Page 45 of Ride or Die

Breath racking, I rush forward, grabbing my children and pulling them to me, the two boys either side unbothered as they continue playing their game.

“Are you okay?” I search Billie and Tommy’s faces, looking for any sign of distress, but honestly, besides looking glassy-eyed and tired, they look pretty damn pleased with themselves. “What… w-what happened?”

“Taylor’s…boyfriend,” Billie whispers the word with a little giggle, “came over and he brought us burgers, and fries, and chocolate shakes!” Billie is beside herself with excitement.

“Carter’s friends came over, and we’ve been playing this really cool car racing game,” Tommy says, pointing to the television. “It was so fun, Mom!”

I shake my head, sufficiently confused and on the verge of losing my ever-loving shit. “W-who’s Carter?”

“Taylor’s boyfriend,” Tommy tells me with a look like he thinks I need to keep up.

Anger fills me, and I look over their heads, glaring at the two boys still playing video games. Considering myself for less than a few seconds, I stand and walk to the TV, shutting it off at the screen.

“Hey!” One of them guffaws.

“What the hell?” The other huffs.

“Get out of my house,” I say as calmly as I can, folding my arms across my chest and tapping a foot, impatiently.

They look from me, to each other before tossing the game controllers onto the couch cushion and muttering something between themselves as they stand.

“See ya, Tommy.” One of the guys holds his hand out, and I’m taken aback when my ten-year-old high fives him like they’re best friends.

“Later, Bill.” One of the boys waves at Billie.

“Bye bye!” She waves back with a big old grin.

“You two,” I say sternly, pointing a finger between Tommy and Billie. “Get your butts in your bedroom and shut the door.Now.”

“Okay, Mommy,” Billie says contritely, offering me the puppy dog eyes she’s perfected.

“Are we in trouble?” Tommy asks, suddenly nervous.

I grit my teeth. “No, babe,” I assure him with a sigh, squeezing his shoulder as he passes. Looking out over the sea of people still standing here in my living room, I mutter under my breath, “Taylor’s in trouble…”

CHAPTER 16

COLE

By the time I’ve managed to wrangle everyone off my property, I’m left glaring down at Taylor and her boyfriend, Carter Stahl, as they sit sheepishly on the porch steps while Clara carries a trash bag full of god knows what out of the house.

Honestly, I can’t help but feel partly responsible. When Clara told me she’d hired Taylor Carmody to babysit, I should’ve put my foot down. The Carmody’s are nothing but trouble in Summer. I’d hoped Taylor, the youngest of the bunch, might’ve had her head on straight since it was recently announced she’d gotten a full scholarship to some fancy fuckin’ Ivy League college in the fall. I blame Carter, kid’s a fuckin’ menace.

“What the fuck?” I throw my hands up, looking to either of them for an explanation.

Carter turns to glance at Clara. “Make sure you don’t throw out the JD,” he says, with all the fuckin’ audacity and I swear to god, my palm itches to smack a son of a bitch.

Clara looks down at the bottles she’s got clasped under her arm, her brows knitting together and, sure enough, there’s a three-quarter full bottle of Jack Daniels in the bunch.

“This one?” she asks, holding it up before I can grab it and tip the shit out.

He nods. “Yeah.”

Shocking not only Carter, but me too, Clara unscrews the cap and holds the bottle in the air, tipping it upside down, Carter gasping as the whiskey soaks the earth. When the bottle’s finally empty, she tosses it onto the grass, looking at the kid like she’s darin’ him to argue. And I can’t stop the grin from splitting my face, because fuck, that was hot.

Biting back my shit-eating smirk, I clear my throat, spearing Carter with a warning look.

“Get your fuckin’ ass off my property before I call Deputy Mendes,” I order, making a show of pulling my phone from my pocket.