Page 42 of Ride or Die (The Shores #1)

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

FIRST JOB

LAYLA

Saturday came way too quickly. I'm standing in front of the mirror in my underwear as I release my hair from the curlers. Colt has been especially quiet today and is currently refusing to look at me.

“Colt, can you please talk to me? I’m nervous as fuck, and you’re not helping at all,” I say, turning around to glare at him.

“I’m just pissed that you’re doing this! Williams won't even take my fucking calls. It’s like this is what he’s wanted all along!” he shouts, rubbing his face with both hands in frustration.

“Please, would you stop?!” I yell at him.

“This is where we are, deal with it and tone it the fuck down!

Jesus, I don't want to go through this again.

I just want some fucking moral support!" The stress of all of this has taken its toll on us, resulting in numerous littler arguments over the past week.

He sighs and sits on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry…you’re right. This is why I wasn't talking. I keep taking my shit out on you.” He gets up and uses his crutches to come over to me. His arms wrap around me from behind, and I instantly relax, letting out a sigh.

“You got this, Lay, you’re going to do great.

We’ve rehearsed and you’re on point with this, so just go with it, okay?

Get into the role. You’re hot as fuck. You’re not going to have any trouble with this guy.

I mean, look how you just put me in my place.

You can handle anyone or anything," he says genuinely as he rests his head on mine.

Now there's the supportive Colt I know and love.

"I just wish I could go with you. I feel so fucking useless," he says quietly. I turn and reach up, holding either side of his face to make him look at me.

“You are not useless, Colton Hawthorne. You helped me practice for this. You have given me the confidence to believe I can pull this off, and I will.” I pause, staring into his eyes.

“You are brilliant, handsome, kind and caring. You are the man for me, and as soon as this shit is over with, we’re taking the fuck off and building a life together, right?

This is simply a kink in the plan. Life is full of them, so it’s time we get used to it.

When my man is down, it’s my job to pick up the slack, and vice versa.

” I press my lips to his, kissing him slow and gentle, and when we separate, he gives me a small smile.

Grabbing his crutches, Colt hobbles back to his bed and reaches into his bedside table drawer. He grabs a box and sits down, placing it on the bed beside him. I look at it and him curiously.

“I picked this up before I got hurt and was waiting to give it to you on your birthday, but it feels right today. You’ve taken such good care of me, and I want you to have this so you can remember how much I love you.

” I sit beside him and open the box to find a necklace with a heart pendant embellished with our birthstones.

My eyes widen, and I take it out of the box to look at it.

“Colt, it’s so beautiful. I love it,” I say quietly, and he gives me an adorable smile.

“Wear it tonight, so that I’m there with you.” My heart literally melts at his words, and I bite my trembling lip to stop from crying.

“Of course. Thank you babe, I love you." I lean forward, cupping his cheek and kissing him again.

“I love you too.” He leans into my hand and kisses my wrist.

With a sigh, I reluctantly finish slipping into my short black spaghetti strap dress that pushes up my tits perfectly. I throw on the necklace he gave me, so he’s there with me, just like he said. We say our goodbyes, and as always, it's a dramatic departure for these things.

My bad boy, the big softy.

I blow him a kiss and close the door behind me as he watches me leave, knowing that feeling too well. All he can do now is wait.

Axel and I drive forty minutes into the city and park across the street from the condo building of the Bentley owner. He frequents a different bar every Saturday and brings home a woman every time. And that’s why we are here, to follow him to his venue of choice.

He emerges from the building in a black suit with no tie and his hair slicked back.

The condo's valet steps out of the Bentley, and they exchange pleasantries. I can’t deny that he is a handsome man, which makes it a bit easier to adjust to the idea of flirting with him.

Axel studied him well and is wearing a similar outfit, his usually unkempt hair slicked back too.

“So that’s him. You ready?” Axel asks, never taking his eyes off the target.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Axel puts the car into drive and we follow him for the fifteen-minute drive to the lounge, where he pulls into the valet as expected. Axel drops me on the sidewalk, and drives the car to an alley across the street so we can walk up to the bar separately, but close to one another.

As I follow him in, I notice he puts the valet ticket into his wallet, making this that much more difficult. I tap my lips twice, the signal to put our other plan in motion.

I have to roofie the guy.

I walk into the lounge and see him approach the bar. He promptly orders a drink like he’s a regular with a tab, and his order takes priority over everyone else’s.

He immediately turns and starts chatting with the lady beside him. This guy wastes no time, so I have to move quickly before she takes his attention for the night.

Axel heads in the opposite direction, sitting at the other end of the bar. I make my way over to the target and squeeze my body in beside him, smiling weakly at the couple I am crowding on one side, but making sure to press my breasts against his back as I move in.

I allow my hand to glide down his back as I position myself on the stool, and he turns to look at me.

The bartender spots me at the same time. "What can I get you?” the bartender asks as he eyes me up, making my skin flush.

“I’ll take a glass of white wine please,” I say delicately. This gains the interest of the target, and his eyes light up as he takes me in as well. My heart is racing, hoping I can pull this off.

A small grin pulls at the corner of his mouth. “Well hello there, the name is Bronson. And you are?” I bat my eyes at him.

“Nice to meet you, Bronson. My name is Genevieve.” I make sure to giggle stupidly and check him out with seductive eyes as I put my hand out for him. Clearly he likes it because he licks his lips and his mouth parts into a smile before he kisses the back of my hand.

“What brings you here, Genevieve?” he asks, leaning onto the bar with a flirtatious look in his eyes.

“I’ve never been here before. I figured I would try it out. So far I’m pretty pleased with what I see," My tongue darts out, wetting my lower lip, and his eyes drop to watch my mouth. He is eating it up. "Do you come here often?

“Yeah, I’ve been here before. It’s a nice place to get a drink,” he says easily, trying to act smooth. The bartender brings me my drink, but before I can pay, Bronson slides the cash along the bar to him.

“Such a gentleman,” I purr and touch his arm, dragging my finger along his forearm. He gives me a proud, beaming smile as I pick up my glass.

"Cheers to meeting new people." I put up my glass and give him my best smile, our glasses clinking before we each take a sip with our eyes on one another.

We chat for a bit. I act like I work at a local hotel in reception and he tells me he’s in management at a bank.

Surprisingly, I’m totally into the role.

The more we converse and touch each other, the easier it gets.

A simple arm squeeze turns into his hand on my lower back and whispers in my ear.

I think I’ve got him right where I want him.

“How about we get a table, Bronson?” I smile at him.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” My hand gives him a squeeze and he smiles widely, thinking he’s hooked his conquest for the night. Poor bastard has no idea what's coming to him.

We move over to a small table, where our flirting and banter continues. Axel was right, when you immerse yourself in a role, it's amazing what you can pull out of your ass.

The waitress comes over. “Can I get you two some more drinks?”

Bronson smiles at me. “Yes, I’ll take a whiskey, neat, and she will have…?”

“Another white wine please,” I say sweetly, then meet his eyes. He gives me a flirtatious grin. He thinks he’s loosening me up. Perfect.

The waitress drops off our new drinks. I take the pill out of my purse and leave it on my lap under the table. My eyes meet Axel’s, indicating I'm ready. It's time to cause the distraction like we planned.

He takes his drink and stumbles into a passing waiter, spilling the guy’s tray all over the floor. The sound of crashing glass makes the whole lounge turn in their direction, including Bronson.

“This fucking place sucks!” Axel screams, playing the role of belligerent drunk.

“Fuck all of you! You call this a drink? You’re cheating me out of my booze!

This is not a full shot! This is not what I paid for!

” He smashes his glass on the floor with the rest in a fit of rage and flips a table.

While everyone is so focused on this scene unfolding, I slip the roofie into Bronson’s drink.

Axel continues running with it until the bouncers escort him out the front door, giving the roofie enough time to dissolve before Bronson notices. He turns back to me, shaking his head.

“Jesus, some men can’t handle their liquor.” He chuckles, then takes his drink and downs it all in one go, making a funny face at the bitter taste. I withhold my smirk at the irony in that because he is going to be that guy.

“What do you say we get out of here?” I ask, squeezing his arm.

“I think that sounds like a fantastic idea Just let me use the washroom before we go.” He gives me a grin and wink, then heads off to the restrooms.

I wait patiently, and by the time he returns, he already looks fucked up. He reaches the table and offers his hand. We make our way to the door, and he’s becoming more stumbly as we go. I have to get him to the car before he passes out.

“How about you drive? That last drink hit me a little harder than I thought,” he slurs and hands me the valet ticket as I support him. Thank god he was the one who asked me to drive and I didn’t have to coerce him.

“Sure. I can't wait to see your place, Bronson.”

"Mm... I can't wait for you to see it either," he murmurs.

We stand there holding each other, and he lets out a deep breath, the pill taking full effect on him. In the distance, I see the Corolla parked on the street. Axel is waiting. When the valet pulls the car up, I help Bronson in and then get into the driver’s seat.

“Thanks, babe,” he slurs. Smiling, I put the car into drive, and he gives me directions back to his place. As I pass the Corolla, it pulls out after me, following us. After about five minutes, Bronson is out cold, his head leaning against the window.

“Bronson?” I ask, reaching over to slap his face. Nothing. The time is now.

I pull into a back alley, followed closely by Axel.

As I put the car in park, he’s already out and heading towards the passenger side door.

He looks both ways down the alley then opens it, and Bronson practically falls out.

Axel pulls him out and frisks him, taking some cash out of his pocket. I watch him in disbelief.

“What?” he says with a shrug.

We lean him up against the wall of the building, leaving him there, and I get back into the car. I pull out of the alley and make my way to the highway with Axel following behind.

My heart is racing the entire time, my head constantly swiveling around me, looking for cops or anything suspicious. Colt says this is always the worst part.

Forty minutes later, I pull into the pier, finally starting to relax when I drive the Bentley directly into the shipping container. Now that I’m here and safe, a sense of pride overcomes me when I realize I did it.

Mission complete.

I walk out of the container and head towards Axel in the Corolla, the adrenaline replacing my anxiousness, filling my veins with each step towards him. He gets out of the car, and I see Williams emerge from the shadows. They say something to each other, but I'm not close enough to hear.

I hurry towards them, just wanting to get the fuck out of here as soon as possible, and hop into the passenger side. Williams walks around the car while Axel gets into the driver’s seat. He steps up beside my window and knocks, so I roll it down.

“A job well done, Miss White. I must say, you do look fabulous, and even better driving my car. I can see why Hawthorne is so hung up on you.” His dark eyes trail over my chest and face.

He reaches through the open window, and his finger grazes the top of my breast that’s busting out of this dress.

Repulsed, my heart races as I resist smacking his hand away.

Don’t piss off the crime boss.

“It’s too bad you and Hawthorne want out. I could really use a spitfire like you on my team permanently,” he says. I look up at him to see that stupid smirk on his face.

“Is that all for today, Williams?” I raise an eyebrow. He simply nods, then slaps an envelope against my chest, copping another feel.

“Have a good night kids. I’ll be in contact soon. There are a couple more jobs to go, Layla, so please be prepared. You’ll hear from me in a couple weeks.” I nod at him, and Axel puts the car into drive and pulls out of the pier.

We drive back in silence to Colt’s place, my hands shaking in my lap the entire time. Holy fucking shit.

I'm officially a car thief.