“Damn,” I whisper. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“You don’t need to be,” he tells me. “We’ll just be careful from now on. I won’t tell him anything about you or when we’re hanging out. I swear—”
“I don’t think it really matters anymore, to be honest,” I tell him. “I’m already a Wolf. Russo got exactly what he wanted. He doesn’t need people hidden in my life anymore, he has his henchmen following me everywhere.”
“What? Are you serious?”
I nod. “Look around. I bet you’ll find at least three of them if you look hard enough. They've been watching my every move, assuming that I’m about to run or start spilling their little secrets to the Widows. I wouldn't be surprised if they’ve bugged my phone.”
“What?” he demands, his eyes going wide as he looks down at the phone that’s been resting on my lap since I first got in his car, staring at it as though it could explode at any second. “Then what are you doing? I’ll go and get you a new phone right now.”
I shake my head. “And risk him knowing that I'm trying to block him out? No way. I'd rather just try and play it safe.”
“Good point,” he murmurs. “So, what do we do?”
“Absolutely nothing,” I tell him, trying to give him what I think is an encouraging smile though knowing I’m failing pretty damn hard. “We go to school, and then we come home from school. There is nothing that we can do. This whole Wolf and Widows bullshit is beyond us, all we can do is hope that we don’t get caught in the crossfire.”
“Yeah, well I think it’s already a little too late for you.”
“That’s the understatement of the century,” I tell him, this time with a genuine smile before nodding back toward the road. “Now, be a good little chauffeur and drive my bitch ass to school.”
Milo laughs and checks his mirrors before pulling back out onto the road. “Is there anything else Your Highness requires?”
“Well, as long as you're asking, I wouldn't mind a red carpet to be laid out everywhere I walk.”
“Jesus Christ,” he grumbles under his breath. “Does Colton know you’re this high maintenance?”
“Please,” I scoff. “I bet you’re worse than me. In fact, I can guarantee it. Tell me, how often do you have Spencer hand feeding you grapes in a gold speedo?” A smile tears across Milo’s face, and as he glances over at me, I see the wheels turning in his mind. I don’t doubt that a brand new fantasy will be played out the next time they’re together. “You’re such a dirty bird,” I tell him.
Milo laughs, and as he pulls onto the street that will bring us to the end of our time together, he looks over at me with sadness in his eyes. “I hope you know that to me, our friendship has always been real. I don’t want you thinking anything less. You really are my best friend. There’s no one out there like you.”
Love soars through my veins and instantly overwhelms me. I want nothing more than to curse these stupid pregnancy hormones that have somehow turned me into an emotional mess. “Thanks,” I tell him. “You have no idea how much of a relief it is to know that you have nothing to do with it. I mean, I had a feeling, and Colton told me that there was no way. He knew it was real, but my mind wouldn’t stop wondering,” I tell him. “And for the record, I feel the same way. I love you, and I absolutely love having you in my life. I wouldn’t change it for the world. There are so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to get through if I didn’t have you.”
“Ugh,” he groans, bringing his car to a stop outside of BSP. “Don’t give me all that sappy bullshit. Get yourself and your whiny ass out of my car.”
I laugh as I swing the door open. “Hey, you’re the one who started the sappy bullshit, I just finished it.”
He rolls his eyes. “Out, wench.”
I climb out of his car and make a point of walking slowly around the front of the Aston Martin, making it impossible for him to get his ass out of here. I lock my eyes on Milo’s through his windshield and watch the smile tear across his face before he lays on his horn and doesn't let up. I jump out of my damn skin, and within seconds, we have every eye in the school on us.
That asshole.
I get up onto the curb, and as I walk toward the school gates, Milo’s voice comes sailing through his open window. “I freaking love you, you skank ass bitch,” he calls out before hitting the gas and taking off, making damn sure that he had the last word.
I laugh to myself as I turn back to the school gates and walk myself in. There are girls everywhere. Within seconds, Hendrix comes bounding toward me, instantly gushing about her father’s proposal over the weekend and all the wedding plans she’s already put together.
I gape at her, knowing there’s no point in reminding her that Mom hasn’t exactly agreed to anything yet. When she mentions what her dad told her about planning to watch Mom walk down the aisle as soon as possible, my head spins. For a guy with the means to make things happen, he could be talking weeks, not months.
Drix goes on and on about all the things she’d like to see happen. Apparently, she wants to become an A-list celebrity event planner, and putting together a dream wedding is a big deal for her. I, on the other hand, hardly know what the hell a bonbonniere is. She's raving about the silk rose gold bridesmaid gowns, insisting they are non-negotiable, but all I can picture is the price tag. I'm sure it will cost more money than Mom and I have ever seen.
Before I get a chance to remind her that this isn’t her wedding and that Mom will be the one making those kinds of decisions, my phone starts vibrating inside my bra. With a few minutes before the bell is due to sound, I pull it out and look down at the screen, my brows pinching as an unknown number flashes on the screen.
I stare at it for a moment before Drix rolls her eyes. “Either you’re going to answer it, or I am,” she tells me. “But whatever you decide, make it quick because I found the perfect dress that will look incredible on your mom.”
Letting out a breath, I realize that she’s right. What harm could a phone call bring me?
After accepting the call, I bring the phone to my ear, hating seeing unknown numbers flashing on my screen. “Hello,” I say hesitantly, hoping that I’m not about to regret this.
“Don’t use that fucking scared tone with me,” Christian says, making me wish that I had saved his number from the last time he called. “You should know by now that I’m not going to hurt you.”
I scoff, unable to help the comment that comes flying from between my lips. “You mean you won't hurt me unless your boss tells you to? Or you mean you wouldn't hurt me again?” There’s silence on the other end and I let out a sigh. “Look, the last time I had a call from an unknown number, some dick was telling me that I was about to get jumped.”
“Fair point,” he says. “Listen, I need to know if you’ve seen Russo?”
“You mean your father?”
There’s silence on the other end of the call, and for a brief moment, I'm left wondering if he hung up on me, until his sharp tone slices through the line. “How the fuck did you know that?” he demands, his tone terrifying and deadly. “No one fucking knows about that.”
My heart begins to race.
What the fuck was I thinking spurting out that bullshit? I assumed it was common knowledge. What do I do? What the ever-loving fuck do I do? I can’t lose Christian. He and Jaren are the only two allies I have in that place. Without him, I’m screwed.
I swallow back fear and decide that it’s best to come clean than to lie to him and have him always questioning my word. “I, uhh … kinda talked to your sister,” I tell him. “She’s the only one around here that can really understand what I’m going through and I … Shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t meaning to start any trouble.”
Christian lets out a deep breath. “Fuck, I should have known it was her,” he says. “Just keep it to yourself. If Snake was to figure out that connection, then there would be real fucking trouble. We’ve kept it quiet for a reason.”
“You have
my word,” I tell him. “I won’t say anything.”
“Good,” he grunts. “You’re going to tell me everything that got said with Roni, but first, Russo. Have you seen or heard from him?”
My brows furrow as I cut through the students to get to my locker. “No,” I grumble, accidentally nailing some girl in the shoulder as I squeeze past her. “Should I have?”
“No,” he says. “That’s just the thing. No one has heard from him.”
Well, fuck. That could only mean one thing.
Nic.
Chapter 20
Colton
Midday hits as I walk through the door of the old abandoned factory in Breakers Flats that my father had purchased a few years ago. I always wondered why the hell he wanted a place like this. It’s a fucking dump, but as of yesterday afternoon, I finally got it. The walls are fucking thick, and the security on this place is like none other, meaning no one can hear a motherfucker scream.
The heavy metal door slams shut behind me, and I watch as the lone figure sitting in the middle of the empty factory floor snaps his head up. I don’t know why he bothers though, he can’t see shit under the blacked-out bag that sits over his head.
I walk toward him, knowing the rhythmic sound of my footsteps getting closer would be playing all sorts of tricks on his mind. He has no fucking idea who took him, no clue where he is, or what he’s even in for. Though I’m sure he has plenty of enemies, all who would want him dead.
Mikhail fucking Russo.
The motherfucker who dared put his hands on my girl.
I figured that snatching him up was going to be hard, but I’ve come to learn that guys like Russo, the ones who think they’re untouchable, are usually the easiest ones to take down. They think no one can get to them, so they lower their guard. Grabbing him and forcing him into my factory was a fucking walk in the park, and I bet getting what I need from him is going to be just as easy. Though, even if I can, he’s fucked anyway.
I was mostly all good with Ocean’s plan of getting at Nic and using the Wolves to do our dirty work, but then this fucker had to go and jump her in, claiming that she’s his now. Bullshit like that ain’t going to fly, not where I’m concerned.
From the second Ocean stepped into the Wolf Den, it’s just problem after problem. While I'm more than happy to sit back and deal with it, I don’t want that for her, not when it’s not the life she wanted for herself. If it was her life’s long dream to become a fucking Wolf, then I’d be standing here at the sideline, cheering my girl on. But this is far from anything she ever wanted for herself, and what can I say? I’m a man who sticks to my word. I told her that I’d give her the fucking world, and I intend to come through on that. When I'm finished here, Ocean will have her freedom, and there’s no doubt about it. The question is, how long will it take to make it happen?
Fuck, I’d give anything to go back and be there to stop her from walking through those doors, and I’m sure she would too, no matter how many times she tells me that she stands by her decision. I think she’s too scared to admit when she’s wrong, too strong, and so fucking stubborn, but that’s what I’m here for. I’ll always be there, standing right behind her, lifting her up when she can’t do it herself.
I don’t know when or how it happened, but at some point over the last few months, Oceania Munroe became my fucking world. I breathe for her. Everything I do is for her, and I don't give a shit if that makes me sound whipped. I’ll fucking admit it, I’m completely whipped by her. She walked into my life with that smart mouth, thinking she could take me down, and fuck, she certainly did, but not in the way she was intending.
Without her … that’s a world I don’t want to live in, one I refuse to live in. Unfortunately for Russo, he’s the one obstacle stopping me from giving Ocean everything she ever wanted. She deserves better than that. I just wish she could see that she doesn’t need the Wolves at her back when she has me. I understand it though, she wanted an army and to feel closer to her father, but she got so much more than what she bargained for.
I step in front of Russo and grab hold of the black bag that sits over his head. I tear it off and watch with a smirk as he squints into the midday light that shines through the old windows. “I trust you had a comfortable night,” I say, waiting for him to adjust to the light and figure out who the fuck stands before him.
Russo watches me through narrowed eyes, and the second he sees me, he lets out a breath of relief. Big mistake, but that’s okay. He’s about to learn who Colton Carrington is the hard way. “What do you think you’re doing, kid?” he questions, watching me closely as I step away from him, sliding my suit jacket off and placing it over a steel beam. “You do realize that by now my men would have figured out that I’m gone, and will be hunting you down. They’re going to fucking kill you for this, mark my words, boy.”
I laugh. I fucking love it when bastards like this underestimate me. It always makes for the best kind of fun. “I highly doubt that,” I tell him, walking back over and placing myself in front of him before rolling up my sleeves. “You see, your men are fucking morons who stood less than ten feet away while their boss was swept off the side of the road and didn’t notice a goddamn thing. I have plenty of time to say what I need to say before they even get close to figuring out what the fuck is going down here.”
Russo clenches his jaw, and just like that, he gives himself away. He knows I’m right, and it only serves to fuel his anger. “What do you want?” he snaps, more than ready to get the show on the road.
“It’s really quite simple,” I tell him, slowly circling him and watching as he tracks my every move. “I want Ocean’s freedom. Give her up, and you can walk freely.”
Russo laughs. “Come on, kid. You know it's not that easy. I wouldn't give up that girl for nothing, more now that I know how badly you want her. Besides, there is no fucking out. She’s mine.”
“You see, that’s just the thing, I’ve already got her, and you know damn well that she wants nothing to do with you.”
“All the more reason to hold onto her a little tighter.”
His words grate against my every nerve, and while I want nothing more than to lunge out and tear his throat right out of his body, I smile, letting him see just how fucking far I’ll go for her. “I’m going to ask you again,” I tell him. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”
Russo scoffs, leaning forward in his chair, though he doesn’t get far with his hands bound behind the plastic of the chair. “Try your fucking hardest,” he tells me. “You know, I’ve been fucking your mom. She’s all dried up, the old bitch, but I fucked her anyway. Took her ass harder than your daddy ever did.”
A grin stretches across my face, and for a brief moment, fear flashes in his eyes. I pull out my phone and send a quick text before taking a step back and leaning up against the pillar in the center of the factory. “Really?” I ask as I wait patiently. “Is that the best you got? The old ‘I fucked your mom’ bullshit? Is that supposed to send me off the deep end? So fucking what? No wonder she’s all dried up. She’s fucked half of Bellevue Springs.”
It’s only a short, two-minute wait before a text comes through to my phone, and I glance down and smile before putting myself right back in front of Russo. “I trust that you’ve heard of a little company by the name of VC Holdings, you know, the company that you run your whole organization through?”
His face drops, his skin turning a sickly shade of white. “What did you do?” he spits through his teeth.
“I bought it.” I turn my phone around, showing him the screen that shows confirmation of my latest purchase. “It seems some of your guys aren’t as loyal as you'd always thought. It was all too easy to get your company credentials and buy it out from under you, and I have to say, it went for quite a good price, next to nothing. Oh, wait, it was for nothing.”
“What do you want?” he spits, knowing that this company holds every last secret he’s ever held. With just one audit, I’d ha
ve his whole organization torn apart until it’s nothing but ash left on the ground.
“I told you my fucking price,” I tell him. “I want Ocean’s freedom.”
Russo clenches his jaw, his glare digging into me like two, piercing laser beams. “Fine, have the fucking bitch. Now, get me the fuck out of here and give me my fucking company.”
I laugh, unbuttoning the top button of my suit shirt before pulling out a pair of brass knuckles and sliding them onto my fingers, right where they fucking belong. “Oh, you think it’s going to be that easy?” I ask. “You think you can have twenty fucking guys jump my pregnant girl, and I’m just going to stand back and accept that?” My fist slams across his face, sending a mouthful of blood spraying over the floor of my factory. Russo grunts in pain, and as he looks back at me, I continue, “You think I’m just going to forget the sound of her flesh being beaten.” I step into him, bringing my fist around in a devastating uppercut, slamming it up under his ribs and watching as he gasps for breath. “You think I’m just going to let you walk out of here unscathed?”
I walk around him and untie the bounds on his wrist. He tries to stand, ready to run, but he’s not getting away that easy. He won’t be leaving this place until I’ve left him as black and blue as what his men left my girl.
I jump at him, instantly taking him down, barrelling my fists into him. I hit him in all the places his men hit my girl, listening to his grunts of pain like trophies awarded for the best kind of vengeance.
I beat him until he can hardly move, and then just a little bit more. Every bit of anger I felt watching his twenty men beat my girl, I took out on his body. All I can see is Ocean, curled up on the ground, nothing but a blur of fists and feet slamming into her over and over again. She couldn’t even cry. I’ll never forget it. Even beating the living shit out of Russo and ending him, it’ll never make what happened okay.
Ride or Die: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 4) Page 19
