Uppercut Princess (The Heights Crew #1)(63)

Unless I’ve read him wrong.

“You know what’s interesting, Kyla?” Big Daddy K asks, the last vowel in my name dragging out a few seconds, lingering in the air like a threat.

“What’s that?”

My heartbeat gets so loud I can hear it in my ears.

“I had you vetted, of course. You understand. I have to with anyone who is brought near me or my son or into the Crew. It’s for our safety.”

“Understood,” I say. I press my hands into my thigh as they start to shake. Maybe my background isn’t as tight as I wanted it to be. I’m almost expecting him to bring in my aunt and uncle, murder them in front of me because he saw right through the mask I placed over my real life.

He gazes at me, eyes intense. “I think… Well, there’s just something odd about you.”

He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms.

Well, fuck.





22





Big Daddy K tilts his head to the side, inspecting me like he wishes he could slice me open. As if doing that would give away all my secrets.

The fear rising inside me makes me want to lash out. Get defensive. But guys like Big Daddy K don’t abide by that. I force myself to wait to see what he has to say. He’ll get it out eventually, but I assume he loves making people sweat it out. I have to seem as unaffected as I can.

Mirroring him, I also drop back into the cushions of the sofa like I belong there. I smile at him, encouraging him to keep talking.

A smirk pulls his lips up higher. “It’s just it’s so sparse,” he says. “Your background.”

“What do you want to know?” I ask, stomach unsettling. “I can fill in some blanks if need be.”

“Your guardians?”

“Losers,” I tell him. “I keep my distance from them. They don’t care about me, and I don’t care about them.”

“Parents?”

“Dead.” I swallow, my voice dark even to my own ears.

He nods. “I get a lot of the same stories around here. No one comes to the Heights if they can help it.”

“So you’re probably used to people having sparse backgrounds then?” I ask boldly. “Not much to say about a shit life.”

His jaw ticks. “I’m told you fought with a lot of skill.”

“I like fighting,” I say, using the words I always use. “It helps me get out some of the aggression I hold inside.”

The more answers I give him, the more relaxed he gets. I don’t think I’ve gained the man’s trust by any means. I’m sure that’s hard to come by. Like with anyone who has a lot of power, you have to earn trust. You have to earn someone’s respect. You can’t just get it on the fly.

“I have an idea,” Big Daddy K muses. “Johnny won’t like it.”

My stomach squeezes, once again threatening to expel the breakfast I had this morning. It’s taking everything in me to sit in the presence of my parents’ killer calmly. I have a feeling once I get out of this place, it’s going to be a shit show. I can only pretend for so long.

Without waiting for an answer, he calls out, telling everyone he sent away a few minutes ago that they can come back.

Johnny sits next to me on the couch, putting his hand on my thigh. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?” His question starts out as a remark but turns into a question. He doesn’t relax until I smile in reassurance.

The more I see out of Johnny, the more I think he actually does care about me. Except, he only has so much capacity for caring.

Once everyone is settled, Big Daddy K says, “Reynolds is right about one thing. We’ve been having this territory fight with Fonz for too long. We’re each undercutting the other. It’s time we settle this for good.”

Johnny smirks. He’s excited about the prospect. Obviously.

It’s Oscar who asks, “How do you propose we do that? We try to get her shit shut down and then she retaliates.”

Big Daddy K’s gaze lands on me. He licks his lips, and an unsettling feeling falls on my shoulders. “I’m wondering if Fonz will settle this with a good old-fashioned fight. If she wins, we give up the fight ring in the Heights.”

“What?” Johnny explodes. “We built that business.”

Big Daddy K holds up a hand. “If we win, we keep the rights to the Heights’ ring, and she has to move to another city.”

Johnny swallows. Indecision marking his face. “It’s a lot to lose. We built the Crew on that fight ring.”

“We have other ventures that can sustain us if we lose it,” Big Daddy K says. “But the point is to win, too. If we win, she’s out of our hair for good.”

“So, a fight?” Oscar says, musing. “Our best against her best?”

Big Daddy K nods, crossing his legs. There’s an air of mischief underneath all his actions though, making me feel like this is bigger than what he’s just said. Also, he keeps staring at me which is unnerving as fuck.

“Who will fight for us? Brawler?” Johnny asks. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s already two steps ahead. He may be Big Daddy K’s son, but he’s earned the spot he has. He shakes his head. “He’s not even a part of the Crew though.”