Page 31
Story: Knockout Queen
“Aren’t I, though?”
The unmistakable sounds of muted gunshots fill the room. I sit up straighter. The timing couldn’t have been any better, unless this group is way more disorganized than I originally thought and they’re currently trying to off each other for no reason other than they just don’t like each other, which is exactly why they need a strong leader.
I stifle all my thoughts and peer at the metal door. “You should probably check that out.”
The guy glances back and then returns his gaze to me. He’s caught between two trains of thought. He’s indecisive. Indecision kills people.
When the door opens, a shot rings out, and he falls to the floor with a hole in his head. I’m not surprised. Had he made a decision, he’d still be living. Maybe.
A familiar stature waltzes into the room, gun at the ready. Mag’s gaze darts from side-to-side.
“Clear,” I say, letting him know there are no other threats in the room with us.
I finally relax, my heart beating like crazy. I knew Dad would come. But when Brawler steps through the metal door next, I bristle. Mag gets to me, working on my ties with a knife from his pocket, but my gaze is glued to the door.
I almost slump forward when Kyla and Oscar come through next. No other guys follow. Not Trey. Not any of the other guards, just—
Kyla runs forward. I clench my jaw together, inspecting her skin for injuries or burn marks or anything, but what I find is just her. Just her perfect self, staring at me with unshed tears. She drops to her knees and starts to untie the ropes around my ankles.
“We have to hurry,” Mag barks.
She finally gets them loose, and Brawler pulls me to my feet, propping an arm around me like he did when we tried to make our escape. He was just as lost as I was when we weren’t sure what happened to Kyla. I didn’t think I’d ever feel bad for the guy after he fucked my girl, but I got it then. I understood the feeling.
Kyla stands, hugging the other side of me. “Get him to the car,” Mag demands. “I’m right behind you.”
When we start for the door, I already know what Mag’s doing. Destroying the evidence that I was ever here. My blood had dripped on the cement floor. He’ll be cleaning it. Burning it. Something to make sure that no one knows I was ever here. A top rule of the Crew: Never get caught up in other people’s shit.
I hiss in a breath as we move forward. I’ve been sitting for hours and hours. I’ve been in that same position since I first got there. Brawler has to basically carry me out of there, and eventually, Oscar takes Kyla’s place on my other side. Everything hurts. We hit the steps and come out a door that opens to a race track.
Son of a bitch. We’re at the race track. No wonder why it smelled like old gasoline down there. Residual fumes. I suck in the night air like a starved man. My head lolls back. Now that I don’t have to be on, I want nothing more than to just crash. To sleep for ages.
She’s alive.
I’m alive.
They carry me to our uniform black car. Sirens sound in the distance, and my heart rate picks up. Luckily, Magnum’s footsteps sound behind us, crunching against the gravel at a rapid pace. We hunker down into the car, and Mag takes off like we’re still running for our lives. He hits the gas, speeding away from the scene until the sirens get louder. Then, he slows, telling us all to act casual. The police speed past us, and like the good citizen Mag is supposed to be, he pulls over as the five police cars with red and blue lights scream past. Then, he pulls back out like we have every right to drive down this road in the middle of the night.
That’s all I can comprehend before sheer exhaustion takes me under.
13
Ihold Johnny in the backseat of the car. His clothes have char, black dust, and dirt embedded into the fibers, just like he looked the night of the explosions and fire. A bandage has been placed around his midsection, blood seeping through. It’s a half-assed attempt at staunching the blood flow from the injury he received at the hands of one of those fuckers.
We need a doctor.
“Mag…”
“I know,” he says.
Johnny’s unconscious for the time being but seeing him like this makes my heart hurt. Somehow, everything went wrong the night of the explosion. K left Johnny. We got separated, and even though I should be relieved that we’re back together, the pain in my heart I’d been keeping at bay explodes. Right now, I want nothing more than to kill K. He tutored Johnny in this life, and the one time his son needed him, he fucking abandoned his ass.
I’ve heard people say they’d rather someone rot in jail to atone for their sins, but I’m more of an eye-for-an-eye girl. I want to take K’s life. To me, nothing else will make up for what he did other than seeing the light die from his eyes, much like when I watched him kill Fonz and Dunnegan right in front of me. I want to see the moment he passes. I want to see the realization that I did it. I took his life from him because he deserved it. Like, in a literal, now you know not to fuck with me move.
Magnum pulls to a stop at a house on the outskirts of town.
Brawler leans forward, checking out the houses through the side window. “Where are we?”
“A doctor,” Mag says, clenching his teeth. He glances at me over his shoulder. “Come in with us, Kyla?”
The unmistakable sounds of muted gunshots fill the room. I sit up straighter. The timing couldn’t have been any better, unless this group is way more disorganized than I originally thought and they’re currently trying to off each other for no reason other than they just don’t like each other, which is exactly why they need a strong leader.
I stifle all my thoughts and peer at the metal door. “You should probably check that out.”
The guy glances back and then returns his gaze to me. He’s caught between two trains of thought. He’s indecisive. Indecision kills people.
When the door opens, a shot rings out, and he falls to the floor with a hole in his head. I’m not surprised. Had he made a decision, he’d still be living. Maybe.
A familiar stature waltzes into the room, gun at the ready. Mag’s gaze darts from side-to-side.
“Clear,” I say, letting him know there are no other threats in the room with us.
I finally relax, my heart beating like crazy. I knew Dad would come. But when Brawler steps through the metal door next, I bristle. Mag gets to me, working on my ties with a knife from his pocket, but my gaze is glued to the door.
I almost slump forward when Kyla and Oscar come through next. No other guys follow. Not Trey. Not any of the other guards, just—
Kyla runs forward. I clench my jaw together, inspecting her skin for injuries or burn marks or anything, but what I find is just her. Just her perfect self, staring at me with unshed tears. She drops to her knees and starts to untie the ropes around my ankles.
“We have to hurry,” Mag barks.
She finally gets them loose, and Brawler pulls me to my feet, propping an arm around me like he did when we tried to make our escape. He was just as lost as I was when we weren’t sure what happened to Kyla. I didn’t think I’d ever feel bad for the guy after he fucked my girl, but I got it then. I understood the feeling.
Kyla stands, hugging the other side of me. “Get him to the car,” Mag demands. “I’m right behind you.”
When we start for the door, I already know what Mag’s doing. Destroying the evidence that I was ever here. My blood had dripped on the cement floor. He’ll be cleaning it. Burning it. Something to make sure that no one knows I was ever here. A top rule of the Crew: Never get caught up in other people’s shit.
I hiss in a breath as we move forward. I’ve been sitting for hours and hours. I’ve been in that same position since I first got there. Brawler has to basically carry me out of there, and eventually, Oscar takes Kyla’s place on my other side. Everything hurts. We hit the steps and come out a door that opens to a race track.
Son of a bitch. We’re at the race track. No wonder why it smelled like old gasoline down there. Residual fumes. I suck in the night air like a starved man. My head lolls back. Now that I don’t have to be on, I want nothing more than to just crash. To sleep for ages.
She’s alive.
I’m alive.
They carry me to our uniform black car. Sirens sound in the distance, and my heart rate picks up. Luckily, Magnum’s footsteps sound behind us, crunching against the gravel at a rapid pace. We hunker down into the car, and Mag takes off like we’re still running for our lives. He hits the gas, speeding away from the scene until the sirens get louder. Then, he slows, telling us all to act casual. The police speed past us, and like the good citizen Mag is supposed to be, he pulls over as the five police cars with red and blue lights scream past. Then, he pulls back out like we have every right to drive down this road in the middle of the night.
That’s all I can comprehend before sheer exhaustion takes me under.
13
Ihold Johnny in the backseat of the car. His clothes have char, black dust, and dirt embedded into the fibers, just like he looked the night of the explosions and fire. A bandage has been placed around his midsection, blood seeping through. It’s a half-assed attempt at staunching the blood flow from the injury he received at the hands of one of those fuckers.
We need a doctor.
“Mag…”
“I know,” he says.
Johnny’s unconscious for the time being but seeing him like this makes my heart hurt. Somehow, everything went wrong the night of the explosion. K left Johnny. We got separated, and even though I should be relieved that we’re back together, the pain in my heart I’d been keeping at bay explodes. Right now, I want nothing more than to kill K. He tutored Johnny in this life, and the one time his son needed him, he fucking abandoned his ass.
I’ve heard people say they’d rather someone rot in jail to atone for their sins, but I’m more of an eye-for-an-eye girl. I want to take K’s life. To me, nothing else will make up for what he did other than seeing the light die from his eyes, much like when I watched him kill Fonz and Dunnegan right in front of me. I want to see the moment he passes. I want to see the realization that I did it. I took his life from him because he deserved it. Like, in a literal, now you know not to fuck with me move.
Magnum pulls to a stop at a house on the outskirts of town.
Brawler leans forward, checking out the houses through the side window. “Where are we?”
“A doctor,” Mag says, clenching his teeth. He glances at me over his shoulder. “Come in with us, Kyla?”
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
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94