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I hope he’s right.
I hope that the Barrett in me can find the strength to fight this battle and get everyone to safety before it’s too late.
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The Fighter is the second book in a thrilling YA romance series. If you like high-octane drama, a smoking hot bad boy and fiery romance, then you’ll love Jordan Ford’s gripping novel.
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Pre-order The Fighter for a heart-racing love story today!
PREVIEW of THE FIGHTER
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DEEKS
Shoving the gun in the back of my jeans, I spin around and spot Jade’s bare foot. Bile surges up my throat. She was doing such a great job being a mom, and now she’s gone.
I fist the front of my hair, forcing myself to focus.
“Breathe,” I rasp. “Think!”
I can’t let the red haze stunt me now.
Arley.
I need to get Arley.
I need to keep my promise to Jade.
“Hey!” Someone shouts behind me.
I whip around and spot Ricky.
He’s pointing his gun at me, his eyes darting down to Pablo then back up to my face. “I gotta take you to Cruz.”
“Like hell,” I growl, ducking out of shot and racing for the window.
It’s already open and I dive through it, smashing into the metal railing before jumping down the ladder.
Gunfire spits behind me as I land on the concrete below with a grunt.
My body radiates with pain, but I force myself up, pumping my arms and heading down the alley behind Jade’s building. I’m running with a limp that’s starting to ease as I near the street.
Yeah, I need to get Cruz.
That’s where Arley will be.
But I’m not gonna be dragged in there by Ricky and whoever else is firing at me.
I’m getting Arley back on my own terms.
I’m breaking into Cruz’s compound when he least expects it, and I’m gonna kill him and every other asshole who gets in my way.
Then I’m taking Arley some place she can never be found or touched or hurt again.
KENA
It’s weird. Since having breakfast and hitting the road, I’ve felt this overwhelming sense of freedom. It keeps creeping over me and I start to laugh in spite of the fact I’ve just run away from my guardians and there’s a chance I’ll never visit my parents’ gravesite again.
I should be crying, but I’m… I’m liberated.
Is this what I’ve been needing all along?
It’s like my old life was this prison and my new life is this… unknown adventure. All I have in front of me is the horizon and I’m breaking free with no idea what I’m going to do.
Okay. Happy gone.
This is terrifying.
But I can’t go back.
Back is so much worse.
I have to keep moving forward, right?
I mean, I can’t go to all this effort and slink home with my tail between my legs. Aunt Valerie’s house is not my home.
Which I guess makes me… homeless.
The thought punches into me and I brake at the intersection, my body jerking forward then slumping back in my seat. Turning off the music blasting through my car, I grip the wheel.
I see that I’m clear to go, but I can’t move.
I’m frozen in this quiet moment of realization.
I’m homeless.
I’m a dropout.
I’m—
My passenger door rips open and I scream as a man I’ve never seen before jumps into my car. He looks like he’s just stepped off some mafia movie set with blood coating his hands and shirt, ugly bruises marring his face.
“Drive!” he shouts.
I gape at him and he pulls a gun from the back of his pants and points it at me. A flash of remorse flickers over his beat-up face, but then he’s shouting again.
“Just drive, lady! Drive!”
Something pings off the side of my car and it only takes a second for me to realize it’s a bullet.
I scream again and punch the gas, accelerating through the intersection just as a car was about to pass through it.
We barely miss each other.
A horn blasts just as another bullet hits my wing mirror, shattering the glass.
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A Note from Jordan
Dear reader,
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Writing a story is an amazing, uplifting, wonderful experience. But it can also be really hard work. Some stories are tougher than others, and for some reason, The Runaway really took it out of me.
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Thankfully, because I have an amazing beta team and editors, the story is now in a place worthy of reading.
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From the outset, I adored Michael and Annie together. They came to me years ago, initially as adult characters. Jackson was actually Annie’s son, and she was a woman in her late twenties struggling through life when a thirty-year-old man arrived in her bar one night, injured and in need of help.
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But then the idea of publishing this story under Jordan Ford captured me, and I made a few tweaks. Annie became an eighteen-year-old sister, and the idea of Dean was born. As horrible as he was, he added a real element of tension to the story, and I’m so grateful for the changes I decided to make.
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I hope you’ve fallen for the first Barrett boy. Michael had a lot of growing up to do, but the lessons from his past held true, and I know Grandpa Ray would be really proud of him.
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I’d like to thank my amazing team—Emily, Rachael, Beth, Lenore, Kelé, Karla, Bri and Kristin. I so appreciate your talent and input into my work.
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Thank you to my review team, who are just so fantastically awesome.
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Thank you to my amazing Forever Love Crew. I seriously love you guys. You’re so supportive, and it means the world to me.
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Thank you to my readers. I wouldn’t be able to do this job without you. Thank you for buying and reading my books, and thank you for helping me support the incredible work of Love146.
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Thank you to my family, who I adore. You cheer me on, lift me up, make me laugh and I will love you all forever.
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And thank you to my lord and savior who has shown me what it really means to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.
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xx
Jordan
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PS - Remember how Annie and Jackson went to that cupcake shop? Well, if you’d like to learn more about the couple who wandered in, why don’t you check out the novella: “I Dare You” (Barrett Boys #0.5). You can find it in the Christmas Charity Box Set: ’Tis the Season for Love.