“Oh, I know. Holier than thou Jax has entered the building,” Finn mimics, glaring at the brother who looks so unlike himself. One taller and leaner. The other a bit shorter and stockier. The only attribute they share is the muscles from fight training.
I place my hand on Finn’s to stop him from retaliating.
“Go on,” I tell Jax, squaring my shoulders for the worst of it. It was my decision to come here. It was my decision to get into the Crew. It was my decision to fall... Actually, that wasn’t a decision at all. Falling for the guys in the Heights wasn’t planned, but there’s no way in hell I would ever take it back.
“What did you think was going to happen when you got yourself mixed up with them?” His hands ball to fists at his sides. “Nothing good comes from being mixed up in their shit. The fact that you’re here is testament to that. You fucked up your body,” he sneers, dropping his gaze to my cast. “You fucked up your life.”
I hug my knees tighter as the onslaught of Jax’s words wash over me like a gray sky. I totally get it. Everything he says is correct. “I have reasons,” I tell him, shrugging. I give Finn an awkward smile. “I guess it’s a good thing you got that picture of me you wanted before I ended up broken.” I prop my chin on my knees. “Unless you had to take it down.” I don’t know why I care about that stupid Uppercut Princess poster in their gym right now, but I do. It reminds me of how strong I can be.
Closing my eyes, I breathe in. One Kyle and Anna. Two Kyle and Anna.
“Please, girl,” Finn says. “It’s still up. You’re still a hot commodity in the Heights. In fact, I think it’s gotten worse because now you’re like the poster girl for the wrongly accused.” Finn arches an eyebrow at his brother. “People in the Heights know about that.”
Jax’s lips thin. He glares at his brother before turning on his heel and stalking off.
Finn and I watch him go, his inked hands dropping to his sides as he walks off toward the parking lot.
Finn sighs. “Don’t worry about him.”
“No offense, Finn, but I’ve got a lot of other worries on my mind.”
Finn eyes me, then mumbles, “Fuck it” before heaving himself up on the sill next to me. He leans over, pulling me to his chest. I let my legs slip down, his muscled arms swallowing me in a hug.
“I missed you,” I say, trying to hold back emotions rushing to the surface.
“I missed you too, Princess. We’ve got to get you training again.”
My eyes burn with unshed tears. “Yeah,” I croak out. To think fighting was a lifeline to keep me grounded while I was here. If I go to prison for this murder, I’m fucked. I won't have a life at all. No fighting. No guys. No anything.
“Shh,” Finn says, comforting me. He pulls away. “As much as I would’ve come to see you myself, you know I’m here for a reason, right?”
My heart stutters to a stop in my chest and then leaps forward in a motion that steals my breath. I’ve been waiting for news, and it’s finally come.
Finn returns his hand to my shoe, squeezing me. “Everyone had to go into hiding after what happened. When I say everyone, I mean—”
“The Crew?”
He nods, his face solemn. “The bodyguard, Magnum, he slipped underground until they fixed shit for him.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, but a hiccup of air hangs tight in my chest. I won’t let it go until I know everyone I care about is safe. “Was he hurt in the accident?”
“Not as bad as you. Just some scrapes. But the police had the footage of him shooting someone. Of course, it’s turned up missing now.”
Even if the footage hadn’t gone missing, what happened to self-defense? Gregory’s guys were trying to take me. Who knows what their plans were?
“Rocket...”
I glance up, meeting Finn’s gaze. Everything stops. I heard his voice that night. He was there. He was so close, but he just couldn’t get to me.
“That guy is one scary motherfucker.”
I press my lips together to keep from smiling. I can only imagine how Finn and Jax would see Johnny.
Finn squeezes my shoe. “He wants me to tell you that he’s handling this. He’s driving himself crazy with how long it’s taking, but I guess being accused of murder is no easy thing to get rid of.”
Especially because the gun used was most likely my gun. My prints were all over it, but I want to know how they actually got my fingerprints. Detective Reynolds must be sneakier than we gave him credit for.
“He doesn’t want you to worry about anything. He thinks it’ll be over soon. They had to find that eyewitness.” Finn gulps. “I’m not privy to all the information, and that’s probably a good thing. He just said it would be soon.”
Tears stick to my lashes. I can’t remember the last time I felt so much vulnerability. It’s terrifying. “Soon?”
“Yeah, Princess,” Finn says. “Fucking soon. And I have a feeling if it doesn’t work out the way Johnny’s planning, he’s just going to kidnap your ass out of that place you’re living in and run away with you.”
I smile. I can see him doing that. Hell, every last one of my guys has threatened to take me out of the Heights.
Okay, maybe threatened isn’t the word for it. They’re all trying to keep me safe while I’ve tried to do the same for them. Keeping Brawler and Oscar in the dark for so long about my true intentions was as much about keeping them safe as it was about me. Now that they know my plans, they’re in as deep as I am. It’s not what I wanted to happen.
I lick my lips, dread settling in my gut. “What about Brawler? And Oscar?”
Finn shakes his head. “I haven’t seen Brawler, and I’m not sure I know who Oscar is.”
I think back, wondering if they’ve ever met, but I guess it doesn’t matter. “So, you’ve just been talking to Johnny then?”
“He needed someone who was close to you, but not close to him. Someone who would come here for him.” Finn runs his hands through his hair. “He approached Jax and I, and I jumped on the opportunity to help you.”
I arch a brow. “But not Jax?”
“He’s just a little overprotective,” Finn says, flicking a piece of lint off his jeans.
I snort at that. “It’s fine if he doesn’t like the Crew, Finn,” I tell him. “I mean, I wouldn’t go saying anything to Johnny, but...I’m a different story. Jax doesn’t have to be afraid of me.” Finn gives me a look. “Okay, maybe not afraid of me, but he doesn’t have to be afraid of getting mixed up in Crew business. I don’t want that. For either of you. I’m well aware of why I’m here.”
Finn sighs. “Jax likes to play the tough guy, but he’s worried about you too. If he wasn’t, he never would’ve shown up.”
“Tell him I appreciate it. I really do.” I stare into his eyes, knowing that this brief interlude in my current life is about to come to an end. Finn has given me Johnny’s message, which means he can’t stay. He’ll have to heed the girl’s warning soon. “Thank you for coming.”
He dribbles his fingers across my shoes. “What do you want me to take back to Rocket?”