Page 27 of Cruel Hearts

“What part?” I snapped. “Spending months scheming to get me jailed or the part where Elizabeth got you arrested, too?”

Kendrick bristled. “Being attacked in prison might be an everyday occurrence for you, but no Deloraine has ever been incarcerated.”

I bared my teeth at the arrogant git and glanced at Orlando, who shrank under my glower. “If I’m such a jailbird, what the fuck are you doing on my doorstep?”

Kendrick’s face twisted with annoyance. He was about to say something shitty when Maxwell spoke. “Please, let us in and we’ll explain everything.”

Before I could answer, Orlando stepped forward. “We just want to make things right. May we come in?”

Distant footsteps crunched over the gravel. I peered through the gap between the boys. Gideon strode through the courtyard at a rapid pace. My heart lightened. It would no longer be three against one.

Chapter 11

Gideon shouldered his way through the three larger boys and stepped inside, his dark eyes glittering with the promise of battle. I led them all to the living room and sat them around the dining table. Tiny flames crackled and popped from the dying fire, and I added a couple of logs and some kindling to keep it going.

When I turned away from the hearth, it was to find all eyes on me. Orlando sat at one side of the table between the twins. Gideon drummed his fingers in a seat opposite.

“I thought the board would have expelled you for another bout of lewd conduct.” I fixed my gaze on the battered twin.

“They talked about suspending me again, but Father says I’m not welcome back home,” Maxwell muttered.

My gaze lingered on his school uniform. Clearly, they’d allowed him to return while they’d banished the innocent party. Placing my hand on my heart, I said in my best mocking voice, “Poor you. It must be terrible.”

Gideon cleared his throat. “We’ll listen to a detailed explanation of your misdeeds first, followed by the appropriate apologies, then hear your proposals for restitution.”

“What?” Kendrick snarled.

I pulled back the chair next to Gideon’s and sat. “You don’t think I’m going to trust you after that stunt?”

Orlando frowned. “But that was Elizabeth—”

“No,” I snapped. “She might have arranged the raid but Maxwell swapped places with Kendrick to mess with my head and get me in place for the raid.”

Gideon reached down and placed a leather document holder on the table, looking like he meant business. I preened on his behalf. No-one else could make looking prim and professional so badass.

Maxwell turned his gaze to Mr. Burgh’s cabinet of whiskey bottles, as though he wanted a sip of courage. Instead of looking at me, he dipped his head. “About that. I’m really—”

“Sorry?” I spat with a bitter laugh. “The only parts you regret are being ejected from Elizabeth’s circle of trust, getting arrested, and getting beaten up.”

“That’s not true.”

After extracting a fountain pen and a blank sheet of paper, Gideon placed a restraining hand on my wrist. “When did the deception start?”

When Maxwell dipped his head without replying, we both turned to Kendrick. I already knew the answer. The only time Kendrick had spoken to me voluntarily before this mess had been to negotiate the return of Orlando’s camera.

His lips thinned with distaste. “Max and I swapped places just before Elizabeth announced the information she’d gathered on you to the school. She thought it the perfect opportunity to gain your trust.”

“I thought as much.” Turning to Maxwell, I asked, “Who did I meet that second time at Wank?”

He swallowed. “Me again.”

“You put on the tattoo transfers just for one night?” I asked. “To make me join you and Orlando for a spit roast in the middle of a nightclub?”

Gideon shook his head and placed both palms on the table. “I’m not sure I can advise Lilah to continue these negotiations.”

“You’re not her lawyer,” Kendrick snapped.

Gideon took his time to lean back in his seat, all the while fixing the trio of assholes a withering glare. “No, but I’m the only person in this room who hasn’t either participated in or conducted an elaborate deception against my best friend.”