Ride or Die (Rejects Paradise 4)

Another hand grips my upper arm, this one gentle but firm. “Stop fighting it, Ocean,” Christian’s voice sounds right by my ear. “It’ll be quicker that way.”

Fearing just how right he is, my body crumples, and I’m thrown into a circle of Wolves as they cheer me on, but not for the reasons anyone would hope for. Colton is barely standing at the outskirts of the circle, restrained and being forced to watch.

I don’t dare tear my eyes off his. Right now, he’s my only beacon of hope that I might just get out of this alive. But the anguish in his eyes is something that I will never forget, and I despise myself for putting him through this. I’ve seen him hurting before, I’ve seen him begging on his knees, but this … this is so much worse than anything I could ever imagine. I’ve always seen Colton as the strongest person in the room. Even from his knees, he's like a pillar of strength, an indestructible force. But the hopelessness clouding those beautiful eyes tears my soul right in two. “Don’t you fucking give up,” he begs me.

I shake my head, trying desperately to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry.”

His head hangs, and before I can start begging for his forgiveness, a heavy fist slams into me. One after another, hit after hit. Pain rips through me like never before, and I do everything I can to roll into a ball and protect my unborn child.

I scream in agony as the punches keep coming, delivered with hatred. The Wolves come at me with loud grunts and laughter, intent to cause as much damage to my already aching body as they can. Some are wearing rings, and they hurt the worst, tearing my skin right open.

Blood oozes onto the dirty concrete beneath me, and I do everything in my power to tune out Colton’s groans and grunts as he tries to fight his way out and get to me.

Boots slam into my ribs, my skin is shredded, and my face is left for the taking as I keep my arms cradled around my stomach, pulled tightly into the fetal position.

Time escapes me, it could only be thirty seconds, or I could have been here for ten minutes before Christian steps in front of me, looking as though he’s about to pass out. He meets my eyes, and I instantly clench them, not wanting to see what he’s about to do to me, but knowing that if he refused right now, he’ll be facing a much worse punishment than this.

He hesitates for the briefest moment. “Just get it over and done with,” I grunt through a mouthful of blood, unsure how much longer I can take it. I’d do anything to be anywhere but here. On a tropical beach with Colton, in the darkest pits of hell, fuck, I’ll even switch this out for the bullshit I suffered at the hands of Jude Carter.

I feel the brush of air against my skin as Christian steps into me, and with one devastating blow, his fist slams into my chest. I do everything in my power to hold in my grunts of pain, knowing that it’s killing him just as much as it is me.

Christian instantly steps back, not willing to touch me again, and just like that Russo steps into the circle and raises his hand. I hadn’t even known the fucker was here, but that’s just foolish of me. Of course he’d want to see his little snitch taking a beating. Hell, maybe I even deserved it for betraying the boys.

“Enough,” Russo says, stopping another Wolf from stepping forward. He meets my eyes, daring me to try and get up, but I don’t move, I physically can’t. He glances around and with one firm nod, the Wolves clear out of the darkness, leaving Colton to deal with the mess they left behind.

Colton dives toward me, scooping me off the ground and pulling me into his arms. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Jade. Baby, please tell me you’re alright. Can you hear me? Look at me, baby, please. Show me those fucking eyes.”

With every last ounce of energy left within my body, I turn my head to look up at him. “I… I…”

“Shhhh, Jade. It’s okay. I’m going to make it better,” he promises me as a tear rolls down my cheek. “I’m going to make the hurt go away.”

I nod, fearing the absolute worst.

“I love you, just hold on,” he tells me, the very last words I hear before my world falls into darkness.Chapter 13A hand twitches in mine, and I’m instantly alerted to the soft rhythmic beep of the hospital room. I peel my eyes open into the bright clinical light while taking note of the agony coursing through my body. I’ve never felt pain like this. Everywhere hurts. The idea of moving is like some twisted joke.