Page 110 of Ride or Die
He presses the muzzle of the gun against my temple, and I cry out, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him off me as panic sets in. Colt quickly pulls the gun from his waistband and points it at Axel, cautiously going over every option in his head. I can see him problem-solving from here.
“Take the gun away from her fucking head. You don’t need to point a gun at her like that, Ax,” Colton warns.
“Then let’s get in the car and take me to the money!” Axel says through gritted teeth.
“Okay! Fuck! Just put the fucking gun down and away from her goddamnit! I’m really fucking sick and tired of people threatening us because they want us to fix their problems!” he screams.
“I was supposed to be the top driver,” Axel's voice cracks. Tears fill my eyes as he continues to hold the gun to my head, and a sob escapes my throat as I squeeze my eyes closed.
“Me!” he shrieks so loudly his body trembles. I actually feel bad for Axel. After all the years of drug abuse, he’s lost his fucking mind. Tears fall from my eyes, afraid he might actually pull the trigger.
“Just let her go. She doesn’t need to come to Canada. This is between you and me,” Colt says more calmly, his gray eyes narrowed at Axel as he holds up his gun in surrender.
I have no idea what his plan is since the money is in the floorboards waiting to be mailed to Hawaii, but I will let him run with it.
I trust him.
“No fucking way. She goes where we go. Daya get the fuck home!” he screams at her. She’s frozen on the floor in the corner of the living room in tears, her hands trembling over her face. I don’t think she wanted her relationship with him to end up this way.
We start making our way to the front door, Axel still holding me at gunpoint with his eyes on Colt. When he opens the door, we are surprised to find it blocked by two large men, and behind them is Williams.
Finally.
“Holy Fuck. Williams. Wh-what are you doing here?” Axel mumbles, pointing the gun at Williams, then Colt, then back at me as we back up, stepping away from them.
“There are these devices called cell phones, you moron,” Williams says, easily walking into the house. “Miss White sent me a message asking for help, and I owe her one. But I didn’t realize you’d be the one here holding the gun to her head with two dead bodies on the floor.” He looks down at my lifeless parents and waves at them.
The security staff nods and one runs out to the car while the other stands with his arms crossed, observing the scene before him.
“What in the fuck have you done, Axel? Look at you, strung the fuck out. You’ve really fucked things up."
"You fired me, you fuck! They didn't pay me! That's why I did this!" Axel shouts at him, and Williams shakes his head in disbelief.
"You're such a pain in my ass, you just keep making things worse for yourself. That’s why I fired you and told them not to pay you your share. You keep making more fucking work for me and I'm sick of it. Hawthorne kept your ass in line. If he’s gone, I want no part of your bullshit. There’s no reason to hold up your boy for the cash he worked hard for, earned, and didn’t piss down the toilet like you did.” He pauses, looking over at us.
“That’s why I admire Hawthorne here. He reminds me of myself at a young age. Smart, clear-headed, goal-oriented. Hell, if he stayed on board, he’d have worked his way up in no time.” Then he looks over at Axel with disgust.
“And then there’s you…my own son. Who uses me for everything and still wants more. Who fucking pisses off rival gangs and puts in the bare minimum at the university I pay for. You had the whole world in front of you, this fucking empire I’ve built, and you shit all over it.”
What the fuck? Did I hear that correctly? His son?
Axel shifts uncomfortably, still holding the gun. Unsure where to point it as it shifts between everyone in the room, he’s scrambling. The security guy is back with tarps and tape, and the two of them start rolling my parents’ bodies into the tarps. He’s disposing of the bodies. I seal my eyes shut, unable to watch. I hated them, but this is just too much.
“You turned out just like your mother. Drugs, stupid decisions. Why has it come to this with you?” Williams asks with irritation.
“You’ve fucked me my entire life…” Axel’s voice shakes, trying to hold back his tears. “You chose your crimes instead of raising me! You got her pregnant, tried to buy her off, you abandoned us! I had no fucking guidance with a strung out mother! You fucked me! The very least you can do is pay for me! You owe me!” he screams at Williams, who chuckles at his outburst.
“You're right. I never meant to get that slut pregnant. That's why I hired you and did these things for you. To make up for that bullshit. But you had every opportunity to inherit what I abandoned you for." Williams paces the room, his hands clasped in front of his mouth as he thinks things over.
"I just can't believe this is where you ended up, so how about this? You have the choice. You try to take my boy and his girl here, and I kill you. End your misery. Or I can help you. You have debts and I have some dirty work that needs doing. I’ll pay your debts, smooth over shit with all the gangsters you pissed off, and you work for me, but say goodbye to the street racing life. We can discuss the finer details later.”
Axel snorts in response. “You will pay off all the bookies, dealers, and gangs?”
Williams nods with a sinister smirk, “I mean, you already fucked me by starting shit with Torres and his crew anyway, so I may as well make you live through some form of punishment for your dumb-ass decisions. So, what’s it going to be? Work for me again? Or die. Tonight, and I roll your body up with theirs. Choice is yours.” My head swims as Colt and I look at each other, still absorbing this.
Williams is Axel’s dad, and a super shitty father at that. It explains a lot, but I wouldn't expect anything less from a crimeboss. Williams turns his focus over to the trembling Daya in the corner.
“Daya, go get in the car, I know about the baby. I’ll take care of my grandchild. Axel fucked up, he’s the one to pay for that. Not you, now please, go get in the car.” She reluctantly stands, her eyes full of sorrow.
