Brawler and I both nod. My stomach tumbles over itself as Magnum prepares to enter the room. He knows what he’s doing, but that doesn’t make it any less scary to find someone you care about seconds away from potentially putting himself in danger.
Magnum reaches out with his left hand to turn the doorknob. The catch releases, and he steps back, letting the door open on its own. He waits until there’s just enough space to allow him through before he lifts himself to full height and charges in. He cases the room like I’ve seen Navy Seals do on TV. I can’t lie and say watching him doesn’t turn me on, but that’s doused in a fraction of a second when he calls out, “Stay the fuck back.”
Just the tone in his voice, I can tell he’s not talking to us.
Before I can even think, Brawler moves. He doesn’t wait for Magnum’s orders. He charges in, pulling me in behind him, shielding me with his wide body. I’ll always want someone like Brawler on my side. He may get annoyed with Oscar, but he went after him last night. That wasn’t the first time either. And now, he’s just charged into a room to help out another one of our guys.
I squeeze his hands tightly, and he pulls me against him from behind, mistaking my show of emotion for fear.
“Mag…”
“What are you doing here?” Magnum demands. He hasn’t lowered the gun, so this person must not be a friend. He’s tense, shoulders bunched, still lining up his shot with the barrel aimed in front of him.
I peek around Brawler’s shoulders, which is a feat in and of itself since he’s twice my size, but I’m too curious about the man who’s shown up at the warehouses on the day Farmingham’s dead body was found. It can’t be a coincidence. Before I find the intruder, though, my gaze freezes on the prick who bullied me the first day at Rawley Heights. His arrogant expression is wiped from his face now. There’s a hole in his temple, his prone body half on the leather couch and half off. A small blanket bunches at his waist as if he was sleeping here when someone came up on him and shot him. Congealed blood puddles on the sofa and where it subsequently dripped to the floor. A smell in the air filters through my nostrils. Repugnant, but not terrible yet.
“Mack?”
Brawler bristles, and along with him, my back straightens. I peer up to find the guy they’ve both been staring at. He looks to be between Johnny and Mag’s age. Brown hair, shorn closely to his head. He has earrings adorning his ears and the flames of a tattoo licking up the side of his neck. Not to stereotype, but he definitely looks like the gang member type, so why Magnum hasn’t lowered his piece yet is beyond me. The air thickens with tension the longer the standoff continues. With my hand inside Brawler’s, he tightens his fingers to fists, almost crushing my small finger bones. Thankfully, it’s the hand I didn’t hurt in the accident.
“Did you do this?” Magnum barks, gesturing toward Farmingham’s lifeless body.
The guy has the audacity to roll his eyes, even though he’s barely spared a glance away from Brawler since he’s recognized him. If Brawler knows who he is, he hasn’t confirmed as much, and with the bunching of his muscles, I’m not sure he has. It has to be someone from the past though. No one calls him Mack anymore.
“Simmer down, Magnum,” he spits. “I knew you’d show up, and we need to talk.”
“You know I don’t like talking.”
The guy ignores him. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to Kyla?”
“I’d just as soon put a bullet between your eyes.”
The guy leans coolly against the bar in the back as if he was truly just waiting for us to show up. “You know, that hurts. We were always friends.”
“Friends don’t walk away from each other.”
The guy’s gaze moves to Brawler’s, and true regret lies there. “I agree.”
Brawler can’t stand it. “Alright, what the fuck is going on?”
Magnum moves toward us, gun still outstretched. “Take Kyla and get out of here. I’ll clean up the mess.”
“For fuck’s sake, Magnum.” Cold exasperation laces the intruder’s words. “I’m not going to hurt you. Or Mack. Or Kyla. I came here to talk. Isn’t that why you came here? To find out what happened to your recruit?”