AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I laugh softly and mess up his hair as I get up. Julianne grabs her purse and walks me to the front door. She fishes the cash she owes me for the lesson and hands it to me.
“You’re amazing,” she purrs before squeezing my bicep. Every single Stoneview stay-at-home mom drools over the North Shore poor boy who tutors their kids. They just love the rough look mixed with the kind heart. “Jordan loves you. Thank you foreverything.”
“My pleasure,” I smile at her before pocketing the money.
“Same time next week?” she asks as she tightens her robe around her.
“Sure thing.” I wave and walk to my shitty car. It looks pathetic compared to their luxurious ones.
Someone opens the gate for me, and I drive away. It’s sad to see the way my surroundings deteriorate as I drive away from billionaire-town.
Silver Falls is average and the people here love life on the South bank, but it’s definitely not Stoneview. I stop at the light just before turning onto the bridge and observe a family of four walking alongside the Silver Snake River. They’ve got a boy and a girl running ahead of the parents, giggling as they pick up leaves and throw them into the river. I rest my head against my seat and daydream about doing this with my kids one day. Getting out of the North Shore, finding a decent girl, and marrying her. Giving her about a million babies and watching them grow. If I don’t end up in prison for killing someone, that’s what I want.
Someone behind me honks, and I startle in my seat. The light is green, allowing me to turn right onto the bridge. I roll down my window and give the middle finger to the car behind me, my silver ring glinting in the sun, just as I accelerate and cross the bridge leading to the North Shore. It’s a red, neglected truss bridge that barely fits a two-way system. On my side of the road, a sign says,Entering Silver Falls North Shore, as if to give a final warning. A chance to turn around in case someone went the wrong way. After this sign, no one can protect you.
On the other side of the Silver Snake River, the commercial street I was on before crossing is replaced by a rundown road surrounded by trees. No one really lives by the river here because it would kill the nice view people in the penthouses get from the South bank. We’re all packed into the housing behind the woods. I drive straight through the woods and turn left onto the main road.
Two years ago, that wouldn’t have been possible. Back then, most of the North Shore belonged to NSC, aka the North Shore Crew. The woods were theirs, and I would have had to take a longer route around it to get to my house and avoid their territories.
I smile to myself as I look at the town around me. We’re the Kings. This town belongs to us. Every single abandoned building, every broken house, every cracked bit of the road and sidewalk. Ours. Even the abandoned cinema they had built when I was a kid, and the city was desperate to gentrify our area. They changed their mind quickly. After selling some parcels of land to property developers from Stoneview—who built condos and some shops no one here could ever afford—a few people moved here. Middle class who couldn’t afford the South bank but still wanted something nice. Needless to say, they didn’t stay long. Too many of them were robbed. They got scared and moved away. The buildings were abandoned, the cinema, the bowling alley, all of it was left for us to destroy.
And we did. Because that’s what we do here. We can’t afford shit, we’re bored, and we turn against each other. And every single brick of those abandoned buildings belongs to the Kings now.
To me.
Since NSC lost the support from the Bianco family, they’ve been reduced to nothing. They can’t trade anything but drugs on the North Shore, and even that, they’re struggling with their suppliers. They’re fucking done, and they know we won our long war. Most of their crew has turned to us, joining the Kings so they could survive. If they want to eat and pay their bills, they work for us. If they want to feed themselves off our leftovers, they can stay with NSC.
I park in front of Sawyer’s and close my door softly. I think if I slam it, it’ll fall off. It’s not like I’m completely broke. Between the North Shore jobs, the Stoneview thefts, and the math tutoring, I’m doing okay. But that money isn’t for a new car. It’s to get the hell out of this shithole. For that, I need much more, and I know exactly how. I just need Sawyer to approve my new idea.
I walk into his house and go straight to his kitchen. The guy only does business while cooking. My older sister, Kay, is already here and my dad said he was on his way. The Kings’ crew was named after my family. My dad is at the head, and Kay should be his right-hand man. Unfortunately for her, she was born without a dick so my dad can’t take it. So he put Sawyer in her place. He’s not even family. No, my dad just valued his loyalty and violence. Apparently, I’m too unpredictable to be the second in command. I never told him I didn’t give a shit and that I never wanted the role anyway.
Kay’s not far behind Sawyer in our useless hierarchy, nonetheless, everything has to run past my dad and Sawyer before we put it in place.
“Hey,” I say as I kiss the top of her head. “Look at you in a dress.” She smiles at my compliment and dusts her dress. She hasn’t worn one for more than a year.
“Yeah, well, getting out of the house and all."
“Thanks to me,” I smile as I tap Sawyer on the back as a hello. “Forcing you to get out of your house and back in business.”
My dad walks into the kitchen and grunts a hi before sitting down.
“Nice to see you too,” I tell him sarcastically. We’re not exactly on the best terms right now. Thinking about it, we’ve never been. He thinks I’m a pussy for wanting to leave the North Shore, and I think he’s a dick for abusing my mom to the point where she ran away from all of us. Great relationship.
“Alright,” Sawyer says as he slides a chicken to roast in his oven. He throws potatoes on the table and gives us all a knife. “Get peeling, everyone.”
We all start peeling our potatoes, and my dad gets us started on business. “I thought of your idea, Caden,” he says low. “I’m not sure it’s worth the risk. Sawyer can tell you more.”
“Can’t you?” I ask him with a little more vehemence than I wanted.
His answer is a grunt, and I share a look with Kay. “Great conversation,” I mumble. “So,” I say to Sawyer. “What do you think?”
“I think arms dealing gets people in jail.” He’s not much older than Kay, but he always talks like he’s seen the world. The guy’s never stepped outside the North Shore in his life. He’s scared of growing our business because it could mean doing things he knows nothing about and losing face in front of us all.
“Please,” I scoff. “Everyone deals arms. Fucking NSC still has that on us. How can you guys be so unambitious?”
"Will you be meeting them and doing the transports?” Sawyer snarls. “Cause I fuckin’ won’t, that's for sure. Get caught with that sort of shit, and you’re not getting away. Drugs and women are safer. Drugs are easily split into small dealers, and everyone from the richest fucker to the poorest enjoys women illegally. No one wants to save them.”
I tighten my jaw to try not to insult him the first chance I get, running a hand through my dark hair and taking a deep breath. “Obviously,I’ll find someone to do the risky task of moving the guns. We’ve got buyers all over town, even on the South Bank. This is a gold mine we’ve yet to explore.”
