Page 71 of Arm Candy Warrior

My mouth parts, and a solid brick falls to the floor of my stomach. Magnum stops massaging me for a brief second and then keeps going. “I—I hadn’t thought of that,” I admit. “Maybe briefly, but I don’t think they would do this.”

“You know they’re not good people.”

“But Oscar’s mom.”

“They’re not good people,” Magnum reiterates again.

I want to ask him again why the hell he’s working for them then? But that’s not fair. Oscar’s the same way. He’s in the Crew even though he really doesn’t want to be. Maybe Magnum’s the same way. Maybe he’s stuck. The Crew took his father and mother away from him too.

It’s not easy to get out of the Crew. It’s virtually fucking impossible.

Magnum moves his hands downward, the pads of his thumbs digging into my shoulder blades.

“Do you think that’s what’s going on?”

Magnum’s silent for a moment. His movements don’t stop, but they let up while he thinks. “I think the only reason they’ll care is if they’re losing money on this. If Dunnegan has a side business going that he’s cutting the Crew out of, that’s what makes it a big deal.”

“I hope Johnny doesn’t know,” I confess. It’s one thing to have underground fights. It’s one thing to own a racetrack. To own a strip club. But it’s completely different to be involved in using prostitutes to satisfy someone’s sick sexual craving by holding drugs over their heads. The flip my stomach does only solidifies the fact that I don’t know if I would be able to get past this if Johnny’s aware.

“Me too,” Magnum says. “Johnny’s on a seesaw right now. Let’s say the left is his father and all the terrible shit he does and let’s say the right is you and what you represent.”

I swallow, his words forming a lump in my throat. He’s acting like I could be Johnny’s salvation.

“Right now, he’s got two legs on either side of the pivot point. One toward his father and one toward you. I hope he chooses you, but he may as well be brainwashed. You have a headache in front of you if you want it.” Magnum steps closer, his chest grazing my back. “No one would blame you if you don’t want to take this on.”

Magnum and I stand in silence. Neither of us moving. The thumping of my heart reverberates in my ears. My back pricks each time Magnum takes a breath and his chest brushes my skin for even the briefest moment.

He moves closer. His hot breath caressing the dip of my neck. “I mean that, Kyla. No one would blame you.” His lips are scant inches from my skin. It feels as if Mag and I are on a seesaw too. One move away, and it stops everything. One move closer, and it’ll start something else. I remain frozen in place, terrified one way or the other.

I take a deep breath, my shoulders rising with the motion. His lower lip brushes my skin. Neither of us breathe.

A knock sounds on the door. Magnum’s hands tighten on my back for a split second, but then peel away. “I’ll get that.”

When he steps back, a breeze of cold air surrounds me. I take the bag of clothes I brought with me and head toward the shower area. I could use a shower about now. I need to wash these thoughts away before they take hold of my brain. Focusing on what’s going down at Candy’s is what I need right now.

I take the quickest shower of my life. When I towel off, I dress in the clothes I brought with me. No dress and heels this time around. I pull on a pair of skintight leather pants, boots, and a halter-top instead. This way, it’s easier to get around if I have to, and I won’t have to worry about showing my goods to anyone if I get in a compromising position.

When I walk back out into the main area to do my makeup and hair at the sink, Magnum acts like nothing happened between us just now, so maybe it was all in my head. I imagined the whole thing. The tension between us. The underlying meaning of his words.

Oscar’s in the room now, too. Magnum is trying to draw Oscar into a conversation, but it isn’t working. He’s been in his own head since yesterday. I can’t imagine knowing that your mom was about to pleasure some fucktard for drugs. That’s got to mess with your psyche.

I finish up, and Brawler walks in. “Ready?”

We all head out. While we’re in the back of the car, I pull Oscar’s hands around me and lean into him. “We’ll figure this out,” I whisper. He hugs me to him, kissing my temple.

“I kind of figured what she was into, so I don’t know why it’s hitting me this hard.”

“Because that’s your mom,” I say. “And that shit ain’t right. We protect the people we care about.” Or we seek vengeance for the people we care about. I get exactly what Oscar is feeling. He’s in that phase where he’s trying to wrap his head around it, but when he comes out the other side, he’ll want to make someone pay even more so than he did last night.

Magnum pulls the car up to the back of Candy’s like we would on any normal celebration night. I send Johnny a quick text letting him know I won. It’s too bad he couldn’t have come home today, but it’s also a blessing. He wouldn’t let me out of his sight if he had, and I’m determined to help Oscar figure out what’s going on with his mom and the connection to Candy’s.

We don’t really have a set plan, except that Magnum and I will be taking a look around to see how the workers act tonight. We’ll also occupy Dunnegan and any of his workers, so that Oscar and Brawler can search the office. We even talked about heading upstairs again to see if it’s happening right under our noses. What Magnum said to me in the locker room rears its ugly head, and I hope that Johnny has no idea what’s happening with these poor women. I’m disgusted already. Sick to my core.

He better not be involved in this because that’s crossing a line I refuse to cross with him. I give him leeway because of the life he’s lived, but I won’t go there.

Magnum paves the way for us inside Candy’s. Like normal, Dunnegan is there waiting for us. He’s always struck me as an intelligent, well-mannered man. Then again, on the outside, no one would guess the shit that Big Daddy K has done. His exterior is made up of fancy suits, cocky smiles, and brash—often logistical—business decisions that make them a lot of money. Maybe Dunnegan should have the same classification as him?

He gives me a slight bow. “Kyla, I hear another round of congratulations are in order.”

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