Ride or Die (Rejects Paradise 4)

“Damn,” I whisper. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“You don’t need to be,” he tells me. “We’ll just be careful from now on. I won’t tell him anything about you or when we’re hanging out. I swear—”

“I don’t think it really matters anymore, to be honest,” I tell him. “I’m already a Wolf. Russo got exactly what he wanted. He doesn’t need people hidden in my life anymore, he has his henchmen following me everywhere.”

“What? Are you serious?”

I nod. “Look around. I bet you’ll find at least three of them if you look hard enough. They've been watching my every move, assuming that I’m about to run or start spilling their little secrets to the Widows. I wouldn't be surprised if they’ve bugged my phone.”

“What?” he demands, his eyes going wide as he looks down at the phone that’s been resting on my lap since I first got in his car, staring at it as though it could explode at any second. “Then what are you doing? I’ll go and get you a new phone right now.”

I shake my head. “And risk him knowing that I'm trying to block him out? No way. I'd rather just try and play it safe.”

“Good point,” he murmurs. “So, what do we do?”

“Absolutely nothing,” I tell him, trying to give him what I think is an encouraging smile though knowing I’m failing pretty damn hard. “We go to school, and then we come home from school. There is nothing that we can do. This whole Wolf and Widows bullshit is beyond us, all we can do is hope that we don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

“Yeah, well I think it’s already a little too late for you.”

“That’s the understatement of the century,” I tell him, this time with a genuine smile before nodding back toward the road. “Now, be a good little chauffeur and drive my bitch ass to school.”

Milo laughs and checks his mirrors before pulling back out onto the road. “Is there anything else Your Highness requires?”

“Well, as long as you're asking, I wouldn't mind a red carpet to be laid out everywhere I walk.”

“Jesus Christ,” he grumbles under his breath. “Does Colton know you’re this high maintenance?”

“Please,” I scoff. “I bet you’re worse than me. In fact, I can guarantee it. Tell me, how often do you have Spencer hand feeding you grapes in a gold speedo?” A smile tears across Milo’s face, and as he glances over at me, I see the wheels turning in his mind. I don’t doubt that a brand new fantasy will be played out the next time they’re together. “You’re such a dirty bird,” I tell him.

Milo laughs, and as he pulls onto the street that will bring us to the end of our time together, he looks over at me with sadness in his eyes. “I hope you know that to me, our friendship has always been real. I don’t want you thinking anything less. You really are my best friend. There’s no one out there like you.”

Love soars through my veins and instantly overwhelms me. I want nothing more than to curse these stupid pregnancy hormones that have somehow turned me into an emotional mess. “Thanks,” I tell him. “You have no idea how much of a relief it is to know that you have nothing to do with it. I mean, I had a feeling, and Colton told me that there was no way. He knew it was real, but my mind wouldn’t stop wondering,” I tell him. “And for the record, I feel the same way. I love you, and I absolutely love having you in my life. I wouldn’t change it for the world. There are so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to get through if I didn’t have you.”

“Ugh,” he groans, bringing his car to a stop outside of BSP. “Don’t give me all that sappy bullshit. Get yourself and your whiny ass out of my car.”

I laugh as I swing the door open. “Hey, you’re the one who started the sappy bullshit, I just finished it.”

He rolls his eyes. “Out, wench.”

I climb out of his car and make a point of walking slowly around the front of the Aston Martin, making it impossible for him to get his ass out of here. I lock my eyes on Milo’s through his windshield and watch the smile tear across his face before he lays on his horn and doesn't let up. I jump out of my damn skin, and within seconds, we have every eye in the school on us.

That asshole.

I get up onto the curb, and as I walk toward the school gates, Milo’s voice comes sailing through his open window. “I freaking love you, you skank ass bitch,” he calls out before hitting the gas and taking off, making damn sure that he had the last word.