Tough Shit (Rejects Paradise 1)

“Kai,” Nic snaps, done with our conversation. “Tell me you got the fucking kid?”

“Nope. The fucker’s gone missing.”

“Missing?” I question. “Who? Are you talking about Jude?”

Nic nods but it’s Kairo who responds. “Yeah, pretty girl. Carrington said he left him in the guest room last night coz he was pretty fucked up but he wasn’t there this morning. I’ve checked his place and his parents confirmed that his car was still in the garage. He couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Fuck,” Nic roars, sitting up in bed, the sound penetrating my head and making it pound, though all I can think about is the terror Jude’s parents must have felt at being faced with someone like Kairo when he’s looking for answers.

Nic looks at me as I place a hand over my face, trying to dull the ache. “Do you know where he could be? You knew the fucker better than us.”

My lips twitch at the way Nic already refers to him in the past tense. I shake my head. “No, I only ever saw him here or at school,” I explain, leaving out the whole boat thing though I think it’s obvious that he isn’t hiding out on the Carringtons’ boat … though is it really such a long stretch? “Check the marina,” I tell Kai. “There’s a shitload of boats out there. He could be hiding out in one of those. He’d be stupid to think you guys weren’t coming for him. I told him that much.”

“Alright, pretty girl,” Kai says. “I’ll call you when I’ve got something.”

The call goes dead without so much as a goodbye and I’m left watching Nic as he slides out of bed. “If the fucker is running, I need to go out and help the boys find him,” he tells me. “Will you be alright here? I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

I nod, knowing that at some point today I’m going to have to get out of bed, find some pain-killers and go and thank Colton for saving my ass yet again. “Yeah,” I tell him, knowing he’s not about to walk out that door if I give even the slightest hint that I need him. “I’ll be fine. I want to shower and I need to go up to the house and see Colton.”

Darkness seeps into Nic’s eyes. “I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” I question. “See Colton?”

He nods and I narrow my eyes waiting for an explanation. Nic sighs and turns away, collecting his keys off my set of drawers. “You’re into him, O. I see it all over your face so forgive me for not wanting my girl to go and throw herself at the guy who brought that fucker into her life.”

I stare at him, not sure what to say. “I’m not your girl anymore. It’s okay for me to be into someone else.”

Nic walks up to me and leans down on the bed until his face is hovering just in front of mine. “Baby, just because you say something, doesn’t make it true. You’re my girl and one of these days, you’re going to come to your senses and come home to me.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I grin.

Nic rolls his eyes and drops a feather-soft kiss to my lips before turning and walking out of the room. “I’m glad you’re alright, O,” he calls as he walks out through the pool house. I listen out as he walks away and I hear the familiar sound of the door shutting behind him.

I let out a soft sigh as I’m left with nothing but my thoughts. I have to get out of here. If I sit in bed for much longer I’m going to drive myself insane. I know Nic is going to find Jude and put an end to my suffering. It’s a fact. It’s as true as saying that the sky is blue or that I have a stubborn streak, but it doesn’t change the fact that it happened and it certainly does nothing to ease the torturous memories that have continuously sailed through my mind since I first woke up.

I peel myself out of bed and get up to my feet. I’m not going to lie, it’s not the first time I’ve been drugged but that time was by accident and possibly a little self-inflicted. Sebastian and I were screwing around with some pills that we’d found and apparently, it wasn’t the good stuff. I’d taken the wrong one and Nic, Kai, and Eli were quick to let Sebastian know what they thought of that. The poor guy couldn’t walk for a week.

I was taken care of and in safe hands, nothing at all like what happened last night. The next morning had sucked. I was wobbly on my feet and my mind was foggy until I could sleep it off and I’m assuming today is going to be the same.