Ride or Die: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 4)

by Sheridan Anne

  “You little bitch,” he roars, diving for his gun, only he doesn’t find it because it’s already resting heavily in my palm and aimed right at his chest.

  “Just fucking try me,” I dare him, watching as he raises to his feet.

  “Give me my fucking gun, bitch.”

  “You know,” I say, spinning it in my hand, the same way Nic does. “I think I might hang onto this.”

  He dives for me, and I let a bullet fly free, shooting at his feet and watching as he comes to a startling halt, only now just realizing how far I’ll go to protect myself.

  “Back off, Leon,” comes a voice from across the room. I glance across the room to find a man watching me, though it’s not with the same curiosity as the rest of them. There’s something oddly soothing about him, something that tells me that he’s the good kind while also someone who needs to be watched out for. “You don’t want to fuck with her. That’s big Lou’s kid. She could probably fuck you up a million ways before you even knew what was going on.”

  Scarface looks back at me, his eyes raking up and down my body before he spits at my feet, forcing me back a step to avoid getting any of that shit on me. “You got off lucky this time, whore. Mark my words, you won’t be that lucky next time.”

  Leon backs away, and I keep my eyes on him until he’s completely out of sight. I turn back to my savior with a small, grateful smile. The guy nods and then looks away as though it never happened in the first place.

  I stay on my feet, my body too pumped up and alert to be able to relax back into the dirty couch. I glance around, unsure of what to do with myself. Does Russo want me to make friends, or am I just supposed to sit here and look pretty until this shit gets sorted?

  With nothing else to do, I find myself edging toward the guy who saved me despite the fact that I had it more than under control … at least I think I did. He probably doesn’t want my company, and I don’t want his, but so far, he’s the only guy in the room who hasn’t looked at me like a cheap whore or like someone who can be used in their wicked games.

  I tuck Leon’s gun in the back of my school skirt and get halfway to him when Russo’s booming voice sounds behind me. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he demands, making me spin around with wide eyes. “You were told to sit.”

  I raise a brow and silently watch him, waiting to see what the hell he’s going to do about it. I might have come here looking for help but that doesn’t mean that I’m about to bow down and start kissing his damn feet. My hands fall to my hips, and for a seventeen-year-old girl, I must have bigger balls than anyone here in this room. “Are you done?” I question, raising my chin, taking a step toward him. “You may have branded me with your mark and stolen my freedom, but I’m not about being disrespected, and I sure as hell am not about having your men try to assault me. I’ve already put up with enough of that shit, and I’m not about to go through it again. Are we clear?”

  Eyes widen all over the den, waiting for me to get my ass handed to me. But Russo just stares through a narrowed gaze, taking in my posture, more than aware that I will fight my way out of here if I have to. The seconds tick by, and with each passing one, the need to fidget grows, but I hold strong and don’t let him see my fear. “Good,” he finally says as though I just passed some kind of test. “I was worried you were weak. Maybe you’re a little more like your father than I gave you credit for.”

  “That’s not a compliment,” I tell him.

  “Wasn’t meant to be,” he says. “Now, follow me. It seems we have a few things to discuss.”

  Russo turns his back and almost on queue twenty men follow him, one of them being the guy, Snake, who had held his gun to my head in that damn alleyway. I’m shoved in the back, and as I go to curse out the fucker who dared touch me, I find the man who had saved me, the man with the kind eyes. “Just walk,” he grunts in my ear, pushing me along.

  I do as I’m told, and I follow the group of men into some kind of meeting room. There’s a massive table, but no one seems to stand behind it, they just hover, waiting to hear what needs to be said.

  Russo clears his throat once the last of his men have entered the room. The door is closed for privacy, though I have a feeling that privacy is something that I won’t get much of around here. “This is Oceania Munroe, Big Lou’s kid. She’s a—”

  “A fucking Widow, that’s what she is,” one of his men spits, staring at me with hate in his eyes. “I’ve seen her with those pricks. She’s their little plaything. Why the fuck is she here? She’s not our problem. You’re just bringing more bullshit to our door.”

  Russo eyes his man and the look sends chills sweeping down my spine. He takes his gun and gently lays it on the table in front of him. “Did I ask for your input?”

  The guy clenches his jaw, keeping his eyes on his leader. “No, boss.”

  “The next time you question me, you better be prepared to fight for it. Is that understood?”

  The guy nods and takes a hesitant step back, folding into the line with the other men surrounding him, trying to hide away like a fucking pussy.

  “As I was saying,” Russo continues. “Oceania has come to us for help. Her father was my second, and we owe it to him to hear her out. Oceania is family. She bears our mark and has vowed to honor our mark. So you will give her the respect she is due.”

  Russo falls silent and all eyes look to me, waiting expectantly for me to come forward. “Oh, umm … am I supposed to make some kind of speech?” I question, having absolutely no idea what’s expected of me right now.

  Russo raises an expectant brow, daring me to get on with it, so I shrug my shoulders and do just that. “Alright then,” I say, glancing around at the twenty or so men. “As a woman, I feel it’s my duty to educate you all on the importance of washing between your ass crack and under your balls. It’s imperative. You can’t just let the water rush over it and expect it to be clean. I can not stress this enough. The two in one shampoo and body wash is not okay. It does not get the job done. Believe me, chicks do not dig a man with a stanky ass.”

  A hand slams down on the table, making me jump. “Do you think this is a joke?” Russo demands as the Wolves all seem to creep in closer, each and every one of them with a disgruntled scowl on their faces, all except my friendly guy who looks to be hiding a smirk.

  “Oh,” I say, sucking in a breath. “So, is this not a little ‘get to know the new chick’ thing?”

  “You have two seconds to explain why you’re here before I'm forced to get the information out of you.”

  I let out a heavy sigh and raise my chin, ready to get it over and done with. “Eight months ago, Dominic Garcia killed my father, and then he killed my boyfriend’s father as well. He’s done all sorts of unspeakable things toward me, and yes, up until a few days ago, I was loyal to Nic. He’s been my best friend for years but killing my father? He needs to pay. I won’t let him get away with it, and as of a few days ago, I turned my back on him.”

  Snake scoffs from across the room. “And I’m assuming you want us to do your dirty work?”

  I scowl at him, unable to even pretend to be happy that I'm in this room. “Don’t act as though you guys haven’t been searching for my father’s killer too. If you knew it was Nic, you would have gone after him ages ago. My father was a Wolf and not just any Wolf, but your second in command. That’s gotta mean something.” I take a breath and look around until I come back to Russo. “This morning, I found out that I was pregnant with my rapist’s baby, and no, I have absolutely no fucking idea what I plan to do about that. But, I know that if I decide to go ahead with this pregnancy, I need to have this finished. I will not bring a child into this world that will be a target for Nic.”

  Russo leans forward on the table, keeping his eyes on mine. “What do you expect us to do about it?”

  I shrug. “I expect your help. You said this was supposed to be a family, and I’m counting on that. From now on, Nic will pay. But, I must be clear about this; no more
lives will be lost.”

  Scoffs are heard all around the room, and a booming laugh comes tearing out of Snake. “What do you think this is? We’re not hired help. If we’re going after the Widows, then you can guarantee that it’ll be a fucking massacre.”

  I shake my head, horrified by the thought. “No. There are good guys in there,” I insist, thinking of Sebastian, Kai, and Eli. “No one will be hurt. Take Nic and deal with him but leave the rest of them out of it.”

  Russo smirks. “You think that’s how it works, sweet cheeks? You want us to go in there and take their leader, expecting the rest of them to just sit back and watch? Don’t be so naive. If we go in there, men will be lost, both Widows and Wolves. Are you prepared to have that on your shoulders?”

  I clench my jaw and instantly start shaking my head, horrified by the plan that’s coming into place but knowing that I have to stay strong and stand by what I’ve said. It’s either me or Nic, but there’s that part of me that can’t be responsible for the deaths of innocent men. If any of my boys were to be hurt … fuck. No, I couldn't handle that. This isn’t what I wanted. “No, if that’s the outcome, then no. I won’t kill my friends. Thanks for nothing.” I start walking to the door, ready to haul ass out of here. “I’ll find another way to get at Nic.”

  “Well, well,” Russo says in a tone that has me rooted to the spot. “If only it were that easy. You’ve given us Lou’s killer on a silver platter and unfortunately for you, you’re not the one who calls the shots around here. We don’t play by your rules, Miss Munroe. Now, sit your ass down and tell us exactly what we need to know.”

  Shit.

  Chapter 3

  Colton

  I slam the phone down after calling Ocean for the hundredth time, and just as I expected, there’s no fucking answer. Where the hell is she?

  I find myself staring at the security monitors again, and by now, I can’t tell if it’s out of habit or worry. I know I’m not going to see the Audi pull into the drive, it’s all I’ve been hoping for the past few hours, but I know better. She’s not coming back.

  There was something off about her when she left this morning. There was an odd fear in her eyes, but she insisted that she was okay. That was nearly fourteen hours ago, and no one has heard from her since.

  Ocean should have been home ages ago. She was being shady and said that she needed to go and see someone before school, only she never fucking made it to school. She was a no-show, and I have no fucking idea where the hell she is. I feel sick. I need to know that she’s okay.

  I should have gone with her. She didn’t look right. I should have trusted my gut, and now she’s gone. I asked if she wanted me with her, but she blew me off. I should have insisted.

  I hope I’m over-exaggerating this bullshit, but there’s just something deep inside me that tells me to be worried.

  I’m trying really fucking hard not to panic and to give her the space she needs to do whatever the fuck it is that she’s doing, but I’m running out of patience. I can’t take it anymore. I just need a text or something from her telling me that she’s alright.

  If something happened to her, if Nic got to her … fuck. I don’t give a shit how she feels about him, I’ll fucking kill him if I find that he’s laid a hand on her. I don't care if it means the end of my relationship with Ocean. There’s absolutely nothing that I wouldn’t do to protect her. I know I’m only eighteen, and I’m not supposed to be thinking about this shit yet, but she’s the one. I’m going to fucking marry that girl one day, and when I do, it’s going to be the best goddamn day of my life.

  I get up from my couch and instantly start pacing the living room, focusing on taking slow, deep breaths to stop me from grabbing the crystal vase that sits on the coffee table and launching it across the room.

  Not being able to calm myself, I grab my phone off the armrest and scroll through until I come across Milo’s number. I hit call and wait impatiently as it rings. Once. Twice. Three fucking times.

  “Colton?” Milo says, not used to having me on the other end of a call. “What’s up?”

  “Have you heard from Ocean? She never came home today.”

  “The fuck? What do you mean she never came home? She texted this morning, checking that my nurses were playing nice.”

  “Did you hear from her after that?”

  There’s a slight pause, and I can almost hear the questions and horrors flying through his mind. “No,” he finally says, his voice low and tortured. “What’s going on? Did something happen? Where is she?”

  I press my lips into a firm line and let out another slow breath. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

  I end the call and am about to try Hendrix when chaos down the hall has my phone dropping to my side. What the fuck is that? It sounds like a herd of elephants running through my house, and if Maria’s loud shriek is anything to go by, I’d say it’s anyone but Ocean.

  I dart out of the living room and fly up the hall, following the sound of random men storming through my home. “Where is he?” someone calls through the house as I hear Cora shriek and fly back up the stairs, telling me that whoever these people are, they’re no friends of ours.

  The last time someone raided my home, the only motherly figure in my life was brutally shot and murdered, and I’m not about to sit back and allow that bullshit to happen again.

  I move faster, determined to figure out why these people are in my home, but Maria’s yells have my fears easing. “I don’t care who you think you are. You can’t just storm through here like you do back home. Besides, Ocean isn’t even here. This isn’t some trashy bar, this is a private home, and you need to leave.”

  “We’re not here for Ocean,” one of the guys snap back at her. “We know exactly where she is, which is why we’re here.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  No response comes as I turn the corner and finally find them. Ocean’s three little bodyguards; Sebastian, Elijah, and Kairo. They look pissed. “Where is she?” I demand, walking straight up to them as Maria hovers beside us looking lost and confused.

  Kairo doesn’t stop, just keeps walking straight into me, slamming his hands against my chest and pushing me back a step. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

  “Excuse me?” I spit, pushing him right back into his friends and watching the astonishment on their faces that I was capable of moving him. But, honestly, if they think I’m about to sit back and let them go on with this bullshit, then they are sorely mistaken. “Where the fuck do you get off coming into my home and demanding some bullshit explanation out of me? I haven’t done shit to Ocean. I have no fucking clue where she is, but clearly, that’s not the case with you.”

  “What on earth is going on here?” Maria demands, pushing herself between us. “Someone tell me where my daughter is right this very second.”

  Elijah cringes and drops his gaze to Maria but not after sending a glare my way. “She walked into the Wolf Den this morning and hasn’t come out since.”

  My eyes bug out of my head as my heart begins to race for my girl. “The fuck? The Wolf Den? As in the fucking gang that her father was a part of? The fucking pricks who branded her in the street?”

  Maria instantly starts shaking her head, her face growing pale as fear floods through her. “Keep up, rich boy,” Elijah says, stepping forward as though he’s the one playing point tonight. He gets right in my face, his jaw clenched and hands balled into tight fists, instantly setting me off. “I’m not here to give you a history lesson on Ocean’s life, I’m here to find out what the fuck you did to her that made her make such a fucking stupid decision.”

  I push him back, demanding my space. “I didn’t do shit. Everything is good between us, but if you’re looking for a reason, perhaps look at yourself. You fucking Widows have done nothing but cause shit for her over and over again. Your overprotective and possessive bullshit is killing her. She just wants a fucking break from the drama.”

  “Don’
t fucking start with me,” Elijah says, completely on edge. “She wouldn’t just walk in there like that unless you freaked out over the fucking baby. What did you say to her?”

  “Baby?” I question. “What fucking baby?”

  The Widows go quiet and glance around at each other, confusion marking their faces. Sebastian turns to Kairo. “She didn’t tell him.”

  He shakes his head. “No, then it’s got to be something else. Some bullshit argument with Nic isn’t enough to have her risking everything and walking in there.”

  My mind spins. Wolf Den. Baby? What the fuck is going on?

  Maria grabs hold of Eli's shirt and pulls him right into her chest. “You have three damn seconds to tell me what the hell is going on with my daughter before I call your mother and tell her all about the things you’ve been getting up to, Elijah. You don’t get to come into this home and throw around words like Wolf Den and baby without an explanation. Now, get talking.”

  Maria releases her grip on him but judging by the look in Eli’s eyes, she’s more than capable of making his life a living hell. He glances back at his dipshit friends before looking down at Maria with sympathy in his eyes. “I really don’t want to be the one to have to explain this to you.”

  “The clock is ticking,” she warns. “Two seconds left.”

  Eli looks up at me, fixing himself with a harsh scowl. “Ocean came to me this morning,” he starts, making my brow raise straight up. She told me that she had to go and see someone but never in a million years did I think it was this guy. “She asked me to go to a doctor’s appointment with her because she was scared.”

  “The fuck are you talking about?” I question as a fierce jealousy cuts through me. Why would she trust him with a doctor’s appointment and not me? I would have had the fucking doctor come straight to her if she wasn’t feeling well. “What doctor appointment?”