Page 26 of Beautiful Soldier

“Big Daddy?”

Mag holds the bag for me, and I throw a couple of punches with my left. “If I had to guess? Yes. He hasn’t hit him in a while though.”

I stop, my hand falling to my side. “He’s hit him before?”

“In school. I remember him coming to school sometimes with some bruising, but it hasn’t happened since...” Mag trails off and blows out a breath. “...I think since he started training under K.”

“I fucking hate him,” I growl. The thought he would beat his own son is worrisome. Johnny’s supposed to be his number one. He’s grooming him for his position, right? Why would he make an enemy out of him?

Because he’s not, I realize. At least not in his mind. He’s making him fall in line. He’s making him into the perfect little protege he wants him to be.

It’s disgusting.

Mag doesn’t say anything, and I raise a suspicious eyebrow at him. He didn’t bat an eye when I told him I wanted to kill Big Daddy K, but he hasn’t spoken out against them either. I know he’s with me, but why do I feel like there’s another story in here somewhere?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

I shake my head. “You haven’t said much about what I told you yesterday.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“It’s kind of a big deal,” I say, feeling him out. “I told you I wanted to take out the biggest leader in the gang world. Someone you’ve sworn to protect.”

Mag lets go of the heavy bag and comes around, standing in front of me. “Death threats are commonplace in the Heights. My whole job is based on someone planning to kill someone else or keeping someone who’s at a high risk of getting taken out safe. You telling me that yesterday was just another day in my life.”

“It’s so fucked up,” I blurt. Even now, I can’t believe the shit that goes through my head sometimes. And the shit that’s been going through my head started six years ago, but a lot of these guys have been dealing with this stuff since they were little kids. They didn’t grow up right in it like Johnny did, but they were around it. How many families sitting in the Heights right now know that a high schooler was shot dead today? How many of those families have little kids and just shrugged it off because stuff like this happens all the time?

This just reinforces my decision that I need to end K sooner rather than later. I don’t care. I’ll kidnap Johnny in the process, get him out of the Heights, and then tell him what I did to his life. At least he’ll be out of here.

I sigh because it’ll never work out that way. I need to save Johnny, then kill his father. Since I won’t leave without him, that’s the steps now. Even if I had an opportunity to kill Big Daddy K tomorrow, I can’t take it. Not until Johnny is completely on my side.

“When the time comes, will you help me take him out?”

Mag could be a wealth of information regarding K’s whereabouts. Not only that, the Crew trusts him wholeheartedly. They’ve staked their lives on him. He could be a tremendous help in this.

“You want me to help you kill someone?”

The tone in his voice makes me look up. Hesitation sits in the corners of his eyes, festering. “Yeah.” I wrap my arms around myself. “I do.”

“There’s one problem with that, Angel.”

My heart lurches at his pet name. I’ve never been someone’s angel before. He’s told me I might be Johnny’s saving grace, but angel is so much more... I don’t know. The name tugs at my heartstrings.

“What’s that?”

He licks his lips, and I watch him, mesmerized. Magnum is still mostly an enigma to me. I know I’m attracted to him. I know he’s a good person, and the feelings that bubble up inside me when we’re together are the same heartfelt feelings that rise to the surface when I’m around the others, so I know what I feel for him is legit despite not knowing much of his past.

He cups my face. “I’ve killed people before, Kyla. I know what that’s like. I know what each one does to a part of my soul, and I don’t want that for you.”

His words should melt me. They should turn me into goo at his feet, but all he’s succeeded in doing is pissing me off. “I will kill Big Daddy K.” No one is taking that from me. I’ve set my life on this path. It was my choice. My decision.

“I’ll keep you safe. I’ll support you, but I won’t help you murder someone.”

My mouth unhinges as I stare at him. He’s completely, one hundred percent, no doubts at all serious.

He traces his thumbs over my cheekbones. “Don’t get mad.”

“Don’t get mad?”

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