I Fought the Law

  I Fought the Law Chapter One – The Spark The summer sun beat down on the small Texas town of Elridge, where life moved slow, but crime always seemed to run faster. Jimmy Cross, twenty-three, leaned against the faded brick wall of the local diner, smoking a half-burned cigarette. He wasn’t a bad kid—not in his own eyes anyway. Life just never handed him the cards he wanted. His father, a factory worker, drank himself to death before Jimmy finished high school. His mother worked double shifts at the grocery store, barely making enough to keep the lights on. College? A joke. Opportunities? Nonexistent. Jimmy had two options: rot in Elridge, or grab money where he saw it. That’s how he met Rico Vega . Rico wasn’t from Elridge, but he drifted through towns like a storm—fast, loud, and destructive. He had a sharp jawline, a smile that could win a poker game, and a reputation for running with outlaws. Rico promised Jimmy the one thing he wanted most: escape. “Small town boys like us got...