“You fucking bastard …”
I get a thought. “What did you guys do with the body?”
“Kellan got a call and had to leave; he rode with Bennett, so they all left. I told them we would take care of it.”
“Perfect. Call my phone with hers.”
“What? Cole, we don’t have time …”
“Call my phone with hers, Deke,” I snap.
He lets out a huff, but then moments later, I hear mine ringing in my pocket. They remain quiet, probably wondering what the fuck I’m thinking, but they’ll find out soon.
I stand off her, and she tries to scramble away, but I grip her hoodie and yank her to her feet. Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I start shoving her forward. She twists in my grip, and my hand slips, allowing her to get a few steps ahead of me. I run after her and fist her hair, pulling her against me. She whimpers. I wrap my free hand around her thin waist and press my front into her back. Her soaked clothes feel cool on my warm skin. Leaning my head down, I whisper in her ear, “We’re not done, sweetheart.”
“Where are we going?” she demands, and I smile against her skin. I love that she keeps fighting even though it’s not gonna do her any good.
I don’t answer, and Deke doesn’t say because he doesn’t know what I have in mind.
I remove my hand from around her waist but continue to hold her by her hair. I walk her over to where I know they had the body, and Deke shines his flashlight down on the now dead man. She doesn’t gasp like I expected her to, which tells me she saw quite a bit earlier. She expected him to be dead.
“Hold her,” I demand, shoving her into his arms.
“Let me go, you son of a bitch!” she screams as her chest hits his.
I hear him grunt. “Fuck,” he hisses. “She punched me.”
Ignoring them, I reach down into the black bag we brought and yank the now clean knife out of it. “Pin her to the ground. Face down.”
The darkness covers us, but I hear her grunts as she cusses him while he easily tackles her to the ground.
Grabbing my flashlight out of my back pocket, I shine it down on them. He straddles her ass, his hands wrapped around her wrists, pinning them to her lower back. Her head is to the side, facing me. Those plump lips have thinned, and her green eyes simmer with rage.
I kneel beside them and yank up the right sleeve of her hoodie. “What are you doing?” she asks in a rush.
“Insurance,” I say simply, and then I drag the blade against her forearm.
She cries out in the cemetery as the skin gives and blood starts to pour from the wound. I take the knife and run it through the stream of blood. Then I turn to the body and stab him in the chest with it. “Now your DNA is in him with the murder weapon,” I say simply, and I hear Deke chuckle as he realizes what I’m doing. “You go to the cops. They dig him up and investigate his murder, and you go down with us.”
“Fucking …”
“And you called me. More proof that we were communicating the night of the murder. Around the time of death.”
Her breathing is labored, and I shine the light down on her again to see the tears rolling down her face cutting through the blood like my knife just did her skin. But they’re not tears of sadness. They’re tears of anger. She looks so beautiful.
“Return her phone and let her go so we can bury this body,” I tell Deke.
He releases her wrists and then stands over her. She scrambles to her hands and knees and starts to crawl away. He tosses her the phone. She stands up on shaky legs as she holds her arm where I cut it. We both shine our lights on her.
“Get the fuck out of here before I change my mind,” I growl.
She turns and runs.
“We should have killed her.”
“That wasn’t part of the plan,” I argue.
He fists his hands. “I don’t fucking care about the plan. What I care about is not going to prison. We should at the very least have taken her with us.”
“Did you want to take her home?” I arch a brow. “Keep her as a pet?” I shake my head. “She won’t say anything.”
“She will …”
“She won’t. She’s Bruce Lowes’s daughter. We kill her, and they start looking for a missing girl.” I shake my head. “Then that brings questions.”
“They’d never find her body, and you know it,” he adds.
“I wasn’t worried about them finding her body.” We’re smarter than that.
“Then why not let me shoot her?” he growls. “Two birds with one stone,” he says, gesturing down at Jeff’s body.
“Not yet,” I respond.
He runs a hand through his hair. “You want to fuck with her.” It wasn’t a question. He chuckles. “This will be fun.”
I smile.
AUSTIN
I run in the darkness, almost tripping over my own feet and the tree branches. But I don’t stop. I continue down the hill toward the house.
Lights come into view, and I run through the back door and slam it shut. I make my way up the stairs and into my room. I close the door and lock it. Then I make my way into the bathroom. I rip off my hoodie, shirt, and then yank down my jeans that are still undone. Standing in front of the mirror in just my black bra and matching thong, I pull my strap back up onto my shoulder and look at myself. Blood covers both shoulders, arms, neck, and my face. He was right; it’s also in my hair from their hands fisting it. I look like I belong on an episode of The Walking Dead. Like a zombie attacked me. Bile rises up the back of my throat, but I swallow it down.
Turning on the sink, I place my forearm under it and run warm water over it. Grinding my teeth against the sting, I grab the soap and quickly wash it. Who knows what the hell was on that knife. Or who all they’ve used it on.
Blood trails down my arm and drips onto the white tiled floor. I walk into my room to grab one of the scarves Celeste gave me and turn back to the bathroom, trying not to get blood on the carpet. I wrap it around the wound and pull it tight with my teeth, making me whimper at the pain as I try to figure out what the hell I’m gonna do to get it to stop bleeding.
I once watched my mother sew her crackhead boyfriend’s face up with a needle and thread. It made me want to puke at the time. I was nine.
I place my hands on the counter and bow my head while angry tears run down my face. Breathing heavy, I try to calm my racing heart.
“Bastards,” I hiss.
I pound my fists into the countertop. Fucking bastards.
Then I yank open the medicine cabinet and start digging around for anything I can use on my arm. It needs stitches but how the hell do I explain that to Celeste? How do I explain it to the hospital staff? I find butterfly Band-Aids and a small tube of superglue. That’ll have to do. But I won’t be able to use it until later. Once I know the bleeding has stopped.
“Fuck,” I hiss through clenched teeth.
I fall to the ground and lean my back against the cabinet, holding my right arm to my chest. What am I gonna do? They know that I know their names, but they didn’t seem concerned in the least. Especially Cole. He was adamant that I wouldn’t go to the police. And I had every intention to until he set me up to be a part of their murdering cult! Now my hands are tied and stained with blood.
I didn’t get a look at their faces. They kept their lights on me or off, so they could be anyone. Anywhere. And they know my name, so they know I live here.
My hands shake as I run them through my matted hair. The dead guy had said they were kids, but they didn’t sound young. Will they go to school with me? That thought makes my stomach knot. They could fuck with me, if that’s the case. More than they already have. I have to show them that I could run their little fucking boy group into the ground. I’m smarter than they are.
As for the dead guy? I can’t save him. It’s too late for him. I have to save myself.
The smell of the blood is strong, and I swallow the lump in my throat. Sitting up on my knees, I yank the hand towel off
I have to rinse the towel out twice, but finally, I’m able to scrub it all away. I close my eyes and place my hand over the scarf covering the cut. How long will it bleed for? How …
The sound of laughter has me jumping to my feet. I turn off the bathroom lights, then run into my bedroom. I turn those lights off as well, then go over to the windows and see their flashlights. One stands at the back of the car by the trunk, and the other gets into the passenger seat.
Cole is the one at the trunk. I can feel it. Probably putting his bag and evidence away. He shuts the trunk and then the light hangs down by his side. A shiver runs up my spine. Even though I can’t see his eyes, I know he’s watching me. I’m also very aware that I’m standing in front of my window with nothing but my bra and underwear on. I get a feeling he can still see me even though my room is dark.
His light shuts off, covering them in nothing but darkness, and then I hear his car door open and close. The headlights come on as the engine roars to life. And then it takes off, driving back down the way it came.
I run back into my bathroom, put on the same blood-stained clothes I was wearing, and then grab a new pair of jeans and t-shirt and leave my room. Making my way down to the kitchen, I go into the pantry and grab a trash bag. Then I rush to the garage.
Flipping on the light, I see the white Escalade SUV, a yellow Hummer, a white Jag, and red BMW in the six-car garage. I ignore them all and start opening the cabinets along the wall until I find what I’m looking for.
Then I turn the lights off and head out the back door, knowing what I need to do.
CHAPTER THREE
COLE
Standing in my shower, I take deep breaths as the water washes away any remains of the man who we killed earlier. And although I should be happy, I’m not.
He was right. I’m not God. I shouldn’t get to choose who lives and who dies, but I do anyway. He deserved to die for his sins. As far as mine? I should have died. Everyone in this town feels that way. I wish I could answer the questions they are too afraid to ask me. Because they fear me. My rage. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. But over time, it has just gotten worse, and I’m growing tired of holding it back. I found comfort in letting it free and allowing it to take over me. But then when it leaves me, I’m cold all over again. Nothing but emptiness.
I hang my head and let it hit the white tiled wall with a thud as the water runs over my head and back. I fist my cracked knuckles and enjoy the tightness in my joints. The pull of my broken skin. It’s the only reminder that I’m still alive. The only way that I know what I did was right.
Jeff deserved to die!
We didn’t have time to sit back and wait for it to happen. And pray that it was a slow and painful death. Although we did take his life too fast, if you ask me. I would have drawn it out longer if we had not been interrupted tonight.
Austin Lowes. She’s gonna be a fucking problem. But once I figure out what my options are with her, I plan to take care of her.
I turn off the water and open the glass door, picking my towel up off the floor and drying off. Wrapping it around my hips, I make my way into my room and grab a pair of sweatpants out of my closet. Noticing the clock on my nightstand, I see it’s almost 3:00 a.m. Kellan, Bennett, and Shane all had places to go and women to fuck after our get-together in the cemetery. Deke and I, however, went back to the clubhouse afterward. We had some things to discuss regarding Jeff and what we wanted to do next. He never once questioned the fact that I hadn’t wiped the blood off. He knew better than to ask.
Once dressed in my sweatpants, I grab my phone off my nightstand and see I have a message. I frown. The number is not saved as one of my contacts.
Opening it up, I notice it’s a video. And I just received it a few minutes ago. I press play.
It’s dark, so I squint to make out the image. I hear a match being lit followed by flames. The person holding the phone takes a step back from the burning object.
“Do you see that, Cole?” an unfamiliar voice asks over the sound of the crackling fire.
“What …?” I trail off as the person starts to circle the fire. But I still can’t place where they are or what is burning because it’s too dark and the fire is causing a glare.
It comes to a stop, and the camera spins around. My jaw tightens when I see it’s Austin. She looks the same as she did a little over three hours ago when I let her run off. All I can see is two black straps on her shoulders. Her face and neck smeared with his blood from my hands.
She smiles, the light from her phone making her green eyes shine like stars. It makes her look like an evil angel with perfect teeth and a blood-stained face. “What evidence, Cole?”
Then it goes dead.
I grip the phone in my hand, clenching my teeth. What the fuck did I just watch? What was she burning?
How did she get my number …? I had Deke call my cell from her phone. That’s how she got it.
And what evidence, Cole? What did that mean? Fire?
Realization hits me, and my heart starts to pound in my chest. I go to the number and press call.
“Hello, Cole.” She answers on the first ring as if she was expecting me to call. Her smooth voice is no longer high-pitched in fear or anger. She’s collected herself. Almost seductive.
“You fucking bitch …”
She laughs softly, and it runs over me like lava, burning my skin. “You know when I got back to the house, I thought what could I do that would clear my name if you decided to set me up?”
My jaw clenches.
“It occurred to me that if there’s no DNA to be found, then there’s no way for you to pin me for a murder. Did you know that it takes just a little over two hours to burn a body?”
I laugh nervously. “Fire doesn’t destroy everything, sweetheart.”
“I know.” I can hear the smile in her voice that lets me know she’s ahead of me again. “That’s why after it finished burning, I took a hammer and crushed what bones were left and then tossed the dust over the cliff into the ocean. Oh, and no worries, I also burned my clothes as well.”
“Fuck …”
“I know how to cover my ass, Cole. I’m a Lowes, after all.”
I stare ahead at my dark gray wall, trying to decide my next move, but she’s not done.
“But it was fun watching you think you had it all figured out.” Click.
“Goddammit!” I throw my phone across my room.
I’m not mad she destroyed the body. Fuck what she does to him. But as far as I know, she just recorded that conversation to prove that she was innocent all along. She could go to the police, and it would be her word against ours. The guys and I don’t have a good reputation in this town to begin with. The only reason we’re not in jail is because we have rich parents who bail us out of trouble. And it doesn’t hurt that Kellan’s uncle is the chief in another town not far from here.
“Think, Cole,” I say, starting to pace my room. What can I do to get her to keep her mouth shut? What could I do to make her understand why the bastard had to die?
My door opens, and I spin around to see Lilly standing in my doorway, her pink princess nightgown on, her blond hair a curly mess, and her brown eyes tired. “Cole?” she asks softly. “Are you okay? I heard something.” She brings her favorite bunny to her chest and hugs him tightly.
“Everything is fine,” I say, walking over to her. “Go back to bed.”
“Will you come with me?” she asks, holding out her right hand.
I sigh and bend down, picking her up. “Come on.” I walk her across the hall back to her room and lie down with her. I kiss her on the cheek as she curls up into my side. Placing my hands behind my head, I stare up at her pink ceiling. Austin Lowes, you just fucked up.
AUSTIN
I strip out of my hoodie and t-shirt. Then remove my jeans. I reach down into the garbage bag and put on a new pair of jeans but refrain from putting the clean shirt on. I’m still covered in his blood. I really didn’t think this through all that well, so I’m winging it. I’ve never had to burn evidence before.
I pull out my cell, and taking a deep breath, I press record. I show the dead man lying on the ground. It didn’t take me long to dig his ass up. I left him in the grave because they didn’t bury him very deep. Mistake on their part. I take the matches out and light one. Then toss it onto him. I start to circle the body making sure not to trip over the gas can. Once I show it all, I turn it to face me and smile. Fuck you, Cole! “What evidence, Cole?”
Then I stop the video and put my phone away. I place my clothes in the fire and sit down. I’m shivering from the cold, but the fire heats my body. It’s gonna take a while for him to burn completely. I grip the hammer and pound it into the wet ground just to waste time. When I’m ready, I’ll take the dirt to smother the fire, make my way back to the house, and send the video. And he’ll call me. He’s a cocky son of a bitch who won’t be able to stop himself. He’ll wanna talk to me. Feel me out. And I’ll be calm and collected and ready to show him that he shouldn’t have fucked with me.
My head snaps up, and I look around the darkness. Ever have that feeling someone is watching you? Making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. That’s how I feel right now.
“Hello?” I call out.
All I hear is the wind howling through the tall trees. I roll my eyes and go back to pounding the hammer into the ground.
You’re paranoid, Austin. Lighting a dead man on fire will do that to you.
I groan, standing outside the church while Celeste fixes the red cardigan that I wore over my black dress for service this morning. Not gonna lie, listening to the preacher speak about how Cain killed Abel didn’t set well with me when I only watched a guy get murdered hours ago and then burned his body to save my own ass. But living with two druggies, there’s not much that you don’t see. And you learn really quick that you do what you have to in order to survive. They don’t call it a dog-eat-dog world for nothing.
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