Page 109 of Ride or Die
"He gave you my share too?" I avoid his accusatory gaze, feeling guilty that we never gave him his cut. He's right, we could have. Greed is a motherfucker, and I'm just another one of these selfish assholes now.
It's every man for himself in The Shores.
Axel knows that a job made is a job paid, and he was sure that was still the case. And he's right, between the two of us, we brought home this forty thousand fair and square for that job, but it was still Williams who stiffed Axel.
He picks it up and my dad fidgets, looking agitated, but he doesn’t do anything except point the gun at Axel. My dad was always a little bitch. It’s why he ended up with the shitty life he’s lived. He fucked us.
“Why’s this bag so fucking light? Haven’t you been squirreling money away, Hawthorne?”
“Yeah, but I mailed all my money to a PO box in Canada. We lied about California. We’re heading to a quiet country town up North.” Colt lies. “It’s all gone, Axel, unless we go to Canada and wait for it to arrive.”
As Axel is about to respond, my mom wildly goes for the bag of money in his hand, and all hell breaks loose.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-FOUR
DEATH BY GREED
LAYLA
The sudden explosive pop of a gun firing in the small space is deafening. Colt and I drop to the floor, taking cover, his large body protecting mine.
The bullet hits my mom in the abdomen. She looks up in disbelief and grabs her wound, blood spilling through her fingers as she drops to the floor, bleeding out.
“Sue!” my dad yells. Rage fills his face and he lifts his gun, but Axel shoots again, hitting my dad in the chest.
Another high-pitched sound assaults my ears as Colt hovers over me. I hear the muffled sound of his voice asking me if I’m okay over and over again, but all I can focus on is my dad’s body collapsing beside my mom’s. Blood drips from his mouth as he struggles to breathe, gurgling as he stares at me, blinking slowly. He gives me a small, creepy grin before I watch the life leave his body.
Seeing the lifeless eyes of my parents staring back at me, blood pooling around their bodies, makes me want to throw up. I slam my eyes shut and turn away, and Colt hugs me to him.
An hour ago, we were getting ready to leave for Hawaii. How are we even here? My body trembles and tears escape my eyes as the ringing continues to burn my ears.
I hate my parents, but this is fucked up.
Still holding me against him, Colt yells at Axel, and the sound slowly returns to my ears. “What the fuck, Ax? Why?! Why man?! That's murder! You thought you had problems before? I’m sorry, I can’t go down for you!”
“Shut the fuck up! Get in the car and let’s go. You’re taking me to get the rest of that money!” Axel waves the gun erratically in the air, totally strung out and distracted after shooting two people. I feel Colt take the gun from my waistband and maneuver it into his, placing the knife on the floor for me while Axel spirals and paces the room, trying to figure out how to deal with this.
I’m numb, my parents’ eyes haunting me as they lay there. I look over and see Daya crying and shaking in the corner. She’s like me, unable to move.
“Axel, what the fuck, man? It’s not that easy. Just take the forty grand and let’s get the fuck out of here!” Colton stands up slowly, facing Axel with his hands up.
“Williams let me go and didn’t pay me for the last job. I-I’m fucked, Colt! I owe a lot of money to a lot of people! And with you leaving, you…you’ve fucked me!” he screams. Colt is now standing across the table from him, his hands out before him, trying to talk his best friend down as Axel waves the gun in the air.
“Why did you do it, Ax? Why’d you steal the drugs from Constantine?”
Axel rubs his forehead with the barrel of the gun, agitation on his face as he steps back and forth. “I-I-I needed the money,” he stammers.
“You sold them to Franky and started a war! I didn’t fuck you! It’s not my fault you’re a shit driver. You’re a fucking gambling cokehead who made stupid fucking decisions! I tried to help you, but you never wanted it, no matter how much I tried. You’re a man, it’s not my responsibility to care for you! Just take the forty grand and let’s get the fuck out of here!” Colt shouts back. I’m not really sure how those words are calming. Why is he trying to piss this guy off more?
Axel peers over at the bodies on the floor with a look of regret. His hands rub over his face again, fighting the urge to cry over what he’s done. But when he looks up, rage takes over.
He makes eye contact and storms towards me, reaching for me on the ground. I take the opportunity to defend myself and pull out the switchblade, stabbing him in the thigh.
“Ah! You fucking bitch!” he yells, grabbing around his leg where the knife sticks out.
I try to scramble away from him on the floor, but he grabs me and lifts me up. Axel holds me close to him, his arm wrapped around my neck. With a growl, he quickly rips the knife out of his thigh and throws it to the floor.
