Page 49 of Ride or Die (The Shores #1)

CHAPTER

FORTY-NINE

LAST JOB

LAYLA

It’s been almost a week since we saw Constantine, and thankfully, no one has bothered us since. Tonight we are pulling our last job, and Axel has joined us for our final prep but is looking rather uncomfortable now that Colt is in on the plan.

He’s sitting at the desk in Colt’s room with a frown on his face as he scrolls through his phone. Daya is standing with him, looking just as annoyed with his behavior as we are.

The tension is palpable between them. Colt seems to think he runs the show, and now that Axel has had a taste of the power, he’s not happy about being demoted. He’s back to looking like his greasy, unkempt asshole self.

He’s just lucky I convinced Colt to let him be a part of the job at all, especially since both of us have our suspicions about his intentions and loyalty to us.

Daya steps up close to me while I’m doing my makeup.

“What is with them tonight?” she asks quietly.

“I don’t know. I think there may be a bit of a power struggle.” We both look over to them as they discuss something heatedly.

“They better get over it before you guys head out so they don’t fuck this up,” she says. “I’ll tell Axel to chill the fuck out. The pressure is all on you. You don’t need this right before pulling a job.”

“You’re right, they are making me more nervous. Thanks, Daya.” She squeezes my arm.

“No problem girl. You got this!” She walks over to Axel and gestures for them to go outside to talk. He lets out a loud sigh and reluctantly gets up, following her out. Colt shakes his head as he watches him walk out.

I finish doing my hair and makeup. Colt is dressed in his signature black shirt and black torn jeans, leather jacket, and boots, focused and ready to work.

For this job, we are taking a Lamborghini Urus from a prominent businessman and his wife who like to host sex parties. They have one every month and basically run the city’s swinger lifestyle. Williams caught wind of the parties a while ago and has been in the planning stages ever since.

We grab our shit and get ready to leave, walking out of Colt’s house and heading directly to the Corolla in the driveway. The two of us get into the back of the car. Axel kisses Daya goodbye and hops in the front with his laptop and tech gear in the passenger seat.

The drive is eerily silent. Colt holds my hand the entire time, but it doesn’t calm the nerves that stir in my stomach.

Thirty minutes later, we pull into the rich neighborhood, and I am in awe looking out the window at the massive homes we pass, amazed some people actually live like this.

We slowly roll along the street until we see the target’s home, where guests are showing up and the party appears to be getting into full swing.

We stop about a block away and hang out in the Corolla while we tap into the homeowners’ security system, hacking their cameras, alarms and gate.

All the videos pop up on the screen and we watch things unfold on the laptop, seeing politicians, local celebrities, and all sorts of people with a lot to lose showing up.

Once all the guests have arrived and there is no longer movement in the driveway, we record thirty seconds of footage from all the outdoor cameras and loop it.

We interrupt the feed so no one is the wiser to us walking into the property, or when we drive away from it.

We also hack the cameras to the front and garage doors where I’ll enter and exit the building.

As confident as I am, I’m still super nervous that the cameras will pick me up and I’ll get caught and sent to jail for the rest of my life. There are very important people at this party, after all.

Colt and I wait in the back seat while Axel does his thing on the computer, giving everyone time to get drunk and preoccupied. Colt gives my hand one last reassuring squeeze as he looks at me, his gorgeous stormy blues peeking through his messy hair again, full of confidence.

We got this.

“It's time,” Axel says, looking back at us. “Good luck guys. See you back at the docks.”

We get out of the car and run along the side of the street. Carrying my high heels in hand, I run barefoot as we move quickly, no time to stop or hesitate. When we arrive at the open gates, we head straight in, sneaking up the side yard to hide in the shadows.

We crouch down behind some bushes off to the side of the garage where I’ll exit, noting where the Urus is parked.

Lights flash and music booms inside the mansion, a real party underway. There are about twenty cars parked nicely in the driveway. We hear laughter and glasses clinking, moans and groans, slapping. Colt gives me a look and raises his eyebrows.

Yeah, this is nuts.

“This is fucking crazy. How do people do this? I couldn’t let another girl near you, I’d fucking kill her. And are these people morons? No security?” I whisper.

“I know, right? They like to rely too much on the technology of their security systems instead of hiring guards who have the potential to leak the shit that goes on at these parties. Remember the threat I had against Constantine?” I nod, looking at him.

“It was related to one of these parties. A girl was raped and murdered, and they covered it up. Constantine helped them dispose of her. I could bury a lot of people with that video. All taken from hacking security footage. Oversight on their part. Clearly they haven’t learned. ”

“Holy fuck, Colt.” I stare at him, shocked.

“Yeah. I know. Keeping that video is both a risk and leverage.” I gaze at this man in amazement, always with a backup plan in place. If they try to fuck with us in the future, we still have that video and can use it to protect ourselves.

“Now, the car is straight ahead, I’ll wait by the passenger door for you. Let’s do this so we can get the fuck out of here.” Colton grabs me and pulls me into him for a mind-blowing kiss.

“You look so fucking sexy. Go get it, baby.” He winks. I smile and put on my high heels, then strut my way to the front door. My heart races as I open it and walk right into the house.

The smell of incense fills my nose, and the loud music booms in my chest. The rooms are lit with red and pink lighting, strobe lights and disco balls flashing all around.

One thing I’ve learned is that if you act like you are meant to be there, no one will think you aren’t, so I hold my head high and confidently walk through the house, unaffected by all the things I could look at right now.

I’m wearing my slutty short black dress with my tits busting out and my 'fuck me' Louboutin knockoffs, blending in with the crowd of wealthy swingers.

I grab a glass of wine and look around at the guests.

There are couples playing strip poker, strippers swinging around poles, people sucking dick and fucking on the couches, but no one notices me, too wrapped up in each other.

Without stopping, I meander my way through the main living space and put down my glass before walking down the hallway towards the office and garage.

I studied the floor plans and indoor cameras that were hacked and know they keep the keys in a small den closest to the garage.

I easily find the door to the den and look around before I enter, making sure no one sees me as I slip inside, quietly shutting the door and moving into the room.

It doesn’t take me long to locate the chest on the wall, opening it to find multiple keys for all his cars.

I sift through them until I find the Lambo Urus keys and grab them, heading to the door.

Peeking out, I make sure the coast is clear before I step back into the hall, heading through the mud room and towards the garage.

As my hand holds the doorknob to the garage, the hair on my neck stands up, and I feel eyes on me from behind.

My heart slams against my ribcage as I slowly look over my shoulder to see Constantine standing at the end of the hall with his shirt unbuttoned and open wide, displaying his defined chest, watching me with a devious look on his face. Of course he is here.

I’ve gotta move fucking quick.

Without looking back, I exit the side garage door and take off my heels, maneuvering quickly through all the parked cars towards the Urus.

Colt is crouched beside the car waiting for me, so I press unlock on the fob.

I hear the car door open, and he hops into the passenger seat, turning off the inside lights as I pick up my pace.

My heart is racing as I eye the gates, quickly noting they are still open.

As soon as I get into the car, Colt pushes the keyless ignition and I put it into drive. I glance at Colt, who is smiling ear to ear as I start pulling the car out of the driveway.

The whole process took less than ten minutes.

He keeps an eye out behind us as my breath quivers. “That’s good, babe, keep going. There’s no one on us.” We make our way through the expensive neighborhood, praying that no one recognizes the car and the fact the owner is not in it.

“Constantine was there…he-he saw me,” I say nervously, trying to remain focused on the road.

“It’s okay, baby. Just breathe and keep driving normally, there's still no one behind us.”

We drive through the suburban streets and onto the main roads. One phase of getting out of here is done, now we just have to get on the freeway. As we pull up to the freeway entrance, the traffic light turns red, so I ease off the gas and stop, both of us letting out a little breath.

But right before we can officially relax, a siren sounds, and red and blue lights flash behind us. Colt and I look at each other, and his expression tells me everything I need to know.

It’s on.