Page 41 of Laila Manning (Shadeport Crew #3)

I t took me a solid four days of psychotic stalking before I found Kade.

Four freaking days, even with Zeke and Jed backing my endeavor to find him.

Eventually, I’d give him credit for being so elusive and street smart, but all I felt the first time I laid eyes on him again was worry. He looked different.

In a good way. He was clean and had fresh clothes on.

His hair was even cut and styled.

He looked like a normal kid walking down the streets in Shadeport, and not like a street kid, lurking in dark alleys, running shady dealings in the shadows.

I should have been happy that he looked so good, but there was something in my gut, burning and raging loud enough to force me to acknowledge it. And it felt a lot like intuition. The clean-cut look made him look youthful and fresh, too. It made him look vulnerable.

Which made me angry .

“I’ve been looking for you.” I announced, catching him off guard as he walked past the bistro cafe I was sitting at, having a cup of tea.

Finding him at that moment hadn’t been planned, I’d simply been taking a break from walking the streets, looking behind dumpsters and abandoned buildings, searching for him.

And then there he was, walking down the street in a new name-brand hoodie and fresh sneakers like he hadn’t been missing at all.

His bright blue eyes always reminded me of Zeke’s, and when they snapped at me, filling with irritation almost instantly, I brushed it off. “You don’t quit, do you?”

“Sit.” I snapped my fingers, kicking the metal chair across from me out and lifting my cup to my lips. He scoffed and waved me off, walking away from me without a second glance as I called out, “Or I’ll tell Zeke.”

I sensed him coming to a stop behind me, right before I could feel his glare in the back of my head, followed by his groan in frustration. He stomped back to my table and threw himself down in the chair, leaning his elbows on the table to glare at me. “What the fuck is wrong with you, lady?”

“Laila.” I replied, sipping my tea again as he squinted at me in contemplation. “My name is Laila.”

“Why should I care what my stalker’s name is?”

I shrugged and smiled at an older couple who walked by, both with canes holding hands. “If I wanted to stalk you, I’d order a hit out and have you sent to the shop so I could watch you there.”

I had zero clue if anything I said made sense; I didn’t even know what went on in the ominous building behind the barracks.

Hell, I didn’t even know how to order a hit on anyone or if that was even how things were done in the crew, but it sounded good.

And it must have sounded good enough, because his youthful features whitened a bit before he leaned back in the chair, defeated.

“What do you want?” He asked with far less malice in his voice, and I waved the server down, drawing her to the table.

“Spare me a few minutes, get yourself a drink, and let’s chat. Without all the false bravado and jabs flying.” I stared at him pointedly, “From either of us.”

He sighed but turned his attention to the waitress, “I’ll have a watermelon boba.”

“Please.” I replied pointedly, and he rolled his eyes but added it.

“Please. Thank you.”

“Good job.” I smiled as the server walked away, and an awkward silence fell between us.

I hadn’t planned exactly what I’d say to him when I found him, but I knew if I didn’t start soon, he’d bolt.

“Your friend asked me if I had seen you a few days ago. And it took me this long to lay eyes on you. Which is impressive, considering Jed and Zeke were helping me.”

“I’ve been busy.” He shrugged, watching the cars drive down the street. “I got a new job.”

“How old are you?” I questioned, “Before with the whole gloom and doom look, I would have guessed thirteen, maybe. But now, you look even younger.”

Kade scoffed with a snort, “Dirt ages you.”

“Tell me about it.” I droned on, sipping my tea.

His blue eyes finally found me again and squinted. “Like you know anything about being dirty. I’m sure you’ve never lifted a single manicured finger living in the East Valley.”

“Except I only just moved to Ryker’s Estate a few months ago. Before that, I lived in conditions far worse than anything you could dream up in that smart-mouthed little head of yours. ”

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself, as if he was physically trying to be—nice. I’m sure the tough-guy act was a hard one to drop after perfecting it for years.

“I’m twelve.” He replied after a while. “But it’s just a number. When you’ve been on your own as long as I have been, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“How long have you been alone?” I sipped my tea, watching silently as he gave the young server who delivered his tea a flirty smile before he responded.

He stared back toward the traffic with a slight shrug. “Four years on my own. Three in foster care before that.”

He had been on the streets since he was eight years old.

I wasn’t even allowed to cross the street alone at eight, but now look at the both of us.

We were both products of the world, chewing us up and spitting us out.

“I’m guessing that somehow, the street is better than your foster care was?

” I asked, and he just rolled his eyes with a shrug, telling me all I needed to know. “What new job did you get?”

He shrugged again, looking out over the street. “Taking care of some stuff.”

“Stuff?” I deadpanned, “For whom?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because you’re a kid. At the end of the day Kade, you’re a kid. And I’m trying to make sure you’re not being taken advantage of. So, who are you working for?”

He rolled his eyes with annoyance, “A rich lady in East Valley.” He huffed, “She has me do odds and ends around the property.”

“A rich lady?” I speculated, “Doesn’t she have staff for that?”

There wasn’t a single house in the Valley that didn’t have landscapers and handymen on staff. There were people milling around constantly .

“She doesn’t trust people in her home, she said.” He took another long drink of the tea, “It’s a cushy gig, I organize shit and get paid big time. She even got me new clothes, she said she couldn’t have riffraff going in and out of her home because she had an image to protect.”

“Kade, that sounds—”

“Don’t.” He snapped, leaning forward and holding my stare in a way that kids never did. “It’s not too good to be true. It’s just a good opportunity to get out of what I’ve been doing. That’s it.”

“I thought you liked the crew?” I questioned, “Wasn’t that why you freaked out on me.”

“No one likes selling drugs to low-lives on the street, Lady.” He scoffed, “And this new gig pays far better.”

I sighed, and he took his opportunity, standing up from his chair and tossing his half drank tea into the trash bin. “Look, I got to go. I’ve got places to be.”

“Okay, wait,” I rose and called after him, waiting for him to dramatically turn back. “Just know that if you need help with anything,” I said, “Come find me. No questions asked. I’ll always help. I promise.”

“Yeah right,” He waved me off, “Questions are your middle name, lady. K bye!”

He walked away, and I let him go. My stomach was gnawing at me to do something more, to stop him from leaving now that I had finally found him.

But I didn’t. I watched him walk away, hoping to God that he was telling the truth and trying to find a way to make my body trust in someone else's words.

If he said it was a good gig, why did I automatically think he was wrong?

Oh, yeah—experience.

I walked the path to Carly’s without so much as a trembling nerve or worried stomach in sight, even as I climbed the steps and knocked on her front door.

Was I healed? What did that term even mean? But I was finally happy.

Wait, was I? What the hell did that term mean?

“Come in, Laila.” Carly called, and I shook the thought from my mind as I walked in. Carly was in the kitchen, wiping down the countertop with a sweet little tune humming in her distraction. “Good morning, Sunshine.”

I paused, looking behind me and then smirking when she rolled her eyes at me. “You’re in a good mood this morning.”

“Make-up sex does that to a girl.” She shrugged, and then paused, cloth in hand, “I mean, hate sex does that to me too, and role-play sex—”

“Okay, we get it, you like sex.” I chuckled, taking a seat at the island instead of burrowing myself into the chair in the living room like usual. “What else is going on?”

“I’m actually leaving in a few for a nail appointment, want to come with me?” She asked. “You could get a manicure with me.”

“Thanks,” I eyed my bland natural nails compared to her fancy designed acrylics. “But I have to work in a little bit. Besides, all the dishes would chip the paint off in two seconds flat.”

She grimaced, “Still stuck on dish duty, huh?”

“For now,” I shrugged, “But I don’t hate it. ”

Carly paused and held my stare. “I’m proud of you, you know that?”

I waved her off and slid from the stool, “Yeah, okay, the cleaning spray is going to your head.” I smirked as I walked back toward the front door. “Have fun with your nails!”

“’Kay bye!” She called with a chuckle.

As I left Carly’s cottage, I went toward the mansion; the day was just too beautiful to go back to the concrete building. Especially since Zeke was gone for the day working.

Had he been in the barracks, I would have eagerly joined him for some more of his naughty activities.

When I got to the side of the garage, I heard voices inside and paused before walking around the front. The big overhead door was open, and the security room was off the garage, so no way was I walking in if it was crawling with crew members.

But as I listened to the voices, I recognized them. And I wish I hadn’t, because what they were saying broke my heart.

“It’s not your place, Jed.” Ryker sighed, and I could almost imagine him rubbing his hand over his face.