Page 72 of Beautiful Soldier

Brawler grins like the fight-fueled man he is. “What? I’m enjoying it. Bat took the words right out of my mouth.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I grumble. I tear at the first shirt I can grab, which happens to be Oscar’s. I pull him back while Brawler reluctantly steps forward, yanking Johnny to his feet. Both guys square off with one another, chests rising and lowering.

I go from annoyed to mad to upset in like point two seconds, and no, I’m not on my fucking period. It’s just everything that I thought could be is chipping away in front of me. What I want seems like an insurmountable task now. Killing Big Daddy K will be easier than this.

Mag moves forward, fingers tracing along my jaw. “Hey, it’s okay.”

I squirm out of his grip and face the rest of them. “When you guys hurt each other, you hurt me.” I turn my gaze toward Johnny, and my shoulders droop. I’m pretty sure we already had this conversation. He said he wouldn’t hurt them. Unless that was just to sweet talk me. But Oscar’s not in the right here either. They can argue all they want. Get shit off their chests, I don’t care. I just don’t want them physically fighting.

Johnny growls. “Fucking fine.” He lowers his voice as he approaches me. “He just caught me off guard. I’m sorry.” Louder, and with authority, he says, “What’s happened before and what happens in the future is between Kyla and me. It’s not up for discussion.”

“Same for us,” Brawler says, voice even, taking up his fighter stance that makes him look huge and deadly—not to mention hot as fuck.

Oscar arranges his shirt back over his body. “So, how is this going to play out now that big bad gang boss is here?”

“I don’t know what you fuckers are doing, but I’m fighting for her.”

“Expect the same,” Brawler says, eyeing Johnny up and down like he could take his ass on right now, leaving him unable to walk for a week.

I’m only used to seeing him this menacing during fights. I kind of want to throw myself at him right now.

“I think Kyla should have a say,” Magnum says, speaking up for the first time. He has a hint of a shiner that I’ve just noticed because he’s standing in the direct sunlight streaming in through the windows of the gym. Johnny must not have gotten him all that good last night in his chaotic state.

“I still want what I wanted before,” I say. “All of us. A family.”

Johnny’s jaw clenches at that. “I don’t share. I have no qualms about competing with them. Three dicks against one. I’m confident in my abilities. I’m sure I’ll be able to measure up.”

God. If he brings up the five-orgasm thing again, they’re definitely going to be on the floor fighting. “Can we just train?” I plead. “Everyone knows everything now. We don’t have to dissect it all right this second.”

Well, no. Fuck, they don’t. I shoot Mag, Oscar, and Brawler a glare, hopefully telling them that obviously Johnny doesn’t know shit about the fact that I want to kill his father. That’s just another hurdle we’ll have to tumble through. At the end of all this, he might not even want to fight for me. He’ll probably curse the day I walked into his life.

Just fuck me. One step forward and two steps back.

Before I let my thoughts spiral, I yell out loud enough for Finn and Jax to hear, “I’m ready!”

Finn waltzes out of the back room at once. He was probably eavesdropping on all of us. Not that the guys were trying to be quiet when they were fighting. I move to the bench, and Finn follows me there to wrap my hands in royal purple wrap. “That was interesting,” he murmurs, peeking up at the other guys in the room.

The others have dispersed, keeping their distance from one another…and me. “The scary gang guy looks like he’s going to murder everyone but you.”

“It’s been an interesting twelve hours or so,” I sigh.

“Let me guess,” he says. He waits until I meet his gaze before saying, “They all want you.” I shrug because I’m coy like that, and I don’t know how much anyone else should know. “Girl,” Finn says, laughing with his best gossipy girl voice on. “I see the way they all look at you.”

I smile. I’ve never had a really good friend-friend. I started out having friends here, but then they turned into more. “Have I mentioned before that I like you?”

“Are you trying to get me killed, Princess? Fuck. Whisper that shit.”

I burst out laughing, and every single person in the room with a cock glares over at us.

He turns back to me with wide eyes. “Okay, I was joking, but now I’m fucking serious. Look like you’re not having any fun.” He finishes my right hand and starts on my left. He doesn’t talk again until the glares leave us. “Jax and I will always be here for you.”

I scoff at that. “Jax doesn’t even like me.”

Finn laughs, but he doesn’t deny it. “Don’t feel bad. Jax doesn’t like anybody. He doesn’t even like me most of the time and I’m his flesh and blood.”

I sense there’s a story there, but it’s not Finn’s to tell. It’s Jax’s. No matter how much of a distraction a good story could be, I can’t really afford to be derailed right now.

The door rings overhead, and Finn looks up. “Who’s this? Number five?”

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