author's note: first ride or die one-shot featuring colt kaneko! i picked him in my second playthrough and GEEZ the route changes near the end caught me off-guard but did NOT disappoint 😂. includes tiny callout to red carpet diaries. also, i know nothing about cars.

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios.

series/pairing: ride or die – colt kaneko x mc (ellie wheeler)

rating/warnings: 14+; swearing

based on/prompt: title inspired by lyrics from "mad woman" by taylor swift

word count: 3.8k

summary: ellie drops in to surprise colt only to find that he is out with another woman.

scathing

ellie whacked colt with a large pillow with one hand while doing her best to punch his chest and stomach with the other to keep him from grabbing her, knowing she physically wouldn't be able to do much to hurt him. colt tried to dodge as best as he could while looking for an opening that would let him stop ellie's attacks without hurting her. he had to not only do this while half blinded by a giant pillow but while protecting his body – he had never seen ellie this mad before and did not want to find out if she was mad enough to knee him in the groin.

"you cheating motherfucker! how dare you, asshole!" ellie screamed, her face shifting between displays of rage and tears.

colt didn't know which was worse. "god, ellie, stop! will you let me explain?!"

3 hours earlier

ellie weaved in and out of traffic seamlessly, her eyes trained on the inconspicuous white sedan two cars ahead. she had dropped in at the body shop to surprise colt a day early. she was able to convince her dad to let her leave her grandparents' house early considering they had already spent the christmas holiday with them. she pulled up to the body shop and was told that colt had left for a job by himself, which ellie immediately knew was suspicious. colt was reckless, but he wasn't stupid. he knew he should never work a job alone, which likely meant he thought this was one he could do in his sleep.

something didn't sit right. ellie found out where colt was headed and got back in her car. she quickly got on the highway, heading toward the address of the downtown hotel colt was supposedly heading to, when she noticed the white sedan ahead of her. even though it was a completely standard white sedan, of which there were hundreds, if not thousands, in l.a., ellie knew it was colt's. it was the car they had prepped for the upcoming koenigsegg job. this was even further proof that colt thought this job was brainless – he would never risk taking out their getaway car more than once.

ellie watched as the sedan pulled into the underground parking lot and she quickly found a spot on the street not far from the entrance to the hotel. it was definitely a high-end hotel and she would need to dress in something other than a tank top and sneakers if she was going to blend in. she quickly changed in the backseat into a glittery bodycon dress and flats, running her hands through her braid to loosen the curls to give it that "beachy" look. she swiped on pink lip gloss as a final touch and made her way inside the hotel.

she scanned the room and identified the parking garage elevators and ducked behind a pillar that gave her a good vantage point. she listened for the ding! that signaled the elevator doors opening and peeked carefully to see if it was colt. he was dressed in his crisp navy blue suit, with a white dress shirt but no tie. lucky for her, he didn't seem to notice her as he walked across the room to the hotel bar. ellie darted over from the pillar to the other side of the doorway, relying on her peripheral vision to see where colt went. he was facing away from her, standing at the bar next to a tall, gorgeous redhead wearing a backless dark green halter dress that definitely showed off her assets.

ellie felt a little silly for spying on her boyfriend, especially when it was definitely clear he was working a job. this woman was not unlike others they had to deal with in the past but she was definitely the prettiest. she considered heading back to the shop when she noticed that they had switched positions – colt was sitting on a barstool with the woman between his legs. his hands were on her waist and she was gripping the collar of his shirt as they kissed passionately.

she felt her heart shatter and tears were quick to prick the back of her eyes as she ran as fast as she could out of the hotel. even through the tears, she pulled her car out of the street seamlessly and raced back to the shop. she let herself cry in the car, the sobs wracking her body. shoulders shaking, she grabbed her tank top from before and used it to blow her nose and dry her face. she was not going to let colt kaneko get away with this.

ellie told the rest of the crew to take off because she was going to need to talk to colt alone before she went upstairs and sat on the bed to wait.

colt sensed something was different when he got back to the body shop. he had been excited to see ellie's car out front but noticed the backseat still had all her stuff. if she was back, she definitely would've brought her duffel bags up to his room. it was quiet in the shop, which was unusual, because he was expecting his crew to work at least a couple more hours. it wasn't like them to take off without talking to him first.

"ellie! i didn't know you were coming back early. i missed you, baby," colt grinned, walking over to ellie to give her a kiss.

she stood up and grabbed one of his pillows. "oh, really? did you miss me while you were sucking face with that redhead? or are there other women i should know about?"

colt rolled his eyes. "don't be so dramatic. it was for a job, it meant nothing. you know what it takes to get a job done."

ellie felt her blood boil and started whacking him with the pillow. "no job is ever worth you cheating on me, asshole."

colt's eyes narrowed as if he was trying to calculate the likelihood that this was going to escalate. unfortunately, what he didn't realize was that he was too late and his dismissive attitude already hit ellie's escalate button.

"ellie, i know it looks bad but it was a job. i promise that's all it was. i was playing a part and we got what we needed," colt tried to appeal to ellie's logical side.

"how stupid do you think i am? i saw you with my own eyes, colt. and even if i didn't, you reek of chanel perfume, which only old women wear, and you have lipstick all over your face and your shirt."

colt was starting to lose his patience but clenched his fists as a reminder to avoid saying anything that would nuclearize the conversation. "sweetheart, come on, we're in this together. you know i only have eyes for you."

"don't you 'sweetheart' me. everything out of your mouth has been a lie," ellie snapped. "tell me – was she good in bed? was it worth however much you got from the job?"

now this was getting ridiculous. "ellie, you know i would never sleep with anyone else. i would never cheat on you."

"i clearly don't know anything because you did cheat on me, asshole," her voice dropped but retained the dangerously angry tone that kept colt from coming closer. "you know perfectly well how i feel about jobs that require you to hook up with someone else. clearly the only thing that matters to you is the job, even at the expense of our relationship."

"el, come on –"

ellie shook her head and cut him off, "no, you're not talking your way out of this. we're done." she bolted from the room and down the stairs toward the front door.

colt knew if he didn't catch her before she got in her car, he'd never catch up to her. she was by far the fastest driver on the crew and if she left l.a., he might not be able to find her. he sprinted after her, jumping off the stairs recklessly and barely catching himself before he hit the wall, saving himself from a nasty concussion. he pushed himself up quickly and let the adrenaline propel him out the door just in time to see ellie slide into the driver's seat.

the car squealed away from the garage and quickly out of sight and colt had no clue where she was headed. dammit, he cursed inwardly as he quickly grabbed his helmet and hopped on his bike to chase after her.

ellie had managed to lose colt after half an hour, which she counted as a massive win given that he had the advantage with his bike in l.a. traffic. but she knew how to navigate every nook and cranny of l.a. having spent the better part of the last couple of years charting courses and back-up escape paths. she pulled into the underground parking lot near her destination, pulled on a blonde wig, fixed up her makeup, and changed into heels.

she stepped out of the car and took the parking elevator to the ground floor, walking as fast as she could in three-inch heels outside to flag down a cab. she gave the driver instructions and sat back, giving her appearance a once-over and spritzing a light perfume on her wrists and neck. she pulled up the discreet app on her phone, the one they used to message with their buyers and targets in a way that was untraceable, and texted her contact. he wanted to put a job before her? two could play this game.

when she arrived at the very expensive club, she gave her alias to the bouncer and was escorted quickly to the vip room, where her contact was waiting. aaron montmartre, the spoiled nephew of famed hollywood producer viktor montmartre, who was known for his extensive collection of expensive cars, spending sprees on viktor's black card, and his weakness for young, attractive women. he was supposed to receive the newest koenigsegg model before it was even available to the public. and ellie was going to find out exactly when and where the drop would be.

colt pulled up around the corner of the vip hot spot that was a known celebrity hangout. he knew ellie and knew she was pissed enough to want to teach him a lesson. he couldn't help but be impressed with how seamlessly she drove through l.a. to get him off her tail and how she succeeded briefly. he prided himself on being able to handle any route with his bike and the fact that she was still able to lose him was beyond sexy. there was no one else that could compare to her.

although he didn't know exactly what she was doing, he did know that he needed to be really careful not to give himself away too early. he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked casually up to the bouncer, giving him a curt nod. the bouncer gave him a long, scrutinizing look before letting him in. it took colt a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the dark, hazy atmosphere of the pulsing nightclub.

he walked toward the bar – it would give him the most unassuming vantage point to observe the club and he could do with a drink – only to notice a blonde wig and curve-hugging dress that looked all too familiar. he approached the bar slowly, making sure there were enough people between them that he wouldn't get noticed; even though her back was to him, all she would need to do was turn to the right and she'd spot him in her peripheral.

colt ordered a glass of whiskey neat so that he'd have something to keep him occupied as he watched ellie flirt openly with their target. colt knew what ellie was likely up to and he was both angry that she would jeopardize the job by potentially tipping their hand early and furious that she would openly flirt with another man. most people didn't understand the difference, but a furious colt was a jealous colt; the concept of jealousy was something he kept out of his vocabulary.

ellie knew. she knew the moment colt walked into the room. after three years, five months, seventeen days, and twelve successful jobs together, she had learned a thing or two about him. she knew that he would eventually get back on her tail and actually, she was counting on it. it was what she was good at. reading people. learning him. studying the ins and outs of the road and the job. memorizing the ins and outs of him.

and one of the things ellie knew was that colt was a jealous man, although he would rather shoot himself in the foot than admit it out loud to anyone. but if he could use his raw magnetism to get a job done, then she could use her innocent appearance to disarm a target and gain intel. she had already spent the better half of the last 30 minutes pretending to be a tipsy flirt and encouraging aaron toward drunkenness, knowing he'd be more likely to spill details that way.

what she expected but still wasn't prepared for was how handsy and charming aaron could be. she actually found herself enjoying their flirty banter and perhaps realized that she was a little tipsier than she should be. ellie turned to lean against the bar so she could subtly inch closer to aaron, placing a hand carefully on his bicep as though to steady herself. she immediately felt colt's eyes staring at the back of her head and had to make a conscious effort not to shiver. she barely registered aaron placing his hand on her hip and leaning in far too close to ask her if she wanted to leave with him.

"i just got the newest koenigsegg model delivered to me. we could take it for a test drive," he murmured in her ear.

it took every ounce of willpower ellie had not to tense at the situation. her mind was reeling with this new tidbit of information that would put a wrench in their plans; they had assumed the drop would happen in the next few days.

she knew what she had to do but she also knew colt would be pissed, even more than he already was. ellie pulled back slightly and smiled. "i would love that," she said invitingly.

that was all it took. before ellie could say anything else, she felt colt's presence appear behind her, his hand hovering by her right hip.

"if you know what's good for you, you'll back off," colt said through gritted teeth. ellie could feel the tension radiating off him as he sidled up next to her. "we're together."

aaron stood up slowly, taking out a wad of bills from his pocket and leaving a generous tip on the bar counter without breaking eye contact with colt. ellie instinctively took a step back away from colt only to have the wooden bar press into her back.

"who the fuck are you?" aaron said, casually inching closer to ellie so his shoulder was angled in front of her.

colt's hand clenched into a fist. "someone you don't want to mess with. now back off."

"i don't think we should be speaking for the pretty lady. leah, you know this creep?"

ellie blinked, slightly startled before remembering that her alias was leah. she slowly turned to give colt a pointed glare, raising an eyebrow and hoping he'd get the hint.

she turned back to aaron and gave him her best impression of an innocent smile. "no, i don't think i've seen him before in my life."

aaron turned back to colt. "you heard the lady. now i think you better leave before i have security escort you out."

colt unclenched and clenched his fist a few times as though he was stretching it. ellie knew where this was headed and inwardly sighed; she could countdown from five at this rate.

right on cue, colt's fist flew at aaron's face, hitting him square in the jaw and sending him backward into the bar seat he was occupying previously. to his credit and ellie's surprise, aaron seemed unfazed, picking himself back up and massaging his jaw briefly.

"why don't we take this outside and settle this like men?" aaron said, challenging colt with his glare.

ellie's brow furrowed. normally, colt getting into a bar fight with someone who had been flirting with her wouldn't faze her, but they did need to figure out how to lift aaron's car without him suspecting them or getting caught. she wasn't sure how beating the guy up would help with that. and now she was stuck pretending she didn't know who colt was.

"fine. after you," colt seethed, stepping to the side so ellie and aaron could move away from the bar. aaron was a good head taller than him and ellie didn't think this would be that easy of a fight given how quickly aaron had bounced back before.

aaron reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black fob. "why don't you go hang out in the car, leah? this shouldn't take long. it's in one of the reserved parking spots in the garage, closest to the elevator," he said, grabbing her hand to place the fob in her palm and closing her fingers over it.

ellie's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she looked at him. "oh-okay," she said, turning away from aaron. she gave colt a pointed side-eye as she passed him.

well, that was a freebie, she thought to herself as she made her way down to the car. it was exactly where aaron said it would be. ellie slid into the driver's seat and ran her hands over the steering wheel, relishing the feel of the cool leather underneath her fingers. she grabbed her sunglasses and put them on as she drove out of the garage, quickly dialing toby on speakerphone.

"toby, i need you to ready the drop site off exit 54. i'll explain later. if colt calls, tell him to meet me at our spot," ellie said quickly, as she navigated the local roads to the drop site, taking extra care to avoid intersections and neighborhoods with traffic cameras.

once she arrived at the drop site, she checked with toby that the car stayed off the radar before emptying the glovebox, wiping down her prints, and shoving her wig into her purse. being methodical was ellie's forte, even with the adrenaline running through her body, she knew she did everything right.

the dryve back to her car was uneventful, which did little to ease ellie's nerves. she wasn't worried about the job in actuality, but about colt. she knew he could hold his own in a fight, but she also knew how stubborn he could be. and despite still being angry with him, she was admittedly worried for his safety.

ellie felt like she was holding her breath the entire drive over to the cliffside. it wasn't until she saw the familiar motorcycle parked near the railing that she felt a sigh of relief escape her body. she parked and stepped out, her gaze falling on the back of colt's head.

she walked slowly over to him with anxiety in her stomach at the thought of how bruised he might be. it wasn't until she saw that he was mostly unscathed, other than a purple bruise forming on his cheekbone and his knuckles, that her shoulders finally sagged, the tension she held all evening releasing at once.

"colt… thank god, you're okay," she said softly as she looked up at him, raising her hand hesitantly toward his bruised cheek.

instead, she closed her hand into a fist and punched him in the shoulder.

"ow— ellie, i just got out of a fight, seriously?!" colt yelped, angling his shoulder away from her.

ellie stepped forward every time he stepped back so she could punch him again and again. "you asshole. don't you dare do that again, i was seriously worried about you! and you almost cost us the job!"

"i'm sorry, ow— will you let me, augh!" colt said, finally managing to grab her wrist and hold it in place while grabbing her hip with his other hand and pulling her close.

she made a half-assed attempt at struggling, but she knew she wouldn't be able to break away. ellie did her best to glare at him, but as she looked into his eyes, she felt her anger cracking. her eyes softened and she found herself subconsciously leaning in. in a split second, colt's lips were on hers, hot and desperate.

ellie almost forgot why she was mad at him to begin with as he gently bit her lower lip, eliciting a contented sigh that gave his tongue entrance. he pulled her hips as close as possible to his and ellie wrapped her arms around his neck. she gave back just as desperately, fighting him for dominance as she traced her tongue around his bottom lip, sucking on it gently.

colt let out a ragged breath and finally pulled back. "i'm sorry, el," he said quietly, punctuating her name with a tender kiss. "i'm sorry," he said again, giving her another kiss.

"if you ever cheat on me again—" ellie threatened quietly before colt silenced her with another gentle kiss.

"believe me, i won't do that again. i did not like seeing another man put his hands on you, even if it was for a job," colt said sheepishly, avoiding her gaze.

ellie grinned. "at least we got the job done," she said.

colt smirked at her. "good, so i didn't take a beating for nothing. now i don't know about you, but i could go for a swim."

"pretty sure you're not supposed to go in the ocean with open wounds," ellie warned as she watched colt strip down to his underwear.

"i hear the salt water is great for cuts," colt grinned cheekily. "you gonna join me, sweetheart?"

ellie rolled her eyes and smiled. "okay, but don't say i didn't warn you," she said, taking off her dress and shoes.

"hey," colt said with a sudden seriousness just as she was preparing to jump. she turned to look at him and he pulled her closer.

"thanks for having my back," he murmured, leaning in to give her a deep kiss that took her breath away.

"i'm still your driver, aren't i?" ellie said affectionately.

colt smirked and gave a nod in response. he held out his hand for her to grab and they turned to look at the glittering horizon before they jumped, together.