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Magnum finishes his sweep and corroborates what Jiko’s said. No bugs. No cameras, and no listening devices.
Thank fuck. I don’t doubt they could figure something out, but that’s one less thing we have to worry about.
Magnum and Jiko face Johnny and me, and I have a feeling Magnum is staying close to him because he still hasn’t decided whether he should take him out for what he’s done. We’re on the same wavelength in that respect. I didn’t trust him, and I was right not to. I don’t care that Johnny feels otherwise. They’ve had similar upbringings, so he gets it, but what Jiko’s done is wrong. You don’t hand over the people you care about to the monsters. The fact that this monster is Johnny’s dad makes it that much worse.
Johnny stares at Magnum and Jiko while I just pierce daggers into Jiko’s forehead, my mind trying to come up with a solution to the situation because there is no fucking way I’m letting Jiko put his fucking cock inside me. No fucking way. If anyone even suggests it, I will cut their dick off, too. Guys do not get to decide what a woman does with their own body.
“I have an idea,” Johnny finally says. He tears his gaze away from the other two to look at me. With one eye completely swollen shut and the dried blood mixing with fresh blood, I wonder how he can even keep a sound mind at all.
“We should clean you up,” I say, reaching out to touch his face.
Johnny shakes his head and stops my hand before I can touch him. “Not until we figure this out. Dad will expect Jiko to be fucking you right now, and if I end up in any of the pictures, I can’t be clean.”
I swallow. “Jiko’s not fucking me unless he wants to end up with a knife buried in his chest and his dick cut off and shoved in his mouth.”
“Fair,” Jiko says.
I glower at him, and he shuts up.
“Hey,” Johnny says, returning my attention back to him. “Look at Magnum and Jiko. They have similar builds. Similar skin color. Jiko even has a red tint to his hair.”
My mouth dries, and I lower my voice. “What are you saying, Johnny?”
“I’m saying what if you have sex with Magnum?” he whispers as if this is a private conversation and the other two aren’t even in the room. “We’ll get a couple of clever shots. Nothing with faces and nothing with your body parts.” He sighs. “He needs evidence to let this go, Kyla. I’m so sorry.” He leans over and whispers. “And you care for Magnum, right?”
“So, you’re asking me to have sex with another guy?” It doesn’t sound like him at all. Of course I want to have sex with Magnum, but not like this.
“I don’t fucking like it,” he says, voice dejected, “But I’ve already assumed you’ve done something with the others.”
“Jiko, leave the room,” Magnum demands.
Jiko opens his mouth.
“I said leave the fucking room.” For good measure, Magnum reaches for his gun, but Jiko is smarter than he looks.
He walks toward the door he came out of. “Just let me know what to say. I’ll be waiting back here.”
As soon as the door clicks shut, Magnum says, “We haven’t had sex yet, Johnny. This isn’t—”
“There’s no other option.” Johnny’s jaw clenches after cutting him off. “He needs proof, and Jiko isn’t going anywhere near her. My skin coloring is all wrong, plus, I have dark hair, I’ll never pass. Plus, let’s not act like you don’t want to fuck each other.”
“Not like this,” Magnum and I say at the same time.
I can barely look at him.
“Obviously not like this, but if we don’t do something, he could come up with a worse punishment. If not Jiko, then who? He picked this for a purpose. He wants to show me Kyla isn’t really mine and what better way than to have someone fuck her in front of me. He could get multiple someones if we don’t comply. It’ll be ten times worse. You know it, Mag. You know what he’s capable of. Next time, he’ll demand he’s in the room, and there’s no fucking way we’ll be able to get out of it then. It has to be this way.”
“This isn’t something for us to decide.” Magnum scratches his scruff. “It’s Kyla’s body. I’ll do whatever she wants. I’ll still go into the back room and put a bullet in Cardinale’s skull if that’s what she wants.”
Finally, I glance up, meeting Magnum’s gaze. The look there is indescribable, and it immediately softens me. The two guys here, right now, only want what’s best for me.
Johnny’s right. If we don’t handle this now, it could get worse. It’s not as if K’s just going to drop it. He wouldn’t.
“Okay...” I say, holding Magnum’s gaze.
Relief sags Johnny’s shoulders. He presses a kiss to my temple. “I’m so sorry.” When he straightens, he says, “I’m going to get Jiko’s phone for the pictures. You guys talk or whatever you have to do,” he says awkwardly.
Johnny strides toward the back room. Magnum moves forward. “We can leave,” he says. “Right the fuck now. I can get us out of here. We don’t have to come back.”