I shake my head, breathing in the fresh air. “Can’t,” I grumble. “Wolf business.”
Eli grunts. “Are you going to keep pretending that we don’t see those bruises?”
I scoff, glancing back over my shoulder and glaring. “Are you going to keep pretending like you didn’t already know? I’m not a fucking idiot. I know you have guys hidden deep in the Wolves. You knew they were planning on jumping me in, and I can guarantee that you knew exactly when it was going to happen. You showed up after school on Friday to stop it, didn’t you? You had no intention of trying to clear the air. None of you did. You were there long enough to show the Wolves that they weren’t about to touch me, and then you left.”
“We had nothing to do with it,” Kai says, stepping forward.
“That’s bullshit, and we all know it,” I tell him. “I practically grew up around you guys. I know how this shit works. You scared them off on Friday, and so they came with the whole fucking calvary on Saturday. The question is; why didn’t you stop it then?”
“Babe …” Sebastian says, the guilt spread far and wide over his face.
“No, don’t ‘babe’ me. I don’t need your excuses because I already know the truth. It was too many for the three of you to go up against, so you asked Nic to use the Widows, and he said no, didn’t he?”
The boys glance at each other before Eli finally nods. “I’m sorry, O. We really fucking tried but he said that you’d made your decision, and to let you do your thing.”
I turn back to the water and kick my foot out, watching as the water sprays across the surface. “That’s fucking bullshit,” I tell them.
“You don’t get it,” Kai says. “Nic feels like shit. He knows he fucked up, and if you want to bring the Wolves in to fight your battles, then he’s prepared to face the firing squad.”
I shake my head. “You don’t fucking get it,” I tell them. “It’s not just Nic that they’re going to take down. They’re fucking planning on wiping out the whole Widows name.”
“What?” Sebastian says, looking at the other two boys before grabbing my arm and spinning me around. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
I cringe, feeling as though I could throw up. “I’m not supposed to tell you. I’m a Wolf now.”
Kai steals my attention. “I don’t give a fuck who you belong to. You’re our sister first. What’s happening?”
I drop down into the water and bring my knees up to my chest, curling my arms around myself and trying to find some sort of comfort there. “I fucked up,” I tell them all. “You were right. I should have come to you guys first, instead of trying to stand against you, but I knew deep down that you couldn’t go against Nic. He’s too strong, he has too much power—”
“Ocean, what’s going down?” Sebastian demands, crouching down to meet my eyes. “What did you do?”
I drop my eyes, looking down at my hands, far too ashamed with myself. “Russo is planning an attack. It’s not just war but a full-on extermination. They’re planning a fucking ambush.”
Panic rises in all of their eyes. “When?” Eli snaps.
I press my lips into a hard line, feeling as though I'm only moments from throwing up into the lake beside me. “He doesn’t know yet. He’s been calling in all the boys and gathering ammunition. He doesn’t have enough yet, which is why they haven’t made their move, but I doubt it’ll take a guy like Russo long to get what he needs.”
Sebastian drops to his ass, staring out at the water as Eli begins pacing, his hands raking through his hair as he starts trying to put together a plan. Kai just stares at me as though I'm a stranger, and it kills me the most.
I look at Sebastian and meet his horrified stare. “I don't know how to fix it,” I whisper. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Run,” he tells me, his voice flat and void of all emotion. “If this goes down, Nic will kill you, but if it doesn’t, and Russo finds out that you squealed on Wolf business, you’re just as dead. You know how this world works. The Wolves won’t protect you like we would have.”
My head falls into my hands as my tears drop into the cold water around my waist, feeling absolutely helpless, and for the first time, I find myself doubting his words. Colton had told me that when they showed up at his place to tell him where I was, none of them were prepared to go with him to come and get me, not that it would have helped, but the boys I once knew would have walked through fire just to get to me.
We all sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts until Eli walks up behind me and scoops me out of the water. He walks back to a small bench and takes a seat, putting me down beside him. “I feel like we’ve let you down,” he tells me, glancing up to look at the boys who are blatantly listening in on our conversation. “We should have known about Nic and your dad. Maybe we could have done something to stop it. He should have known that stepping against your father would start a war.”
“I don’t know,” I tell him. “I always used to be able to read Nic so easily. I knew what he did … what you all did. You never hid that from me, but my father? I never thought he was capable of hurting me like that. When it happened and Nic held me, I never dreamed that I was standing in the arms of my father's killer. And right now, I can't distinguish between what hurts more; his betrayal or the fact that my father is gone.”
Eli’s arm falls around my shoulder, and I lean into him, hating how things are between us but loving his comfort. I’ve missed this so much. “To be honest, I think we’re all still a little in shock. We suspected that maybe Kian had something to do with it, but when Charles was killed the same way, we figured we were looking in the wrong place.”
“But the file in his office with the Widows mark…”
“I know,” he murmurs. “That really threw me. It put the suspicion right back on Kian, but then he was killed, and I figured it was over.”
“You were wrong.”
“So fucking wrong.”
Kai and Sebastian look back at us and slowly make their way over. “Look,” Sebastian starts. “Nic is … he’s been going through some shit. Some really dark shit. The things that he has to see and do in his position; it would fucking kill you, O. He’s changing, and I think the power of being in control is really starting to mess with his head. He’s not the same guy you once knew, but he’s still Nic. The real him is still in there, we just have to find it, but you need to know that to him, the Widows will always come first. That’s just the way his father made him, but to me, you come first.” He looks nervously at Kai and Eli before glancing back at me. “If it comes down to it, babe, I’ll have your back. I didn’t sign up for a life with the Widows to become a full-time killer. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life behind bars. I joined for the brotherhood and for the protection the Widows could offer my family, and I’ll always stand by that.”
He presses his lips together, showing me that he’s done with his speech, and I get up from the little bench and instantly step into his arms. “You know I love you,” I tell him, snuggling into his wide chest and feeling a piece of my soul finally return to me.
“I love you too, Ocean. I hate all this bullshit between us right now.”
“Me too,” I murmur. “But I feel like we’re strong enough to see it through to the other side.”
“I fucking hope so.”
Kairo steps into my side and pulls me from Sebastian’s arm. “Come here,” he tells me, pulling me in and folding me into his warm embrace. “I’m Nic’s second. You know I can’t stand against him.”
“I know,” I whisper, and he presses his lips to my forehead.
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t love you, because I do. So fucking much. You’re my family. You always have been, and you always will be. No matter what comes of this bullshit. You’re my fucking girl, O.”
“Thanks, Kai. That means a lot to me.”
“You’ll never fully understand how fucking sorry I am that I let you get all mixed up in this shit. If I could change things and put i
t back to the way it used to be, I’d do it in a fucking heartbeat.”
I shake my head against his chest. “I wouldn’t,” I tell him. “If I didn’t have to go through all of this, I never would have found Colton, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.”
Eli stands behind me. “Things really are serious with this guy, huh?”
“A little more than serious,” I admit.
Eli nods. “Then go home to him. We have to go and have a club meeting and let Nic know what’s coming so we can prepare.”
I step out of Kai’s arm and give them all a smile that doesn’t hit my eyes. “Okay.”
Eli takes my hand and quickly pulls me in for a short-lived hug. “You know Nic,” he tells me. “Even during all of this, he’s still going to do everything in his power to protect you. You’re going to be okay.”
“I’m not too sure about that,” I tell him, taking a few steps toward the cars. “But I’ll figure out a way to be alright on my own.”
They all watch me, and as I start walking back toward the Audi, I feel their pained stares on my back as they follow me up. I get to the car and look down at my soaking sweatpants, realizing that I can’t morally get into Colton’s car like this. Carefully, I slip from the pants and toss them onto the floor space in the back.
“Here,” Eli says, leaning into the backseat of his beat-up old car and pulling out an old hoodie. “Take this.”
I give him a warm smile of thanks and take the hoodie from him before slipping it over my head and breathing it in. It smells just like him and reminds me of all the good times we’ve shared, and without a doubt, I know that I’ll be sleeping in this tonight and every night until the smell finally begins to fade.
The hoodie falls all the way to my knees, and I climb into the car, pulling the seat back into place before turning on the engine.
I’m just about to start backing out of my spot when Sebastian leans into the open window. “Take these. They’re the good shit from my personal stash,” he tells me, handing me three perfectly rolled joints. “Maybe smoke one tonight and relax a little. God knows you could use it.”
I raise my brow as I take them from him. “You remember the whole pregnancy thing, right?”
His face scrunches, and with that one guilty expression, it’s clear that he’s already completely forgotten about it. “Keep them anyway,” he tells me with a wink. “You know … just in case.”
He quickly leans in closer and presses a sloppy kiss to my cheek before stepping back with the boys and giving me space to drive.
Not wanting to prolong this anymore, I hit the gas and back out of my spot while listening to the soft beep of my phone, telling me about all the missed calls and text messages. I drive away from the lake, watching the boys in my rearview mirror, and as I go, I quickly call Colton back to let him know that I'm still alive.
After he ends the call, I toss my phone to the side and pump the music. While my life is currently burning to ashes around me, I know I’ll always have Sebastian, Kai, and Eli. No matter what.
Two hours later, I pull into the garage of the Carrington mansion and park the Audi beside where the Veneno usually lives. Only Colton’s precious little first love is nowhere to be seen.
I cut the engine, and after feeling around on the passenger side for my phone, I come up blank. Where the hell did that stupid thing go?
I have no choice but to get serious about searching. After cutting the engine, I get out and make my way around to the passenger side while pulling up the sleeves of Eli’s hoodie. I can’t possibly start searching for my phone while my hands keep disappearing under the thick, black material.
Opening the passenger side door, I slide the chair back and start having a good feel around until my fingers curl around papers hidden under the chair.
What the hell is this?
My curiosity gets the best of me, and I pull them out before leaning forward onto the passenger seat and propping my elbows on the center console. My eyes scan over the papers, and I quickly realize that these are the registration papers for the Audi.
Realizing that it’s nothing interesting, I go to slip them back under the seat, only as I go, a name catches my attention, only it’s not the name I expect to see. It’s my fucking name.
My mouth drops open, and I gape at the papers for a little while longer.
“That motherfucker,” I say under my breath, wishing more than ever that I could light up one of Sebastian’s joints. That sneaky bastard went and put the Audi in my name. The fucker gave me a goddamn car without me even noticing.
I clench my jaw and shove the papers right back where I found them, making sure to crumple every little piece of them. Frustration pulses through me, and I all but shove my head down around the floor space until I finally find my phone.
I get back to my feet, and before the door has even closed, I open a new text message and march my ass back inside the mansion.
Ocean - You’re in a world of trouble, Colton Carrington. I suggest you get your ass home right now so I can bust it wide open ... and not in a good way.
Send.
Chapter 17
My fingers drum against the dining table as I stare at Colton sitting at the opposite side. He's been home for two hours, and he’s done his absolute best not to get anywhere near me, but his time has run out. There’s no avoiding me now.
From the guilty smirk across his face, he knows exactly what I found in his car, and he knows damn well that I’m not about to accept it. It’s too much. It’s freaking insane.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he tells me, leaning back in his chair with his arm casually thrown over the backrest.
My eyes narrow further while my fingers begin to drum faster. Casey looks between us, her drink hovering in the air, right in front of her lips. “What’s going on with you two? You’re being weird.”
I snap my glare at Casey. “Your stupid brother gave me a goddamn car.”
Her face lights up in joy as my mother gasps in shock, just as onboard the train to Shitsville as I am, completely understanding why this ‘gift’ is way too much. “Oh, nice,” Casey beams, more than ready to start congratulating her big brother on a job well done.
“No. Not nice,” I throw back at her before shooting my glare at the douche across the table. “You can’t just go and give me a car. Do you have any idea how freaking insane that is?”
His lips press together as he shrugs a shoulder, not caring about my objections in the least. “Too late, Jade. It’s done now, but what’s the big deal? It’s not like I went out and bought one like I wanted to. All I did was have one little piece of paper transferred into your name. Besides, It’s not even this year’s model, and It’s not like you hadn’t already claimed the car as your own anyway. You’ve put more miles on it than I ever did.”
My eyes widen in horror. “Holy shit, you’re right. I didn’t even think about that. Did I devalue the car or something?” I panic, beginning to worry about how I’m supposed to make up for that. I mean, I already owe him so much after he shrugged off my father's diamond thieving debt and released me from being owned by his family.
Colton scoffs as Cora and Casey laugh at the show. “Seriously, Jade,” Colton says. “Stop panicking about it. It’s nothing. Just forget you even saw the registration papers. I won't even pick you up on it when you call it my car.”
“Have you gone out of your mind? Do you actually get how crazy this is? You’re not Oprah. You can’t just go around giving people cars.”
He sucks in a breath through his teeth. “Well … whoops. I guess I kinda did.”
I glare at him as Casey looks back at me. “Seriously, girl. It’s really not a big deal. I saw the car he was actually thinking about getting you and let me tell you, if you feel like shit about this, then you would have really hated that. I mean that car …. damnnn,” she says, glancing back at her brother. “I mean, if the offer is still on the table, you could always get it for my birthday.”
“No fucking chance. Buy your own damn car,” he grumbles, smirking as he looks back at me. “I figured if I bought you one, I would have been in a lot more shit than I’m already in.”
“Uh, yeah … you would have been right about that.”
He shakes his head, deep in thought. “I still feel like it’s not enough though. What else do you want? I have a great diamond dealer. Do you want jewelry? A ring, necklace, matching earrings? Just name it.”
“I …” I shake my head. “I can’t even with you right now.”
He shrugs his shoulders again and winks. “Well, I'm already in shit, so I might as well go ahead and do it. I’ll call my guy in the morning.”
“I swear, Colton. Call your guy, and I can promise that I’ll shove your phone so far up your ass that you’ll never get it out.”
“Ocean,” Mom shrieks in horror, her eyes wide. “Apologize immediately. I didn’t raise you to talk like that.”
I groan and push up from the table before walking around to Colton’s side. I drop down into an extravagant curtsey. “My king, I sincerely apologize for my appalling behavior. You have my word, next time, I'll threaten you in private.”
Colton takes my hand and tugs hard until I fall into his lap. His arms wrap around my waist, and just when I think he’s going in for a hug, his arms lock around me like a tight vice. “Quick,” he says to his sisters. “Give me all your rings. We’ll size her before she gets away.”
“NOOO,” I screech, but it’s too late. Colton holds me down as the twins rush in, pulling all the rings off their fingers and jamming them onto mine until they find one that fits perfectly. Cora grins at her brother proudly before handing it over. He takes it from her and slips it into his pocket with a smug as fuck smirk across his face before finally letting me go.
“You’re an ass,” I tell him, shaking my head and hoping to god that this is all just his way of screwing with me. I can only imagine the kind of jewelry a guy like Colton would be purchasing, and I really can’t accept that. It would be insane.
I get back to my feet, and as Colton goes to take another bite of his half-eaten dinner, I slip his plate out from under him, making sure to narrow my eyes in the process. “I’m assuming you’re done with this,” I say, taking his plate to the kitchen counter to be washed up, trying my hardest not to smirk as he glances up and stares at me with laughter in his eyes.
Ride or Die: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 4) Page 16
