Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
Money won’t be an issue, considering who owns this whole campus. The board is still alive, despite one member jumping to his death. The others will probably want to put a lid on this as fast as possible to resume business as usual, and I’ll definitely use that to my advantage.
I’m just wondering how many of the board members my father brought to the table … and if I can convince them of our innocence before they decide to throw us out for good.
When we enter campus, the fire seems to have died down already. Plenty of firemen are still on the grounds assessing the damage, but the immediate threat seems to have dissipated, and the building is still intact, though heavily burned.
We all come to a halt near the big building that Penelope set ablaze, and I turn off the engine and wait until Dylan’s jumped off before I do too. Lana and Ali also stop in front of the building, which is still being surveilled by lots of officers, including Ali’s dad. They’re probably still looking for the culprit, and we all look at each other as Ricci’s car comes to a stop. Penelope steps out and makes an awkward face.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Ali and Dylan say in tandem.
Lana throws her helmet at me. “Stop ogling.”
“Ogling?!” I repeat.
“And keep that tongue inside,” she says before she waltzes past the police officers, waving around her student card that carries her name.
A name that carries power.
Penelope’s father and his men follow her as we all head inside, but the moment he tries to enter, the guards stop him.
“Not you.”
His men reach for their pockets.
Oh fuck no.
“What are you doing?” Penelope asks.
“We can’t have an all-out shooting right here in the open where all the other students can see,” Dylan says.
“If I can’t go in, my daughter doesn’t either,” her father growls.
She steps outside again and places her hand on his chest. “Dad. I’ll be okay. Please.”
“I’m worried about you,” he says, looking up at the policemen. “And these men are obviously not here to protect you.”
“They’re my father’s men, actually,” Ali says.
“These boys will protect me,” she says, cupping his face before glancing at me over her shoulder.
When her father gives me a stern look, I nod. “I’ll protect her with my life. You’ve got my word.”
“The word of criminals means very little to me …” he says through gritted teeth. Still, he flicks his fingers, and his men stand down again. “But I’ll allow it. For her.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she says, and she presses a soft kiss on his cheek before following us into the building she tried to burn down.
The entire ground floor is covered in soot. Bits and pieces of wallpaper and paint are coiled and hang loose. Paintings destroyed. Carpets gone. Even a part of the staircase has been singed.
“Wow … you did good,” Dylan boasts.
Ali immediately throws his elbow into his waist, making him groan.
“Good on the test,” Dylan adds with a cough.
“Thanks,” Penelope replies with a smile.
“Came down and delivered vengeance,” I muse.
“To her grades,” Dylan says.
“What else?” I reply, raising a cheeky brow.
A shaken-up student walks by while staring at us, and we stay silent until she’s gone again.
Better not say out loud we’re responsible for all of this mess.
Alistair and I support Dylan, but he quickly pushes himself off us. “I can walk by myself, thanks.”
“You sure?” Ali asks.
“I’m fine,” he responds, still bleeding through the bandage that was applied in a hurry. “Don’t need to worry about me.”
My eyes narrow. “Yeah, you’re going to the nurse’s office.”
“It can wait,” he says.
I push my shoulder underneath his and force him to walk in that direction. “I’m not gonna lose another fucking friend.”
“You almost sound like you care about me,” Dylan muses.
But he knows as well as I do we’d fucking die for each other.
“Okay, enough talking,” I say, and I haul him through the hallways to the clinic.
The moment we step inside, the nurse almost loses all the color in her face. “Jesus—what happened to you?”
She quickly preps the beds and we set Dylan down on one of them before sitting down on the others.
“Got into a brawl,” I reply. “Can you take care of him first?”
Dylan groans in pain as she grabs his arm and unwraps his bandage, then pours some alcohol on the wound. His face contorts from the pain.
“Oh dear … that’ll definitely need surgery.”
“Surgery?!” Dylan gasps. “Fuck.”
“What? Scared of knives?” Penelope jests.
“Anesthesia!” he retorts.
Ali snorts. “He has this thing where he confesses all of his past mistakes and starts talking about true love right after he wakes up.”
Dylan covers his face. “I really shouldn’t have brought you to that dental appointment.”
“Oh, I enjoyed it thoroughly,” Ali muses.
“Spare me the corny stuff,” I say. “How does it look, nurse?”
The nurse smiles. “I was joking about the surgery part.” She winks. “I can take out the bullet and stitch it up. No problem.”