Cora’s eyes flick to mine, silently begging me for help but I let it go. Nic would never hurt her unless she was to make a physical move against me. Our petty bullshit isn’t exactly something Nic is going to bother himself with, especially knowing that I can more than handle a few school house rumors myself.
I raise a brow and prop my hip against Nic’s car, making a point that Cora is on her own here. If she’s stupid enough to provoke the leader of the Breakers Flats Black Widows, then that’s on her.
She slowly turns her gaze back to Nic and after a long, drawn-out pause, Nic smirks and then finally releases his grip on her. “Run along, princess,” he says. “Go and get that brother of yours.”
Cora’s eyes flick around our small group and being smart enough to know when to call it quits, she turns on her heel and scurries away like someone just lit a fire under her ass.
Nic turns to me with a proud grin. “Was that really necessary?” I demand, raising a brow and crossing my arms over my chest.
The hard ridges of his face begin to soften and his eyes sparkle with laughter. “Fuck yeah. Do you have any idea how much fun it is making that bitch squirm?”
I roll my eyes and peel myself off the side of Nic’s car. “Come on,” I tell him, turning towards the pool house. “Get me fixed up and then feed me. I’m starving.”
With the reminder of why we’re all here, a seriousness comes over him and he strides toward me, placing his hand at my lower back and leading me into the pool house as Sebastian grabs the doors.
Nic gets me set up on a stool while Sebastian disappears into my room. He comes out a minute later with my hair clip and gets busy curling my hair into a high bun and clipping it up so they can see what they’re dealing with.
“Why am I so surprised by your hair skills?” I ask Sebastian as Nic finds the first aid kit and places it on the counter beside me. He starts rifling through and finding everything he needs as Sebastian leans against the counter on my other side, smirking at my question.
“Trust me,” he says. “It’s in a guy’s best interest to learn how to put a woman’s hair up, especially so he can wrap his hand around it and tear her sweet head back while her ass is up in the air.”
“Okaaaaaay,” I drag out. “I shouldn’t have ask—OH, HOLY FUCK,” I screech, cutting myself off as Nic presses a cold, wet compress to the back of my neck.
“O, I have—”
The door slams open and rattles against its frame as Colton barges into the pool house. “THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?” he demands, staring down Nic and Sebastian before his eyes come flying back to mine. “Get the fuck away from her.”
“It’s okay,” I insist. “They’re not hurting me. I mean, it does fucking hurt but they’re helping. I promise.”
“Helping?” he questions, walking deeper into the pool house and ignoring the boys’ presence, hating the pain that flashes across my face. “Helping with what? What’s going on, Jade?”
Nic scoffs from behind me and I resist slamming my elbow back into his ribs. “I … shit,” I look away, unable to meet his eyes as I feel shame for being so weak ripping through me. “I was walking home from school and ran into a few … friends.”
“Ocean,” Nic warns, not liking me discussing gang-related business with outsiders, but who the fuck is he to tell me what I can and can not say?
I shoot an icy glare toward Nic. “After the bullshit lies and secrets you kept from me, you're really in no position to be telling me to keep my mouth shut. Unlike you, I don’t keep secrets from the person I’m sharing my life with.”
Sebastian looks away, again pretending that he doesn’t hear a damn thing that’s going on while Nic clenches his jaw. He stares at me for a long moment and then finally looks back at my neck and presses the cold compress against my burn again.
I suck in another sharp breath that has Colton at my side in a heartbeat. “Ocean, what’s going on?” he demands, raking his eyes over the first aid kit on the counter and the small cuts and bruises on my face from when Russo’s men pressed me up against the brick wall. “Who the fuck touched you?”
I slide my hand across the counter and latch onto his and he takes it instantly. I don’t miss the way Sebastian and Nic eye our hold and see the clear need we have for one another. “Mikhail Russo,” I whisper. “He’s the leader of the West Side Wolves in Blaxlands Grove.”
“The gang your dad was a part of? The one who shot up ...” his gaze sweeps up to Nic and I nod, knowing he’s referring to the night Kian was murdered and everything changed.
“Yeah, that’s them,” I confirm. “Russo had his men corner me on the street today and lead me into an alley where Russo was waiting for me. He said that he wants me in his ranks to take Dad’s spot. He seems to think that he has some kind of claim over me because my father was part of their bullshit family. He didn’t like it when I turned him down and he didn’t like it more when I mentioned that I’m loyal to Nic. He says he’ll be watching me until the end of high school and then I’m his.” I turn to face the brooding guy behind me as Colton’s hand tightens in mine. “He wants me to get to you. He thinks I’m
