by K. Walker
Oh, for fuck’s sake!
Chapter 9
“You in the wrong hood, my dude,” JP said, stepping in front of me. He glared as the two others walked around the side of the car, all three of them standing together, between us and the car. JP shifted, lifting up his shirt, no doubt showing the gun he always had at his waist. “What, you think you and your buddies can just waltz up in here like you own the fucking place? Man, I oughta bust a cap in all your asses and strip those shiny cars for parts.”
Three cars were parked behind ours, effectively blocking them in. If my car had drawn eyes coming into town, I had no doubt they did, too. Whereas mine would only really stand out to people who know cars, even a child would be able to know those ones just oozed money. And the three of them together would’ve attracted a lot more eyes than just mine on its own anyway.
Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh before stepping out from behind JP. As annoyed as I was, them getting into a fight would just make things worse. “Don’t shoot them,” I said, exasperated. Then, I locked my eyes on Wes and glared at him. “I’m not sure it’d do anything, anyway. Clearly, none of them have any brains in their heads as it is. What in the hell are the three of you doing here?”
Jaxson grinned at me and shrugged. Then, he nodded toward Wes. Either he was the only one with enough brains to speak up or the only one with enough balls. “This one called us up. Said you were being stupid and asked us to meet up with him.”
“I’m being stupid?” I faced Wes and glared at him. “Maybe I should let JP shoot you. I grew up here, you brainless oaf! I know where I’m safe and where to avoid. You three... You, stupid idiots, show up in a convoy of cars worth enough money to start a god damned gang war!”
One car opens eyes. Three and four of them? Shit, we were lucky one of the other gangs hadn’t already tried to press their luck and push into JP’s territory. Most of the other leaders weren’t stupid, but there were still a couple that wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice a few grunts to get their hands on those cars. Stripping them for parts, they could buy quite a bit of drug or guns, probably enough to make a move to expand their territory.
And as tough as Wes and the guys were, they weren’t freaking bulletproof!
“I thought you might need a little backup. And since you didn’t bother telling me where you were going, I followed behind.” Wes shrugged. He wasn’t the least bit bothered by my chastising him. Then again, he was probably used to getting chewed out by Lucas pretty frequently. I wondered briefly if his Mom had bitched at him as often. “Maybe next time you’ll tell me where you’re going first.”
I stalked forward until I stood right in front of Wes. He towered over me and was easily twice as wide as I was, thick muscle barely contained beneath his shirt. When I glared up into his eyes, he just looked back down at me, completely unbothered by just how angry I was with him. Then, I slapped him, the sound echoing around us. Wes took a step back while Hunter and Jaxson winced. JP, on the other hand, started howling with laughter.
“That’s for thinking I need to tell you anything, Wesley Cabot! I am a grown-ass woman. I don’t need your permission to do a damned thing. Nor do I need you to come and play bodyguard. And the next time you even hint at either of those, I will hit you much, much lower and much, much harder.”
JP, still laughing his ass off, stepped up behind me and patted me on the back. He grinned at Wes, not the least bit concerned at how all three of the guy towered over him, too. “That’ll teach you to underestimate her. She’s got more balls than half the guys I got runnin’ for me. And you ain’t gotta worry about her here. Ain’t no one gonna lay a finger on her while I’m around. Wars have been started for less.”
Which was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid, I thought to myself. JP might be willing to kill for me, but I didn’t want to bring that kind of heat down on him. I still felt guilty about the attention I’d brought when I’d been staying with him and Lucas had been hunting for me.
He sidestepped around Wes and circled my car, whistling and nodding in approval. He ran a hand over it, gentler than I’d ever seen him touch a woman. When he looked over at me again, he smirked. “She’s a beauty, but next time you wanna come home for a visit, I’d suggest bringing something a bit less flashy.” Then, he glanced over at the other three cars parked behind us. “And I suggest you three get the hell outta dodge before someone decides they like your wheels a bit too much.”
Wes, Jax, and Hunter all exchanged looks. It was pretty obvious none of them were eager to head back and leave me here alone. Part of me thought it was sweet that they all cared so much about me. The other part of me was annoyed that they thought I couldn’t take care of myself. The latter part of me was starting to become more dominant, the longer they stuck around.
“Just go home,” I told them, fighting the urge to yell at them some more. Their skulls were too damned dense for it to get through to them anyway. Slapping him seemed to have helped rattle his brain back into place a bit, even if had resulting my hand throbbing like hell. Besides, I knew Wes would’ve gotten his ass reamed out by Lucas if he hadn’t followed me out here. “I’ll be leaving here soon enough, all right? JP won’t let anything happen to me.”
“Scout honor,” JP piped up, earning him a glare from me as well. He just smirked and winked at me, though, and I considered slapping some sense into him, too.
“Go home,” I told them again, locking eyes with each of them in turn.
Wes sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. Lips pursed, he looked at me, then over at JP, before letting out a breath. “Yeah, fine. But you better keep an eye on her. Anything happens to her, and it’ll be your head. And it won’t be me coming for you.”
“Anything happens to her, and it’ll be because I’m already dead,” JP smirked at Wes, then nodded. “Don’t worry, ‘bout her. Me and my boys will keep her safe. Wouldn’t want to get on her old man’s bad side, now would I?”
The two of them locked eyes like they were having some silent conversation. If my father really was as dangerous as JP made him out to be, then there was no way he was going to risk earning the cartel’s ire by letting something happen to me. Then, they both nodded, and Wes motioned for the guys to follow him out of there.
JP sauntered over to Wes’s baby and nodded appreciatively. “You ever want to supe these babies up, you give me a call. I got some boys who’d wet themselves for a chance to get under the hood of any of these beauties. And I can guarantee they’ll put out far more power when we’re done than any of the line models.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Wes said with a smirk. At least he’d dropped his macho man act. Though I figured it wasn’t easy to act big and tough when a five-foot-three girl slaps you.
It was probably the closest those two would ever get to hugging and making up. At least they weren’t glaring and threatening each other anymore, so I considered that a win. JP was my friend, and I wanted Wes and the guys to be able to get along with him, even if they did come from two completely different worlds.
But hey, they’d accepted me, and I came from the same world as JP. He was a couple of years older, but we’d both grown up on these streets. If they could get along with me, then I was sure they could get along with him if they tried. I just wasn’t sure any of them were eager to try.
JP and I stood beside my car as Wes and the others drove off. We both watched them go until they were out of sight, then I let out a breath. As long as they didn’t get any funny ideas about stopping anywhere on their way out of town, they’d be safe.
“Down for some grub?” JP asked with a smirk. “You’ve been gone for a while. Bet you’ve been craving some of Mama’s, ain’t ya?”
I laughed and nodded. Now that he’d mentioned it, I was craving some. If there was one place in town that could get gangs too lay down their guns, it was Mamas. The schools may have been considered neutral zones, but even there fights still happened.
At Mamas, though? None of the gangs risked starting shit there.
Mama, herself may have been in her seventies now, her hair more white than gray these days, but she still ruled that place with an iron fist. It didn’t matter how much territory you controlled. If you got on her bad side, she wasn’t afraid to whop you upside the head with her wooden spoon.
JP turned and looked at my car again, then let out his low whistle of approval. When he looked over at me, he gave me a crooked smirk. “First thing’s first. Let’s get this baby undercover back at my place. We can ride to Mama’s in mine.”
“Sounds like a plan. But if any of your boys start tinkerin’ around with her, I’ll have their balls and yours,” I warned. I didn’t care what kind of magic they could work. I wasn’t letting any of them under the hood of my baby. She was the spitting image of how she’d rolled off the line all those years ago. Even if it would make her go faster or ride smoother, I wasn’t going to change a damned thing.
“You still got some fire in you, I see. Guess those richie riches haven’t quite taken the Compton out of you yet.”
“And they won’t ever. Born and raised,” I said with a wink. “Born and raised.”
Chapter 10
I took pity on Wes and gave him a call when I was on my way back to the house. The worrier he was, he answered on the first ring, immediately asking if I needed him to come get me. I swear I rolled my eyes so hard I saw the inside of my skull. And even after I’d assured him I was fine; he was waiting for me when I got back to the house, Hunter and Jaxson still with him.
I wanted to still be mad at them, but I forced myself to just be thankful they all cared enough to worry about me. This time, I didn’t doubt Wes had followed me purely because he’d been worried about me, rather than just because Lucas had wanted him to watch my back. If he’d only been following me because of Lucas, he’d have immediately told his father where I was going and had SWAT teams meeting me there, instead of him and his friends.
After spending the day with JP, though, I’d let off most of the steam I’d built up over Wes and his father. JP may not have been a relationship expert, but he didn’t mince words and had no problems speaking plainly to me, helping me cut through the emotions and look at things logically.
Wes wanted to talk when I got back, but I still wasn’t in the mood for it. I needed time; I’d told him, time to process everything I’d learned. All the times I’d dreamed about my father, I’d never imagined him being a drug lord and cartel kingpin. It was going to take more than a single dinner with JP to work through something like that
I knew more people in gangs than out of them. Most of them were good people, at least deep down. Most had either gotten in to protect themselves or their families. The ones like JP and Chrissi worked to keep their people safe, to use what little power and influence they had to keep the violence and bloodshed to a minimum.
But that didn’t mean they were all like that. There were plenty of gangs that thrived on exerting their power over people. They wanted more for themselves and didn’t give two shits about anyone else. There were people that did drive-byes in public places, sold drugs to kids, and forced women to be hookers.
Which one would Carter King be like? If JP’s story was to be believed, he most certainly wasn’t a “good” person, not if he was that comfortable killing people. But just because those were the rumors JP had heard didn’t mean they were true. They could’ve been just that, rumors, used to scare their rivals and keep their members in line. It didn’t mean they actually killed people just for looking at them the wrong way.
And I doubted I’d get answers any time soon, not without talking to Carter himself and learning more about the man. Something I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to do. At the same time, though, was it really something I could walk away from?
What would Mom have wanted me to do? If Carter had shown up on our doorstep after all these years, would she have wanted me to meet him? Or would she have kept me as far away from his as possible?
Considering she hadn’t told me a single thing about the man in seventeen years, I was leaning toward the latter option. But then, I couldn’t really blame her for keeping everything from me, knowing the kind of danger it could’ve put me in.
Either way, it was a moral dilemma I wasn’t going to decide the answer to in a single night.
“I can’t believe you went back to Compton for the day and didn’t bring me along with you.” Adrian leaned against the locker next to mine and pouted at me. Her wavy brown hair looked like she’d skipped brushing it this morning, but I knew she’d spent a good bit of time brushing out all the knots then carefully messing it up again. Why anyone ever wanted to go through that much effort over their hair was beyond me.
As soon as I’d seen her this morning, I’d filled her in on almost everything, without mentioning specifics about my father other than him being in prison for gang-related stuff. I’d expected her to be shocked by that revelation, but she’d shrugged it off. She’d taken everything I’d told her in stride, then started laying on the guilt for not inviting her.
I sighed and shook my head. What was it with rich kids wanting to take a day trip to the ghetto? Compton wasn’t some tourist attraction. Just because I knew how to stay safe, there didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. But God forbid anyone listened to me and trusted that I knew what I was talking about. “I didn’t even want Wes and the guys there. I just needed to talk to an old friend, try and figure things out, you know?”
“Well, next time, bring me with you. Okay? We’re friends too, Bella. And I’ve got your back.” She puffed out her chest like she was ready to get into a fight for me at any moment. She was still skinny as a twig, though and it was hard for to look anything even close to intimidating.
“I know you do,” I said with a short laugh. As feisty as Adrian was, I wasn’t sure she’d last very long in a fight with any of the girls I’d grown up with. Some of the girls I’d grown up with were just downright mean. And not like Paisley mean, where she’ll just glare at you and spread nasty rumors. No, more like rip out your hair and bust your head against a locker mean.
As much as I valued having Adrian by my side, I doubted she was ready for that kind of trouble. And that was ignoring the fact that anyone who had it out for me back home probably wouldn’t be coming at me with their bare hands.
“Well, I hope you got the answers you wanted. Hunter and Jax were in such a hurry to meet up with Wes that we didn’t even get to have much fun.”
I rolled my eyes as Adrian pouted. It wasn’t like I’d been the one who’d called them away. If she was that annoyed, she could go bitch at Wes. Or bitch at Hunter and Jaxson for that matter. It wasn’t like they had to drop everything and come running whenever Wes called them. He wasn’t actually royalty, no matter how much people seemed to bow down to him around here.
“I’m sure you can find plenty of time to be the cream in their Oreo,” I promised Adrian. Then, I immediately tried to unthink that thought and get that image out of my head. “Just, you know, don’t share the details with me. There are certain things I just don’t need to know about my friends.”
“Are you sure? Because Jaxson can do this thing with his tongue....”
I slammed my locker shut, then turned and walked off, fingers in my ears as I made a show of not listening to her. It didn’t matter how good Jaxson was with his tongue or any other body part. I really, really, didn’t want to know what the three of them got up to together.
Christ, what was it with rich kids and always wanting to overshare? Was it some kind of coping mechanism from not having been hugged enough as a kid?
“Oh, look, if it isn’t the trailer trash out for a walk again.” Paisley sneered as I walked in her direction. Her liberal application of makeup this morning made it look like she was in the running to be the new Ronald McDonald. Did she apply it in the dark or something? “Did you get lost on your way to the garbage can? It’s back that way.”
“Aren’t you late for a boob job?” I retorted as I rolled my eyes. I was really st
arting to think that blonde hair dye of hers was leaching into her brain. Or maybe it was all the fumes from the makeup that were giving her a secondhand high. “Or did your Mom steal the appointment again? I’m sure your Dad wants her to stay nice and perky. Otherwise, he might have to find someone younger and less... plastic.”
Paisley stepped in front of me, glaring as she got right up in my face, which wasn’t hard since she was a few inches taller than me. But no matter how tall she was, it was hard for her to scare me with her clown makeup and botox lips. “You say something, trailer trash?”
I looked up and met her gaze, not backing down even an inch. If she wanted to go, I was more than happy to oblige. I still had more than my share of tension inside me and beating the shit out of Paisley would’ve been an excellent way to let it all out.
“Why, did they accidentally get some silicone in your ears? Do I need to speak louder for you to hear me?”
Paisley’s face turned red even through her ample layers of makeup. Her body tensed like she was getting ready to take a swing at me, and I waited for it. I wasn’t going to hit her first, but if she threw a punch, I was going to make damned sure she regretted it.
The girls back in Compton weren’t the only ones who knew how to fight.
I just hoped she’d gotten the accidental damage insurance on her last nose job. Then again, I was sure her plastic surgeon wouldn’t mind the extra stack of money he’d get paid to fix it all right back up for her.
“Come on, Paisley,” Charlotte said, appearing beside Paisley. She grabbed her friend’s arm and started pulling her away. “She’s not worth it. You’ll just end up getting suspended from school. Or, worse, suspended from the cheerleading team. And you know the coach will flip her shit if that happens.”
For a moment, Paisley just stood there, still glaring at me. Then, she let Charlotte lead her away while I just stood there smirking. She sure liked to talk a big game, but in reality, she didn’t have nearly the balls she thought she did.
