Oscar shrugs. “Pretty much.”
Cole frowns, sadness creeping back into his face like wild ivy. “I would help you guys anyway, but I don’t know about the ticket out of here. What I really want is to have my life back.”
Magnum’s jaw ticks. “The Crew?”
Cole shakes his head. “Nah, man. I just want my family back, you know? You, and everyone...”
“I can’t promise you that,” Mag says.
“We can if we take K out.”
Cole’s gaze widens. Oscar slumps back into the sofa. “Oh, Jesus. You had to go and say it out loud.”
“What?” I ask.
“Kyla, we don’t know anything about him,” Oscar says, clearly frustrated that I let the cat out of the bag.
“You don’t, but I do,” Mag says. He leans over, holding his hand out to Cole. “You with us?”
Cole’s jaw tenses. He gazes at his cousin’s hand before he places his own in it. Mag pulls him forward until they give each other a bro hug, clapping one another on the back.
They both settle back onto their seats, and I can’t help but smile. Finding Johnny just got a little easier.
Maybe. Hopefully.
“So, let me get this straight.” Lines form between Cole’s eyes when he looks at me. “You want to kill Big Daddy K? The most powerful leader the Crew has ever seen?”
I shrug like it’s not a big deal.
Honestly, this has only solidified my goal from the beginning. Cole missed out on years with his family. This is just another piece of evidence in the “I’m doing the right thing” category. And if I can save Cole along the way, even better.
5
Because I’m nice like that, I heat up two more single-serve pizzas in the microwave for the newly reunited Magnum and Cole. Things are still a little tense between them. Maybe it’s the years of being apart. I don’t understand the reasoning why a gang would tear families apart like this. It doesn’t seem like something Magnum would let happen. Though, once you’re in the Crew, you’re a victim of their policies. He couldn’t be Cole’s cousin even if he wanted to be.
The two guys accept their heated dinners with soft smiles. Magnum’s does funny things to my insides. I don’t know all of his past, but I know the Crew has been his only family for too long. Maybe this could be the start of a new beginning for him. Cole said he doesn’t want to leave the Heights, he wants the Heights back, but maybe he’d leave if everyone he loved could come with him.
Or maybe we just need to take the threat out of the Heights. Big Daddy K is the root. The weed spreading and infiltrating. If we take him out, maybe everything else would get better. Though, some people wouldn’t like that at all. The way residents talk, the Crew is the best thing that happened to the Heights. Some would argue K was the best thing that happened to the Heights because he grew the Crew to the size it is now. It’s a freaking powerhouse.
“What’s with the frown, Princess?”
I sink back into Oscar, keeping the ice pack Brawler insisted I use on my face. “Just thinking about K, wondering if it’s enough to take him out? Or if someone else will take his place and continue his shitty ways?”
“By that time, it won’t be our problem,” Brawler says. He’s looked pensive since Cole got here. He got to talk to his mom, so I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s Cole himself. He probably sees him as a connection to his brother, which always puts him in a funk.
“Let’s worry about one problem at a time,” Mag says. His hard gaze reminds me of when he said he wouldn’t help me kill K. I get it, but the overall decision isn’t his to make. I’ve already made it. He doesn’t have to help if he doesn’t want to. There is wisdom to his words though. The big picture can seem almost impossible to pull off. Right now, we need to worry about getting to Johnny.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Cole says. Now that he’s more animated, his eyes are similar to Magnum’s. They don’t have the hint of green, but they’re a hazel color and the same almond shape. “Take me back to the Heights. I’ll continue on as normal in the Dragons, keeping my eyes and ears open. The second I hear anything Johnny-related, I’ll let you guys know.”
“You’ll need a way to contact us.”
“I’ve got Mag’s number. That should be fine. I check my phone daily for bugs, and if I know my cousin, he does the same.”
Jesus. These guys are like two peas in a pod. It makes sense that they think similarly. They were brought up together. My sheltered ass is not going to complain that I don’t think to worry about my phone being bugged.
“That’s another thing, too,” Oscar says, tracing lines over my back. “We have to think about going back ourselves. They’ll expect us.”
I growl at the thought. I am in no mood to face K. The coward left his son there to get taken. What kind of spineless, dickless asshole fucking does that?
“You really don’t like him...” Cole says. His gaze is suspicious. I suppose he has every right to be. For all he’s aware of, I came to the Heights and started dating Johnny.
“I have reasons,” I say, switching the ice pack to the other side of my face.
He shrugs and sticks the last of his pizza in his mouth, setting the plate down next to him on the coffee table. “It’s all good,” he says around a mouthful. “Just curious.”
He can stay curious. I’m not saying I don’t trust him. I obviously do...to a certain extent. But not everyone needs to know about my background.
“I think if we stay here for the night, we’ll be fine,” Magnum says. “I’ll take Cole back tonight, then come back. In the morning, the rest of us can go back to the Heights.”
Oscar pulls me into his side like he didn’t just get jumped hours ago. Before the fight, I was staying at his place. I’m assuming that’s still what’s happening. Staying in the tower with Johnny gone doesn’t seem like a good idea. I’m sure my standing hasn’t improved in K’s eyes, though I don’t think he can fault me for what happened at the fight, so that’s the only positive that came out of today… Wait, yesterday? What time is it even? Exhaustion is starting to creep up on me. That’s all I know.
Mag stands. He takes his cousin’s plate and places it under his own before walking into the kitchen to deposit them in the sink. “You ready?” he asks, staring at Cole.
Cole gets to his feet. He starts toward the door but turns back to us. “I really am sorry about Johnny. He’s like a brother to me. I’ll do everything I can.”
I give him a small nod. I’m putting a lot of faith in this rival gang member, but I’m desperate.
Mag steps toward the door, but freezes. He tilts his head, and then curses. “Fuck.”
Instantly, we’re all on alert. Oscar stops his trail of fingers over my back. He swivels his neck and then follows Magnum’s line of sight. A car is pulling up the drive, bouncing along the same ruts as we did when we drove up a few hours ago. “It’s got to be the Crew,” Oscar says.
“Shit,” Mag says, confirming Oscar’s suspicions.