Chapter One
Nadia
The sign is missing another letter. It was the first thing I noticed as I drove into the town I swore I would leave behind.
Stonebridge was a ghost town this time of year.
All the kids at school and all the grown-ups at work.
But soon enough, the outcasts and misfits would ditch their posts and go wild, causing havoc. You could always count on that here.
This town was a run-down hellhole and a breeding ground for gangsters. A breeding ground for trouble that I couldn’t afford.
Yet, it was my old friend trouble I couldn’t avoid as I pulled up to Spencer’s Automotive.
Stonebridge was home, Spencer’s my refuge, the LBC my family, and I’d abandoned it all.
There would be hell to pay. I turned the engine of the Wrangler I was renting off and hopped out, cautiously approaching the garage door as a familiar figure made her way towards me.
“Hello, welcome to Spencer’s. What seems to be the trouble?” She was covering her eyes from the hot sun.
“The fist I know is itching to swing at my face?” I shoved my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket, leaning back on my heels. I watched her stiffen at my voice as she lowered her hand and took me in.
“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.” She spat viciously.
“So I’ve been told.”
“Don’t you get smart with me. Just get the fuck outta here.”
“Easy, Abigail.” I urged as she took a step closer.
Abigail Spencer had a short temper and was always looking for any reason to start a fight.
Any time we crossed paths with the Phantoms, a single dirty look was all it took for her to shank a bitch.
Hence, why we gave her the nickname ‘Stabby’ from a young age.
A nickname I knew would enrage her even more if it came from my mouth right about now.
She could be mistaken for an angel with her pale skin and the freckles dotting her round face, if not for the long red hair she had that resembled hellfire.
She had her coveralls unzipped and tied around her waist, showcasing her white tank.
Her hair was pulled back under a ball cap. She was covered in grease.
“Or what, huh? What are you gonna do? I’ll tell you what: jack-fucking-shit.
You know why? Because this isn’t your turf anymore, you fucking bitch, and if you try anything, I’ll slice your protection right fuckin’ off you.
” She got in my face, despite being significantly shorter than me, and pressed us chest to chest.
“What’s the number one rule we live by around here, huh?”
“Make sure your strap is always loaded, and your knife stays sharp?” That almost got her to smile.
“No. You know which one I’m talkin’ about. Show me you still got some East side in you.” I did and I always would. The East side of Stonebridge and its crew was mine.
“We don’t forget. We don’t forgive. We don’t abandon.” Tears licked at her eyes.
“That’s right, hotshot. We don’t walk away. Family comes first, always. Loyalty or nothing, Nadia, you know that.”
“I had to, Abby, I had no other choice.”
“What happened? What was going on in your life that you couldn’t tell me? Did something happen with-”
“Stop. Don’t go there, just don’t mention…” I trailed off. She nodded in understanding.
“What’s going on out here?” I looked over her shoulder just in time to see Deck stop in his tracks.
“Holy shit.” He muttered, causing Abby to snort.
“I know, right. Look what the cat dragged in.” She cackled, walking over to him with me slowly trailing behind her. He released the breath he’s been holding in and hugged the life out of me. A warm embrace that my soul has been searching for since it’s left.
“Welcome home, Nadia.”