Page 80
Story: Arm Candy Warrior
Johnny pulls me closer as we lie together in bed. “I don’t want you going anywhere near Candy’s until I get this straightened out. If they did that to you, I’d burn the fucking world down.”
“If your dad doesn’t know about this, he’s got to stop them.”
Johnny pierces me with a look. “There’s no way my dad knows about this.”
I swallow. I saw the man fucking kill someone by shooting them pointblank in the face, but Johnny never saw that the way I did. Like his father, he believed it needed to happen. What if his dad thinks this needs to happen? What then? Will he try to talk Johnny to his side?
I just have to pray that Big Daddy K’s sick ways don’t go that fucking far. Not that murdering innocent people is any better.
Suffice it to say, I don’t have as much confidence in his father as Johnny does.
“I can’t believe you did all that for me,” Johnny says.
I look away. It wasn’t technically all for him. It was for the victims, and it was for myself, but yeah, as fucked up as it is, it was Johnny who I told first, not the police. But I guess that’s normal behavior in the Heights even if it is far from how I grew up to think. Except, I don’t have the best faith in the police myself. They couldn’t take Big Daddy K down even though they knew he was the one who killed my parents, so why would they be able to take care of this? The Crew has the reach to make this right. Let’s just hope they fucking do.
“I said it before. I want to be your partner, Johnny.”
“You’re definitely not Trophy Wife material.”
“Unless that’s me winning fighting trophies and bringing them home for our mantle, that’s a no.”
“I like having a partner,” he admits. “A beautiful soldier.” I know he likes that part. The shit he told me about how he grew up, whether he realizes it or not, is fucked up. Subconsciously, he needs me to be by his side, whether he’ll actually admit it to himself or not.
“You know I want to be here for you,” I tell him. “I really wish you wouldn’t beat up my friends though.”
Johnny glares at me. I probably shouldn’t be bringing this up so soon, but it needs to be done. I need to open his heart to them. “What’s done is done.”
I turn his face back to mine after he looks away. “Just imagine not only having me, but others you can count on no matter what happens.”
“That’s what my dad’s for,” he says.
A trickle of unease climbs up my throat. I can still work on him, but as I suspected, it’s going to take a lot to get him to see the kind of person his dad truly is. If I lost Johnny to him, I’d be devastated. I want to save all of these guys, and it’s possible Johnny is the one worth saving the most. I can’t stand that he’s basically been brainwashed his whole life into being a terrible person.
I smile at him, then lay my head on his chest. “I’m glad you’re back.”
He holds me to him, squeezing me to his side. “You have no idea.”
My eyes dart open at the change in his voice. “Is everything alright?”
He kisses the top of my head. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”
I want to protest, but I’m exhausted and worried and I’ve already pushed Johnny far enough today. His father has had twenty-plus years with him. I’ve only had a couple months. Turning him won’t be an easy task, but I’m also not going to give up.
* * *
The dinnerthat we were supposed to have on Wednesday has been moved to today. Apparently, there are now fewer people attending since the date’s been changed. When I wake in the morning, Johnny’s already gone, but it’s the text he sends me later that alerts me to the fact that there’s still a dinner. I spend the rest of my day in my apartment, climbing up the walls and wondering what’s happening over in Big Daddy K’s suite. Is he telling K what the guys and I found out? Did he already know? Is he as furious as he should be? I’m almost giving myself an ulcer and wish I could be there to know what’s fucking happening.
In the same token, I’m also not a fan of spending time in Big Daddy K’s presence. Which, I know I’ll have to get over. Keep your enemies close. I mean, that’s like the moral of every gangster movie. Hundreds of people can’t have gotten it wrong.
I talk to Oscar on the phone. He’s beat up, and even though I tell him it’s all my fault, he assures me it isn’t. He tells me we all got lazy and that we need to be more careful. When I ask him about football, he shuts down. He didn’t go to the hospital like he should’ve, and when I ask him about it, he says, “How will I pay for that, Kyla?” I told him I’d give him the money, but he doesn’t want to hear it. He knows what I have that money saved up for, so I’m not surprised. In the end, it’s more about getting all of us out of here than what’s happening right this moment.
He ends the call by saying Johnny is on the other line, which only spikes my anxiety. He’s probably calling about the file he stole from Dunnegan’s office, which means they already know what we found out.
I really fucking hate being left in the dark.
An hour later, after I’m trying to drown myself in Netflix, there’s a knock on the door. I practically skip to it, hoping it’s someone who’s going to tell me something. I yank the door open to find Magnum standing there. “Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” He steps forward, and I let him in. He looks the same as he always does. The same as when he picked Oscar off the floor last night. The same when he’s driving me places. The only time his guard comes down is when we’re completely alone. “You’re attending the dinner as planned,” Magnum says.
“If your dad doesn’t know about this, he’s got to stop them.”
Johnny pierces me with a look. “There’s no way my dad knows about this.”
I swallow. I saw the man fucking kill someone by shooting them pointblank in the face, but Johnny never saw that the way I did. Like his father, he believed it needed to happen. What if his dad thinks this needs to happen? What then? Will he try to talk Johnny to his side?
I just have to pray that Big Daddy K’s sick ways don’t go that fucking far. Not that murdering innocent people is any better.
Suffice it to say, I don’t have as much confidence in his father as Johnny does.
“I can’t believe you did all that for me,” Johnny says.
I look away. It wasn’t technically all for him. It was for the victims, and it was for myself, but yeah, as fucked up as it is, it was Johnny who I told first, not the police. But I guess that’s normal behavior in the Heights even if it is far from how I grew up to think. Except, I don’t have the best faith in the police myself. They couldn’t take Big Daddy K down even though they knew he was the one who killed my parents, so why would they be able to take care of this? The Crew has the reach to make this right. Let’s just hope they fucking do.
“I said it before. I want to be your partner, Johnny.”
“You’re definitely not Trophy Wife material.”
“Unless that’s me winning fighting trophies and bringing them home for our mantle, that’s a no.”
“I like having a partner,” he admits. “A beautiful soldier.” I know he likes that part. The shit he told me about how he grew up, whether he realizes it or not, is fucked up. Subconsciously, he needs me to be by his side, whether he’ll actually admit it to himself or not.
“You know I want to be here for you,” I tell him. “I really wish you wouldn’t beat up my friends though.”
Johnny glares at me. I probably shouldn’t be bringing this up so soon, but it needs to be done. I need to open his heart to them. “What’s done is done.”
I turn his face back to mine after he looks away. “Just imagine not only having me, but others you can count on no matter what happens.”
“That’s what my dad’s for,” he says.
A trickle of unease climbs up my throat. I can still work on him, but as I suspected, it’s going to take a lot to get him to see the kind of person his dad truly is. If I lost Johnny to him, I’d be devastated. I want to save all of these guys, and it’s possible Johnny is the one worth saving the most. I can’t stand that he’s basically been brainwashed his whole life into being a terrible person.
I smile at him, then lay my head on his chest. “I’m glad you’re back.”
He holds me to him, squeezing me to his side. “You have no idea.”
My eyes dart open at the change in his voice. “Is everything alright?”
He kisses the top of my head. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”
I want to protest, but I’m exhausted and worried and I’ve already pushed Johnny far enough today. His father has had twenty-plus years with him. I’ve only had a couple months. Turning him won’t be an easy task, but I’m also not going to give up.
* * *
The dinnerthat we were supposed to have on Wednesday has been moved to today. Apparently, there are now fewer people attending since the date’s been changed. When I wake in the morning, Johnny’s already gone, but it’s the text he sends me later that alerts me to the fact that there’s still a dinner. I spend the rest of my day in my apartment, climbing up the walls and wondering what’s happening over in Big Daddy K’s suite. Is he telling K what the guys and I found out? Did he already know? Is he as furious as he should be? I’m almost giving myself an ulcer and wish I could be there to know what’s fucking happening.
In the same token, I’m also not a fan of spending time in Big Daddy K’s presence. Which, I know I’ll have to get over. Keep your enemies close. I mean, that’s like the moral of every gangster movie. Hundreds of people can’t have gotten it wrong.
I talk to Oscar on the phone. He’s beat up, and even though I tell him it’s all my fault, he assures me it isn’t. He tells me we all got lazy and that we need to be more careful. When I ask him about football, he shuts down. He didn’t go to the hospital like he should’ve, and when I ask him about it, he says, “How will I pay for that, Kyla?” I told him I’d give him the money, but he doesn’t want to hear it. He knows what I have that money saved up for, so I’m not surprised. In the end, it’s more about getting all of us out of here than what’s happening right this moment.
He ends the call by saying Johnny is on the other line, which only spikes my anxiety. He’s probably calling about the file he stole from Dunnegan’s office, which means they already know what we found out.
I really fucking hate being left in the dark.
An hour later, after I’m trying to drown myself in Netflix, there’s a knock on the door. I practically skip to it, hoping it’s someone who’s going to tell me something. I yank the door open to find Magnum standing there. “Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” He steps forward, and I let him in. He looks the same as he always does. The same as when he picked Oscar off the floor last night. The same when he’s driving me places. The only time his guard comes down is when we’re completely alone. “You’re attending the dinner as planned,” Magnum says.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87