Page 72 of Knockout Queen

I never understood the history behind that expression, but I get the meaning of it all too well. That’s all the Heights is. A food chain. You definitely don’t want to be on the bottom rung of their chain. I lean over the table. “Is the only reason why you’re here because you’re worried about what I’m doing? If it is, trust me, I’m good. Also, trust that you know your cousin well enough to understand what he’s about,” I say cryptically. Jesus. If he asks any more fucking questions, he’ll get even more suspicious. Plus, he can’t be around. Not when I’m trying to lure another gang asshole in. I stand. This whole thing has been a bust. We’ll just have to figure out another way to draw Gregory out. The whole gang system needs to die a slow, painful death. “I’ll see you around, Cole.”

I get up to leave, but Cole stays right with me. He grips my arm and starts walking me through the crowd.

I growl. “Seriously. I’ve got this.”

“Shh,” he murmurs in my ear. “Just go with it.”

“You need to let go of me, Cole.” When he doesn’t let go, frustration builds inside me. I slam the heel of my shoe down on his toes and elbow him in the gut. I don’t care who he’s related to, he doesn’t get to manhandle me like that. Behind us, I catch Jax’s eye while he trails us. I motion toward the front door and start out.

At that moment, the fire alarm buzzes above us. The house music cuts out and the blaring, wretched sound fills the room. Groans from surrounding mouths edge out, and some people who are too drunk to understand what’s going on put their hands over their ears but continue to dance anyway.

I brush past them, joining in with the people who are making their way outside. I’m soon separated from Cole and Jax, just going with the general shove of the crowd. The flow of the people I’m following breaks off toward a side exit door where a red neon light announces we can get out that way. All around me, people are lamenting the fact that their night has ended. I would be too if I was out here for fun. I’m a little more than annoyed that nothing fucking happened. I thought we had such a solid plan in place, too.

A girl accidentally stumbles into me. I have to pick up the extra fabric of my outfit, so I don’t get scuff marks on it and someone uses the opportunity to thread their arm through mine. “I’m good,” I say, thinking someone just grabbed on to me when the girl accidentally nudged me, but the hold on me tightens. My hackles raise, and a solid object gets shoved into my hip. “Keep struggling and you’ll get a matching bullet hole right where your boyfriend’s is.”

Fear sends an ice-cold chill through my body, but then I remember that this is what we wanted. I came here for this exact reason. I clear my throat, speaking a little louder to make sure my guys can hear on the other end. It’ll be hard for them to hear anything over the blare of the alarm, but hopefully Jax has eyes on me too. Then again, right now, it just looks like I’m walking next to this asshole. “Threats don’t usually work on me.”

“I’m unimpressed,” the guy says. Cold air blasts us as we make it outside. He tugs on my arm, and as the crowd starts to disperse down the alleyway in different directions, leaving us out in the open, it’s clear he has a hold of me now if Jax is watching. I can only hope he’s on the phone with the guys telling them what’s going on.

“Good thing I don’t look to thugs for validation.”

The guy huffs a laugh. “You made a big mistake today, girlie.”

Girlie? Seriously?

He pulls me around the corner, and then we both come to an abrupt stop. Magnum and Johnny are there. Magnum has the driver of a silver car at gunpoint while Johnny’s gun is aimed right at the guy who has me.

I snicker. “Yep. Big mistake.”

30

The guy presses the barrel of the gun into my side again, making sure Johnny and Magnum are aware he has his own weapon and it’s aimed at me right now.

Johnny doesn’t even flinch. He pulls the trigger, and all of a sudden, the guy is no longer standing next to me. I blink a few times while my ears ring. I peek at the ground and find him sprawled out, blood leaking from a hole in his head.

Johnny jogs toward us. He spits on the guy as he makes his way to me. “Pull a gun on my girl, you piece of shit.”

I just stare in awe. Well, shock and awe. I’m perfectly aware of what Johnny is capable of but Jesus fuck. I was right there.

“Call the cleanup crew,” Magnum calls out.

Johnny pulls me into his side. He holsters his gun and then retrieves his cell phone one-handed. I keep eyeing him as he makes his phone call, giving whoever is on the other side of the call directions as to where we are—where the clean-up needs to take place. They might not have bothered if he hadn’t spit on the body. If the wrong people—like the cops—found out what Johnny just did, we’d be fucked.

“You okay?” Johnny finally asks.

All I can do is nod because I haven’t found my voice yet. I’m not upset about what happened. I think it just hit a little too close to home. We are in an alleyway after all.

Magnum drags the other guy out of the car. He hauls him to his feet and then pushes him to his knees in front of the bloody dead body of his friend. “If you don’t want the same thing to happen to you, I suggest you tell us where the fuck Gregory is hanging out.”

The guy shivers. “You know I can’t tell you. I’m dead if I fucking tell you, man.”

“You’re fucking dead anyway,” Johnny crows. “Coming after my girl. If Gregory wants retaliation on the Crew or my dad, he can leave Kyla right the fuck out of it.”

The guy holds his hands up. “I’m just a peon. Fuck. I don’t know. I was told to drive this car, wait for that guy who was going to come out with a girl, and then drive them back.”

“Drive them back where?” Mag urges, thrusting the barrel of the gun to the guy’s temple. “If you tell us, we’ll think about letting you live.”

“I don’t know anything!” the guy pleads. “Really.”

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