Spencer glances at me and it’s almost like a warning that if I was to even leave this room while he’s not here that I’ll be suffering the same consequences as the fuckers who hurt him in the first place. “I swear,” I tell him. “I won’t leave this room. Not even to pee.”
Spencer glances back at Milo with a heavy sigh. “If anything happens, if you need anything…”
“I know,” Milo groans. “I’ll call. Just go and handle this.”
Spencer glances back at us and very quickly drops down to Milo and brushes the softest kiss over his lips before walking out the door with Charlie and Colton behind him.
“Now, you,” Milo says, forcing my attention right back to him. “Get that fucking chair and drag it over here. You’ve been gone for three days and I want to know everything that’s been going on.”
I do as I’m told and as I’m dragging the chair over, I meet his eyes. “Everything?” I question. “Because I’m not sure that you can handle everything at the moment.”
“Shit,” he says. “Is it that bad?”
“Fucking worse than bad.”
“How is it that those fucking idiots keep fucking everything up? What the fuck did they do this time?”
“Only one of them,” I warn him with a heavy sigh, feeling the raw emotions of the last twenty-four hours creeping up on me. I settle into the chair beside his bed and prepare to tell him every last thing that has gone down over the past day. “You’ll never guess what fucking moron decided it’d be a good idea to propose.”
His one good eye goes wide and just like that, we fall into conversation without a single detail being spared until the boys finally return, each of them with bruised and bloodied knuckles, promising that justice has been served.
Chapter 33
I walk out of Milo’s hospital room with Colton, feeling a million times better now knowing that Milo is going to be alright. He has a long recovery ahead of him, but the second the boys returned with the news that his attackers were left hardly breathing, his spirits brightened right up.
He hadn't quite hit the usual level of Milo-ness that he generally functions at, but by the end of our visit, I could see him slowly beginning to return. Plus, the nurse came in and hit him with some pretty strong drugs so that could definitely have something to do with it.
Milo is generally a happy guy with high spirits so long as he holds onto that and doesn’t let this attack bring him down, he should be able to heal a lot quicker. There’s nothing better for a healing body than a healthy mind and with me and the boys at his side, he’s going to be alright.
Though, the fact that he told me where to find his porn stash, glitter, and sex toys, and then gave me the password for his computer to wipe his browsing history says a lot. His dramatic flair was back and that told me everything I needed to know. Milo is going to be back to bugging me as often as he can in no time.
We stayed in his room all through the night and it wasn't until the early hours of this morning that the nurses finally got sick of us and kicked us out, insisting that Milo needed to rest—despite his objections. But she was right, the door hadn’t even closed behind us before Milo passed out.
Colton and I step into the elevator to take us down to the parking garage and as the doors lock us into the confined space together, our issues suddenly become very loud.
Colton hits the button to send us down and as the elevator starts moving, he crowds me into the wall, blocking me with his hands on either side, keeping me trapped. “I missed you,” he murmurs, raising his chin and brushing his lips over mine. “You walked out on me.”
I nod. “You lied to me,” I whisper. “You let me believe that Marco was going behind bars just like his brothers.”
“To be fair,” he says. “When I said that, I thought that was what was going to happen. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that I heard he was back in town. I couldn't miss the opportunity to make it right. He killed Maryne, I couldn’t just let it go.”
I nod again and press my hand against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath his shirt. “I got your email.”
“I know,” he grumbles with a cocky smirk. “I got a notification that it was read only thirty seconds after hitting send. You never replied though.”
“You didn’t deserve a reply.”
His eyes heat, realizing that I’m just being stubborn and loving that we’re able to talk about this without it turning into something so much more. “You’re not scared of me,” he comments, referring to the way I backed away from him in his bedroom.
I take his hand and curl it into a fist, looking down at his bruised knuckles. I press my lips to them, loving that he’d go to such lengths for Milo while also hating that he’s hurt. “You were right,” I tell him. “I’m not afraid of you or what you did. I’ve been around the Widows for far too long that I feel somewhat immune to that darkness. I guess it just came as a shock that you had that in you. I’d filed you away as one of the good guys and then you made me go and undo all my paperwork.”
“I am still a good guy,” he insists. “I don’t kill for sport.”
“I know,” I whisper as we hit the bottom ground and hear the familiar ding of the elevator before the doors slide open.
Colton steps back from me, keeping his eyes on mine as he tugs me away from the elevator wall. Together we walk out of the elevator and I can’t help but rub my thumb over his sore knuckles. “Tell me that you’re coming home with me,” he questions, stopping in the middle of the nearly deserted parking lot and meeting my eyes.
“I …” I let out a breath, not having thought about it since before Nic’s ridiculous proposal. “I’m not entirely sure yet,” I tell him with all honesty. “I can’t get past this feeling that you’re just like the rest of the guys I know. You kept this part of yourself hidden from me. Especially after everything we went through with Jude in the wine cellar. If you were going to come clean about it, that would have been the time.”
“I know,” he says, dropping his forehead to mine. “I should have told you when we were sitting in the shower after you nearly took out Jude. I’ve thought about that moment nearly every fucking day but it’s not something that you just tell someone.”
“I would have been able to handle it.”
“I know that now,” he tells me, squeezing my hands. “Just please, Ocean. Come home with me. We can work this out. I don’t want to lose you over this.”
My heart breaks as I meet his eyes, seeing the raw desperation within him. “I … I feel like I need to think about this for a minute. Too much has happened. I can’t even think clearly right now. After everything that just went down with Nic. I just need—”
Colton cuts me off as he drops to his knees before me. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Jade. Please, baby, come home with me so we can sort this out. I need you in my life, but I’ll get it if you want to leave. I won’t hold it against you, but it’ll fucking hurt.”
I look down at him on his knees, begging me to stay and the raw emotions begin to rise within me until they’re completely overwhelming me. A lump forms in my throat and I step into him, desperately needing to be closer. “You love me?” I whisper, feeling my voice break as he says the very words I’ve wondered about since the day he sat at my mother’s dinner table and admitted that he didn’t love me … yet.
“I do,” he says, the desperation shining brightly in his eyes. “I love you so fucking much that it hurts. I’ve hated being away from you these last few days. I need you in my life. I don’t know how you did it but you weaseled your way in and now I can’t fucking breathe without you.”
I fight the tears that well in my eyes as I curl my hand around the back of his neck. “I love you too,” I whisper, meeting his eyes and letting him see just how much I mean it.
A smile tears across his face. “I know,” he says with the slightest amusement. “You blurted it out on Sunday while you were screaming at me.”
“Shut up,” I laugh just mo
ments before he grabs me and brings my lips down to his.
Fucking home.
I kiss him deeply, feeling all the hurt from the last few days finally dissolve into nothing and allowing my aching chest to finally begin mending.
His fingers lace through mine and I pull him up, never wanting to see my man begging on his knees again. As he stands, his arm twines around my waist and he pulls me off my feet, refusing to break our kiss.
“Put her down,” comes a pissed off growl from across the parking lot.
My back stiffens, recognizing that voice from anywhere.
Colton’s hands tighten on my waist and he pulls away from me, lowering me to the ground as his head snaps around to find the threat.
Nic stands across the lot and I find him leaning up against Colton’s Veneno with his finger through the finger grip of his gun, spinning it in circles like a fucking idiot. Did nobody teach this guy gun safety? If he wants to accidentally shoot his balls off then that’s one sure way to make it happen.
“What are you doing here?” I demand, looking at the man who killed my father in distaste. Colton instantly picks up on my tone and I’m sure that he’s reminded of the state I was in when I first arrived at the hospital and is currently putting the puzzle pieces together. Sensing my unease, Colton discreetly puts himself in front of me.
“You and I haven't finished our conversation.”
“Yeah,” I scoff. “We’re more than finished. In fact, I’m pretty certain that there won’t be a damn thing left for us to ever discuss.”
Nic’s face drops and anger flashes in his eyes. “Don’t fucking say shit that you don’t mean. You’re a lot of things, O, but you’re not a fucking liar.”
“Sorry,” I laugh. “I must have learned that trait from you.”
His eyes narrow, pushing off Colton’s car and striding toward us. Colton moves with him, always keeping himself between me and Nic’s gun, and from the look on Nic’s face, he’s more than aware of what’s going on.
He stops a few feet from us and glares at Colton. “Do you mind fucking off now? I’m trying to have a conversation with my girl.”
“You see, that’s just the thing. She’s my girl and judging from the way she’s shrinking away from you, she doesn’t want a damn thing to do with you.”
The gun spins around his finger again, making me more nervous than I should ever have to be around a man who claims to love me. For fuck’s sake, it was less than twelve hours ago that he was trying to convince me to marry him, and now he shows up here with a fucking gun?
Where are the boys? They should have a leash on their fearless leader.
“Get out of here, Nic,” I say, continuing on from Colton’s statement, not denying it in the least. “I’ll talk to you when you’re not trying to intimidate me with your fucking gun.”
“What? This?” he laughs, holding up the gun and making a show of studying the barrel then looking over the revolver and making a point to show that it’s fully loaded. “This ain’t for you, baby.”
I read him like a fucking book and reach for Colton, pulling him back a step before putting myself in front of him. Nic might be a fucking cold murderer, but he’d never risk shooting Colton with me standing so damn close … at least, I think. Apparently, I really don’t know him half as well as I thought I did. Hell, he admitted himself that he killed Charles so he wouldn’t share his little secret. What’s to stop him from doing the same to me? What’s he going to do if he thinks that I’ve told Colton? I can’t have these two at war, though if Colton knew everything that Nic had done, he’d have already been dead.
Colton takes my waist and leans into me. “You have two fucking seconds to get your sweet ass behind me before I put you there.”
“Not a fucking chance, Carrington,” I tell him. “Now shut the fuck up and let me handle my business.”
Colton groans and I feel the rumble from his chest vibrate against my back, but he knows better than to try to change my mind. Besides, if he thought there was any way in hell that Nic would ever try to shoot me, I’d already be out of here. Clearly, he doesn’t know what I know, otherwise this night would have turned out very differently. I won’t be holding back though. If Nic wants to go there, then fuck it, we’ll go there, and I won’t just air a bit of his dirty laundry, I’ll tip out the whole fucking basket and watch it scatter all over the floor.
All this time I thought Kian was the bad one. It turns out that Nic is just as bad. I guess the saying, like father like son, has never been so true. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. Charles and Colton are proof of that. I just hope that Colton fell a little further than what Nic did.
No wonder Kian was so willing to have Nic as his replacement. He molded him just the way he wanted. He’s a manipulator, a murderer, and my biggest mistake.
I keep my gaze locked on Nic as he spins the chamber, making me sick with that familiar clicking. Nic used to do it all the time. It was like some kind of sick habit. Some people drum their fingernails against tables, others like to whistle, Nic plays with guns. In hindsight, I should have picked up on the signs.
“Nic,” I say in a calming tone, trying to get this situation under control. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m going to need you to get in my car. You’re coming home with me and we're sorting this shit out once and for all.”
Colton scoffs under his breath as I raise a brow, knowing damn well that is never going to happen, not after he showed his fucking crazy and then went ahead and proved that he could never be trusted again. Hell, at this point, if I were to go anywhere with him, I’d probably be gagged and bound before someone found me lying in a ditch.
“You know that’s not going to happen,” I tell him, wondering if maybe Kian accidentally dropped him on the head as a baby because there’s no way in hell that this shit is normal.
Nic takes a step toward us, lifting his lips into a wicked smirk. “I thought that’s what you were going to say.”
If Colton wasn’t behind me, I’d be backing up right now but his presence makes me braver which in all honestly is pretty fucking stupid. Here’s an idea, let’s play a game of provoking the crazy man with a gun.
“Do the boys know you’re here?”
“I’m their fucking leader. They don’t need to know shit about where I am.”
Colton’s hand tightens on my waist, preparing to pull me out of the way if need be. My hand hovers over his, needing his touch more than anything, needing his comfort and support. “Why don’t you give them a call? Let them know what you’re doing right now.”
Nic laughs. “Ahh, baby. You know that ain’t ever going to happen.”
“Nic,” I say, a little more forceful. “This is ridiculous. Put your fucking gun away and go home. No matter what you say or do, I’m not leaving with you, not after what you did. I’m with Colton and he’s taking me home so I can sort shit out with my mom. You need to forget about me, Nic. I’m not coming back.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head, the hurt blazing out of his eyes. “I’m not giving up on this. You belong with us. You belong back home, not with this rich prick.”
“Listen to yourself. You fucking proposed to me after I told you that I was in love with another man,” I cry, listening as Colton grunts in surprise from behind me, his answering scoff more than enough response to gather his thoughts on the topic. “You don’t love me, Nic. You just don’t want anyone else to have me. Can’t you see how wrong that is? You’re fucking sick. You need help, like professional help.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
Colton steps out from behind me, having heard more than enough. “Give it up, man. She’s done. She told you to fucking leave now go before—”
“Before what?” Nic demands, throwing his arm up and pointing the barrel of his gun right between Colton’s eyes.
A loud gasp comes tearing out of me and I throw myself in front of Colton as Nic r
ushes forward, knowing that one tiny little word from Colton’s mouth right now would have him buried ten feet under. Killing a guy like Colton isn’t something that’s going to get swept under a rug, especially if I have something to do with it. “Shoot him and I swear to you Nic, you will never see me again and that’s a fucking promise.”
Nic tightens his jaw. “Step out of the fucking way, Oceania.”
“Nic,” I spit. “Put your fucking gun down right the fuck now.”
“You and I both know where your loyalties lie. Step aside so I can end this.”
I laugh, pressing my back against Colton’s chest. “You know, that’s funny. Had you said that to me yesterday, I would have questioned myself, but after finding out what you did, you’re right, I now know exactly where my loyalties lie.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
I nudge myself back against Colton while keeping my eyes locked on Nic, proving once and for all that there's no going back. Knowing that once these words come out of my mouth, that’s it for me and Nic. He will never trust me again and after this, I’ll be a loose end that needs to be sorted out. I just hope my boys will still have my back even though I no longer have their leader’s.
“You know what I found last night,” I say to Colton, keeping my gaze trained heavily on Nic.
His eyes widen just a fraction, realizing just how damn serious I am. “Don’t do it,” he warns me, stepping forward and pressing the gun right against my temple, testing me.
“What did you find?” Colton questions, his voice low and careful.
I stare into Nic’s eyes, watching as the betrayal registers in his mind and I play the most dangerous game I’ll ever play in my life; I call his bluff. “I found a silver dagger, the exact one from your safe in your office, strapped to the back of his bedside table like a trophy because Nic killed my father ... and then he killed yours.”
Barbie B*tch: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 3) Page 31