Page 19 of Cruel Hearts

Orlando’s hands curled into fists. “Your ex already knew what Max did to you before the police shoved Max in the same cell. The coward attacked from behind and beat Max unconscious.”

Nausea rose to the back of my throat, and a gasp slipped from Gideon’s lips. Gideon was probably horrified about the blatant police corruption, but not me. I’d seen Sammy in action enough times. With the right provocation, he could kill a man with his bare hands and fists.

I took a gulp of my tea and winced as it burned my throat. Last year, some twat set up a mini cannabis farm in his apartment and sold weed on Sammy’s patch. Not even Crawford and the boys could pull Sammy off the unconscious man.

“What was the point of putting Maxwell in a cell with Sammy and telling him we’d fucked?” I asked.

“One of the officers in the raid must have radioed ahead and shared that information.” Orlando raised his massive shoulders. “The police could have arranged a shared cell in exchange for your ex sharing information they needed.”

I rubbed my throat and thought back on that bizarre encounter with DCI Cromar. He had wanted information on Billy Hancock, but I hadn’t cooperated. Pushing those thoughts aside, I took another sip of my tea. None of this would have happened to Maxwell if he hadn’t agreed to such a terrible betrayal. The last thing I wanted to do was team up with them against Elizabeth when I wanted revenge on her and those wretched knights.

We stared at each other across the table, nobody wanting to speak first. The scent of the warming shepherd’s pie filled the air, making my mouth water.

“Will you join forces with us?” asked Orlando.

“Why do you need my help to bring Elizabeth down?” I asked.

“I thought you might want to turn the tables,” he replied.

Leaning forward, I placed both elbows on the table. “What does she have against me?”

“We thought it was jealousy at first.” Orlando raised his large shoulders. “You’re the only blonde in the academy prettier than her. And you didn’t fall in line like the other girls.”

“But there’s more to her animosity than petty rivalry?” asked Gideon.

Orlando blew out a breath. “No one infuriates her like you, Lilah. If you joined forces with us, it would hurt her when we get our revenge.”

“I’ll think about it.” Splaying out my fingers, I gazed down at my hands, pretending that my nails were more interesting than his proposal.

“What?” Orlando asked.

“You heard the lady,” Gideon snapped. “She said she would give it the consideration it deserves.”

I pressed my lips together to suppress a smile. Gideon’s tone implied that the boys and their revenge plan didn’t deserve an ounce of my attention. They’d probably find a way to twist the revenge around so Elizabeth would blame me and not them. Who knew? Maybe after a naked night handcuffed to a bed, Maxwell and Orlando had sworn off women and worked out a plan to get rid of us all.

“What will you do about all those girls you got expelled for lewd conduct?” I asked.

Orlando’s brows drew together. “They’ve already left the academy and settled into new schools.”

“But they’re still hurting from what you and your asshole best friend did to betray them.”

He squeezed his eyes shut as though somehow that would shield him from a torrent of remorse. “I’ll… make things right.”

I turned to Gideon, who rolled his eyes. The damage had already been done. Those girls had to live with the humiliation of having been recorded during an intimate moment, just like I had to live with the sight, smell, and weight of a German shepherd standing on my chest and snarling in my face. A shudder ran down my spine, and I gulped down another mouthful of tea.

The timer on my phone chimed, and I glanced at the oven.

“Good luck in whatever you do with Elizabeth,” I said. “But count me out.”

Orlando’s hazel eyes widened. “Why?”

“Teaming up means spending more time with you, which turns my stomach.” I stood. “My food’s ready. Now kindly bugger off so I can get a chance to eat.”

Gideon rose and walked Orlando out of the kitchen while I shoved my hands in a pair of mitts and opened the oven door. A gust of hot air warmed my skin. How dare he come here and try to guilt-trip me into helping them out? If Maxwell got beaten unconscious, it was because he shouldn’t have fucked me under false pretenses and gotten me arrested.

My throat thickened, and pain spread across my chest. He could have asked me to get dressed, taken me for a walk before the dogs arrived, or taken me to his room for sex, but he had wanted me naked, freshly fucked, and in place for maximum humiliation. Maxwell hadn’t given a damn about me until the police arrested him.

Right now, I needed an oven mitt to slip around my heart.