Ride or Die (Rejects Paradise 4)

Fuck. I’ve been around guys like this since I was a little girl. Of course they would go through with it. They don’t give a shit that I’m female, and they certainly don’t care that I’m knocked up. All they care about is making a point that they’re on top, and I’m a nobody. I’m nothing to them, just another person they get to exploit and hurt in the name of ‘family’ and ‘tradition.’

This is bullshit. I can only imagine what Colton is going to say about this. I still haven't heard from Eli, Sebastian, or Kai, but I’d assume that they’d be against it too. Though, who really knows when it comes to them? They’re all wild cards now, and I hate that about them. Surely they’ll be able to forgive me. Nic doesn’t deserve to just sit back and watch all the chaos burning around him, he needs to burn too, and I’m going to make sure of it.

I bring the Audi to a stop and I can't help but glance around the dark garage, feeling like I'm being watched, but that's the paranoia getting to me. They're not here. If they were going to jump me, it wouldn't be in my boyfriend’s prestigious and expensive garage. When they come for me, it will be in some dodgy back alleyway or an abandoned parking lot. Though, maybe they should get to me here. With any luck, they'd get distracted by the shiny toys and give me a chance to escape.

Yeah … that’s a long shot. They’d only jump me first and then steal the cars as well.

Slipping out of the Audi, I hit the button for the remote garage and watch it with a keen eye, making sure it gets all the way to the bottom before taking my eyes off it. Is this going to be my life now? Peering around every corner and constantly watching my back? To be fair, I probably should be doing that anyway when there are men like Dominic Garcia hanging around.

I must have done something really shitty in another life, and now it’s all coming back to haunt me. No one deserves this shit. I guess the question is, how many hits am I willing to take to make Nic suffer for all that he’s done?

Confident that the Wolves aren’t about to jump out from behind Colton’s parked Veneno, I take a breath and slowly let it out before making my way to the internal entrance into the mansion. It’s eerily quiet in here, and I hate it. I’m used to seeing Harrison waiting by the front door and the sound of Mom busily running around, but today, there’s nothing.

I make my way deeper into the mansion, and with every step I take, my heart slowly begins settling back to a normal rhythm. I hate the feeling of constantly being scared, but being with Colton is one of the few places where I can escape. He's my safety net, the one place I can find peace.

I walk through to the staff quarters, expecting to find Mom and Harrison fussing around as the rest of the staff gets everything done, but walking in, I find it completely empty.

What the hell is going on here?

I turn on my heel and stalk back into the main part of the mansion. Colton’s Veneno was in the garage, so he’s definitely home. It's rare that he ever takes any of the other cars, so I doubt that he’s gone anywhere.

I hear soft clanging coming from the kitchen and I follow the noise, unsure of what I will walk in to find. I turn the corner into the kitchen and come to a standstill, looking in at the candlelit room while my boyfriend slaves over the stove, probably having no idea what he’s doing.

I gape in awe, struggling to move my feet until he glances up and gives me one of those award-winning smiles. “I thought you’d never come home,” he complains with that cheeky grin that I love so much.

“Oh, really?” I laugh, walking in and feeling the butterflies taking flight in my stomach. “With everyone out of the house, it sure seems like you were expecting me.”

He shrugs his shoulder. “What can I say? I had Milo text me when you were leaving.”

“That little rat,” I grumble, finally stepping into his arms. I can’t help but look around the room and feel like the most loved woman on the planet. “What is all of this?” I ask, taking in the flowers on the table, the stunning candles flickering in the dim light, and the soft music playing in the background.

Colton pulls me into his arms and drops a kiss to my lips. “I figured you could use a night to forget about all the bullshit.”

I push up onto my tippy toes and slide my arms around his neck. “I think you’d be right about that.”