ground because right now seems like the absolute perfect time to just grab the knife from my damn pant leg and end this fucking thing.
The guards, though. They’re everywhere. And Johnny probably can’t even walk. There’s no way we would get out of this unnoticed. Free.
“Breathe,” Magnum whispers in my ear. “Fucking breathe, beautiful. You can do this.”
His strong words bring tears to my eyes. I blink to hold them in.
“Kyla was supposed to be your prize for when you took your rightful place beside me. Do you remember that deal you made, boy?”
Johnny nods. He keeps blinking, and I cringe thinking of the pain he must be in.
“Now what am I supposed to do with that?” K turns and strides back to his chair in a huff. “I already told the whole Crew. Should I announce to them that the successor to the largest organization in the area can’t even follow simple fucking instructions? You can get ass whenever you want. Wherever you want. I explained that to you as soon as you started jerking off. No reason to use your hand,” he scoffs. “No reason to ruin anything because of a little piece of pussy.” K waves a dismissive hand toward me. “You’re putting me in a fucking position, son, and I don’t like it. I’m supposed to be able to rely on you more than anyone else. Anyone else,” he grits out.
“You can,” Johnny says.
I move my gaze toward him and recognize the determined look in his eyes. He’s trying to regain his father’s trust instead of thinking of different ways he could blow him to pieces.
I’ve never had a parent turn on me. I don’t know what that’s like. I’ve always said I would give anything to have my mom and dad back here, but I also like to think if they treated me this way, I’d know where to draw the fucking line. Big Daddy K has Johnny by the balls. I get that. He has shit on him. He uses the parental card. He has his manipulation down to a T.
“You’re forcing me to come up with another way to punish you. I can’t let everyone else know you defied me. What happens when people defy me?”
“We eliminate them,” Johnny says, voice dark. He inches his chin higher in the air.
K nods slowly. He picks at the fabric on the chair he’s sitting in like it’s a lazy Sunday. “I don’t want to do that to you. My only son.” He lifts his gaze. “But you also know I just can’t let you get away with disrespecting me, don’t you?”
“I know,” Johnny says. He forces his shoulders back as if he’s going to face whatever his dad has in store for him head on.
Inside my head, I’m screaming, The beating isn’t enough?! Fuck you, you fucking prick! You got your point across.
“And you know it has to involve Kyla, too,” K says, like it’s the last thing he wants to say. His voice is contrite. His face even looks as if Johnny is forcing him to do this. This is manipulation 101.
Johnny’s throat works. His pulse triples in time until it looks like the rapid flutter of a hummingbird’s wings. “I’ll take it all. I deserve it.”
K shakes his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s true.” His snide glare slides to me. “Kyla’s new, and she needs to understand what exactly she’s in for now that you’ve chosen her.”
I swear I can hear Johnny’s teeth grinding from here. He so wants to say something, but wisely keeps his mouth shut.
K shrugs. “So, I thought, what better way to treat a whore than to treat her like a whore?”
My stomach clenches, and Magnum’s fingers bite into my sides again. To K, it probably looks as if he’s holding me back from him, and he is, but for different reasons than he might believe. Magnum doesn’t give a fuck about K, but he does give a fuck about Johnny and me.
“What are you saying, father?”
“Jiko!” K calls out.
In the flurry of shit since we walked in the door, I’d forgotten he was supposed to be here. A door opens behind Johnny, and I glance over at the figure striding in. His gaze meets mine, holds it, and doesn’t look away as he moves opposite us. He’s dressed in his suit still, perfectly tailored, perfectly ironed. Shoulders back, chin out. He has the look down. That post, rich boy, I deserve everything look. Johnny usually has that