Kingpin (Court University 2)

A darkness was underneath them, Billie chatting to Niko. The pair of them sat in some kind of interrogation room, but the moment they saw me, they launched out of their chairs.

And Billie launched right at me.

She came for me, no other thoughts given in a pair of little shorts and a tank like she’d just gotten out of bed. I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but the instant she hugged her tight little body against mine, I hugged her back. I drank her in and braced her so hard I thought my body would literally fuse into hers.

“Thank God, LJ. Just… Thank God.”

She was happy to see me, forcing her fingers through my hair. Her racing heart beat wildly into my chest.

Mine matched.

“Beauty queen?” I questioned, awed that this girl was even standing in front of me, let alone in my arms. She peeled away quickly, and I noticed right away how goddamn beautiful she was. Not a stitch of makeup on freckled cheeks, lips red and flushed. I wanted to bruise the shit out of them, kiss her until I couldn’t anymore. I reached to touch her, and she pulled away, eased away by Niko when he pulled me in.

“What the fuck, buddy? What the fuck?” Tackle-hugged by this guy and chuckling, I embraced him back. I think I got him a little too hard with his injury because he cringed a little.

“Sorry, bro.”

“Hug me however hard you fucking want, dude. You’re alive. Let me look at you.” He did, holding me out, but the whole time I was staring over his shoulder. Billie lingered on but wasn’t close enough. In fact, she was adding space.

She made her way to the door. “I’m just going to get some coffee.”

And then she was leaving, cutting out of the room before another thought could be had. She passed Shades in the hallway on the way, her head down, and he almost went after her. He started to and everything, but in the end, put his hands in his pockets. A shake of the head, and he headed in the opposite direction down the hall. Meanwhile, Niko was handling me and looking at me like I was the missing link.

“God, bro. You’re so fucking stupid. How could you go out there to the Marvellis? Fucking stupid.”

It was, but not for the reasons he believed. He just hadn’t wanted me to go because he didn’t think they’d honor a financial exchange with me for a loan he’d taken out. The thing was, I had a very good relationship with Alexi. He would have forgiven Niko and let me pay, but that hadn’t been what put me in the crossfire when it’d all been said and done. It’d been my link to Billie, my obsession with her and the whole reason I’d tried to keep my distance from her in the goddamn first place. I’d put her in danger. And honestly, the only good thing that had come out of tonight was that they’d gotten to me in the end instead of her. I’d never forgive myself if it’d been any other way.

I really had been stupid.

“What’s going on?” I asked, wanting to go to her now just to make sure she was safe. My jaw moved. “How are you and Billie here?”

“How are we…” Niko started to chuckle. He put hands on my face. “You’re only even here because of that girl.”

“How?”

“Dude, you scared the fucking shit out of me when I woke up and saw you were gone. I didn’t know what to do so I called her.”

“Why?” I left him, going to the glass window. Billie was out there, down the hall just a ways, but I could see her. She’d returned with that coffee, but wasn’t drinking it.

Pacing, she chewed her little lip, waving her hands around and talking to herself. I couldn’t hear her since the door was closed, but she looked frustrated as fuck. I didn’t know if the frustration lay with herself, the situation, or what, but whatever she was doing, I smiled at her.

She looked cute as hell.

“She called her father, man. Called him for you.”

I found my

buddy’s eyes. “What?”

Grinning, he folded his big arms. He too spied Billie through the glass, her drink up to her lips. “I wanted to go to the cops, but I didn’t think they’d listen to me. I went to Billie instead, told her everything and she got her dad involved. The DA? Anyway, he made a few calls, and after he did, the police got a team together to go get you…”

“Does her dad have red hair? Wear aviator shades?”

He frowned. “Don’t know. Haven’t seen him.”

I think I had, and I think he was here tonight, which meant he’d gone to get me when he definitely didn’t have to. I mean, he wasn’t a cop.

My mouth dried, staring at Billie again. She’d sat down now, staring at her lap. I swallowed. “She called her dad for me?”