Cruel Kings by Skye Knight

2

Noah

“What’s going on?” Caleb asked as soon as I switched off the call. “Was that Corey?”

“It was Milla,” I replied, getting to my feet. “Come on. We’ve got to go.” Grabbing my jacket, I marched toward the door.

“Did you say Milla?” he asked, hurrying after me.

“Yeah.”

“Camilla Brown called you this late at night?” he asked, narrowing his emerald-green eyes a fraction. “What does she want with you?”

I didn’t stop to explain the call and hurried down the hallway.

“Hey, Noah! Wait up!” my brother called after me.

“Corey’s been in an accident,” I said when he finally caught up with me at foot of the stairs. “That’s what the call was about.”

“Shit,” Caleb muttered. “Where is he?”

“By Denver Avenue,” I replied, jogging down the ground-floor corridor of the fraternity mansion. “Milla’s with him right now. He asked her to call me, so I’m guessing the situation is serious. Let’s get to him before someone else does.”

“Fuck!” he cursed, following me out into the front lawn that surrounded the building.

A couple of kids glanced at us bleary with eyes. The familiar notes of weed hung in the air, explaining the reason they were slumped on the benches lining the front lawn.

I ignoring them for now. They were all freshmen and clearly in need of a lesson. I took note of their slack faces as we hurried past them to get to my car.

“Do you think he went after Michael?” Caleb asked in a grim tone as we climbed inside my car. “I swear I’ll break his fingers if he dared to lay a hand on Corey.”

“Don’t get worked up just yet,” I said. “Milla’s with him right now. I don’t think a goody-two-shoes like her will involve herself in a fight between two Elites. This isn’t related to Michael Sandburg.”

Caleb’s breaths turned low and heavy. He was angry and worried for Corey. I felt the same, but I forced myself to stay calm.

My brothers were hot-headed and impulsive, but I didn’t have the luxury to be like them. I was the eldest and the only one they had to protect them.

Since we were already on campus, it took us merely five minutes to reach Denver Avenue. Further ahead, I spotted flames leaping over the remnants of a destroyed motorcycle.

“Is that them?” Caleb asked, pointing toward a small, lonesome figure on the sidewalk.

“Yeah,” I said, recognizing Milla’s silhouette at once. She was crouched over a man who lay on the grass with his head on her lap.

Stopping the car, we climbed out and hurried toward our brother.

“What happened to him?” Caleb demanded at once. He pushed Milla away and bent down beside Corey.

Reigning in my panic at the sight of my unconscious brother and his flaming motorcycle, I looked toward Milla. Fear and concern were etched on her pale face. Reaching her, I grabbed her elbow and pulled her to her feet.

“What happened?” I asked her. “Did you see who did this to him?”

She met my gaze and shook her head. “He crashed against the tree trunk,” she said, glancing toward the tree. “I pulled him from under the bike before the blast went off. There’s no blood on his face but I think he has internal injuries. He was conscious for a few minutes and told me to contact you before passing out again.”

“Check him,” I commanded at once. “Do you smell alcohol in his breath?”

Caleb bent over Corey’s face. “No,” he replied. Straightening up, he glanced at me. “Corey wouldn’t be as irresponsible as drinking while riding his bike. He was raging mad when he left but he wasn’t drunk or high.”

“We should still get that bike checked,” I said.

Caleb’s face darkened. “If someone messed with it, I’m going to—” The sound of a siren cut him off.

“Take care of the bike,” I said, thinking fast. “Call some of our boys and get it to the garage. Have it inspected thoroughly. In the meantime, Milla and I’ll go with Corey.”

“You want me to come?” Milla asked, staring at me with wide eyes. “Are—are you sure?” She squirmed, clasping her hands together.

Despite the situation, I chuckled. The gesture made her blush harder with embarrassment. Most girls died for a reason to talk to me and my brothers but Milla was being comically shy and awkward.

Before I could reply, the ambulance arrived at the site. The next few moments were chaotic as a pair of paramedics attended to Corey while two campus security guards spoke to Milla, noting down everything she told them.

Relief spread through me after hearing her explanation. She called the whole thing an accident, letting everyone know that Corey was a victim. Caleb watched the whole scenario playing out from a distance.

“Come on,” I said as the paramedics carried Corey inside the ambulance van.

Milla hesitated but followed me inside the vehicle.

The bright interiors of the van allowed me to take a closer look at her. Worry etched her pale, pretty face. The strands of her long, auburn hair looked rough and untidy. I recognized the heavy backpack she clutched to her chest. It was the same one she carried to all her classes.

“Were you walking back from the library?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “I had to complete the statistic project report that’s due tomorrow morning. My laptop broke last week, so I had no choice but to use one of the computers in the library. Mom said she’d help me buy a new one at the end of the month, so I’m managing until then.”

She suddenly looked stricken. “Sorry, I rambled on. You probably don’t care about my stupid life.”

She was wrong. I was very interested in her but even after four years of being in the same classes as me, she was still blindly oblivious about my obsession with her.

“I thought you were on a scholarship,” I said, using the opportunity to talk to her more. “Doesn’t that provide you with stuff like stationery and computers?”

A wry chuckle escaped her. “The scholarship only pays for my tuition. For the rest, I work part-time.” An exhausted sigh left her lips. “The money I make barely covers rent and food. For the rest, I still need my mom’s help.”

She fell silent, staring down at her knees.

Camilla Brown was unknowingly impressing me again. She wasn’t just an intelligent student but worked hard to manage everything else in her life. Her attitude to keep up her grades despite the obstacles in her way astounded me.

Milla wasn’t aware of this but I always kept an eye on her, the girl who always secured second place to me in the departmental ranks. Despite her haggard appearance and quiet demeanor, I was attracted to her.

She’d be pretty if she made a little effort but her small speech just explained why she looked frazzled on most days. It couldn’t be easy managing classes as well as hold on to a steady job to pay for bare essentials like food and rent.

There were plenty of pretty, smiling faces on campus but she was the only girl I was attracted to. I covertly watched her during the long hours in our shared classes. Sitting in the last row, I gazed at her while her attention stayed locked on the professor and the whiteboard.

Milla didn’t know this but I went through every paper and assignment she submitted. Her work was flawless and much better than mine, but cruel nepotism from the university professors always made sure an Elite kid was served better grades than a poor scholarship student.

Nearly four years passed but Milla Brown remained oblivious to my obsession with her. My brothers knew my secret, mostly because it was impossible to hide anything from them.

In the beginning, Corey and Caleb teased me mercilessly about my obsession with a nerdy girl like Milla but it wasn’t long before they were attracted to her as well. Milla Brown wasn’t the kind of girl who attracted attention in a crowd but once you laid eyes on her, it was hard to stop looking.

“Is there something on my face?” Milla asked in a low voice, nervously rubbing her cheek.

Her voice broke the spell and I realized I’d been staring at her.

“A smidge,” I lied and swiped the back of my hand against her cheek.

The pale skin immediately turned a shade of pink.

Heh, I thought, feeling amused. She’s blushing from a mere touch.How would she react when I had her pinned under me?

Closing my eyes, I gave myself a mental shake.

A scenario like that would never happen. Girls like Milla didn’t belong in my world.

Once this semester was over, we’d both graduate and move on to pursue different things. When that happened, she’d be out of sight and hopefully, out of my fucking mind.

“Is he going to be okay?” Milla asked, turning her attention toward one of the medics.

“His vitals look normal,” the man in brown scrubs answered. “He could have a concussion though. A thorough check-up is needed before confirming anything.”

Relief spread through me as I glanced at my brother. His jacket sleeves and jeans were torn up and he sustained bloody scratches on his knees and elbows. As long as he didn’t fracture a bone, he’d heal quickly.

The ambulance came to a stop. Glancing through the window, I looked toward the well-lit entrance to the hospital.

“Take this,” one of the paramedics handed me a form. “Take it to the reception desk and fill in the forms they give you. The information will help the doctors if they need to operate on your brother.”

Suddenly, I felt torn.

Corey was still passed out. Something deep inside me revolted against the idea of handing him over to two strangers.

A warm touch fell on my hand. Turning to the side, I watched Milla staring at me with a worried gaze.

“It’ll be okay,” she said, her voice sounding genuinely sincere. “Since I came with you, I’ll go with him. I can’t fill the hospital forms because I don’t know your brother’s medical history but I’ll keep an eye on him. Just call me when you’re done and I’ll tell you where we are. Okay?”

A sliver of warmth wrapped around my chest.

Fuck, she was empathetic too. Milla correctly guessed the things worrying me when I didn’t even say a word.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully.

A warm smile came on her lips. “Corey will be fine,” she said and promptly jumped down from the van to follow the paramedics who were wheeling my brother toward the hospital’s entrance.

I wasn’t used to receiving help from strangers without knowing what their real agenda was. Being the heir to a multinational business, I always had to be careful about the people who approached me.

Milla Brown isn’t a stranger, a voice whispered in my mind as I walked toward the reception desk of the starkly lit hospital hall. You’ve watched her constantly for four years. You know more about her than she knows about herself.

A grin lifted the corners of my lips.

I finally got the opportunity to get to know her more. The only risk was me getting even more obsessed with her than ever before.