Ride or Die (Rejects Paradise 4)

“What?” I demand. “I’d never fucking do that to her.”

They all shrug. “That’s what I thought,” Sebastian says. “But nothing else made sense.”

I watch the three boys, scrambling for reasons, desperately trying to figure out what would push Ocean to such extremes. That’s when I realize these fuckers don’t have a fucking clue. “Tell me, what did Nic have to say about this?”

Their eyes scan to me, each of them narrowed and deadly. “What’s it to you?”

“You said they had an argument. I’ll take one fucking guess and say that you three have absolutely no idea what that argument was about.”

Sebastian steps forward. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that your boss, the guy who’s supposed to be your friend, is a fucking liar.”

Sebastian grabs me by the front of my shirt and pulls me in close. “Watch your fucking mouth.”

“Then tell me, what did he say the fight was about?”

“That’s none of your goddamn business.”

Kairo sighs, done with this bullshit. “Nic proposed. She said no and told him to fuck off. Nothing out of the ordinary and certainly nothing that would send her running into the arms of the Wolves.”

Maria shakes her head, already knowing exactly what it is that Nic did to push Ocean away. “You boys are so blind,” she finally says. “You trust that man so blindly, but let me ask you this. Do you have any idea who killed my husband eight months ago?” Their brows furrow as they glance around nervously, not liking where this is going. “That’s right,” she continues, sensing their nervousness. “Dominic killed my Lou in cold-blood and then stood in my home, vowing to help bring his killer to justice. That’s the kind of man you are serving.”

Each of the Widows start shaking their heads. “No, that’s not true. Nic would never do that to Ocean,” Eli says. “He knows what that would have done to her. He loves her.”

I scoff. “Yeah, he loves her so fucking much that he drags her down stairs and bruises her skin. He doesn’t love her. He just doesn’t want any other sorry bastard to have her. You know he’s capable of this. You’ve seen him with your own fucking eyes. He killed Lou, and then he killed my father. Ocean found the fucking dagger in his room and he admitted it to her. That’s what their argument was over. He came here Thursday morning, held a fucking gun to her head after she ran from him, and then demanded she choose. When she turned her back on him, he told her she was dead to him. That’s why she walked into the fucking Wolf Den, and I can guarantee that she’ll be doing everything she fucking can to build an army against Nic and take him out once and for all. So, when she comes asking what side you’re on, you better know your answer.”

They stare at me in horror as if only now just realizing how fucking serious this bullshit is going to get, but I don't have time to sit around and play the ‘how fucked up is Nic’ game. I have a girl to save.

I push myself to my feet and walk into my kitchen with the three Widows and Maria on my heels. I take my car keys off the counter and turn back to them. “Now, seeing as you three are here instead of at the Wolves fucking door, I’m assuming that you’re too fucking pussy to fight for her. So, get out of my way, I have a girl to bring home.”

“Don’t be a fucking dickhead,” Kairo says. “They’re going to kill you on sight.”

“Well,” I say, raising a brow. “I’m ready to take that risk for Ocean. Are you?”

Not one of them budges, and I shake my head, disappointment raining down over me. If only Ocean knew where their priorities really stood.

With that, I walk through them, leaving them all behind with their fucking tails between their legs, knowing damn well that they won't risk their own lives to go in there and save her, despite how often they say that they will. If anyone is going to save her, it’s going to be me, and I won’t stop until I have her back in my arms, safe and sound. Right where she belongs.Chapter 4OceanI sit at the bar, sipping soda, and taking in everything around me. This place is one horror after another. It is well after seven at night, and the things I have already seen are terrifying. After the little ‘meeting’ that decided Nic’s fate, I promptly threw up. Though honestly, the mental images of all the ways the Wolves were going to end Nic had way more to do with feeling sick than this absurd pregnancy.

I need to stop this. I need to find a way out while making sure that no one gets hurt. I can circle back to revenge on Nic, but no matter what I do, they’re going to attack. I gave them my father’s killer without thinking. I thought maybe they would have already known.