Ride or Die (Rejects Paradise 4)

“That’s ridiculous. If something happened to me, Colton wouldn’t stop until every last one of you are dealt with, and the Widows … it’s only going to make it worse. It’s got to be something else. Maybe he’s trying to use me as leverage to get his shit back.”

“What the fuck does Dominic have on him?” Christian demands, thinking out loud.

“The deed to his company,” I say, deciding to keep quiet about the real person behind that. “Apparently, it’s the company that Russo ran all of his bullshit through. It holds every secret, every deal, every tiny little thing to bring this whole thing down in flames.”

“Fuck,” Christian grunts, leaning back in his chair. “We’d all go down if that was to get out.”

Jaren lets out a heavy sigh and leans onto the bar. “What the fuck are we supposed to do?”

Christian shakes his head, not liking his own damn plan. “We play along. We put Ocean in power and make her the best fucking leader these guys have ever had. We need to win her loyalty over Russo’s.”

My brows pinch as I stare at him in confusion. “And how the fuck am I supposed to get a bunch of grown-ass men to follow me?”

“You make a move,” he tells me. “You take down our enemies and show that only you could have done it. You make Russo look weak. End the Widows and make the Wolves the most feared and coveted gang this country has ever seen.”

I shake my head. “I can’t make a move against the Widows like that.”

“Then you die. It’s as simple as that,” he tells me. “I’m not trying to be an ass, I’m telling you how it is.”

“He’s right,” Jaren murmurs, looking up and meeting my eyes. “But whatever you decide to do, you need to figure it out fast because these guys aren’t going to sit around and wait on you forever. Make your move and make it a fucking good one.”Chapter 24Whispers turn into muffled protests filled with nothing but arrogance that has me desperately wishing I could cross this stupid Den and smack it out of the Wolfy dickwads. They’re acting as though I stole the leadership out from under Russo rather than having it forced down my throat.

Fuck, I’d give anything to not be here right now.

The Wolves hover in small groups, standing suspiciously spaced around the bar where I sit with Christian and Jaren. My back is to them, and it feels like the most moronic thing I’ve ever done as every few minutes that pass by, I feel them inch closer, more than ready to steal my crown away from me.

They don’t want me at the top just as much as I don’t want to be there, but unfortunately for every single one of us, there’s not a damn thing that can be done about it. It won’t stop them from trying, though. Judging by what Jaren and Christian have been saying, they’re going to try their hardest to get me out of here, even if it means putting a bullet through my brain.

I’ve never felt so sick in my life.

It’s only been an hour since Russo’s ridiculous little announcement, and seeing as though no one has died yet, I’d say I’m doing pretty well. I wonder what the world record for the shortest time in power is because I have a feeling I’m about to be at the top of the list. Russo must have a game plan. Surely he’s not stupid enough to put me at the top of the organization that he’s been behind for the last twenty or so years. It’s a ploy, he’s playing some kind of game, and I have a feeling that I don’t have much time to figure it out.

If I was smart, I’d be embracing this new change. I should be taking advantage of a shitty situation and making some big changes. I should be using this time to mend bridges between the Widows and the Wolves so that no one else has to lose their lives. Hell, maybe even save my boy’s asses while I’m at it. I should be turning over all the shitty people the Wolves deal with and get them off the street. I should be getting the Wolves clean and helping Blaxlands Grove become a desirable destination once again. But instead, I’m sitting here about ready to shit my pants.

Ha. I’m an idiot for thinking that I could have the kind of pull to make a difference around here. I’ll be lucky if I can somehow escape with my life still intact. The Wolves won’t stand for it. They won’t allow me to come through here and tear down their carefully sculptured castle from the inside. It’ll never happen. I just have to hope that while I’m here, I don’t get myself mixed up in any of their mess. You know, apart from the mess I’m already caught up in.