“I know,” he says, agitation still lacing his voice. “These were the worst weeks of my life, Kyla.”
My heart nearly splits in two. They were up there for me, but I’ve had worse. Sadly.
“When I come back, we’ll talk, okay?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, voice raspy. I don’t want him to hate himself for what’s happened. It’s not his fault. He’s blaming the wrong person.
“I have to go.” He sighs reluctantly. “Oscar will get you another phone since RHPD won’t cough your other one up.”
“Okay.”
“Um, Kyla?”
“Hmm?”
“I... I um...” Another silence descends, but eventually he says, “I’ll call you soon.”
“Okay, Johnny. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I hang the phone up and hold it out to Magnum. He crosses the length of the floor to take it from me. After pocketing it, he reaches up, brushing his fingers under my eyes. “Why do you look so sad?”
I swear my heart clenches. Like literally squeezes like it’s going through physical pain. “Johnny really cares for me.”
Mag nods.
Everything I’m doing to this guy compounds. I blink up at Magnum. “I think I’m going to break him.”
Magnum pulls me close, wrapping his strong arms around me. “I’m not so sure about that. Johnny’s stronger than you know. A strength that has nothing to do with the Crew, Kyla.”
I swallow, keeping my emotions at bay. I have to be strong right now. “Care to elaborate?”
He runs his hands through my hair. “I think that’s a conversation you and Johnny need to have.”
I’ll add that to the list of things I need to say to him, including the fact that I care about three other guys. Oh, and I want to off his father. I mean, what could go wrong with that conversation?
A knock sounds on the door, and Magnum steps back. I jump, holding him to me briefly before remembering that I’m in the tower, which is the safest place for me.
“I have a surprise for you,” Mag says, peeling my fingers away from him. He walks toward the door, pulling it open to reveal two figures. Seeing them immediately glues my feet where I stand.
Brawler nudges Oscar out of the way. Amid a spewed line of Oscar-esque profanities, Brawler rushes toward me.
“Stop,” Magnum orders.
Brawler halts, but his jaw ticks, looking torn between obeying and just coming for me anyway.
Mag holds his hand out, wiggling his fingers at both guys. I watch on in surprise as Oscar and Brawler pull out their cell phones and hand them over to Magnum who holds a small device. He runs the handheld piece of technology over both phones and then hands them back.
“You check the place?” Oscar asks.
“We’re clear,” Magnum announces, nodding.
“What the hell is that?” I ask, pointing to the thing Mag is just now putting in his back pocket.
I barely get the words out before I’m squished against Brawler’s hard chest. He rains kisses down on the crown of my head, holding me lightly in his arms as if he doesn’t want to hurt me.
“Back off, Big Man,” Oscar says from behind him.
“Fuck you,” Brawler growls, only holding me tighter.
“Then you’re about to feel my arms...and a very happy dick.”
Brawler groans, moving so Oscar has just enough space to wriggle his arms around me. He tucks my head under his chin, fingers gripping me. I reach my hands under his shirt to pull him toward me, and he hisses when I hit a spot on his side.
I pull away, eyeing him. I immediately get drawn into his handsome face. His black ballcap hides his tuft of black hair, but his dark eyes are laser sharp.
“What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head, but Magnum throws him under the bus without a second thought. “Gregory’s guys ran him off the road before they hit us.”
“The fuck?”
Oscar glares Magnum’s way before turning to me. “It’s just a bit of road rash. It’s practically healed already.”
I move forward, snatching his shirt up. I don’t know what it looked like before, but mottled bruising mars his side. His beautiful, chiseled abs side. “Oscar...” Anger scorches through me as I look at what they did to him.
He pushes his shirt back down. “It’s nothing.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Are you kidding me?” he snaps. He roams his gaze all over me until he’s inspected every square inch of my skin. “How are you feeling?”
“Cast’s off,” I say, lifting my arm lamely. “It’s not too bad. I don’t think I should push it, but I might be able to start some light training. My neck still hurts every now and then. I should probably find a PT place closer to the Heights. The guys at the place I’ve been going to are dicks, looking at me like I, you know, murdered someone.”
Brawler growls.
“On it,” Magnum says. He takes out his phone, fingers moving over the screen. He’s probably texting Johnny right this second about what I need, unless he’s taking care of it himself, which I wouldn’t put past him, now that he’s let himself feel what he does for me.
“Princess,” Oscar starts, eyes pleading with mine already. “I would’ve come.”
“I know,” I tell him.
“I was going to,” Brawler laments, sliding a furious glance Magnum’s way.
“I know,” I tell them both. I take one of their hands in each of mine. “You couldn’t have, anyway. Reynolds had eyes on me, and not seeing anyone was part of the stipulation I was given.”
“You didn’t have to follow their fucking rules.”
I squeeze Oscar’s hand and then bring his palm to my lips to place a kiss there. “I didn’t kill anyone. I just wanted to show I was working with them. That I didn’t have anything to hide by returning to the Heights and masking myself behind the Crew.”
“But you put yourself in danger,” Magnum says, speaking up.
I was surprised Johnny didn’t say anything about that. I have no doubt it’s coming. “It was my decision, and I made it. Besides...” I lift an eyebrow in his direction. “You told me I was never alone.”
“That’s where you kept going, wasn’t it?” Oscar asks, crossing his arms. He shakes his head. “I fucking knew it.” Magnum shrugs unapologetically. He opens his mouth to say something, but Oscar cuts him off. “If you say it’s because Princess is your job, I’m calling bullshit.”
I peer at Magnum. Neither one of us talked about how to approach the subject of him and I with the group. Of course, Oscar Drego is perceptive as shit. He had it called right from the beginning.
Magnum’s not one to back down though. He only holds my gaze for a moment before turning to Oscar and Brawler. I think he’s going to tell them he likes me too and to shut the fuck up about it, but instead, when he opens his mouth, the purest honesty comes out. “I suspected I might like Kyla, but I wasn’t sure. When they stole her out of my car, though, my world tilted.” He balls his hands at his sides. “I knew then the feelings I had for her were more than just friendly. I was going to say something to you guys, but I felt I should say something to Kyla first.”