afterparty.”
“You’re going to that club again?” Kendrick asked.
“Stormzy’s playing at the SSE Hydro,” said Maxwell. “Are you in?”
Kendrick’s gaze turned to me, a slight flush coloring his cheeks. I guess he had worked out that I would be the entertainment at this afterparty. “I’ll…” He cleared his throat. “I’ll think about it.”
Orlando grabbed his shoulder and gave it a hearty squeeze. “Don’t think too hard.”
His cheeks reddened even further.
“Stop dicking around,” I said.
“I’m saving all that for you, my sweet,” said Orlando.
I rolled my eyes. “Now you sound like the big, bad wolf.”
“We can play that tonight if you want. Goldilocks and the three wolves.”
With a chuckle, I placed my napkin on the table and rose from my seat. “What time are we meeting?”
“An hour?” asked Maxwell.
I strolled back to my room, hoping I hadn’t made things worse for Mr. Burgh by reporting Elizabeth’s clandestine cocaine business. A few other students streamed out after me, whispering speculations about who could have sold the diet pills. I hurried down the hallway, trying not to listen. The matter was out of my hands now, and there was no point in speculating on whether Elizabeth would push the blame on someone else.
Right now, I was ready for a weekend of debauchery with the knights. It would mean not going to the chapel on Sunday, but I wanted to save my confrontation with Father Neapolitan for when I had formed a plan.
At the end of the hallway, I stepped into the guest tower and unlocked the door to my room. Morning sun streamed in through the tall windows, obscuring my view of the pond and gardens. I walked to my knicker drawer. Time to put that sexy Victoria’s Secret underwear to good use.
I stepped on a pen, which rolled under my foot, making me stumble forward. “Shit!”
My arms shot out, and I landed on my hands and knees.
An almighty explosion filled the air, showering me with shards of glass.
Ringing filled my ears and terror pierced my heart. A gunshot. Maybe if I stayed still, the shooter might think—
Another gunshot rang through the air, this time, accompanied by a cloud of feathers, presumably from a cushion. This was no accident. My room overlooked the gardens, which were several fields away from the woods. Whoever this shooter was, he had come for me.
And he also knew I was still alive.
Fuck.
The ringing in my ears faded, replaced by the sound of barking dogs. How much would I bet that Elizabeth and Lady Liddell were sitting pretty somewhere with the perfect alibi?
I crawled on my belly toward the door, not daring to raise my head or waste time glancing over my shoulder. Broken glass sliced through my forearms, my tights, my shins, but I didn’t stop.
Until I heard the sound of a pistol cocking from behind my head.
END OF BOOK TWO
READ BOOK THREE
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Other Reverse Harem Bully Romances:
Kings of Mercia Academy (complete)
Bully Boys of Brittas Academy (complete)
Royals of Sanguine Vampire Academy
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