Ride or Die (Rejects Paradise 4)

“How can you be sure that the old Nic is still in there?”

I press my lips into a tight line, refusing to believe the worst. “Because I have to. It’s the only hope I have of getting through this. To find that he’s no longer in there and the Nic that I once knew is gone .. that would crush me.”

Colton nods before taking my chin and forcing my stare back to his. “You realize that if you hand him over to the Wolves, they're not going to give him the chance to get better. He’ll be dead within seconds.”

My gaze drops to my hands. “I know,” I murmur. “But what choice do I have? If I don’t hand him over, I’m a traitor, but if I do hand him over, I’ll be condemning him to death. Even after killing both of our fathers, I can’t help but still feel for him. All I can hope is that during all of this, I can somehow get Kai, Sebastian, and Eli out of this.”

Colton shakes his head. “You know that’s not possible,” he tells me. “While Nic is still at war, they won’t rest, even with you wearing the crown of their enemy.”

I let out a breath and climb off his lap before collapsing into my pillow. I hate it when he’s right like this. The boys will stand by Nic until the last possible second, even if it means giving up their lives in the process. They’re a stubborn bunch, and I hate them for it.

“I had a call from my lawyer,” Colton offers, making my head snap back up to meet his eyes. “He said that they were able to spin some self-defense bullshit and that Nic will be getting out at some point today.”

My eyes bug out of my head. “Self defense?” I gape. “It was a gang war. How the hell did your lawyer manage to spin that shit?”

He shakes his head. “Trust me,” he says, his voice losing its edge. “Those fuckers don’t get paid that much to sit around and twiddle their thumbs. There’s a reason they’re on my team. I only have the best there is to have.”

I nod. “So, he’s really getting out?”

“The cops are still digging deeper, but unless they can pull something out of their asses by 5pm this afternoon, then yep, the fucker’s getting out.” His words rock me with a wave of devastation, making me realize that while Nic was locked away, he wasn’t able to get to me. No phones to harass me, no chances at a random school drop-in, no turning up at my home. I was safe, and now that he’s coming out, we’re back at square one.

I drop back down to the pillow, and my traitorous thoughts instantly begin to take over, making the time tick by without either of us really noticing.

Both Colton and I remain lost inside our own minds until I finally pull myself up and lean back against the headboard, much like Colton had been when I walked in here late last night. “What?” I questioned, my voice low and whispered. “You’re being far too quiet.”

“I, uhh …” he says, glancing back over his shoulder before spreading out on the bed and propping himself up on his elbow to meet my eyes. “I don’t exactly know how this is going to affect you now that you’re in charge, but I made a deal with Russo. If he didn’t let you go, I was going to look into his business deals and get every bit of dirt on him to destroy him. I want you to know that I still have every intention of following through with that.”

I nod, realizing that taking down Russo could possibly be hurting me, but I can’t find it within myself to tell him no. “Do what you have to do,” I tell him, watching the way his eyes scan over my face, making sure he takes note of every tiny little emotion that flashes on my face.

“Are you sure?” he questions. “Because once I start, I won’t be stopping. I could uncover things about your father in all of this. I really don’t know what I’m going to find. I just know that the things I’ve already seen are enough to chill even you to the fucking bone.”

“Just do it,” I tell him, knowing damn well that he’s going to find something, and when he does, no one is going to like it. “Just be careful, I don’t want you getting hurt in all of this.”

Colton scoffs, a grin stretching across his face. “Please,” he laughs. “I can handle myself. If anyone needs to be careful, it’s you.”

I can’t help but laugh. “In case you’ve forgotten, this bitch can be as dumb as she wants when she has a whole army of Wolves at her back.”