by E. M. Moore
He eases himself out of the booth. When he moves out of sight, Magnum comes forward, sitting down next to me on the other side. I look down to find the other security we came in with following Johnny down the stairs leading to the back hallway we came in at.
“He always asks you to watch me, huh?”
“He thinks you trust me.”
“I do.”
He turns toward me. “Not as much as I’d like.”
I lick my lips. There’s nothing I can do about that. The position I’m in makes it hard to trust any-fucking-body. “What happened to Glo?” I ask. I’ve been too scared to ask Johnny. I don’t want to hear him say the words.
Magnum’s gaze skirts the room. “She wasn’t going to ever get away with what she planned on doing, Kyla. She knew that when she came in.”
Well, I guess that answers that question. My skin grows cold, and I hug my hands to myself.
Mag peeks at me. “For someone with so much morality, I don’t know why you insist on staying here.”
“Why do you think I have so much morality?”
He peers at me with hooded eyes. “The look on your face when shit goes down.”
Well, that’s lovely. I’ll have to try to temper my initial reactions from now on, but I’m pretty sure that’s just called humanity.
Another server dressed in the same revealing outfit approaches Magnum from the side. She places her hand on his shoulder. “Hey there. Anything I can do for a big strapping guy like you?”
He shakes his head and waves her off.
She bends over, promptly putting her breasts in his face. The barely-there top only just covers her nipples.
My face burns.
He places his arm on her shoulder and moves her out of the way without looking. “I’m working,” he deadpans.
“Oh, come on,” she flirts. She takes his hand and moves it to her stomach, trailing it over her skin.
Magnum’s jaw ticks, and I’ve seen about enough. “He said no,” I say blandly, not liking the spike of jealousy coursing through me. Damn. I’m just a thirsty bitch all of a sudden.
The woman’s eyes round as if she’s just now seen me. Not that I can blame her. Magnum’s an eye full. “Oh.” She smirks then bites down on her lower lip suggestively. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to watch?”
She moves his hand higher until his fingers graze her breasts. I stand, pushing the table over. I pull her to me by the thin strap of her top, her breast popping out in the process. “He said no. Now, is it your job to force yourself on the customers? I think Rocket will have something to say about that.”
The strip club security surrounds us in thirty seconds. Magnum stands, too, now that he’s not being manhandled. The strip club security all recognize him, so they stop their aggressive approach.
Johnny angles his way through the crowd. “What’s going on?” He takes in the overturned table, the spilled drinks, and the very scared looking waitress.
Magnum keeps his mouth shut. Even when Dunnegan also emerges from the ring of security around us, he still stares impassively at the situation.
It seems as if I’m going to have to speak up myself. “Your girl here wouldn’t take no for an answer,” I say, gesturing toward Magnum. “He’s working. He’s not a customer.”
“I guess you’ll have to add this one to your list, too,” Johnny sneers. He comes over and puts an arm around my shoulders, giving Magnum a chance to duck away.
“Of course,” Dunnegan says. He gestures for the waitress to follow him and then discreetly tells another waitress to fix our table so we can continue to enjoy the show.
Overall, it’s handled very well. The customers who were eyeing us now return to watching the stage where everyone’s focus should be. I don’t know why I notice this. I shouldn’t care how the strip club is run.
“You okay?” Johnny asks.
I nod, replaying the events in my head, and wondering why the hell I got all territorial over Magnum.
I dismiss it, telling myself it was because he told her no and she wouldn’t listen.
Yep. That’s all it was. Completely. Totally. Not because of anything else. Never.
7
A strong grip around my middle wakes me. I’m hauled backward against a chiseled chest and abs. Not a terrible way to wake up. In fact, I’d put it down as my favorite place to wake up. “Hey, babe.”
I groan, still half-asleep and not wanting to wake up to reality.
A soft chuckle makes its way through my haze of sleep. “If you want to go to school, you better get up.”
My eyes dart open. I turn my head. “School?”
Johnny’s lying next to me, his head propped up in the palm of his hand. “Yeah. I made arrangements for you to go back since that’s what you wanted.”
I turn to face him and stuff the pillow under my head to raise me up. Johnny confuses me most of all. Listen, I’m not the type to forgive and forget. I understand he’s not all good, but I’m also beginning to think that he’s not all bad either. This sweetness that comes out of him from time to time keeps drawing me back.
“I know you’re getting bored here. Trust me, I get it. I should’ve realized you’d be going out of your mind waiting for me to get done at the end of the day.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “This doesn’t mean you can have free rein though.”
My gaze narrows.
He smiles. I’m pretty sure he loves ruffling my feathers, by the way. He’s always anxious for me to let my inner bitch out, like the night of the shootout when he told me to keep slapping him. “For your safety,” he tells me. “That’s all. But I do want you to have more freedom.” He threads his fingers through mine, glancing down to watch as he rubs his thumb over my skin. “Oscar’s going to watch you. If he slacks off, let me know.”
I hide a grin. Oh, I’m sure Oscar is all about watching me.
“I’d rather have Magnum,” Johnny grumbles. “But he’s a little old to be going to school.”
“How old is Magnum, anyway?”
Johnny chuckles. “You think I keep tabs on how old my dad’s people are?”
Yeah, I guess he would think that was dumb. Magnum’s definitely older than me though. Older than Johnny, too. He’s got to be pushing mid-twenties at least, I would guess. He can certainly fill out facial hair, anyway. I shrug, acting casual, even though ever since Magnum told me he’d help me leave, I’ve been curious about him. “Just wondering.”
He reaches around and pats my butt. “For someone who wanted to go to school so bad yesterday, you seem to be stalling.”
I lean forward to kiss him on the cheek and then scramble out of the bed to get in the shower. The weird thing is, I don’t even like school all that much. Especially school at Rawley Heights, which is just a joke of epic proportions. That alone should be evidence of how freaking bored I am in Johnny’s apartment all day. At least I’ll have something to do there, even if it is complaining about how terrible the education system is in the Heights.
I find the second least revealing outfit Glo gave me and pull it on before running my hands through my wet hair. Johnny’s in the kitchen when I walk out, sans shirt again. He throws a frozen waffle into the toaster and then spins to face me with his back against the cupboards. “If the police show up, you don’t have to talk to them. Get Oscar. If anyone gives you shit, you let me know. I don’t know how it was before, but Oscar will be attending every single one of your classes with you. He’s not to let you out of his sight. Understand?”
Not that Oscar doesn’t want to see me, but I can imagine all these rules make him want to roll his eyes. He’s not the babysitting type.
“Please don’t…make me regret this,” he says, finally. The waffle pops up from the toaster, and he turns to place it on a plate. When he spins back around to hand my breakfast to me, he catches my gaze in his. “You know whatever I do is to make sure you’re safe. I hate to say it, but if you won’t follow the rules, you’re going to be stuck back here agai
n.”
My neck heats. I want to tell him where to shove it. I’m my own person, and I can certainly maneuver the ins and outs of Rawley Heights on my own but telling any of this to Johnny would just get my ass sitting back here all damn day long, and that’s not happening.
“Stick to Oscar like glue. Got it,” I deadpan.
“I mean, don’t get too close to Oscar,” he says, face darkening. “I wouldn’t want to have to take both of you out.” The smile that plays on his lips tells me he means to joke, but it feels like a direct threat to me. Oscar and I have been up close and personal already.
I swallow. “Your jealousy is unbecoming.”
He reaches over the counter to place his hand on mine. All signs of joking are gone. “You’re my prize, and I intend on claiming it.”
He squeezes my hand and then turns back around to throw his own frozen waffle in the toaster. I let out a breath, my heart thumping in my chest. I place my hand over my heart to try to calm it down. It isn’t as if I didn’t always know his feelings on this.
To Johnny, I’m already his. There’s no doubt in his mind. He walked up to me that day in the warehouse, claimed me, and that was the end of the story for him. For me, it’s not. If only for reason number one: I don’t intend on staying here, and even if I do like Johnny, the chances of him leaving this place are nil. He’s Crew through and through.
I hurry up and eat, desperate to get out of the apartment now that I’m granted a bit of freedom. The past few days of staying with Johnny were like living in our own bubble. It was easy to get wrapped up in Johnny and the Crew when all I saw was him, but now that I’m heading out into the real world, everything I was ever hesitant about with him creeps toward the surface again.
Bottom line is: I can’t get attached to Johnny Rocket because I refuse to lose someone I care for again. And with Johnny, I’m afraid that even while I have him, I never actually do. He’s chained to the Crew, nothing—and no one—else.
Magnum meets me in the hallway. He’s leaning against the wall by the elevators as if he’s just been waiting for me to come out of the suite the whole time. It feels weird going to school without any books or learning materials, but those are in my apartment—if I even have an apartment anymore.
The days between when I’ve checked in with my aunt and uncle are drawing out. I need to reach out to them soon before they come looking for me. I would hope to God they would never go to such extreme measures, but crazier shit has happened. Like when Glo tried to kill me a couple of days ago. So, I guess I shouldn’t say anything is beyond the realm of possibility.
When I approach Magnum, he hits the button for the elevator, but avoids my gaze. He keeps on avoiding me all the way down the elevator, and if you’ve ever been stuck with someone who’s as badass as Magnum who won’t talk to you, it’s intimidating as fuck. My skin starts to crawl as I peek over at him.
The elevator doors open, and I follow Magnum to the car. He opens the door to the backseat for me, but I roll my eyes and pull open the passenger side door. There’s no reason why I have to sit in the back when it’s just the two of us. I’m really not a fucking princess.
I get in, and he sighs. We close the doors at the same time and then he walks around the back of the vehicle to get in the driver’s seat. He starts the car, and I glance at him again. “Are you pissed at me about last night or something?”
His body locks up before he throws the car in reverse and backs out of the parking space. “I’m annoyed about a lot of things right now.”
He pulls out of the underground garage, and the world gets brighter. Both of us take a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize just how restricting being there can be. I get that I’m bored and that I don’t like it, but when the freedom finally hits, it’s like a wash of cool water against skin on a hot summer’s day. It’s refreshing and liberating, and you’d do anything to feel it again.
As we drive to school, my mind wanders. The last time I was in the front seat of a car with Magnum, someone was shooting at us. Today feels like miles away from that.
“Why did you do that yesterday?”
“What?”
“With the girl? Why did you dump the table?”
I rub my neck. Awareness pricks at my skin. He’s sneaking glances at me now, making me uneasy. I liked it better when he was trying to ignore me. “You said no, Magnum. You deserve to be heard. Plus, Johnny would’ve been pissed if he came back to find that girl rubbing up on you while you were supposed to be working. He was already down there complaining about another waitress.”
I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He runs his fingers through his side scruff then places his hand back on the wheel, tightening his hold until his knuckles turn white. “So, you didn’t want me to get in trouble? That’s why?”
“Yep,” I say. Honestly, I didn’t think of that right away, but it’s a damn good excuse, anyway. Johnny would have flipped if he saw that girl rubbing up on Magnum when he was supposed to be watching me, and he’s the type to act first and ask questions later. His fear of not having Magnum’s attention on me would have overridden any sense he had.
Magnum pulls up to the school. Out the windshield, I watch as Oscar kicks away from the brick building and starts to walk toward us. Before I push the door open, Magnum places his hand on my forearm. “For future reference, I don’t need your help to stay out of trouble, and I certainly don’t need your help to tell girls no.”
I blink at him. His eyes pierce more than normal today. It’s as if his gaze and his words have struck me. “Fine,” I snap. I pull my grip from him and throw the door open. My reaction says more about how I truly feel than I’m willing to let on, but sometimes ignorance is bliss.
I slam the door behind me, spin, and then immediately, Oscar’s in front of me. He cocks his head to the side when he sees my face. “Did Princess wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”
“Princess? Who’s Princess? Never fucking heard of her.”
His eyebrows rise and that sexy-as-sin smirk overtakes his face. “Oh, it’s your name now. You’re never getting rid of it.”
I push past him like I’m eager to start my day.
“Yikes.” He hurries to catch up with me. “I was informed you wanted to come to school. I mean, I barely believed it, but…” He lowers his voice. “I can’t imagine being stuck with Johnny is all that pleasant for you.”
I quickly check the surrounding area. Oscar knows better than anyone that ears are everywhere. People who want to move up, who would just love to throw anyone under the bus as a stepping-stone are like vultures. Something like that would make it to Johnny within a few minutes.
“Relax,” Oscar says. “I whispered it.”
Oscar and I walk past Security without getting checked, proving once again that if there’s anyone to fear here in the school, it’s the Heights Crew. Oscar probably has a weapon on him. Sure, he’s not able to carry his favorite—his bat—around, but he, and everyone else in the Crew, at the very least has a small, concealable knife. I’d bet everything I own on it. Hell, I’d bet everything my aunt and uncle own on it.
“I need to get to my apartment after school today. Or during school. I don’t care which, but I need to get to my apartment.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Oscar says, catching my arm as I continue to walk down the hallway. I stop where I am and spin toward him. He tightens his grip for a brief second until I look him in the eye. He steps forward as people walk past us, making this as much as a private conversation as it needs to be. “Listen, I get you’re pissed, but we have to be very strategic about everything. You don’t think Johnny has people watching your apartment? He’d want to make sure it’s safe so maybe you can go back to it.”
“If he was, wouldn’t you know?”
He gives me a look like I’m crazy. “No, Kyla. That’s not how it works. Up there, at the top, they know everything. They only tell us what we need to know to do what they ask. Right now, I’ve been asked to w
atch my boss’s girlfriend. If I take you to your apartment and he finds out about it, guess what? I won’t be able to be around you again. Hell, I might be out on my ass. Or worse. So, no, I’m not taking you to your fucking apartment until I think we can get away with it. Or until Johnny tells me to.”
I grit my teeth. I want so badly to be mad at him, but it’s not him. Not at all. It’s everything that has to do with this Crew. It’s stifling under their umbrella. Or maybe it’s just because I’m so close to Johnny that it’s like living in quicksand. I can’t move forward. I can’t go sideways. I’m stuck in place unless I want to drown.
I pull my arm away from Oscar and wipe my hands down my face, trying to collect myself. I’m mad at the wrong people here. I get it. “I know.”
He steps closer. “Fuck. Please don’t have a breakdown at school because I’ll want to drag you into a closet to make you feel better, but that won’t help anything.”
I crack a smile, some of the tension leaving me. That actually sounds like a great idea, but I know we can’t. “I’ll try to behave.”
“Ha. Right. You were born to get people in trouble. Now, come on. Apparently, I have to go to all of your classes instead of mine.”
I shake my head. “Well, that’s not going to work, will it? You have to get somewhat decent grades in your classes to still do football. I’ll go to all your classes.”
Oscar swallows, and he pins me with his gaze. Despite his tight-fitting shirt and impeccably shaven hair, there’s a vulnerability he lets me see every time, cracking through that tough guy facade. I’m the one who sees the bags under his eyes and the worry lines on his face. “You’d do that for me?”
“Is that even a real question? You need football, Oscar. It’s what’s going to get you out of here.”
He rubs his neck. “What about you?”
I want to laugh. Instead, the backs of my eyes heat up. This is just my pretend life. This is the one I’m going along with until I can get back to my old one. What sucks is that I want to take elements of this one and bring them with me when I leave when I don’t even know if that’s possible. “I’m good,” I tell him. I take a deep breath and start to walk around him.