AllFreeNovel
Share Us
PROLOGUE
FIFTEEN YEARS OLD
“When does Chris get back?”Kian asked as I passed him the joint.
I blew out a lungful of smoke before sighing. “Tomorrow.”
It was midnight, and other than the moonlight filtering through the windows, it was completely dark. We were in my pool house. This last week had been amazing since Chris had been out of town. He didn’t tell me where he was going, and I really didn’t care. I took advantage every time he left Pacific Point, and I was dreading him coming back this time. Before he left, he warned me to stop hanging out with Kian. Since I was turning sixteen soon, he was bringing me into his business. I’d known it was coming, but I’d been doing everything I could to avoid thinking about it. It wasn’t the gang business that bothered me. It was the fact that Chris would be in my life even more.
“My dad won’t leave me the fuck alone,” Kian grumbled, glancing at his phone before putting it back in his pocket. “He knows I’m not with Tripp.”
“He’s going to be pissed if you come home high,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
Kian took another drag of the joint, holding my stare as I chuckled. Hayes wanted Kian to stay away from the drugs and alcohol, and he hated that Kian and I had a friendship as much as Chris did. But unlike Chris did with me, Hayes tried to keep Kian out of the gang life while he was still in school. I’d grown up fast thanks to Chris. If it hadn’t been for Kian, my childhood would have been insufferable. Kian showed me that there was more to the world than just the cruel way Chris raised me. We’d met when we started elementary school, and despite knowing about the feud between Chris and Hayes, we quickly became friends.
I leaned back in the chair, letting the high take over. I was relaxed and wanted to enjoy every second of it because it didn’t happen often. But with Chris gone, we could hang out here instead of avoiding the houses or gang areas. Hayes would flip his shit if he caught us, since he believed Kian and I stopped hanging out outside of school years ago. Chris was aware, but I had a feeling his patience was about gone. He thought Kian was feeding his father information and had painfully reminded me of what would happen if I shared anything related to the Disciples to Kian.
“The store doesn’t open for another few months,” Kian said quietly, purposefully not looking at me.
“Yeah,” I muttered, leaning forward and snatching the joint from him. “I’ll be fine.”
Silently, he grabbed a handful of chips from the bowl that was on the small table between us. My chest tightened. I hated that he was bringing it up. Only Kian knew that Chris liked to take his anger out on me. He found out because of the time I went to school with bruises covering half my body. The story was that I’d fallen down the stairs, but it didn’t take Kian long to figure out the truth.
The store he was referring to was near the center of town, making it easy for me to sneak into. It was a place I could go where Chris couldn’t find me, and while I appreciated Kian giving me the out I needed, I wanted to act like nothing was wrong. Because even though I was nearly as tall as Chris and could probably put up a fight against him—there was no fucking point. Other than Kian, I had no one to rely on. Standing up to Chris would only end in another hospital visit.
I could handle it for another few years. Until I got out of Pacific Point for good when I was eighteen.
I jolted up when there was a sudden bang from the back of the pool house. Since it was midnight and Kian and I were sitting in the dark, Chris’s men didn’t spot us as they sat around a table on the other side of the pool. Kian sagged down, breathing out a curse as he glanced at me. My heart dipped, and I quickly dropped the joint, stubbing it out with my shoe. Kian wasn’t supposed to be here, and if the guys saw him, it was going to make my life even more fucking miserable.
One of the men started speaking, his voice loud and echoing around the room. “The drop is tomorrow. Chris wants all of us there.”
“The docks?” another man asked.
“Yes. Don’t be late. You know the boss doesn’t like that.”
Fuck.I bit my tongue, my eyes darting to Kian. This was exactly the type of shit that he wasn’t supposed to hear. Although we’d shared small things over the years, neither of us had ever talked about major gang business. It had been an unspoken rule. Because even if we trusted each other, there would be no doubts between us if neither of us knew anything.
Kian leaned forward, closer to me as the men talked more, sharing about the job.
“I didn’t hear shit,” he muttered. “But I need to leave before they realize I’m here.”
I nodded. “Go out the side door. I’ll distract them.”
After standing up, I silently made my way around the pool before stepping heavier to make myself known. The guy who had started the conversation spotted me first.
“Jace,” he greeted me, offering me the chair next to him. “Where’ve you been? Chris called earlier and wanted to talk to you.”
“I’ve been busy,” I answered as I sat down. “What did he want?”
“He wants you with us at the docks tomorrow night.”
I really shouldn’t have been surprised. Chris had been pushing me to get more involved for a year now, but I’d been using school as an excuse. Since it was summer, I couldn’t exactly use that now.
“We’re working with the Jackals, so we’re meeting them there,” Grant continued. “Make sure you’re there, or Chris will be pissed.”
“Got it,” I gritted out.
They kept talking, and I acted like I was listening while gazing across the pool. The spot Kian and I had been sitting at was bathed in darkness, making it impossible to tell whether Kian had left. But I knew he had. No way would he chance Chris’s men finding him here.
