Fight for You: A Second Chance Romance (A Warrior for Her Book 1)

by Ayden K. Morgen

  I pretend not to hear the suspicion in his voice. "I don't know," I huff, rolling my eyes. "The kind that surveils shit. Cameras and night vision and all that bullshit."

  His silence speaks even more volumes than his sighs do.

  "It's important," I tell him. "Lives might literally depend on it."

  "Fuck," he mumbles. "Fine. I'll see what I can do. I'm guessing you want this off the record?"

  "If I had a warrant, I wouldn't need surveillance equipment, Ames." Not that he'd be any more likely to give it to me then, either. You use a surveillance camera one time to take a selfie with a group of strippers, and suddenly you're not allowed to have cameras without permission.

  Not my fault my mark was living it up in a strip club. Or that the girls thought I was there to party. It wasn't exactly a fun time for me. One of those chicks stalked me for weeks. She could fold herself up like a pretzel, but she was batshit crazy.

  "Should I be worried about this?" Ames asks in that no bullshit tone he likes to use when he knows damn well whatever I'm up to probably isn't something he wants to know about but feels like he should know anyway. The man isn't big on surprises. He likes to be prepared in case things turn into a shit show.

  "Don't know yet," I reply honestly. "A local gangbanger is up to some bullshit. He's moving in on territory that doesn't belong to him and making a nuisance of himself to the people who live there. I'm going to stop him." I leave out the long and involved parts about my history with Kaleo, and about January being involved.

  "I'll see what I can do," Ames promises me again.

  "Thanks, boss man."

  He's quiet for a minute. "You doing okay, Kincaid? I know being here isn't a walk in the park for you. If you need to talk to someone–"

  "You can stow that shit, Ames. I'm not talking to a fucking shrink." Every damn time I got shot or stabbed or jumped those first few years, Ames dragged my ass in to see the psychologist to talk about my feelings and all that bullshit. They tried the same thing with T once, but he told them to get fucked and fire him because he wasn't going. Ames and Davis didn't fire him, so now I do the same shit. To be honest, I'm kinda pissed I didn't think of doing that first. Could have saved myself and the shrink a lot of wasted time. "Besides, I'm fine."

  "Right," Ames says with a snort. How one dude can convey so much with so few words, I do not know, but he's a pro at it. It's impressive. Annoying as all hell, but impressive.

  "Let me know when I can pick up my shit," I mutter and then hang up before he can say anything else. I like Ames, but I'm not talking about January or how I feel or what I'm thinking or any of that. It's no one's business but my own. The less they know, the better off they are if Kaleo does manage to hang me out to dry.

  Once I'm certain no one's lurking around my girl's place, I run over to Ma Rose's to change my clothes. They smell like January and I don't want to lose that scent, but I don't want any other motherfucker smelling her all over me either. I might have to kill someone for that. The smell of her arousal is mine. Only mine.

  I spend the next two hours stalking Kaleo's people. It's depressingly easy. He hasn't changed at all over the years. He still keeps his supply at his now deceased mama's house. His people pick it up from him and then slip out the door, looking around like they expect the police to run up on them at any second.

  If he was smarter, he'd send them somewhere else to pick up the goods and keep his hands clean. But he likes to be in control. No one has ever accused him of being the brightest crayon in the box, but he knows enough to dole out small amounts of crack and pot to his plugs. When they get busted with it, he loses very little and then ropes some other dumb kid into playing the same game. How the hell he's managed to avoid doing serious time, I do not know. He gets off with a slap on his wrist every time he gets busted.

  Then again, the cops around here have bigger fish to fry right now. Despite his opinion to the contrary, Kaleo is a little fish in a big pond. His territory has grown over the years, but it's still small fries compared to what gangs like MS-13, the Crips, the Bloods, and el Demonio hold. Sad fact is, sometimes it's easier to keep people like Kaleo in place and deal with the devil you know than to risk bringing him down and letting the devil you don't take over.

  Still, it pisses me off to see how many kids he's got running drugs for him. Three different teenagers come and go while I lurk in a vacant bungalow diagonal from his. The oldest is maybe sixteen. His eyes are wide and fearful as he beats feet out of there as quick as he can go.

  Before he gets far, I slip out the back door of the house I'm using to stake out Kaleo's place and cut across backyards to catch up to him.

  "Shit!" the kid yelps when I materialize out of the shadows at the end of the block.

  "Didn't your mama ever tell you to be home when the streetlights come on?" I ask him, planting myself in his path and crossing my arms. "It's almost one in the morning, and you're what? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

  "I was studying late," he lies, crossing his arms over his chest like he's not afraid of me. His eyes tell a different story though. They're wide and panicky.

  Bad news for him, but they're about to get a hell of a lot worse.

  "Right. And I'm not a DEA agent," I mutter.

  "Fuck," the kid whispers, his eyes getting even wider…just like I said.

  I pull my badge out and show it to him.

  He rocks on his heels, peeking over my shoulder like he's thinking about making a run for it.

  "You can try, but I'm a hell of a lot faster than I look. You won't make it ten feet before I tackle your ass," I warn him and then shrug. "Knock yourself out if you feel like it though. The fleeing charges will be a bitch, but do what you gotta do, kid."

  His shoulders slump and he stops fidgeting.

  "Good choice. What's your name?"

  "Jaylon Grimes."

  "Jaylon, you slinging for Kaleo?"

  He avoids my gaze, which is answer enough.

  "Empty your pockets."

  "Fuck, man," he grumbles and then, wisely, does as I ask. He's got about two dozen Z-bars and as many Adderall pills in two baggies. He's also got about an ounce of pot.

  "Kaleo hook you up with this shit?" I ask him.

  He shrugs and clenches his jaw.

  "I can cuff you now and take you in, or you can tell me what I want to know. Your choice." I pull out my phone and the handcuffs I had the foresight to bring with me and dangle them from my finger.

  "He'll kill me if I talk," Jaylon whispers, licking his lips.

  "Not if he doesn't know."

  His eyes snap to mine.

  I shrug a shoulder. "Tell me what I want to know, we'll work something out."

  "You won't tell him it was me?" he asks.

  "I won't tell him," I confirm.

  Jaylon thinks about it for another minute and then nods. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

  "Who's running with Kaleo these days?"

  "Just guys from around here," he says, being evasive to avoid snitching out his homies. But I don't give a shit about them. That's not the info I'm after right now.

  "Who are his enforcers? Cody Love? Malik Pettus? Dante Griggs?"

  "Nah, man. Cody got sent down for murder a grip ago," Jaylon says. "Malik died a few years back. Dirty D's still around. And Quan."

  "Quan? Jaquan Oglesby?"

  Jaylon nods.

  Christ. Quan used to be one of mine. He was cool, kept his head on straight and didn't start any shit. Why the fuck is he running with Kaleo now? Guess I'll have to find him and ask.

  "Who else?"

  "I guess Bennie Bones, maybe?" He doesn't sound sure. Doesn't look it either. "He comes and goes."

  Well, fuck me. Seems Kaleo's dirtier than I thought he was if he's fucking around with Bones. Bennie Bones is one of the biggest gangbangers in Compton. He's been in and out of prison for longer that I've been alive.

  "What's Kaleo slinging these days? Aside from this shit," I say and shake the baggies in my hands.


  "Crack and heroin, but I don't mess with that shit, man. I just hook up some of the kids at school who need to mellow out or stay up for tests or whatever," Jaylon says real quick.

  "He into guns or girls?"

  "Sometimes," Jaylon mumbles, avoiding my gaze. "He runs a couple girls."

  "How old?"

  "I don't know. Seventeen or eighteen, maybe?"

  That dirty motherfucker is running teenagers again. I shoulda known when he came after January that he was up to his old tricks. Dammit. I shouldn't have left him alive back then. I should have killed his sorry ass before I left town.

  I clench my jaw, fighting back the wave of rage rolling through me. "You know the girls?"

  Jaylon shakes his head.

  "Let me see your phone," I order, holding out my hand.

  He eyes me for a second and then pulls his phone out and unlocks it before dropping it into my outstretched hand, his eyes wary.

  "You're going to find out who he's pimping out," I tell him, plugging my number into his phone under the name Grover. If Kaleo checks his phone, which is doubtful, he'll be straight. Grover means nothing to Kaleo. "When you do, call Grover."

  "Man, I don't know…"

  "You want to go to jail?" I bark at him.

  He shakes his head.

  "Then find out and call me." I hand his phone back to him before pulling a stack of bills out of my pocket. Quickly calculating the street value of his supply, I peel off enough to cover the cost and hold it out toward him. "Here, take this."

  He glances at the money and then at me.

  "You want him to know you're talking to the DEA or not?" I ask, shaking it at him. He's not getting the drugs back. He can either take the money for them, or he can figure out how to explain to Kaleo that he doesn't have his drugs or his money.

  Jaylon's smarter than he looks. He takes the money with a muffled curse.

  "If he asks, you sold his shit to some little bastard with more money than brains," I instruct and shove the baggies into my pocket along with my cell. I tip my head to the side, silently telling him to get the fuck outta here.

  He studies me for another minute and then beats feet.

  "Swear to Christ, I'm going to demolish Kaleo," I mutter to myself before slipping back into the shadows to make my way back to my girl.

  Chapter Ten

  Michael

  Age Nineteen

  I lean up against the side of my car, watching as January's classmates pour out of the school into the bright sunshine. A few wave or say hi as they pass by, but most are so absorbed in their phones and conversations they don't even look up.

  As usual, I'm not here for them anyway. I'm here for my girl. My classes let out yesterday for the Thanksgiving break and I'm dying to see her. Now that she's working at a local coffee shop after school and on weekends and I'm tutoring freshmen, we don't get nearly enough time together. We barely see each other. I miss her like crazy. It's making me grumpy.

  Or maybe I'm in a foul mood because the anniversary of my mom's death is tomorrow. This is the first year I've had to face it without Ma Rose. The thought of going to the cemetery without her is fucking me up a little. I just want to wrap my arms around my girl and get lost for a while.

  "What the fuck?" I mumble, pulling my sunglasses off my face when she strolls through the double doors of the school and steps out into the sunshine. She's dressed in a little pink skirt and a white top with a tiny bow that gathers the material right below her breasts. It's modest, but sexy. With her long blonde hair piled up on top of her head and a happy smile dancing on her lips, she's beautiful.

  Some asshole has his arm flung over her shoulder, talking to her. She steps away, making him drop his arm from around her, but she tilts her head back to peek up at him and then laughs. He tips his down toward her, his smile growing. They look real fucking cozy.

  My blood boils when he reaches out and tugs on her ponytail. That's our thing. I've been tugging on her hair since we were little kids. No way does some other son of a bitch get to do it too. I growl and stomp in their direction, my heart pounding hard against my ribcage.

  "You'll do great, Tony," January tells the guy as I approach. She still hasn't even noticed me. "I know you will."

  "You gonna come cheer me on, sunshine?" he asks, clearly flirting with her.

  January laughs and shakes her head before hoisting her bag up her shoulder. "I actually have plans, but text me and let me know how it goes, okay?"

  "What the fuck?" I bark.

  January spins to face me. A big smile spreads across her face when she sees me. Uncertainty filters through her eyes, her smile slipping when she notices my thunderous expression.

  I step up beside her and flick my gaze over the douche still standing there in his Fubu shirt and faded jeans. He looks like a jackass with his blond hair in cornrows and a thick gold chain around his neck.

  "You need something?" I snap at him.

  "Nah, man. I'm good." He shakes his head and dismisses me, leering at my girl. His gaze flicks up and down her body, desire evident in the way he licks his lips. "See you later, sunshine."

  "Bye, Tony."

  Tony winks at her before jogging away.

  "Sunshine?" I ask, not even looking at her. The way I'm feeling right now, I'm liable to pin her to the wall and show Tony and every other little bastard at this school that she's mine. Jealousy courses through me with each beat of my heart. "Why the fuck is he calling you sunshine, baby girl?"

  "He just calls me that." She says it like it's no big deal that some other dude has a pet name for her.

  "He just touch you like that too?" I demand, watching as he disappears into the crowd headed toward the buses.

  "Touch me?" She sounds confused.

  "Yeah, touch you," I mutter. "I saw him with his arm around you."

  "Oh, that."

  "Yeah, that." I turn to face her, only to see her frowning at me like she doesn't see a problem here.

  "I moved away from him," she says, her emerald eyes flickering across my face.

  "Not the point, January. He shouldn't be fucking touching you at all."

  Hurt trickles into her expression. "He's just a friend, Cade," she says, pitching her voice low so it doesn't carry to her classmates who are still flowing out the doors and down the sidewalk around us. "He flirts with everyone, even our teachers. He doesn't mean anything by it."

  "He know about me?" I demand, not mollified by her explanation or assurance that he's just a friend. He wants her. That much was obvious by the way he smiled at her like she hung the moon.

  "Of course he does." Her eyes narrow, irritation flashing through them. "You don't trust me?"

  "I don't trust him," I correct. "You need to tell him to back off before I do it."

  "Don't tell me what to do, Cade," she snaps at me.

  A group of her classmates slow down, casting furtive glances in our direction.

  "Keep fucking walking," I snarl at them.

  A couple sets of eyes go wide. They all hurry away, whispering back and forth to one another.

  "Stop being a jerk," January hisses at me, her cheeks flushing with anger or embarrassment…I'm not sure. "Tony is my friend and I'm not going to stop talking to him just because you're in a bad mood. And don't talk to my classmates like that. They aren't your gang, so don't boss them around."

  "You're not going to be his fucking friend," I growl at her, ignoring the rest of the bullshit she just said. Maybe I order my crew around, but I'm not a dick to them. And the only reason the crew even exists is to protect her infuriating little ass. "I'll break his jaw."

  "Why are you being like this?" she demands, propping her hands on her hips to glare at me.

  "I don't know. Maybe because I came to pick up my girl, only to find her letting some other guy hang all over her and call her cute fucking names. And then he tugs on her hair and instead of my girl telling him to fuck off, she tells him to text her like she doesn't have a damn man alrea
dy. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Is that how it goes, baby girl?" I regret the words as soon as I say them, but the damage is already done.

  She jerks back like I slapped her, the color draining from her face as tears fill her eyes. "You are such a dick, Cade," she practically yells at me. "And I'll be friends with whoever I want!" With that, she turns and storms off. "Don't even think about following me. I'm riding with Mariah!" she shouts over her shoulder.

  "Fuck," I mutter, watching her disappear into the crowd that's now blatantly staring between the two of us. I glare at all of them and then stalk to my car, too worked up to even think about following her. If I do, I'll just say something else stupid and then she'll really be pissed.

  I can't believe I just said that to her. January has never once given me a reason not to trust her. She's struggling just as hard with us not having as much time together as I am. Worse, maybe. But she would never cheat on me. She loves me. I have never doubted that. Until today.

  She's right. I am a dick.

  My hand goes to my chest where I rub, trying to ease the ache taking up residence there. I really can't believe I actually said that shit to her. She's probably crying right now.

  "Fuck," I growl to myself, yanking open the door to my car and then flinging myself inside.

  "I think I screwed up," I admit to my mom early the next morning. I'm sitting beside her grave, a bouquet of flowers in my hands. The grass is wet, but I don't give a shit. I barely slept last night. Guilt rode me hard all night. I feel like an asshole for what I said to January yesterday.

  She isn't answering my calls or texts. I even knocked on her front door once, but she didn't answer it. Didn't even yell at me to go away like she used to do when she was upset and wanted to be left alone.

  I sigh and rest my head on the side of my mom's headstone. A nest of lesser goldfinches chirp loudly from a tree a few feet away. Their mom flits back and forth, trying to keep them in the nest even though they keep giving her the slip and popping up on the sides of the thing. They'll be flying off soon.

  "I practically accused January of cheating on me," I confess to my mom, closing my eyes and letting the early morning sun beat down on my face. "Some guy had his arm around her. I was so damn jealous. Being away from her so much is hard. I feel like everyone I love is slipping away from me. You're gone. Ma Rose is gone. Titan's doing his own thing and barely talks to me unless I hunt him down and make him talk."