I take him in, and everything south of the border clenches.
Fuck me, there’s something about him today. Maybe it’s the dangerous sparkle in his eyes or the way that he leans against his car with his strong arms crossed over his wide chest. His hair is messy, his sleeves rolled to his elbows, and his top button undone. He looks as though he’s had the day from hell and that thought alone has me picking up my pace.
Girls all around watch him, and then they watch me watching him, all but drooling over the glorious sight before them. I hear his name whispered on nearly every set of lips around me, some groaning in delight while others wonder how quickly they could steal him away.
I tune it all out, desperate to get into his arms and make whatever pain he’s feeling fly away, but as I get closer, I can't help but wonder why he’s here. Is it just because he’s had a shit day and wanted to pick me up, or is something going on? He never picks me up unless I specifically ask him to. Milo’s not here, so I’m assuming that Colton told him not to bother.
Concern sets itself into my mind, and as I get just a few feet away, his bloodied knuckles become obvious. I start scanning just a little closer, really taking him in. His knuckles aren’t just bloodied but deeply bruised, his shirt is torn, pants dirty, and he looks fucking exhausted. Not to mention the blood splattered all over his clothes.
Colton prides himself on being put together. When he’s at home, he doesn’t give a shit and will walk around half-naked, but in public, he makes a point of looking the part, even when his world is burning to ashes around him. So for Colton to be standing here, looking disheveled and broken, something’s up, and for some reason, my gut instinct is telling me to run.
Whatever this is, it’s big.
I slow my pace, desperately wanting to put off whatever bullshit bomb that I fear is about to be dropped on me.
By the time I reach him, I’m walking at a snail's pace, doing everything I can to avoid the inevitable. The worry must show on my face as he pushes off his car and instantly wraps me in his arms. “It’s going to be okay,” he murmurs, holding me close, neither of us concerned about the blood that stains his clothes and is now most likely all over mine.
“What happened?”
He releases his hold on me and takes my hand, leading me around to the passenger side. “Not here,” he tells me. “Just wait till we’re in the car without your whole school listening.”
I look up and meet his eyes with concern, but he gives nothing away as he opens the door for me and helps me in. I drop into the seat, still slightly throbbing with the dull ache that remains in my muscles from last week’s attack.
Colton closes the door and as I drop my bag to the floor. I watch him walk around to his side, a grim expression on his face, but I’m distracted as my nostrils flare with the strange disinfectant smell filling the car.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Colton looks as though he’s about to be sick with whatever he has to tell me. If he was any other guy and I didn’t know just how deep his love ran for me, I’d be worried that he’s about to end it. But the blood and torn clothes are kind of a dead giveaway that this is something different, something huge.
Colton gets into his car, and as his engine rumbles to life, I glance over at him, sitting as still as can be as he stares out the windshield. “Just rip it off like a bandaid,” I tell him. “Whatever it is, I can take it.”
Colton looks over at me and lets out a heavy sigh before finally hitting the gas and taking my ass home. “I beat the living shit out of Russo today,” he tells me. “I bargained for your freedom and blackmailed him until he agreed before leaving him in a pool of his own blood.”
“What?” I breathe, staring at Colton as though he’s some kind of stranger. “Why would you—”
“Just wait,” he tells me, pulling over on the side of the road to where we won't have any eyes watching us. “As I was leaving, I used his phone and called one of his guys to come and get him, but Snake assumed I was Russo and mentioned the Wolves were on their way to end the Widows.”
I suck in a deep breath, my eyes widening in fear. “No,” I say, shaking my head, begging for it not to be true as dead sinks heavily into my stomach. “No, no, no. Please tell me they didn’t.”
Colton drops his head, looking at his bloodied hands. “They did,” he murmurs. “I was in Breakers Flats in one of Dad’s old factories and took Russo to Nic. I couldn’t get through to Nic, but I got a hold of Kairo on the way and gave them a heads up, but there were only fifty or so of them there.”
Tears form in my eyes and instantly start trailing down my face. “No,” I say, my voice broken as the words struggle against the lump forming in my throat. “Just … please just tell me they’re not dead. Tell me they’re still alive.”
“They’re okay,” he soothes, reaching out and taking my hand and sending a wave of relief crashing over me, making it just a little bit easier to breathe. “We put Russo out front and used him as a bargaining chip, but that doesn’t mean that there weren't any fatalities. From what I could tell, Nic lost three men while the Wolves … I don’t know. It was hard to tell. Maybe two of them went down. Maybe three.”
“What happened?” I whisper, my heart aching.
“Your friend, Christian. He surrendered and laid his gun down to save Russo. He made a deal with Nic to call it off, said that if he just handed over Russo, they’d leave quietly, and I think Nic could tell they were outmatched. He didn’t want to give in, but he did. The cops were coming, and everyone just wanted out.”
“Are they okay?” I ask, not needing to clarify who ‘they’ are. “Did anyone get hurt?”
“They’re alright,” he says, desperately trying to soothe me. “Nic has a gash on his face, and Kairo got a bullet through his arm, but it’s just a flesh wound. Nothing he can’t handle.”
I nod, knowing that if anyone can tough it out, it’s Kai. “Sebastian and Eli?”
“Fine,” he tells me.
I take a deep breath, leaning forward and dropping my face into my hands. “This is all my fault,” I whisper. “Those guys who died, that’s all on me. They’re never going to forgive me. How am I ever supposed to face them again knowing what I did?”
Colton reaches over and unbuckles my seatbelt before pulling me across the car and into his lap, he wraps his arms around me, gently rubbing circles, and silently telling me that it’s all going to be okay. “They don’t blame you, Ocean,” he murmurs, trying to reassure me. “I saw the look in their eyes today, they love you so deeply, there’s nothing that you can do wrong. Even Nic, despite all the bullshit, he still sees you as family.”
I shake my head. “They can’t … not anymore.”
“Stop, Jade. You weren’t there, you didn’t see what I saw. They know this isn’t on you.”
I rest my head into his chest, trying to will the tears from falling. “Where were you during all of this?”
“Standing with your brothers,” he tells me. “Right where I should have been.”
My eyes widen. “You stood against the Wolves?”
“Uh-huh,” he murmurs. “I know you’re one of them now, but standing with your brothers is more important to you than standing against them, and I know you don’t want to believe that right now because you’re still so hurt by what Nic did, but I had to.”
I nod, lacing my fingers through his and holding on tight. “Did any of the Wolves recognize you?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Not that I noticed, but I don’t think it matters, Russo knows it was me who warned the Widows, and he’s going to have it out for me, especially after the shit I pulled on him today.”
“Why do I feel like there’s more that I need to know?”
“I sort of bought the business that his whole organization runs through. With the information I have, I could bring the whole thing down and more.”
“Fuck, Colton,” I breathe. “He’s going to try and kill you before you can even do anything with it.”
> “I know,” he whispers. “It’s better that he focuses on me and not you.”
I shake my head, not even knowing what to say. “I want to hate you so bad right now.”
“That’s okay,” he whispers, pulling me back into his chest. “Hate me if you have to, but either way, your part in this is over. They stood against the Widows, and all your boys came out unscathed while Russo has agreed to let you go. You can have it all now, college, this baby, if you want it, anything.”
“I ...I …”
“Shhhh,” he murmurs, his hand still running up and down my spine as his lips press against my temple. “It’s okay, you don’t need to say anything, just know that it’s all going to be alright. They can’t hurt you now.”
I shake my head. “I think we’re fooling ourselves to assume the worst is over.”
“Maybe,” he tells me, pulling back. “But for now, why don’t we just go home and you can call the boys, check in on them yourself?”
“Are you sure?” I ask, searching his eyes.
“Of course,” he tells me, pressing his lips to mine before brushing my hair back off my face. “They need your reassurance just as much as you need theirs.”
“Okay,” I breathe before pulling myself out of his arms and climbing back into the passenger seat.
Colton hits the gas again, pulling back out onto the road, reaching over and taking my hand in his “There is something you should know,” he tells me, rubbing his thumb back and forth over my hand. “You know how I mentioned the cops showing up?”
My head whips back around to him. I’d completely overlooked that part of his story. “Yeah,” I say in a panic. “What happened?”
“The boys were all holding firearms when they showed up, and Nic was arrested for possession of a deadly weapon. I haven’t heard any details, but I’ve sent one of my lawyers down to the police station and he’ll be taking care of it. So, we should hopefully know something more tonight.”
I stare up at him, amazed by his generosity after Nic has done so much to hurt him. “You didn’t have to do that,” I urge him, “but thank you.”
Colton nods. “I didn’t do it for him,” he tells me. “I did it for you.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“Alright,” he says, letting out a breath and showing me just how nervous he was to share all of that with me. “Let me get you home, and then we can figure out what our next steps will be.”
“I can’t agree more.”
With that, Colton flies down the road, and twenty minutes later, I stand out by one of the many pools, staring down at my phone, and trying to find the courage to actually call the guys.
I drop down onto one of the sunbeds while glancing through the back window of the mansion. Colton stands in the kitchen with his phone glued to his ear and appears as though he’s busily putting something together, but we both know that he’s just standing close in case I need him.
Wanting to be stronger, I let out a breath and get on with it. The phone rings three times before Kairo’s face appears on my screen, looking more pissed off than I’ve ever seen him. “Ocean,” he says, instantly making tears well in my eyes.
I hate myself for being so transparent and do my best to blink the tears away. “Hey,” I say, my voice low and filled with pain. “I just needed to check that you’re alright.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t lift the pissed-off stare that seems to hit me right through the phone. “Besides the fact that I had one of your guy’s bullets slice through my arm, then yeah, just peachy.”
“Kai,” I say, my tone dropping low as my heart breaks. I completely deserved that. “You have to know that I didn’t know they were coming for you. If I knew … I would have been there trying to make it stop. I’m so sorry, so fucking sorry, and I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m going to beg for it anyway because the thought of you guys hating me is killing me, and I just … I can’t lose you all. You’re all that I have left.”
“Stop,” he says, his voice finally breaking as his heart appears out on his sleeve. “We don’t hate you. We told you that no matter what, you’re always our sister, and we meant that.”
I shake my head. “How can you say that after what I did? If I hadn’t gone to Russo, then this never would have happened. Your guys would be alive, and you wouldn’t be hurt.”
“Pretty girl,” he soothes, using that old nickname that I feel I haven't heard in months. “Whether you went to Russo or not, we were already at war. All you did was give him the push to do what he’d already had planned to do, but thanks to Colton, their plan backfired, and for now, we all get to live to see another day.”
“I … I really don’t even know what to say.”
“I know,” he murmurs, “But when you figure it out, can you make sure all the bullshit whining is finished. I don’t want to hear it anymore. It is what it is, and we’ve both said what needs to be said. End of the discussion, okay?”
I nod, despite us both knowing damn well that this will be brought up at every chance I get. I’ll never stop feeling miserable for this, which in turn means that despite having their forgiveness, I’ll never stop apologizing.
“Come on, bro,” a familiar voice says in the background. “Let me stitch your arm.”
Kairo grunts and glances back down at me as I see the side of Eli’s face come into the screen. “Looks like you’re about to get yourself a show.”
“Huh?” Eli says before leaning in and glancing down at me. “Hey, O. What’s up, girl?” he says in a too cheery tone that makes me wonder if he was even there today. I mean, where’s the anger, the resentment, the need to tear me to shreds?
“Hey,” I say with a fake smile. “Are you alright? You didn’t get hurt?”
His brows furrow and a cocky smirk stretches over his face. “Who, me?” he asks with a soft grunt. “Baby, no one can touch me. I’m indestructible.”
Kai slams his elbow back into Eli’s gut, and he doubles over in pain. “Yeah, real fucking indestructible,” Kai murmurs before waving his arm around. “Get on with it, this gash ain’t going to stitch itself.”
Eli rights himself and stretches out again before focusing on Kai’s arm, and I watch as his eyes narrow, and the sick grin twists across his face. “I apologize in advance,” he murmurs to Kai, his eyes glistening with mischief. “This might sting a little.”
“Nope,” Kai snaps, yanking his arm out of Eli’s hold. “Sebastian, get your ass over here. This fool ain’t going to touch me.”
Eli laughs as Sebastian appears at his side. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you stitched yet? Oh, hey O. What’s up, girl? Caused any shootouts and gang wars today? Oh, wait … yep, you did do that.”
Fuck me.
I groan, dropping my forehead into my hand and watching the boys smirk through the phone, making it all too clear that Sebastian is just teasing, but either way, it makes me feel like shit. “I’m really sorry,” I tell him as he focuses on shoving Eli out of the way and taking a good look at Kai’s arm. “Do you hate me?”
“Not today,” he tells me, grabbing the things he needs to mend Kai. “You’re going to have to do worse than that.”
“Worse?” I grunt. “How could anyone ever do worse than that? A wild shootout with hostages is literally as bad as it gets.”
Sebastian grins, glancing up at the screen with a sparkle in his eyes. “Nah,” he says with a scoff. “It could have been worse.”
I roll my eyes and let out a breath before pressing my lips into a hard line. “Have you guys heard from Nic? Is he doing alright?”
The boys shrug. “Not yet,” Kai murmurs, shaking his head. “But you know how these things go. They'll hold him for forty-eight hours and do as much digging as they can, but Nic keeps his shit locked up tight. They won’t get him.”
“Even though they walked in to see him holding a gun that you and I both know was stolen?”
Kai shrugs. “What can I say? Dominic Garcia is a special breed.�
�
“You got that right,” I say with a laugh while silently hoping that he does get locked up because at least that way, he’ll be doing time for his crimes. Kai’s right though, Nic will get out of it, he always does. I can’t help but glance back at the kitchen and take in Colton through the big windows. The phone is still attached to his ear, but now his eyes are on me, silently asking if I need him. I shake my head and look back down at the boys. “You know Colton set him up with one of his fancy lawyers.”
“No shit,” Eli says from off screen, secretly impressed.
“Yeah, hopefully he can help Nic’s case.”
“Nic will be fine,” Sebastian throws in, giving his two cents. “Now why don’t—”
My phone beeps with an incoming call, and I scrunch up my face as Christian’s name flashes on my screen. “Shit,” I say, cutting off Sebastian and knowing damn well that now isn’t the time to avoid this call. “I have to go.”
The boys nod. “Yeah, I thought that might be the case,” Kai says, almost as though he knows exactly why I need to end this call so soon. “Talk soon, O.”
Kai ends the call before the others get a chance to say goodbye, but I don’t get a moment to think about it as Christian’s call is instantly answered. “What’s up?” I say into the phone, silently begging for some kind of good news.
“Mandatory club meeting,” he says with a grunt. “You have two hours to get your ass here, and do me a favor, don’t bring your boyfriend.”
Shit.
Chapter 23
The whole avoiding the Audi thing goes to complete shit as I fly out of the driveway. I can’t be late for this ridiculous little meeting.
I can only imagine what’s going to go down. Russo is going to be there and he’s going to be pissed that Colton managed to steal his business out from under him and then threw salt on the wound by beating the ever loving shit out of him.
This meeting isn’t going to go well.
Getting out of the house wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Colton hates it when I leave to go into Blaxlands Grove. I think it makes him feel helpless, but at least this time, he didn’t put up too much of a fight. He must have been expecting this. After all, he’s convinced that Russo is going to let me walk in exchange for his untouched business. Though, I can guarantee that while Colton waits for Russo to release me, he’ll be going through everything with a fine tooth comb and making copies on every hard drive he owns. Either way, Russo is going down.
Ride or Die: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 4) Page 21