by K. Walker
Chapter 7
Wes was quiet on the way back to the house. We’d loaded our boards into the back of Hunter’s Jeep before leaving. Hunter was the only one of the trio that had a car that could fit more than two and a half people, so he always kept the boards at his place. I’d teased him about driving around in something that cost less than a semester’s tuition at UCLA, but he’d just laughed and started telling me about all the upgrades he’d made since getting it.
I was starting to think spending obscene amounts of money on cars was an obsession for these guys. Not that I could really complain since the car Lucas had gotten me was easily more expensive than any of theirs. And it was fun getting to talk about and see things I’d only ever read about in car magazines.
We’d have probably still been there talking if Wes hadn’t practically dragged me back to his car. Lucas’s text really seemed to have bothered him. I figured he didn’t often get summons back to the house like that. Judging by the white-knuckle grip he had on the steering wheel, he was trying very hard to keep himself from panicking and jumping to the worst conclusions.
Truth be told, I was just as worried as he was. Whatever Lucas needed us back at the house for, it had to be something serious. Briefly, I wondered if it had to do with Kathy. Maybe he’d caught her screwing the gardener or something. But he hadn’t caught her screwing around yet, which made me think it was something else going on.
I wanted to reach over and put my hand on his leg or say something that might help put him at ease, but I had no idea what I could say. Instead, I just kept quiet and stared at the window, trying to keep my own mind from jumping off the deep end and imagining every horrible situation that might’ve occurred.
There was a black SUV parked in front of the house when we got there. Wes and I both looked at it, and then exchanged frowns as Wes pulled into his spot in the garage. It wasn’t unusual for there to be SUVs at the house, but they were almost always Range Rovers, not what looked like a stock Chevy Tahoe.
We didn’t even bother grabbing our bags from the backseat. The garage door was only halfway down by the time we’d gone inside. Neither of us spoke, we just headed in the same direction. If something was going on, there was really only one place we’d find Lucas - his office. And if there was something going on, then we both wanted to know what it was.
We’d just turned down the hallway leading to his office when a man walked out. I said, man, but it was more like a monstrosity. He was easily two or three inches taller than even Wes’s 6’3. His muscles bulged through his shirt, making him look like a roided out Hulk, rather than an athlete. Full sleeve tats snaked up both his arms. He glared down the hall as he headed toward us, and as Wes and I stepped out of his way, he brushed passed without saying a word to either of us.
I shivered as I watched the man go. Even with Wes by my side, that guy gave me the creeps. I wasn’t sure who he was. I’d certainly never seen him before, and judging by the look of confusion on Wes’s face, he’d never seen the man either. That just made my heart pound even harder and faster.
What the hell was going on here? Who was that man and what did he have to do with Lucas telling us to come home? Wes and I looked at each other, both sharing the same firm, determined gaze. We both wanted answers, and there was only one guy who’d be able to give them to us.
I followed a step behind Wes as we both headed for Lucas’s office. He was sitting behind his desk, smoldering when we walked in.
“What’s going on?” Wes demanded. Arms crossed in front of his chest; he locked eyes with his father. As scary as the guy in the hallway had been, it was easy to forget just how intimidating Wes could be. “Who was that guy? And why did you want us to come home right away?”
Lucas let out a sigh as he shook his head. He leaned back in his chair and peered first at his son, then at me. He waved his hand, dismissively at first. “Don’t worry about him. He’s no one important, just a messenger. The important thing is...” He took another deep breath, and then let it out slowly. He looked more frazzled than I’d ever seen him, even the other night at dinner after his argument with Wes and Kathy. “Carter King, your father, wants to have a video conference with you.”
Wes went rigid next to me. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. “A video conference? Why does he want to do a video conference instead of coming to see me in person?”
The guy had been absent my entire life and after Mom died, he all of a sudden wants to talk to me? And yet, he can’t even be bothered to get in the car and drive over to see me in person? And why was that such a big deal that we had to come home right away? Couldn’t that have waited until we were done surfing?
Lucas and Wes exchanged looks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wes shake his head, ever so slightly. Glaring at him, I elbowed him in the ribs. I’d told him no more secrets, damn it, and I meant it. I was tired of being kept in the dark about everything. I wanted to know the truth, whether he liked it or not.
“Your father is in prison,” Lucas said at last. “That’s why he wasn’t the one to come get you after your mom died. And that’s why he hasn’t been in your life. I’d told you he was dead because that was the easiest way to explain everything, but he’s very much still alive.”
“Just in prison,” I repeated, mouth hanging open. Of all the things I’d expected, that wasn’t one of them. “So, the reason he left Mom and I alone all those years, bouncing around from scumbag to scumbag, it’s because he was in jail?”
Okay, maybe that was being harsh. Yeah, Mom had dated a lot of scumbags over the years, but she’d dated some decent guys, too. They hadn’t all been terrible, but none of them had ever really been my father. And even though I’d told myself hundreds of times over the years that I didn’t need a father, the truth was, I wanted one.
“I’m sorry,” Lucas said. And, if I was being honest, he really did look sorry. The pained look he gave me was proof enough of that. Heck, he looked like he’d aged years in the span of a week. “I wish I had better news for you, but you wanted the truth, so there it is.”
“What was he arrested for?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But again, it was the difference between wanting something and needing it. I’d spent this much time in the dark already. It was time to shed some light on everything, to finally have it all lay out in front of me.
But, of course, that was too easy. Lucas’s jaw set as he glanced between the two of us. At first, I thought maybe he wasn’t comfortable discussing it with Wes in the room. Then, I realized that wasn’t it. Wes already knew everything. He’d known my father was in prison. Not only that, but he knew why.
I turned and punched him in the arm, over and over again. I knew it wouldn’t do much against someone like Wes, but it helped me get my frustration out. “Damn, it Wes! You agreed! No more lies! One of you needs to tell me the truth, damn it. I’m tired of everyone deciding what’s best for me. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”
“Bella, please...” Lucas said, leaning forward. He really did look like this was tearing him apart inside. And, if I hadn’t been so upset, I might’ve understood. But right then, I was just so damned fed up with all the lies and secrets in this damned family.
“No. Tell me the truth. Why is my father in prison, Lucas? Don’t I deserve to know?”
My hands balled into fists as I struggled to keep myself under control. I didn’t care that I was being rude. I was so angry right then things like politeness didn’t matter much. Everyone had been keeping things from me ever since Lucas had shown up on JP’s doorstep and practically dragged me here.
If he was just going to keep in the dark, what was the point of bringing me here? Why not just leave me where I was?
“I... I can’t tell you,” he said, at last, slumping back into his chair and looking defeated. Wes wasn’t looking any better. He just stared down at the floor, like he was waiting for it to open up and swallow him.
“Can’t or won’t?” I challenged. Ha
nds-on my hips, I glared at him, only vaguely aware of how much I must’ve looked like my mother right then. She’d used the same pose every time she’d been having an argument with her man of the month.
When neither of them responded, though, I had my answer. I turned and walked out of Lucas’s office, stomping the entire way down the hall and up the stairs. If they weren’t going to give me the answers I needed, then I’d get them on my own.
I wasn’t going to just sit back and trust them anymore. If they wanted me to trust them, then they were going to have to start giving me a reason to. Because right now, trust was not at the top of the list of things I felt for the two of them.
I wasn’t even sure if it was on the list at all anymore.
Chapter 8
Stomping around my room for a while helped relieve the rest of the build-up tension. I’d thought Wes and I were making progress, finally starting to open up to each other. So why the hell wouldn’t he tell me the truth about my father? What was such a big deal that neither of them thought I should know about it?
Was he some serial rapist? A mass murderer? What could possibly be so bad they wouldn’t even tell me about it?
Once some of the steam had dissipated and I could think clearly again, I stared at the laptop sitting closed on my desk. Lucas had gotten it for me not long after I’d moved in to use for school work. Wes had one of his own, and Sebastian had his gaming rig, so Lucas had figured it was a good idea to get me one too.
I’d only used it a handful of times doing essays for my English and History classes, but now I had an idea. Court records were public, weren’t they? That meant I should’ve been able to find out exactly what Carter King had been arrested for.
It only took a few moments to find the website for the California courts. I’d assumed that was where he’d have been arrested, and it seemed as good a place as any to start. When I typed in his name, it brought up a handful of inmates that’d been arrested over the years. Halfway down the first page, though, I recognized the man in the orange jumpsuit glaring at the camera.
When I clicked on his name, though, my eyes nearly fell out of my head. He hadn’t just been arrested for one or two things. He had a rap sheet that was longer than most people’s resumes! Drugs, racketeering, assault, trafficking. If it was a crime, it looked like Carter King had been arrested for it. Not all of them were convictions, but a good number of them were, which certainly explained why he’d been in prison for so long.
Then, I threw his name into Google, wondering why I hadn’t thought to search for him sooner. There were more results than I could even count. I clicked on the first one, a news article from not long after the picture I’d found of him would’ve been taken.
It detailed the arrest of Carter King, the supposed leader of the Westside Kings cartel. The more I dug, the deeper the hole got. While I’d never heard of the Westside Kings, all the news articles spoke about them as if they were the most dangerous Cartel this side of the Mexican border. And my father was supposed to be the guy running them?
I had no idea what to think about that, and for a long while, I just sat there staring at the computer. But that wasn’t going to help me process anything. I needed to talk to someone. No way could I talk to Adrian or Sebastian about something like this. I’d have gone to Wes, but he clearly wasn’t going to tell me anything.
That left me with one person to turn to.
JP answered my text, almost immediately telling me to meet him at the pier. Granted, the pier he was talking about wasn’t anything like the ones down this end. The pier in Compton was more like a glorified wooden dock inside the territory JP and his boys controlled.
I didn’t bother telling anyone I was leaving, much less where I was going. I just got into my car and headed for the highway. It was only a bit over half an hour before I was back in Compton, but it really was like entering a whole new world. I’d already gotten so used to the upscale neighborhood that it was strange being back in my hometown.
JP’s car was parked near the dock, and I parked mine right next to it. No doubt, I’d caught a good bit of attention driving through town, but I hoped being in the heart of JP’s territory and parked right next to him would stave off any real issues. Lucas had the thing insured to hell and back, but it still would’ve been a shame to have something happen to such a beautiful old car.
“Long time no see,” JP said with a smirk as I walked up to him. He was leaning against a wooden pillar driven into the ground to be one of the anchors for the so-called pier. “And here I was startin’ to think you were too good for the old hood now.”
“You know I’d never be too good for you, JP. You’ve been a good friend through everything,” I said with a laugh. JP hugged me, and then leaned back against the pillar, motioning for me to stand with him.
“So, what’s got you all hot and bothered you had to come all the way up here to see me? Don’t tell me them rich kids down there don’t have the good weed.”
I rolled my eyes. Like I’d have come all the way back up here just for some weed! If I wanted weed so badly, I’d have just gone and raided Wes’s stash. I wasn’t quite sure where he kept it, but there were only so many hiding places in that room of his.
“Nah, I’m good on the weed. I wanted to talk to you about someone.”
“Last time we talked about someone, a dude showed up at my crib with a small army,” JP reminded me, an eyebrow raised. “Is this someone gonna come looking for you with more firepower than even the cops around here got?”
“Lord, I hope not,” I muttered under my breath. Carter wouldn’t be showing up anywhere, not until his long sentence was up, but if he really was the leader of a cartel, he could’ve had guys anywhere. “You know the name, Carter King?”
JP’s easy-going demeanor vanished in the blink of an eye. He stood up straight, frowning as he watched me. “Where you hear that name?” he asked his voice icy now. There was no doubt in my mind JP knew the man.
“He runs the Westside Kings, right?” When JP still didn’t answer my questions, I let out a breath. I should’ve known better than to expect something for nothing. JP was a good man, but he wasn’t going to just stick his neck out for no reason. “According to Lucas, Carter King is my father.”
I never thought I’d see JP go pale like that. Even when Lucas had shown up at his place with an army, he’d stayed calm, cool, collected. Now though, he glanced around as if making sure there wasn’t anyone else around us. “Gonna tell you this one,” he said, his voice low. “If that’s true, don’t ever say those words out loud again, you feel me?”
Blinking, I nodded. Was it really that big of a deal? Was Carter really that big of a deal?
JP straightened up, and then looked around again. “You know why we’re called the C-Kings?” When I shrugged, he continued. “Stands for Compton Kings. It means we work under the Westside Kings. They supply us with drugs, guns, whatever we need to keep control over our chunk of the city. You think the gangs here are dangerous? You don’t fuck with the Westside Kings. You don’t just turn up dead when you get on their bad side. You never turn up at all.”
I stared at him, mouth open, unable to do anything other than blink. He... he wasn’t serious, was he? It would certainly explain why Lucas didn’t want to tell me anything about him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Damn, girl, you really know how to stick your head into it, don’t you?” JP sighed and shook his head. He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Look, you know I got your back, but you gotta be careful with what you’re gettin’ mixed up in. You want my advice? Keep your head down and don’t ask too many questions.”
Still not saying anything, I nodded. It wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear, but if that was what JP thought was best, then I trusted him. I really didn’t like that he’d basically agreed with what Lucas and Wes had told me, but if all three of them were in agreement, maybe that meant I was the one being stupid. JP had never steered me wrong befor
e, and I doubted that had changed since I left.
“How’s Chrissi doing?” I asked, eager for a change of subject. I hadn’t seen or spoken to her since Lucas had shown up to get me, but she’d been a huge help in coping with my mother’s death. Without her, I’d have probably kept wallowing in the darkness. She’d helped drag me out of it, though, keeping me occupied and even getting me clothes to wear.
“She’s good. Girls are keepin’ her busy as usual. I’ll let her know you were askin’ about her. She’ll like that. She has a soft spot for you.”
“Really?” I blinked at him in surprise again. As much as I appreciated everything she’d done for me, I always assumed it was just because JP had asked her to. Neither of them would ever admit it, but everyone knew she was into him.
JP laughed and nodded. Then, he patted me on the back. “Girl, I think everyone’s got a soft spot for you.”
“Not everyone,” I said with a snort. Paisley and her friends sure didn’t. Nor did Kathy. Shit, if anything, I had more enemies now than I did when I lived in the middle of gang territory. That was actually kinda sad.
The two of us stood there for a bit longer, catching each other up on everything that’d happened since I’d left town. Not much had changed around Compton in the few months I’d been gone. The gangs had all mostly solidified their territories, no one seriously trying to expand at this point. Without the promise of being able to win the turf, it was easier just to maintain your current borders.
“You need to come visit more often,” JP said with a smirk as we headed back toward the cars.
My heart hammered as we headed back, wondering what state my car might be in when I got back to it. The moment I set eyes on it, I let out a sigh, seeing all the tires still in place and the paint still shining. Then, my eyes locked on the figure leaning against the hood, arms crossed in front of his chest.