Page 77 of Beautiful Soldier

K’s laugh swallows up all the air in the room. “You didn’t mean to? So, he fell, and his dick slid into your cunt? Is that what you’re telling me happened, Kyla?”

“No,” I say through clenched teeth. It’s not as if I have to have the “when two people fall in love with each other” talk with him, do I? “I love Johnny, and I wanted to share that with him. We didn’t do it to disobey you. We did it because we care about one another.”

“But I told you not to. In fact, I even think I moved you out of his room and sent him a bitch, so he could get over you.”

I nod, even though I’d love to castrate the fucker for referring to women as bitches and because of the overall power he thinks he has over us. “You did, and we kept our distance for a while.”

He slams his hand down on the wood armrest. “But not long enough!”

“Dad,” Johnny says. “I’ll take the punishment. Please just let Kyla go back to her room.”

“Go back to her room? Her room? The one I gave her. The one where we saved her from that fucking shithole she was living in, and this is how she repays us? Is that the one you’re talking about, son?”

Is he for fucking real? I was perfectly fine at my fucking shithole apartment.

“You said you wanted her here, so she could be kept safe, and we did that for her. But what do we find? Blatant disrespect.”

“It was me,” Johnny says. “I talked her into it. I practically held her down because I’m sick like that. You know, like how we play with the whores, Dad. We take what we want. I wanted her pussy, and I took it.”

The venom in his voice sends ice through my veins. He doesn’t mean those awful words. He’s just trying to get me out of this mess. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not the one tied up with blood running from my face.

“As much as I wish that was true, I know you wouldn’t do that to your precious Kyla. Since she showed up, you’ve gone soft.” K stands, striding toward Johnny.

“Move,” Johnny whispers, and even though I want to stay there and stand my ground, Magnum reaches out to pull me to the side just as K punches Johnny in the face with a closed fist.

Johnny’s head whiplashes back. He stretches his jaw out and then looks forward again, meeting his father’s gaze. Indignation roars inside me, but I gulp it down. Sometimes, the hardest thing we have to do is sit back and watch.

“Since she showed up, you’ve cared more about her than the Crew. What have I always taught you?”

“Crew before everything,” Johnny says, voice slurring.

“Exactly!” K gets in his son’s face, his pallor as red as a firestorm. “Everyoneis the property of the Crew. I am. You are. She is. She’s not yours, Johnny. She’sallof ours.”

K turns toward me. I meet his gaze with a stony one myself. He takes a step toward me and reaches out, placing his hand on my tit. He squeezes until it’s painful.

“Don’t you touch her!” Johnny roars.

K laughs, his hand fondling now. “I’m going to have to beat that possessive streak out of you.”

He gives my nipple a pinch right through my shirt and acid fills my stomach. In a flash though, he uses the same hand to punch Johnny again.

Magnum’s hands bite into my hips. He steadies me, rooting me to the ground because right now seems like the absolute perfect time to just grab the knife from my damn pant leg and end this fucking thing.

The guards, though. They’re everywhere. And Johnny probably can’t even walk. There’s no way we would get out of this unnoticed. Free.

“Breathe,” Magnum whispers in my ear. “Fucking breathe, beautiful. You can do this.”

His strong words bring tears to my eyes. I blink to hold them in.

“Kyla was supposed to be your prize for when you took your rightful place beside me. Do you remember that deal you made, boy?”

Johnny nods. He keeps blinking, and I cringe thinking of the pain he must be in.

“Now what am I supposed to do with that?” K turns and strides back to his chair in a huff. “I already told the whole Crew. Should I announce to them that the successor to the largest organization in the area can’t even follow simple fucking instructions? You can get ass whenever you want. Wherever you want. I explained that to you as soon as you started jerking off. No reason to use your hand,” he scoffs. “No reason to ruin anything because of a little piece of pussy.” K waves a dismissive hand toward me. “You’re putting me in a fucking position, son, and I don’t like it. I’m supposed to be able to rely on you more than anyone else. Anyone else,” he grits out.

“You can,” Johnny says.

I move my gaze toward him and recognize the determined look in his eyes. He’s trying to regain his father’s trust instead of thinking of different ways he could blow him to pieces.

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