Page 54 of Ride or Die (The Shores #1)

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.

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 crime boss. 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.

My mouth drops. Daya's pregnant? I can’t believe everything I'm learning tonight. And not only that, Williams is Axel’s dad and seems more willing to take care of his unborn grandchild than his own son. What an asshole.

“I’m sorry, Layla,” she says quietly, looking at me one last time before exiting the house. It breaks my heart. She was a good friend. I hope to god he does what’s right and takes care of her. She didn’t deserve any of this.

My heart breaks for my friend and what her future may hold. Axel watches as Daya leaves and swallows hard, but he reluctantly lets me go. I run across the room into Colt's arms, which wrap around me tight. His heart thunders in his chest as a sob escapes me.

“Go get into the car Axel, we need to get the fuck out of here,” Williams says firmly. Axel gives us an apologetic glance before he follows suit, exiting through the front door.

Axel disappears into the night, willing to go to any lengths to end the risk of being killed at the hands of the dealers and bookies he owes. But I’m not sure being Williams’ bitch is any better. Only God knows what Axel is about to endure doing his dirty work.

Williams turns to us, resting a hand on each of our shoulders and shaking us. “You’re lucky I like ya kid. I only wish my own son could have been like you. Don’t worry about this, we will get this cleaned up. Now get the fuck out of here and head out to California. Good luck kids.”

Before we leave, I walk over to where the tarped bodies lay and pick up my necklace off the floor. Colt grabs the duffle bag and guides us back to the door, and we grab my one last box of childhood mementos that Colt came for in the first place.

Then we step into the darkness, heading back to his house as the goons finish wrapping up my parents' bodies.

What a whirlwind of a night. Who would have thought that the big bad crime boss would come to our rescue tonight? It pays to be good to people. It can come back at the right time.