Page 1 of Rugged Fox

CHAPTER ONE

Kati

"You've got to be kidding me." I kicked the knocked-down mailbox with my foot.

After a twelve-hour night shift, this was the last thing I wanted to be dealing with. And the gang symbol tagged on the white surface only further pissed me off. How was it that, even after nearly fifteen years, I was still dealing with that single drunken night?

I looked up at my house and who I knew was waiting for me. That's how.

"Again?" My best friend walked out my front door and met me at the end of the driveway. "How the hell did Lucien and I sleep through that again?"

It was the third time in the last three weeks I had come home to the same thing. Each time, the individual had waited for the only night shift I worked throughout the week. If it weren't for the fact that my car was parked in the driveway the other nights, I would've been concerned someone was stalking me and knew my shift schedule at the hospital.

"Because this particular affiliation of Los Cangris are a bunch of juveniles who don't understand what true crime is," I lashed out. "They might have mastered keeping quiet, but they stick to petty shit that's more of a nuisance than anything. They want to prove themselves.”

And they were trying to use my son to do it.

I took a calming breath and pushed the problem away for now. I had other things that required my attention this morning. "Is Lucien ready for school?"

Lyla merely snickered. "I mean, he's out of bed; does that count?"

Lyla and I had been best friends since elementary school. She was more like a sister than anything, and if it wasn't for her being willing to watch Lucien while I worked my one mandatory overnight shift a week, I didn't know what I would've done.

"I'll take it. I hope he didn't give you a hard time."

"My nephew never gives me a hard time. He loves hanging out with me. He's just not a morning person. Kinda like someone else I know."

I didn't hide the smirk because it was true. Mornings were the enemy. I normally set five alarms and that was just to wake myself up before I even attempted to wake Lucien. It was a routine that would drive anyone else insane, but it worked well for us. It was a good thing Lyla was the only person who had to deal with our annoying habits.

"Thank you." I gave Lyla a hug. "I'll call you after I drop Lucien off at school. I need to do something about this, but I'm not even sure where to start."

"There's a new security company in town, I'll send you the number. Maybe you should call them and see what they say."

I thought I had seen something about that in the newspaper but didn't pay much mind to it. In a small town like Willow Creek, the newspaper was used more for social events and less for town news. The main journalist had a blog that was more interesting than anything published in the actual paper. At this point, I think the only reason the town still had a newspaper was due to tradition. No one wanted to admit it was time to stop wasting money and resources.

"I'll think about it. Will you be locked in your studio all day?" Lyla was an amazing artist who was getting ready for her first solo art show. She wouldn't admit it, but she was nervous.

"Most likely. I want another painting or two for the collection." Lyla spoke with her hands, so they were flailing around. "You know, to give the studio some variety when they pick the pieces that will be featured."

"They already love your work. They wouldn't be giving you your own show if they didn't."

Lyla switched to twisting her hands together. It was one of the rare times my friend showed uncertainty. It was strange, considering out of the two of us, Lyla was usually the confident one.

"I better get going,” she said. “Call the security company and let me know how it goes."

"I will." I gave her a quick hug, and turned to go inside, while she headed to her car.

Lucien was waiting for me when I walked through the front door.

"The mailbox again?"

Oh, how I wished I could hide this from my son, but at fourteen years old, he was far wiser than he needed to be.

"Yes, but it's fine. I'll deal with it after I drive you to school."

"They aren't going to stop, you know."

Unfortunately, I did know. These so-called gang members wanted to prove their worth and they had it in their heads that the fastest way to do that was to recruit my son. It didn't matter that Lucien wanted nothing to do with them, or that I would die before ever allowing him in that world. A one-night stand was enough to learn my lesson.

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