Page 70 of The Ones We Fight For

“Without going into too much detail, they were all really sexual and manipulative. Not good. Really, Walker, I swore I wouldn’t tell you, so please don’t do anything crazy. I just thought you should know, and it’s been eating at me for the last twenty-four hours not telling you,” Talia rambled, her voice edged with nerves.

“Thank you for calling.” Walker’s voice was clipped as he tried to reign in his anger.

“What are you going to do? Walker, please don't—”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you mad at me?”

The pain behind Talia’s voice made his stomach drop. “No. I’m mad that this fucker won’t leave my niece alone. You did the right thing in telling me. I’ll make sure it doesn’t get back to you.”

Roscoe’s eyes widened across the countertop at Walker while Saanvi hung on his every word. Turning his back to both of them, Walker took a deep breath, clutching his phone with a death grip.

“Don’t do anything stupid, please,” Talia begged.

“Have a great day, Tal,” Walker huffed, and he ended the call before she had a chance to convince him not to confront Harden.

Chapter 26

Walker

One shoulder leaned against the minivan as Walker waited. His jaw clenched and unclenched, his folded arms growing more tense as the time ticked away. He had parked two cars down from Harden’s infamous red Mitsubishi with a spoiler the size of Texas. It was exactly the type of vehicle Walker would expect for a douchey jock with an ego the same size as his spoiler. Harden had parked off-campus, which worked in Walker’s favor. The car was easy enough to find. All Walker had to do was pay one of the many stoner kids who were skipping school twenty bucks to tell him which car belonged to Piper’s ex.

Thirty minutes passed with no sign of Harden, but Walker was determined to wait all day if he had to. Pearl’s therapy appointment wasn’t until four, and he intended to put an end to Piper’s involvement with anyone who gave her an ounce of disrespect. To his surprise, Roscoe let him go at it alone. The fury behind his friend's eyes was enough validation for Walker to know that he wasn’t overreacting. Heaven help whoever ended up with Jayla.

By the time lunch rolled around, Walker thought he may have to wait all day, until he finally spotted Harden walking away from the school. He vaguely remembered the way the kid looked from one of Piper’s soccer games earlier that year, but the cocky stride and gaggle of other boys surrounding him like his personal entourage gave him away. The Mitsubishi made an unlocking sound when Harden brandished his key fob. Walker immediately jogged over to the car and hopped into the driver seat, leaving the door wide open so Harden could see him clearly.

“What the fuck, man?” Harden yelled and sprinted toward his car, his posse of friends in tow.

Once Harden made it over, Walker pulled the lever on the side of the seat he was sitting in and let it slide back as far as it could go before he kicked his boots up on the dash, propping his arms up behind his head to make himself comfortable.

“Not so nice when people fuck with things they shouldn’t, is it?” Walker glowered up at Harden.

“What are you talking about? I’ll call the cops, you psycho!” Harden jabbed an aggressive finger in the air.

“Go for it. And while we’re waiting for them to show up, let’s have a little discussion. Get in the car.” Walker pointed to the backseat, then added, “all of you,” jerking his head toward Harden’s minions.

“Why would we do that?” Harden growled.

“Because you can either get in of your own free will, or I can make you do it.” Walker shrugged. “Your choice.”

“There’s four of us and one of you.” Harden puffed up his chest, a clear attempt to look threatening. Walker chuckled to himself.

“I’m not fighting anyone for you, Harden,” the only kid in the clan who looked vaguely out of place snapped. He wasn’t sporty-looking like the rest of them and was standing off to the side like he would rather not be associated with them.

“Either way, it’s a fun challenge for me and nothing I haven’t taken on before,” Walker replied curtly, blowing his knuckles. “Plus, I could just claim self-defense.”

The out-of-place kid, who looked more inclined to give Walker a hand than Harden, grinned and shouted “shotgun!” before he ran over and slid into the passenger seat. Harden and his pitiful gang looked at each other for a second before they all cautiously got into the backseat, terror radiating off their bodies.

“Wise decision.” Walker smirked. “Now, let me introduce myself since you don’t seem to know who I am. My name's Walker Hartrick.” He stared Harden down in the rearview mirror. Harden swallowed, clearly recognizing the name. Walker cracked the knuckles on one hand and nodded. “Yes, that’s right, I’m Piper’s uncle. So lovely to meet you.”

Harden stuttered and shifted in his seat. “I-I don’t want any trouble.” The other boys in the backseat caught on, their eyes wide with fear.

“Hmm,” Walker considered, cracking his neck. “You should have thought of that before you decided to harass my niece. Here’s what’s going to happen.” He kicked his feet down from the dash and started messing with the cigarette lighter on the console. ”You will stop texting and speaking to Piper completely. If I hear that you’ve made a single sexual advance toward her or anyone else who didn’t explicitly say ‘y-e-s,’ I will have things to say about it. That goes for all of you.” The broody-looking teenager who had refused to be Harden’s backup snorted, and Walker whipped his head toward him. “Something funny?”

“Nope. I firmly agree. I’m only here because Harden’s failing Spanish, and his rich-ass parents are paying me to tutor him. Not that it’s helping. He can’t roll an ‘r’ to save his life. Piper deserves better. Carry on.” The kid waved his hand in the air and leaned back in his seat with a grin, apparently enjoying the show.

“Shut it, Diaz.” Harden scrunched his nose in anger.

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