by E. M. Moore
Contents
Also By E. M. Moore
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Pre-Order Knockout Queen
Facebook Group & Newsletter
The Ballers of Rockport High
The Rockstars of Hollywood Hill Series
Spring Hill Blues
Safe Haven Academy Series
Safe Haven Academy Series Blurb
About the Author
Beautiful Soldier
The Heights Crew
Book Three
By
E. M. Moore
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by E. M. Moore. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact E. M. Moore at [email protected].
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition June 2020
Edited by Heather Long
Cover by 2nd Life Designs
Huge thanks to my beta readers: Bibi, Ashton, Lisa, Jorden, Summer, Jennifer, and Angie!
Also By E. M. Moore
The Heights Crew Series
Uppercut Princess
Arm Candy Warrior
Beautiful Soldier
Knockout Queen
The Ballers of Rockport High Series
Game On
Foul Line
At the Buzzer
Rockstars of Hollywood Hill
Rock On
Spring Hill Blue Series
Free Fall
Catch Me
Ravana Clan Vampires Series
Chosen By Darkness
Into the Darkness
Falling For Darkness
Surrender To Darkness
Ravana Clan Legacy Series
A New Genesis
Tracking Fate
Cursed Gift
Veiled History
Fractured Vision
Chosen Destiny
Order of the Akasha Series
Stripped (Prequel)
Summoned By Magic
Tempted By Magic
Ravished By Magic
Indulged By Magic
Enraged By Magic
Her Alien Scouts Series
Kain Encounters
Kain Seduction
Rise of the Morphings Series
Of Blood and Twisted Roots
Safe Haven Academy Series
A Sky So Dark
A Dawn So Quiet
Chronicles of Cas Series
Reawakened
Hidden
Power
Severed
Rogue
The Adams’ Witch Series
Bound In Blood
Cursed In Love
Witchy Librarian Cozy Mystery Series
Wicked Witchcraft
One Wicked Sister
Wicked Cool
Wicked Wiccans
1
The physical therapist digs his hands into my neck.
I cringe at the flare of pain that radiates from his rough touch. I don’t pull away, even though I mentally curse him the fuck out. If I have to do this sick torture, the guy could have the decency to be hot. Or sociable. Hell, I’d even take a smile. One measly smile.
Breaking news: He’s neither good looking nor friendly, and I’m fairly sure the only lip movement I’ll ever get from him is his ever-present sneer.
From my first PT appointment, I could tell he had his mind made up about me already. I’m just some gang bitch delinquent who shot an innocent girl.
My stomach tugs at the thought and then does a nasty flip. When I was a little girl and thinking about my future life, I never imagined this scenario playing out. First, my parents would be here. Second... Well, fuck. The second is easy, right? I wouldn’t have been accused of murdering a young girl. It’s fucking insane.
PT dude digs deeper, and I suck in a breath. He doesn’t ease off, and in the mirrored wall in front of me, a smirk crawls over his face.
Fucking asshole. If Johnny were here…
Fuck it, if any of my guys were here. None of them would let this douchebag do this to me...and take pleasure in it.
I grip the side of the table I’m sitting on, squeezing tightly so I don’t turn and clock the asshole accidentally. Accidentally on fucking purpose, I mean. No matter how badly I want to, I’m already skating on thin ice. I don’t need an assault and battery charge added to the one I already have.
“Ray,” a sweet voice calls out.
The guy’s touch loosens. This is the first time I’ve even heard his name. It’s been four weeks of pure silence and torture for an hour every other day with metaphorical chains around my wrists, preventing me from doing anything about the mistreatment.
“What’s up?”
“Boss said I should work on this patient.”
Ray steps away. They share a look, and I’m already beginning to think this new chick isn’t going to be any better. I know what the news has been saying about me, while not bothering to get to know the real me. I mean, that’s just...appropriate? Normal? Human decency?
When you’ve been accused of such a heinous crime, I guess you lose all that.
“Have fun.” Ray chuckles darkly as he passes the new girl, flipping the door open to the hallway outside the PT room.
During my appointments, no one else is here. I guess they like to keep the people who are accused of murder separate from other patients. There’s no guard, though, which I thought was uber strange. No guard at the facility where I’m staying at either. Greenlawn, a halfway house for cons. A place where the police can keep an eye on me while they figure out if they’re actually going to press charges.
That part’s on me though. I agreed to stay at the place. It was either that or have them expedite a trial of some sort. Detective Reynolds doesn’t like me very much, so it seems he’s trying to hang me for something I didn’t do. He even has an eyewitness to my supposed murderous rampage, which is fucking outrageous.
Instead of moving toward me, the girl takes a seat on the furthest table away and studies her nails.
A prickling sensation skitters up my neck. “Umm...”
To my left, a knock on the exterior window sounds. I turn too fast, and a sharp pain radiates down my spine. The pain isn’t too much to take usually, but sometimes, PT makes it worse for a while before making it better.
I narrow my gaze, trying to see past the different torture device equipment in here to peer out the window. My h
eart thumps in my chest.
“You better get that,” the woman says, bored. Her voice isn’t cheery anymore. She’s either dropped the sweet act, or I just bring this behavior out in people. “You don’t have much time.”
I scramble off the table. I haven’t heard or seen any of my guys since the nurse in the hospital gave me the message from Johnny to not say anything. With all the shit that’s gone down, I get it. I don’t fucking like it, but I get it. I knew they’d find a way, eventually.
I hurry to the window. A smile breaks over my face when Finn’s grin greets me. He hikes his thumb toward the sky, and I fumble with the window until it opens. It’s difficult with the damn cast on my arm, but I manage. I can’t wait to get the damn thing off.
“Princess!”
“Shh!” the lady scolds behind us, casting a worried glance toward the main door of the room.
Finn rolls his eyes, and then moves to the side, revealing his brother, Jax, who looks far less pleased to be here.
“What are you two doing here?” I whisper, unable to hold back the smile at seeing familiar, friendly faces.
“We’ve been jonesing to see you for a month.”
I search Finn’s face for the lie automatically. No one has wanted to see me for a month. I’m not talking about Brawler, Oscar, Magnum, or Johnny, I’m talking about at the shithole place I’ve been staying in. No one likes anyone there. No one here likes me either.
However, in Finn’s face, all I recognize is raw honesty. It’s nice to be around people who actually like me.
“You’re not scared of me?”
Jax snickers. I guess if he thinks I’m a murderer, he’s not intimidated by that fact.
“Only of your right and left uppercut.” Finn winks.
I curl the fingers in on my right hand, testing how my bone is healing. It actually feels fine. It’s been four weeks since the accident, and they said it could take six to eight weeks to heal. My money—and hope—is on six.
My former trainers don’t make a move to come in, so I hop up on the spacious windowsill in front of me, pulling my knees to my chest. I bite down on my lip. So many questions come to mind, but I’m not sure where I want to start first. Images of my guys flash in front of me. Yes, my guys. Just because I haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they’re still not mine. Shit must be serious if they haven’t contacted me before this.
Finn reaches through the window and places his hand on my shoe. “I didn’t realize how fucked up things were for you, Kyla.”
I give him a wobbly smile, but Jax’s ticking jaw says he doesn’t have the same caring thoughts as his brother. Hell, I know I got myself into this. The Heights isn’t for the faint of heart. Shrugging, I put on a brave face. I’m well used to it by now. I’ve been making this same face since I was twelve. “It’s all good.” I glance between the two brothers and hold my breath. “You know I didn’t do it, right?” I like these guys. I hope the fact that they came here means they like me too and that Johnny didn’t have to threaten them to do it. With Jax’s reaction, I can’t be sure though.
“You’re kidding, right?” Finn asks. “Of course we know you didn’t do it.”
Jax scoffs, and Finn glares at him.
“Out with it,” I sigh, eyeing Jax. There’s nothing he could say that would make me feel less about myself than I already do.
“Not sure that’s a good idea…” Finn starts.
But Jax has been bottled up since they got here, or before, it seems, so he doesn’t give a shit when his brother warns him off. “It’s what you get, I guess.” Jax shrugs. A smug, tight-lipped grin covers his face, making his condescending ass look even more condescending.
“Oh, I know. Holier than thou Jax has entered the building,” Finn mimics, glaring at the brother who looks so unlike himself. One taller and leaner. The other a bit shorter and stockier. The only attribute they share is the muscles from fight training.
I place my hand on Finn’s to stop him from retaliating.
“Go on,” I tell Jax, squaring my shoulders for the worst of it. It was my decision to come here. It was my decision to get into the Crew. It was my decision to fall... Actually, that wasn’t a decision at all. Falling for the guys in the Heights wasn’t planned, but there’s no way in hell I would ever take it back.
“What did you think was going to happen when you got yourself mixed up with them?” His hands ball to fists at his sides. “Nothing good comes from being mixed up in their shit. The fact that you’re here is testament to that. You fucked up your body,” he sneers, dropping his gaze to my cast. “You fucked up your life.”
I hug my knees tighter as the onslaught of Jax’s words wash over me like a gray sky. I totally get it. Everything he says is correct. “I have reasons,” I tell him, shrugging. I give Finn an awkward smile. “I guess it’s a good thing you got that picture of me you wanted before I ended up broken.” I prop my chin on my knees. “Unless you had to take it down.” I don’t know why I care about that stupid Uppercut Princess poster in their gym right now, but I do. It reminds me of how strong I can be.
Closing my eyes, I breathe in. One Kyle and Anna. Two Kyle and Anna.
“Please, girl,” Finn says. “It’s still up. You’re still a hot commodity in the Heights. In fact, I think it’s gotten worse because now you’re like the poster girl for the wrongly accused.” Finn arches an eyebrow at his brother. “People in the Heights know about that.”
Jax’s lips thin. He glares at his brother before turning on his heel and stalking off.
Finn and I watch him go, his inked hands dropping to his sides as he walks off toward the parking lot.
Finn sighs. “Don’t worry about him.”
“No offense, Finn, but I’ve got a lot of other worries on my mind.”
Finn eyes me, then mumbles, “Fuck it” before heaving himself up on the sill next to me. He leans over, pulling me to his chest. I let my legs slip down, his muscled arms swallowing me in a hug.
“I missed you,” I say, trying to hold back emotions rushing to the surface.
“I missed you too, Princess. We’ve got to get you training again.”
My eyes burn with unshed tears. “Yeah,” I croak out. To think fighting was a lifeline to keep me grounded while I was here. If I go to prison for this murder, I’m fucked. I won't have a life at all. No fighting. No guys. No anything.
“Shh,” Finn says, comforting me. He pulls away. “As much as I would’ve come to see you myself, you know I’m here for a reason, right?”
My heart stutters to a stop in my chest and then leaps forward in a motion that steals my breath. I’ve been waiting for news, and it’s finally come.
Finn returns his hand to my shoe, squeezing me. “Everyone had to go into hiding after what happened. When I say everyone, I mean—”
“The Crew?”
He nods, his face solemn. “The bodyguard, Magnum, he slipped underground until they fixed shit for him.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, but a hiccup of air hangs tight in my chest. I won’t let it go until I know everyone I care about is safe. “Was he hurt in the accident?”
“Not as bad as you. Just some scrapes. But the police had the footage of him shooting someone. Of course, it’s turned up missing now.”
Even if the footage hadn’t gone missing, what happened to self-defense? Gregory’s guys were trying to take me. Who knows what their plans were?
“Rocket...”
I glance up, meeting Finn’s gaze. Everything stops. I heard his voice that night. He was there. He was so close, but he just couldn’t get to me.
“That guy is one scary motherfucker.”
I press my lips together to keep from smiling. I can only imagine how Finn and Jax would see Johnny.
Finn squeezes my shoe. “He wants me to tell you that he’s handling this. He’s driving himself crazy with how long it’s taking, but I guess being accused of murder is no easy thing to get rid of.”
Especially because the g
un used was most likely my gun. My prints were all over it, but I want to know how they actually got my fingerprints. Detective Reynolds must be sneakier than we gave him credit for.
“He doesn’t want you to worry about anything. He thinks it’ll be over soon. They had to find that eyewitness.” Finn gulps. “I’m not privy to all the information, and that’s probably a good thing. He just said it would be soon.”
Tears stick to my lashes. I can’t remember the last time I felt so much vulnerability. It’s terrifying. “Soon?”
“Yeah, Princess,” Finn says. “Fucking soon. And I have a feeling if it doesn’t work out the way Johnny’s planning, he’s just going to kidnap your ass out of that place you’re living in and run away with you.”
I smile. I can see him doing that. Hell, every last one of my guys has threatened to take me out of the Heights.
