Ride or Die Read online

  20

  Cali

  When Ryan pushed me against the wall, I thought for sure we were about to have round two. I would have been okay with it too. I mean, it's been five years since I had sex. I could never bring myself to sleep with anyone after he left. I never grasped how much I missed it until now. I've been missing out!

  "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" He pulls me into him.

  "A lot, honestly." I laugh.

  "Do you want to talk about any of it," he asks.

  "Hmm." I tap my finger on my chin. "I would rather do this."

  I push away from him and drop to my knees. His hard cock pressing against me was without a doubt turning me on again. Since he went down on me earlier, it's time for me to repay the favor and I'm all too happy to. I take his dick in my hand and pump it a couple of times, causing him to groan.

  "Somebody seems a little insatiable." I look at him through my eyelashes.

  "Only when it comes to you," he tells me. I lick the head of his cock, twirling my tongue around it. He moans and clenches his fists. I bring my other hand up to massage his balls.

  "Oh, fuck," he moans out. I slide my tongue along his dick before putting it in my mouth. I suck on his head while running my hand up and down his shaft. His hand goes to the back of my head and he grips my hair. Him pulling my hair, even the tiniest bit turns me on even more. I take him further into my mouth until he hits the back of my throat. I bob my head a few times as I deep throat him. I slowly pull back until only the head is in my mouth.

  "Shit, babe, I'm about to cum," he tells me. I run my hand up and down his shaft again, while sucking on the head. He taps my head to tell me he’s coming, so I take him deeper into my mouth, letting him cum right down my throat. When he's done, he pulls me to my feet. "That was hot as fuck."

  He slams his mouth on mine, kissing me hard. He grabs the front of my neck, his finger and thumb sitting below my chin, lightly choking me. We have a good, long makeout session that leaves me wanting him to throw me against the wall and have his way with me. Instead, we wash up and finish in the shower.

  "Do you need to go back to Minx's," he asks once we've both gotten dried off.

  "No, not unless you want me to," I say. He tosses me one of his Savage Menaces t-shirts. All he puts on is a pair of basketball shorts, so I slide the shirt on without putting anything on underneath. Easy access for when we go another round.

  "I told you once we crossed that line you were mine. There's no going back now." He pulls me into him and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his hands on my ass. "If you don't need to go there then you're staying here, with me, in my bed."

  His eyes are on my lips, biting his own. He smacks my ass.

  "Come on, let's get some sleep," he tells me, pulling the blankets on the bed back and climbing in. I turn off the light before sliding in next to him. I get comfortable and snuggle close to him. Exhaustion overcomes me and I fall asleep.

  The next morning, I wake up to a note on Ryan's pillow.

  Church this morning. Didn't want to wake you. Be back asap.

  I stretch my arms. Grabbing my phone, I turn the screen on. It's nine in the morning. I consider getting up and going to Minx's house but forgot the only clothes I have are the ones from last night. Well crap, I think to myself. I'll have Emma bring me something from Minx's.

  To Emma: Can you please bring me some of my clothes from Minx's? I'm at the clubhouse in Buster's room.

  She texts me back almost instantly.

  From Emma: Yes. On one condition.

  To Emma: Yes, I'll tell you everything.

  From Emma: I'll be there in five.

  I laugh to myself. She is crazy, but she's my best friend and I love her. After a few minutes or so, there's a knock on the door.

  "Open the door, you skank! It's your best friend," Emma shouts. I shake my head, smiling and open the door. "Eeeeeeek!!!"

  She comes flying in and I close the door behind her. She tosses a bag on the bed and sits in the only chair in here.

  "Alright, so tell me everything," she says. I grab the bag, glancing inside. I pull out some jeans and panties and put them on.

  "We went to dinner at my parents' house," I tell her.

  "And . . . ? Girl! Tell me the good stuff! You stayed the night with him," she states the obvious. "Did y'all get your freak on?"

  I crack up laughing. I quickly slip on my bra under my shirt. I turn my back to Emma and take off the Savage Menace shirt and slip on the Guns and Roses t-shirt she brought me.

  "Yeah, we had sex, but that doesn't matter. We're together now." I grab a brush out of the bag she brought and brush my hair.

  "The hell it doesn't matter! Wait, what did you say?" She squeals. "Y'all are together, together?"

  "Yup," I tell her, grinning from ear to ear. It’s nice being able to say we're officially together.

  "Holy shit! This is awesome!" Her reaction is a lot more than what I was expecting from her. "Girl, I'm so happy for you!"

  "Thanks," I reply. She jumps up and hugs me. The door opens and Ryan walks in.

  "What's going on in here?" He has a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes at him.

  "Emma brought me some clothes and I told her we're together now," I tell him.

  "Yeah?"

  "Yup, she did! I'm happy for y'all. Now, I'm stealing her away for a few hours so we can hang out," Emma tells him.

  "Oh, so, you think you can come in here and steal my girl from me?" Ryan laughs out.

  "She was mine first," Emma says, sticking her tongue out at him.

  "If you want to get technical about it, she was still mine first. We met when we were nine." Ryan and I both laugh. "It's okay, y'all can stay in here and hang out if you want."

  "Thanks, babe," I say to Ryan. I walk over to him, stand on my tiptoes and give him a quick kiss.

  "Yeah, thanks, babe," Emma mocks with a grin. Ryan shakes his head and Emma and I laugh.

  "Let me know if you need anything," Ryan tells me, kisses me on the forehead and leaves the room.

  21

  Buster

  I walk out to the main room, not paying attention to much of anything except the shit on my mind. Bull needs me and a couple of other guys to go out on a run. We still haven't heard anything more about the cartel, so it's business as usual, with a bit of added protection. We'll be taking guns to Colorado and bringing back some weed from our supplier. It's about a fifteen-hour drive and we could easily drive it in a day, but Bull wants us to split it into two days. He doesn't want us to risk drawing unwanted attention to ourselves or getting pulled over for something stupid. We'll be gone a minimum of five days.

  "Bro, are you alright?" Shade says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just got some shit on my mind," I tell him.

  "You haven't told her about the run yet, have you," he asks. I shake my head.

  "Emma is in the room with her. I figured I'd let her hang out with her for a couple of hours then I'll tell her."

  "How do you think she's gonna take it?" He moves to one side of the couch and I sit on the opposite side.

  "She'll be upset, no doubt," I say. "We just got each other back and now I have to leave for at least five days."

  "That fucking sucks," Shade replies. "Have you thought about who you're gonna take with you yet?"

  "Nah, not yet."

  "I'll go," he tells me. I turn to him.

  "What about your sister," I ask. His sister, Wren, has been acting off and he hasn't been able to get her to tell him what's going on. He shrugs.

  "Even if I stay, she's not gonna tell me what the fuck is going on. As long as she agrees to stay here, it'll be fine," he explains.

  "That's pretty much my thought process with Cali." I chuckle. At the moment, Wren, Rivet, and Sketch walk into the clubhouse. "Sketch has been spending a lot of time around her lately."

  "She doesn't trust the prospects as much as the patched brothers. She seems to b
e more comfortable around Sketch," Shade says. "Fuck if I know why though."

  I laugh and he rolls his eyes. The girls sit at the bar while Sketch gets them both something to drink.

  "Maybe if she won't talk to me, she'll talk to him," Shade suggests.

  "Maybe. You are her brother. Whatever it is, she knows you'll overreact about it," I tell him.

  "She's my sister. I should be able to watch out for her and take care of whatever is bothering her so much." He gets defensive. "It's probably her piece of shit boyfriend she won't let me meet."

  "She might not tell you everything, but at least she talks to you. Ellie only talks to me once a month," I tell him. "She's still holding a grudge for me being in Arizona for so long."

  "Yeah, it could definitely be worse," he admits. Sketch says something to the girls before he comes to join us.

  "What's going on?" He sits on the couch across from us.

  "Just trying to figure out who's coming with me on this run," I tell him.

  "Oh yeah? How's that going?"

  "I'm gonna go with him as long as Wren promises to stay here at the clubhouse so she can stay protected," Shade says.

  "I'm sure she'll be okay," Sketch tells him.

  "You think so, huh?"

  "She's stayed here this long, hasn't she? I doubt she's ready to go back home yet. Her roommate has been working nights, leaving Wren by herself pretty much every night," Sketch explains.

  "Man, fuck. It's bullshit she tells you things and won’t talk to me." Shade hangs his head. I slap him on his shoulder.

  "It's gonna be alright. She'll come around," I tell him.

  "So, who else you planning on taking with you," Sketch asks me.

  "I'm gonna ask Rascal and Kicks if they're down to go."

  We bullshit for an hour or so before I decide to go talk to Rascal and Kicks. I find them out back playing a game of bags. It's only supposed to be in the seventies today, so we'll still have our weekly BBQ. The only time we don't have it is if it's below fifty, which doesn't happen often, or if it's raining.

  "How's it going out here?" I say to them as I walk up.

  "Not bad," Kicks replies. "It's actually a little peaceful out here."

  "What's up," Rascal asks.

  "Bull wants me and a few guys to make a run out to Denver," I tell them.

  "And you want to know if we want to go with you," Rascal states it instead of asking.

  "Shit, I'm down!" Kicks responds.

  "Thanks, Kicks. What about you Rascal? You down to go? Five days minimum," I tell him.

  "Yeah, why not," he says.

  "Awesome. I'll tell Bull. Thanks." I give them both fist bumps and head inside. When I walk back into the clubhouse, Cali and Emma are at the bar with Rivet and Wren. A smile lights up Cali’s face. She doesn't see me right away so I take the time to watch her. She acts like she's known Rivet and Wren her whole life. It gives me peace of mind knowing she gets along with everyone so well.

  She shouldn't have any problems staying here while I'm gone. Even if Lexus or any of the other cut bunnies try to give her problems, she’ll be able to stand her ground. She proved that last night. Thinking about it makes me smile. I make my way over to her.

  "Hey, Buster." She jumps out of her chair, still smiling and walks over to me. She wraps her arms around me and I give her a quick kiss.

  "That's gonna take some getting used to," I say so only she can hear me.

  "Yeah, tell me about it." She lets out a light laugh.

  "Hey, can we go talk for a second," I ask her. Her face sobers.

  "Uh, sure. What's up?"

  "It's nothing too serious," I tell her, leading her over to the couch. I pull her onto my lap so I can be closer to her. "Bull needs me and a few of the guys to make a run to Colorado."

  "Oh." She lets out a breath she had been holding and I give her a small smile. "How long will you be gone for?"

  "At a minimum, five days."

  "That's not too bad. I can go back to my apartment while you're gone," she mumbles more so to herself.

  "Actually, I was hoping you would stay here," I tell her. She looks at me with a questioning look. "It would give me peace of mind knowing you're here and you're safe. Plus, Minx, Rivet, and Wren will still be here and Emma can stay too. Y'all can stay at Minx's house, or you can stay in my room."

  "I suppose I could do that," she smirks. I kiss the tip of her nose. "When do you have to leave."

  "Tomorrow morning. I'm going to go talk to Bull as soon as we're done talking to work out the details."

  Cali sighs and leans into me. I wrap my arms around her waist and squeeze her.

  "Cali, come back over here! We're trying to plan a girls' night and need you to help," Rivet shouts at her. Cali groans.

  "Go on, babe. A girls' night will be good for you," I tell her.

  "But you're leaving tomorrow and I want to spend time with you." She pouts her lips at me.

  "We can still spend time together. I need to go talk to Bull. I'll come back for you." I kiss her and pat the side of her leg. She slowly stands but doesn't move to go back to the bar. I stand and pull her into me for a hug. She squeezes me like she's never going to see me again.

  "It's gonna be okay, Sólnyshka. I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me and I'll call every night," I tell her. She perks up a little and lets me go. I walk her over to the bar where the girls are still sitting. "I'll come back for you when I'm done talking with Bull."

  22

  Buster

  I walk down the hall to Bull's office. Stopping at his door, I rap my knuckles on it twice.

  "Yeah?" Bull shouts. I open the door. "Hey Buster, come on in."

  I walk in and sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

  "I got three guys going with me on the run. I thought you and I could work out the details. Then I can pass it along to them," I explain.

  "That's fine. Who's going with you?"

  "Shade and Kicks offered to come. I asked Rascal if he would ride along too," I tell him. Bull nods his head.

  "Those are good men to go. Did you tell them where you're going and how long you'll be gone?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "You'll be meeting with Declan tomorrow night in Amarillo. Wednesday, you'll meet with Orlov's man, Taras, in the morning and with Blaze later in the day." He hands me a piece of paper. "This is everything you need for each meeting."

  I read the paper. It shows we'll be getting six crates from Declan to take to Taras, and from Blaze, we'll get five pounds and a box of five hundred. It doesn't say anything about the products we're dealing with in case we have a run-in with the cops.

  "Looks good," I reply. "Do you mind if Cali stays here? She and Emma can stay in my room, or at the house with Rivet and Wren."

  "Are you claiming her," he asks.

  "Yes, sir, I am," I tell him and he nods.

  "She's welcome to stay here. We'll keep her safe," he responds. He would have told me that even if I told him I wasn't claiming her. She's the Pakhan's daughter and since the Bratva is our ally, she would be safe no matter what.

  "I'm actually planning to ask her to marry me," I admit to Bull. A grin spreads across his face.

  "A little soon for marriage, don't you think?

  "Not really. We met when we were kids. I was a dumb ass before and walked away from what we had. She's it though. She's my endgame," I explain to him.

  "Good for you, gettin' your head outta your ass before it's too late. She's a good girl," he tells me.

  "Thank you, sir."

  I leave his office once we’re done talking. I decide to recruit Minx and the girls to help me with my plan.

  To Minx: I need your help with something.

  From Minx: What's up?

  To Minx: Meet me by your dad's office. Bring no one.

  I lean against the wall and wait for Minx. After a couple of minutes, she comes walking down the hallway.

  "What's going on," she asks as she gets closer.


  "I need you, Emma, Rivet, and Wren to help me plan a proposal to Cali," I tell her. Minx screeches and I shush her.

  "Would you calm down?" I whisper-shout at her.

  "Are you for real right now?" She whisper-shouts back.

  "Yes, I'm being serious. Why would I joke about this?

  "Eeeeeek!" She throws her arms around me, squeezing me in a hug. "I'm so happy and excited for you. Of course, I'll help. I'm sure the girls will be on board too."

  "Thanks, Minx. I appreciate it," I tell her.

  "So, what do you need us to do?"

  “I'm gonna go get her so we can spend time together before I leave tomorrow. While I have her, can you see if you can get some ideas for what kind of ring she would like?" I say to her.

  "Yeah, no problem." She pauses. "Wait, you're leaving tomorrow? Where are you going?"

  "I'm going on a run. I'll be back by Friday," I tell her. "Cali is staying here, in my room, while I'm gone."

  "When are you wanting to propose to her?"

  "I was hoping for Saturday, but I’m not sure how I should do it," I state.

  "We can work with that. Leave it to us. I'll get the girls to help me brainstorm some ideas and I'll pass along what we come up with," she suggests.

  "Sounds good, Minx. Thanks."

  "No problem." She beams.

  "Is it going to be a problem for you to keep this a secret from Cali?" I laugh.

  "What? No!" she responds. I laugh again.

  "Okay," I tell her. "I trust you."

  "Now, go get her. Go spend time with her." She shoos me away. I shake my head, smiling, and walk out to the main room. I look around and don't see the girls anywhere.

  "Sketch and Mouse took them outside," Shade calls from behind the bar.

  "Thanks, brother." I walk outside and the girls are at one picnic table, while Sketch and Mouse are at another. Cali lifts her head and her eyes connect with mine. She says something to the girls, stands, and walks over to me.