Page 91 of Ride or Die
He lets out a belly laugh, and then it all happens so quickly.
He rips me from the chair and throws me against the wall, holding me there by my throat. His eyes are full of hatred as he slowly chokes off my airway. I thrash against him, clawing at his arms, trying to get out of his grasp.
“Your smart mouth is going to get you in trouble. Tell me what you know!” he says through gritted teeth.
“Fuck you! You’re an idiot to think he would tell me anything!” I manage to squeak out, gasping for air.
He growls and backhands me. My head whips to the side, and I see a weapon within my reach. He lets out a menacing laugh, and I take the opportunity to grab the knife off the counter beside me and put it to his throat. The goons move to step in but he waves them off, only laughing harder at me.
“You really have the lady balls to do it? Huh? Go on, do it. Slit my throat right here in your boyfriend’s kitchen and see what they do about it. I may be dead, but that won’t stop shit. You and your boy are dead in the next five minutes, too,” he challenges me. I push the blade harder against him, and he responds by pressing harder against my throat, my eyes bulging with the lack of oxygen getting into my lungs.
“I like your fight, kid, I’ll give you that. I didn't come here intending to hurt you, so just put the fucking knife down and I'll let you go.” He starts to lighten his pressure on my throat, and I slowly move the blade away.
When he finally releases me off the wall, my body sags forward as I cough and rub my throat. Adjusting his suit jacket, he cracks his neck and rolls his shoulders. Then he runs his hands through his slicked-back hair, almost like he's collecting himself. Like I had him on edge too.
“Maybe you don’t know as much as I think after all, and even if you do, I admire your loyalty and grit. How about you consider working for me? I’ll make it worth your while. I’d love to have the Bonnie and Clyde of The Shores on staff, take Williams’ new prized possessions.”
“If I trade sides, I’m as good as dead, so I’ll decline your offer,” I breathe out as I continue to rub my burning neck.
“Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea. You’re in the midst of a war now. Making friends on both sides can benefit you, especially with that huge target on your back. You really don’t think Williams will kill you when he’s done with you?” He raises an eyebrow at me.
I swallow the anxious lump forming in my throat. The thought had crossed my mind, but I never took the time to actually consider that maybe he would kill us when he is done with us. But I know this fuck is just trying to make me second-guess everything.
“Layla?!” Colt yells from upstairs, and all of our heads turn towards the sound. Constantine grins.
“Consider it. I’ll see you soon.” He winks, and I watch as they let themselves out.
Fuck, we’ve got to get out of here.
“Yeah, babe!” I yell out with a strained voice. I see him hobbling down the stairs as quickly as he can, concern etched on his face.
“Who the fuck was here? What happened?” he asks, hobbling over to the door when he sees me leaning against the wall holding my neck. He peeks outside to see if he can see them, but they are long gone.
Colt comes over and examines me. Gently, he unwraps my hand from around my throat and pulls my arm away. The redness and bruising are already starting to show, and his eyes widen in anger as he takes in my injuries.
“Who the fuck was here, Layla?!” he booms.
“Constantine Torres. Apparently, we’re targeting cars of men who work for him with trunks full of drugs.” Colton clears his throat and pulls out his phone, sending a text message.
“Williams will be here soon,” he says, helping me sit at the table.
When Torres knocked, I turned down the burner on the stove, thankfully saving our dinner from burning. But now that it’s cooked, I’m not the least bit hungry. We sit in silence as Colton watches me, and I try to avoid his angry gaze. I know he’s upset that I agreed to do the jobs. He’s upset he got hurt. Upset any of this is even happening, and if he wasn’t incapacitated he’d be out right now kicking ass.
A while later, Williams and Franky open the front door and walk right in as if they own the place. They take a seat at the table and look at me.
“What happened?”
“Constantine Torres,” Colton states. “You didn’t tell me, or her, the jobs would be ripping off fucking Constantine Torres and his crew!”
Williams just shrugs his shoulders like a fucking asshole. “Business is business, Hawthorne. I don’t have to tell you shit.”
“You do when it involves my woman pulling your fucking jobs, putting her life on the line! This isn’t us ripping off rich assholes with nice cars, this is us fucking with your competition!”
“We’re in a turf war! Torres and his crew have been trying to move in on my territory for years! They have what I want, so I’m going to take it. I don’t give a shit that your precious little girlfriend is the one stealing the cars. I need what I need when I need it, and that’s what your fucking paid to do!” he shouts, and Franky chuckles beside us.
“I don’t even know why I’m here when I’m not involved,” Franky scoffs, and Colton glares at him.
“Oh, but you are, Franky. The lift she pulled had a delivery for Torres in the trunk of the car. The car I crashed was full of drugs that are now missing. The drugs Axel probably stole, andyousold to this entire fucking suburb were Constantine’s. That’s why he was here. So yes, you’re part of the fucking problem when you push the drugs that she was unknowingly moving. Both of you dragged her into this goddamn mess!” Colt snaps, staring them down with hatred.
