Fight For Me (Bad Boys of the City #2) Read online

  “Bronx,” I mumbled, as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I blinked a few times and let the world come back into complete focus.

  “Where’s your mommy?” I asked, wishing she would go to her and leave me the fuck alone. The kid was cute, but it was too damn early to be dealing with a child. Besides, I knew nothing about kids and barely understood a word she was saying.

  “Joy, get over here and eat you pancakes,” a sweet familiar voice said, and I glanced up to see the hot waitress from last night. Kenzie was her name. Now, without the haze of tequila and beer, I could see her clearly. Her dirty blonde hair was tied into a braid that rested on one side. She had long bangs she kept swiped off to the side and out of her face. Her green eyes were tired, but she held herself with grace and confidence.

  The fact that she was the little girl’s mother blew my damn mind. Kenzie was the hottest MILF I’d ever come in contact with.

  Kenzie bent down and picked up the kid, who was in a ridiculous dress, and placed her on a stool. The dress fluffed out around her, making it look like she sat on a decorative pedestal.

  She handed the kid a fork and rubbed her blonde curls. “You be a good girl and eat your pancakes while I go talk to Bronx.”

  The kid nodded, forking a piece of pancake into her mouth and smiling big. The pancakes smelled fucking amazing, and my stomach growled, although I ate only a few hours ago. At least I thought it was only a few hours ago.

  “Sleep okay?” Kenzie asked as she slid into the booth and pushed a plate of pancakes toward me. She nodded at them. “They’re better hot, so you don’t want to let them get cold.”

  I wasn’t going to argue. I picked up a fork and began to eat, not even thinking how I would pay for them. The smell was just too good to resist and my stomach felt hollow.

  “Am I in trouble or something?” I asked.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m the only one here right now. Everyone else won’t be in for at least another half hour.”

  “Why am I still here?” I asked, attempting to fill in the missing pieces from last night.

  “You ate, we talked, and then you passed out. You sleep like the dead. Seriously, a natural disaster could have happened and you wouldn’t have woken up.” Some may consider it a curse, but it came in handy when sleeping in my car and drowning out Miami nightlife.

  “Momma,” the kid called out.

  “Baby, I’m talking. Finish your breakfast, okay.” The munchkin nodded her head, blonde curls bouncing with the movement, and went back to happily eating.

  “That’s your kid?” I asked as Kenzie turned back to me.

  “Yup, that’s my kid. Her name’s Joy. She’s two. And I know what you’re thinking. I’m too young to have a two-year-old. Well, I do, so obviously not.”

  I held my hands up. “I didn’t say that.” She did look too young to be a mom, but who the hell was I to judge?

  “You didn’t have to. It’s what everyone thinks the minute they find out. It’s this look of pity and curiosity and I hate it.”

  “I didn’t look—”

  She shifted her gaze to the table before looking up at me. “You were going to.”

  “Do you always assume you know what people are going to think and do? And did you ever, for a second, think that maybe you’re not always right?”

  She was confident in the way she carried herself, and the way she spoke, but I could see insecurities lying deep inside. She was quick to judge people because she didn’t want to see beyond what she wanted them to be.

  She tossed her braid over her shoulder and dismissed me completely. “Did you think about what we talked about last night? Or do you not remember?”

  I remembered that much, and my answer was still the same. “It’s not going to happen. Besides, I’ve been out of the fight for too long. To go back, I’d have to start at the bottom. I’d rather people remember me as I was when I was at the top than fucking go back there.”

  I heard a little gasp to my right, and I turned, expecting the kid to be choking. “Mommy, he said bad word again!”

  “He did, and he will clean his mouth later.” Kenzie swung a hard gaze to me, and if looks could kill, I would have been struck down right then and there. “And he’ll get every bad word out of his mouth.”

  She glared at me and I realized I needed to make a silent agreement or she was going to steal my pancakes away and toss my ass out on the street where I belonged. I nodded and her evil glare softened.

  Joy started eating the pancakes with her fingers, syrup coating her fingers. She pinched her fingers together and pulled them apart, a string of syrup hanging between.

  “Sorry, short stack,” I said.

  She let out the cutest of giggles. “Mommy, he called me short stack.”

  Kenzie’s lips curved upward, and it brightened her entire face. “Yes, he did. Finish your breakfast.” Kenzie’s smile faded as she looked back to me. “So, why’d you quit in the first place?”

  He didn’t remember much from last night, but her obsession with his career was boggling his mind. “I still don’t get why you care.”

  “I told you.”

  “You told me that Knox ruined your life, too, but I still don’t get what that has to do with me. Even if we could get him back in the cage, and I can fight him, what gain do you get?” The pieces weren’t connecting for me and I needed her to spell it out.

  “There’d be a lot of money riding on that fight.”

  The bets would be insane and if he could scrounge together a bit of cash, he could win back some if not all of what he lost. Throw in the money for the actual fight and any sponsorships that came out of it. He could make bank.

  “I’d take ten percent for getting your ass back in shape and ready to win.”

  I laughed at the ridiculousness behind her words. “What the f—” Joy spun toward us and Kenzie’s eyes went from a beautiful shade of green to an evil darkness. “Fudge,” I corrected myself. “What the fudge do you know about getting me back in shape and ready to win?”

  She reached across the table and ripped the plate away from me. “Food for one,” she said, as my fork hovered over the empty place on the table in front of me. She slid it back to me. “And, honestly, you had so much going for you, and though I don’t know you, seeing you now is just sad. Like the high school jock that ten years later is fat, and the only thing he knows how to tackle is a meatball sub.”

  “I am not fat,” I blurted. Despite my diet of beer and liquor, I still had tons of muscle. Being jobless and homeless gave me a shitload of time, so I usually ran along the beach, and did pull ups wherever I could find a bar to hold onto. I’d even come across a few volleyball games where I was invited to join a team. It was nice when I was on the winning team and got to experience victory for a passing moment.

  “I didn’t say you were fat. I’m just saying your place on the pathetic scale is hovering right around there.”

  “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

  “So I’ve been told,” she said with a wink of her eye that was sexy as sin and caused my dick to throb. It had been a long time since my dick had been aware of any girl, and I almost laughed that it was this one that forced it out of hibernation.

  She was pushy, opinionated, and fucking gorgeous. It was a dangerous combination that I needed to stay away from. She already admitted that she wanted to use me for money, and I wasn’t about to bend over and let her manipulate me. I knew her type. She played games, and I was not going to be a pawn in whatever game she was currently planning.

  “Thanks for the food, but I have to go. Once I get some money, I’ll pay you back.”

  She waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it.” She crossed her arms, pushing up her cleavage. “Consider it a gift from a friend.”

  “I don’t have any friends and I don’t want any.”

  “Then that makes two of us.” She scooped up my plate and headed to the kitchen. “Have a nice day, Bronx Boston,” she tossed over her shoulder. “Come on, Joy. Let’s clean up before everyone gets here.”

  I got up from the booth and headed to the door. “Where’s Bronx going?” I heard the kid ask in her small munchkin voice.

  “He has to leave,” Kenzie responded.

  Next thing I knew, little arms wrapped around my leg. I looked down at the kid clinging to me, completely clueless as to what to do. Luckily, she released her grip and stepped back. “Bye, Bronx. I see you later,” she said with an adorable sticky syrup smile that warmed my heart in the most unexpected way, making me wonder how something so small was able to break through the ice.

  Chapter 5

  Kenzie

  The sun was shining brightly above, and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. It was a gorgeous day at the beach, and it made me realize how much I loved Miami. I had always loved the heat of Vegas, but the only way to cool off was to sneak into one of the hotel pools. Here in Miami, the beach was my pool, and I didn’t have to sneak in and out. It was here for me every day, with no gate or sign trying to keep me away.

  I thought about the time I got arrested for doing just that. Mila had been pissed. Not that it was anything new. I was used to pissing her off at that point. It seemed there was nothing I could do right. Not that I really tried. It took me almost two years to realize that, but still… Mila could have been a better guardian.

  I rubbed more sunblock on Joy’s fair skin and was met with a loud ‘no’ as she turned her head back and forth, trying to avoid me. I fought with her to no end, refusing to let her win the battle. The girl would thank me one day when she wasn’t covered in sunspots and wrinkles.

  Once she was lathered up and protected from the UV rays, I grabbed the shovel and pail Frieda and Lou gave her. “Want to build a sandcastle?” I asked.

  “A castle for Sally?” she asked, holding up her doll whose hair was full of sand and would need a major shakedown before going in the diner.

  “Yes, a castle for Sally.” She took the shovel out of my hand and pushed it into the sand, pulling it up and flinging sand everywhere. Sand rained down on us, and my sunglasses were the only thing keeping me from being pelted in the eye.

  Most moms would yell at their kids and lecture them on sand etiquette, but there were enough things in the world I could yell at my kids about, and sand play wasn’t one of them. She was laughing and having a good time, and that meant more to me than anything else.

  “Momma, where’s Bronx?” she asked as she flung more sand at me. She met the guy once, but she had become obsessed with him, asking me at least twice a day where he was and when she would see him again.

  “I would think he’s at his own home.” I had no idea where he lived, and if I did, I would have paid him a visit to see if he was considering my offer. I hadn’t seen him around the neighborhood either, though. I hoped he didn’t skip town.

  “Is he going to come over again?” she questioned, and I settled in for the next twenty that were sure to follow. I swore she asked five hundred questions a day, and she’d ask more if she didn’t have to take a nap.

  “I don’t know, baby. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

  “But, why?” she asked, and it made me laugh because that wasn’t a question I could actually answer.

  “Because, that’s why.” It seemed to appease her for the time being.

  She wasn’t the only one thinking about Bronx. Ever since he stumbled through the diner doors, I couldn’t get him off my mind. And it was more than just the fact that I could make money off of him and his rise back to fame; it was the way his crooked smile made my heart skip a beat. The way his milk chocolate eyes were dulled by hardships, I felt like I could relate. I saw myself in his eyes, the defeated look that only came with heartache and pain. But Joy, Frieda and Lou helped me overcome it, and I knew if given the chance, I could help bring the shine back in Bronx’s eyes.

  The sun shifted in the sky, and the wind started to kick up. I glanced at the time. “Come on, baby, time to pack up.”

  “I don’t want to go!” Joy stomped her foot into the ground with complete defiance. There was no denying she was my daughter.

  “Sorry, baby, but Momma’s got to work. Come on, Gamma and Pappy are waiting for us.”

  “Fine,” she sighed, and grabbed Sally and her blanket.

  I packed up the rest of our belongings and took her hand in mine. “Let me see Sally.” I reached for the doll and Joy hugged her tight against her chest.

  “No, she’s my dolly.”

  “I just want to clean your dolly. Can I have her, please.”

  Joy looked at Sally, then at me as if she was debating if she could trust me or not. This drama queen was going to give me a run for my money when she got older.

  “Joy I said please.”

  She handed Sally to me and I shook the doll out, getting as much of the sand out of her hair as I could before placing her back in Joy’s arms. Joy hugged her like she hadn’t seen her in weeks, then kissed her head.

  She tucked Joy on her side, and we headed back to the diner. We were halfway there, I could smell the fries cooking, but Joy stumped her foot and stopped walking.

  “We’re almost there.” I tugged on her arm slightly, but she widened her stance.

  “No more walk.”

  “Sweetie, I didn’t bring your stroller.” The stroller was a bitch to carry onto the beach and the few times I brought it, I regretted it immediately.

  “No more walk!”

  With a sigh, I lifted her into my arms and this time regretted not bringing the stupid stroller. By the second block, my arms felt like cinder blocks and my calf muscles were straining.

  Once I saw the shinning lights of Lou’s, I put Joy down, and let her run inside. She ran right into Frieda’s arms, and I slumped against the wall, catching my breath and letting my arms get feeling back in them.

  “Long walk?” Frieda asked with a laugh.

  “The longest,” I replied. “Let me just bring this all upstairs, and I’ll be back down to start my shift.”

  “Not tonight,” Frieda declared.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “You have been working way too much. Lou and I are watching the little princess tonight, and you are going out.” Freida turned to Joy and bent down to eye level. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

  Joy clapped her hands together, and a smile exploded on her face, pushing her cheeks into two chubby mounds of cuteness.

  I didn’t want to deny her time with Frieda and Lou, but… “That’s ridiculous.”

  Freida’s eyebrow arched, and she turned to me, hands planted firmly on her hips. “What’s ridiculous is that you’re nineteen years old and spend more time coloring than you do partying.”

  “I have a two-year-old. The party ship set sail a long time ago.” I considered myself lucky since I did a lot of partying before I became pregnant, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on too much.

  “You have a two-year-old, but you’re not dead. Go out and have a good time. Just take the night to let loose a little.”

  It was tempting. I missed dressing up and putting makeup on without having finger prints on my pants or sticky fingers smearing down my face. There was one problem, though. “I don’t even have friends to go out with.”

  Frieda waved her hand toward the street. “Then go make some. You’re a friendly girl when you want to be and anybody would be lucky to hang out with you.”

  “That’s sweet. Thank you.” I didn’t even know where I’d go, then I remembered a poster I kept seeing around town. “There is a band playing down the road that I’ve been wanting to see.”

  “Perfect. You’re going. Little Miss Joy here is going to help me fill saltshakers. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Frieda asked.

  “No!” Joy replied with enthusiastic shakes of her head.

  Frieda let out her boisterous laugh and squeezed Joy’s cheeks. “No, it doesn’t. That’s why, afterwards, we’re going to make ice cream sundaes!”

  “Ice cream!” Joy screamed. “Ice cream, Ice cream, Ice cream.”

  “Don’t give her too much ice cream, or she’ll be up all night.”

  “Not your problem to worry about. Now go. And by the way, we’re taking her for the night, so don’t hurry home.” Frieda shoved me toward the stairs. “Now go make yourself look pretty.” I went upstairs, rummaging through my closet for something to wear that wasn’t stained or ripped. Finally, I came across a dress that managed to survive the journey from Vegas to here. I took it out and held it up to my chest. It was a tiny black number that I wasn’t even sure I could fit into anymore. The last time I wore it, Joy wasn’t even a possibility.

  “What the hell,” I said to myself, and decided to squeeze my ass into it. By some miracle, it still fit. I glanced at myself in the mirror and flashbacks of the girl I used to be ran through my mind. That girl was fun and always down for a good time, no matter what the circumstances or consequences were.

  I’d been misguided and on a one-way street to total destruction. If it wasn’t for getting pregnant, I don’t know what would have happened to me. In a weird twist of fate, Joy saved my life.

  Still, the girl that used to party missed the energy of a live band and good company. And I did look pretty damn good in this dress.

  “I guess I’m going out tonight.”

  A few hours later, and after a relaxing bath, I slipped back into the dress, did my hair and makeup like I used to before Joy, and glanced in the mirror one final time. I didn’t just look hot; I felt hot. Confidence ran through my veins as I headed out.

  The streets were filled with people hopping from bar to bar, tourists and locals coming together as one. I kept to myself as I made my way to La Tambien, a salsa club a few blocks away.

  Luckily, I still had Mila’s ID, and could get in anywhere. It amazed me that people never cared that my hair wasn’t dark brown like hers. Though I always told people my dirty blonde wasn’t natural, it worked every time.

  La Tambien came into view, and I was about to pull out my ID when my eyes glanced to a black car to my right. It was a couple years older, but still shined like new. The backseat was filled with a ton of shit, and my eyes squinted when I saw a figure lying down across the front seat. It took all of two seconds for it to register who the figure was.