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Brawler immediately reaches out and holds Johnny back from hurting himself any further. He squirms until Brawler has to put him in a bear hug from behind.
Johnny fumes in his grip. He looks like a caged bull. His dark hair is wild around his beautiful face. His eyes spark with electricity. “That’s it then? That’s the last thing you were keeping from me? That’s why you came here? You knew my father killed your parents.”
Magnum tightens his grip on me, and if you were an outsider looking in, you’d think Johnny and I were being held back from going at each other. But that’s far from the truth. Our lives have been tangled up in each other’s for too long for that. I’ve never blamed Johnny for what his father did. Never. I don’t plan on starting to now either. “I knew he killed them, but I didn’t know it was because of something so fucking senseless. So thoughtless. So motherfucking wrong. Killing someone just to move up the ranks? The Crew isn’t a fucking brotherhood or a damn business. It’s not a fucking group that’s saving the Heights, it’s fucking killing people for sport.”
Johnny bites his lip. “Why did you come here? Just to see him? To find him?”
“No, Johnny. I’m the same as you. I fight for the ones I love, remember? I didn’t come here just to see the man who killed my parents, I came here to fucking kill him.”
Johnny straightens. If Brawler wasn’t holding onto him, he would’ve stumbled back at the force of my words.
The expression on Johnny’s face now is startling. Indescribable. Hurt. Anguish. Pain. Fear. Anger. Worry. Love. It’s a toxic cocktail of mixed emotions.
He rips his hands from Brawler’s grip and starts for the door. Magnum moves to intervene first, but I’m faster than him. I move in front of the door, anger filling me. “No, Johnny Rocket. You do not get to walk out on me right now. Not fucking now.”
“You came here to ruin my life.”
Dread sours my stomach. This was what I was worried about. “Your life’s already ruined. So’s mine.”
“Damnit, Kyla,” he roars. His face is so close to mine, I can feel his pent-up rage in every cell of my body.
I knew he’d fight me on this. Deep down, I knew he would. He’s brainwashed. He’s jilted. He’s been taught to think a certain way all of his life. Those feelings can’t easily be erased.
“Do you even love me?”
I blink at him. “Is that a serious question?” He holds my gaze. “Fuck yes, I love you. I love you despite the history between our families. I love you despite the shit you’re mixed up in. I love you—”
“Despite the fact that you were going to turn around to do the same thing to me that my dad did to you?”
I flinch but hold my ground. “You’re forgetting the one simple difference. Your father is the scum of the earth. My parents were good people. Innocent people.”
“I just can’t believe you planned this the whole time. You let me love you. You let me fill you, all the while, planning my father’s demise.”
“Your father left you at the warehouse, Johnny. He knew you were shot, and he left you.”
“Magnum had it handled,” Johnny says, echoing his father’s words.
I’m almost too shell-shocked to respond. “You can’t be serious. Your father doesn’t care about anyone but himself. You know he doesn’t care about you. Just an hour ago, you were telling me that you’d kill your father if he tried to hurt me. What the fuck, Johnny?”
“An hour ago, I didn’t know you were capable of what you just told me.”
I flinch so hard the back of my head smacks the door.
“Johnny,” Mag says.
“No, fuck all of you,” he yells. “I’m guessing you guys knew about this. I’m guessing you all knew what she was planning on doing. You brought this to me like we were going to be a family, and I almost believed you. Almost.”
I reach out because I see it in his eyes. I’m losing him to the anger again. “Johnny—”
He smacks my hand away. “Oh, now you want to touch me?”
“Hey,” Brawler says, standing up to him. “Don’t fucking touch her like that.”
Magnum moves forward, and in one swift push, has Brawler pinned against the wall. I gasp. “New plan. You don’t fucking talk to Johnny like that.”
Disbelief has me swaying on my feet. “Mag...”
Cold eyes meet mine before moving back to Johnny. “What do you want to do with these three?”