I sit back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest as I look out the window, watching all the cars he passes.
“What would you have done?” he finally asks.
I turn back to look at him. He stares straight ahead. “Given the situation I was in, exactly what I did.”
He nods his head once.
“And if I wouldn’t have had the resources to set him on fire, I would have tied him to a couple of full dive tanks and dumped his body into the ocean.” His brows lift in surprise. “Sharks and other fish would have smelled the blood. He would had been eaten to nothing in a matter of days.” He nods to himself again. Slower this time. “But if I would have been part of it, I would have done it differently.” I’ve never killed someone but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t crossed my mind. The older I got, the more I despised Phillip. Every time he cornered me, I thought of killing him. Or at the very least chopping his hands off in a freak accident.
“Like what?”
“I know you’re into the fight.” He stiffens. “But if you didn’t wanna get your hands dirty, you could have poisoned him and tossed his body into an abandoned well and thrown sulfuric acid down there with him to dissolve the body. It takes a little longer than lye, but it liquefies the bones and teeth as well as the soft tissue.”
He whips his head over to look at me.
I give him a big smile. “I know how to cover my tracks.” I say the same thing I told him the night he tried to blackmail me. The first time.
And for the first time in the three weeks I’ve known Cole Reynolds, he looks utterly impressed and speechless. It’s awesome.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
COLE
SHE’S SICK.
She’s twisted.
She’s fucking perfect.
I sit next to her in a booth as she speaks across the table to Becky, and all I can think about is what she said to me in the car. How she would kill someone. How she would cover her tracks. And how she saved our asses by burning Jeff’s body. Had we been that sloppy? Had we not covered our tracks well enough? I would hate to think that Jerrold went to where he buried Aimee’s body and thought to look next to her. That he would have found him and seen him covered in our blood. Would he have suspected us right off the bat? If Eli were still alive, then I would say yes without thought, but he’s not.
But to suspect us? That’s not possible. We were careful. Deke and I had picked him up outside his favorite bar that night. Threw him in my trunk and met the guys on the Lowes estate to carry him up to the cemetery. He had taken a cab to the bar, so we didn’t need to mess with his car. As far as the police know, he got lost or mugged on his way home. Even this city has streets that you don’t go down alone after the sun sets.
“Cole?” Deke snaps my name.
I look up at him. “What?”
“You okay?” he asks softly so the girls can’t hear him. They’re in their own world talking about some shit girls talk about.
I run a hand through my hair. “We’ll be back,” I say to Austin and Becky before sliding out. Deke follows me without thought.
“What is it, man?” he asks when we walk outside.
I stop in front of my car and turn to face him on the sidewalk. “Do you think we covered our tracks well enough with Jeff?” I ask.
He snorts. “Don’t let Shane get to you, man. All that shit he was saying last night didn’t make any sense. He’s just scared …”
“This has nothing to do with Shane.”
He frowns. “Then what does it have to do with?”
“I was talking to Austin—”
“Austin?” he interrupts me. “What does she have to do with this? You think she’s gonna go to the police?” he asks.
I shake my head and take a step back from him, running a hand through my hair again nervously. Then I start pacing the sidewalk.
“Cole.”
I stop and look up at him.
He has a sly smile on his face. “She’s getting to you.”
“No, she’s not,” I say like he asked me a question.
He snorts and crosses his arms over his chest. “Becky was right.”
My teeth clench. “No …”
“She said that it’s more than you’re letting on.”
I roll my eyes. “Deke, come on.”
He steps into me. “It’s okay not to want to use her.”
I shake my head. “She is nothing more than part of the game.”
“You’re not in the game,” he says matter-of-factly. “You have your eyes on Austin a hundred percent of the time, and although I don’t have a problem with it, it’s blinding you.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I growl.
“It means you’re not seeing the big picture, Cole.” He sighs heavily. “Kellan is up to something. That night at the clubhouse, I baited him to see what he would do, knowing you would test him. And you did. Even though he didn’t fuck her right then and there, he still failed.”
My body tenses at the thought of Kellan wanting her in any way. “I know!”
“He may want to fuck her, but he wants her gone more. And when he realizes what I’ve figured out.” He smiles, and I want to slap it off his face. “That she means more to you. He’s gonna take you up on your offer to fuck her, and when you tell him no … He’s gonna make a move.” My hands fist. “Shane can’t decide what side of the fence he wants to be on when it comes to her. And Bennett … is just, well, Bennett. In his own world. He’s not a threat to her. Yet. But we both know that he would take her out without a thought if he felt she jeopardized—”
“I know all this,” I snap, interrupting him.
He glares at me. “Then you need to decide what she means to you. Because I see it all fucking coming to a head. Not soon but eventually, and you’re gonna have to pick a side. Save her. Or kill her before the others do.”
“And you?” I demand. “Where does she stand with you?”
He uncrosses his arms and places his hands in his pockets. “She’s my girlfriend’s best friend and my brother’s girl.” He looks me in the eyes. “I do what you say. Whether that means protect her or kill her, so her blood isn’t on your hands, it’s up to you.” And with that, he turns and walks back into the restaurant.
AUSTIN
“So what are you guys doing tonight?” Becky asks me.
“Nothing—”
“We’re going to a movie,” Cole interrupts me as he slides in next to me.
“Really?” she asks excitedly.
I eye him skeptically.
He places his arm over my shoulders and pulls me to his side. I hate that my body instantly softens. “Really,” he says, looking at her.
I’m about to open my mouth and say no when he continues. “We are taking Lilly to see the new Disney movie. She won’t leave me alone about it.” My heart melts a little bit at the mention of Lilly. “You guys wanna go?” he asks.
Becky looks at Deke. He shrugs. “If that’s what you want—”
“Yes. We’ll go,” she interrupts him.
Deke looks at Cole and smiles. “I can drive if you want,” he offers.
Lunch went well although I was tense for most of it. Cole is acting differently, and I can’t figure it out. And Deke kept staring at me with a smirk on his face like he knew a secret. It put me on alert.
“What’s wrong?” Cole asks while he drives me home.
“Nothing,” I lie.
He looks over at me and snorts. “Your knees haven’t stopped bouncing since we left the restaurant.”
I slap my hands on my thighs to help tame them. “Why am I going to the movies with you?” I blurt out.
He frowns. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“We don’t do that.” When his frown deepens, I add. “Date.” This isn’t even a real relationship. He told me I was his, and no one else will date me. I kinda have no other options.
“I promised Lilly yesterday I would take her to the movies tonight, and I figured you’d w
ant to come. Is there a problem?”
I open my mouth but then close it. Not sure what to say. “No,” I say when I come up with nothing. “I like spending time with Lilly.”
He smiles. “But not with me.”
Is he being playful?
I don’t say anything to that because I’m not sure what I like at this moment. He’s got my mind twisted. He’s a killer. He’s been nothing but a dick to me. But then I find out he has this heart that is so big he would rather the entire city hate him than soil his friend’s reputation. Then, of course, Lilly. He thinks the world of her. Raises her. And then there’s the sex. Fuck me! The sex. It’s amazing. Sex with Martin was slow and soft. He was always high, and I was always on top while he played some slow blues music. Sex with Cole is crazy and animalistic. Makes me want to play some hardcore metal and have his hand wrapped around my neck.
“Your phone is done charging,” he says, unplugging and handing it to me. I go to reach for it, but he pulls it away. “Why do you have the retina scanner on it?”
“It came with the phone.”
He comes to a stop at a red light and looks over at me. “The real reason, sweetheart.”
“Just give it to me,” I bark.
He places it in the side of his door. “When you can be truthful, I’ll give it back.”
“Cole,” I growl.
“Austin.” He smiles.
I don’t like this new playful Cole. It’s annoying. “You don’t get to do this,” I snap.
“Do what?”
“Not tell me anything but want me to tell you everything.”
“So there is a reason you use the retina.”
I sit back in my seat and the light turns green. He doesn’t go. The car behind us honks its horn. I turn around to look as the guy swerves around us. “Cole, the light is green.”
“I know,” he says simply.
Another car honks its horn. “Well, why are we just sitting here?”
He yanks the emergency brake up and crosses his arms over his chest. “We’re not moving until you tell me why you have a retina scanner on your phone.”
Another car honks and flies by us. My teeth clench. “You are such a dick.”
“Call me whatever you want, sweetheart. I always get what I want.”
A car passes by, and the passenger sticks his right hand out, flipping us off. Thankfully, Cole’s windows are blacked out so no one can see us. Finally, the light turns red, and I just stare straight ahead. I remain silent as does he. I pray that he goes through the stoplight the moment it turns green again. But he stays put.
Fucking bastard.
I let out a long breath while cars pass us once again. “I walked into my bedroom one day and found Phillip going through my photos. Photos that I had taken of myself and sent to Martin. After that, I knew I needed to put a lock on it that he wouldn’t be able to guess. Retina scanner was the best bet.”
He tosses my phone to me, and it hits the door. Then he releases the emergency brake and throws the car in gear and squeals the tires as he takes off, barely making it before the light turns red again.
I look over at him as he drives like a maniac now through traffic. Cutting cars off and tailgating. “What is your problem?” I demand.
He slams on the brakes at another red light. I can see his jaw tighten.
“Why do you make me tell you things and then get mad at me? If you don’t want to know the answer, then don’t make me tell you. It’s not that hard of a concept,” I snap.
He remains silent, and I look down to turn my phone on. It starts to ding instantly with notifications. I open my Facebook page and see I have over a hundred new friend requests, which is a surprise. But only one stands out. Cole Reynolds. His profile pic is of us. I’m sitting on the counter at his father’s house, and he’s standing between my legs, kissing me.
I ignore it and go to my pictures. I scroll through them, looking at the ones I have with Martin. Each one makes me angrier and angrier that I haven’t heard from him.
I click on his page. His profile is still the same picture it has been for two years now. Him standing with his surfboard on the ocean. I scroll down through his posts and see that he is still addicted to the games. He likes to smoke weed, sit back, and play on his phone. I see he was tagged in a picture just a few days ago. The person doing the tagging is a girl. She has short brown hair and light brown eyes. His lips are on her cheek and her hand is on his chest. But there’s no caption.
I swallow, hating the feeling that he is with someone else so fast. I’m not going to say I thought we would get married, but he was a big part of my life. And then, boom. Nothing. It hurts.
It’s not like Cole and I are anything important. Like I wanted this relationship with him.
I unfriend Martin, exit his page, and go back to mine, deleting every picture he was in.
Cole pulls up to my house, and I open the passenger door to get out. “Austin …” He grabs my upper arm.
I swing my head around to glare at him. “I didn’t delete them for you.” Then I yank my arm free and get out.
_______________
Sunday evening, I find myself back at the clubhouse with the guys to do another dare.
I sit on the couch with Cole to my left and Deke to my right. We haven’t spoken much since yesterday afternoon. We went to see a movie last night, but the best thing about movies is that you can’t talk during them. Then afterward I told him to take me home. He didn’t argue even though earlier in the day he had told Celeste I would be staying the night with him. I think he knew I was pissed and didn’t want to fight with me over it.
“So who’s up?” I ask.
“Cole,” Deke answers.
“Don’t make your dare illegal,” Cole warns me without looking my way. And I know it’s for my sake, not his.
I ignore him.
Like last time, Shane passes out pieces of paper and pens. I write down a dare and put it in the bowl.
I peek over at Kellan standing by the table, and he’s staring at me. I look away.
Cole gets up and goes over to the bowl. He draws out a piece of paper and silently reads it to himself at first. His jaw sharpens and nostrils flare. His eyes instantly go to Kellan who smiles back at Cole, then looks back at me.
“I dare you,” Kellan says to Cole with a sinister smile on his face.
I swallow nervously.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
COLE
MY EYES GO to Austin, and her face is white, eyes wide. She looks nervous. Looking back down at the paper, I read it out loud. “You must fuck Kaitlin. Consequence. If you do not complete your dare in one month, you must pull out of the group.”
Deke snorts and mutters, “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious,” Kellan says, looking at Austin.
Her face has turned red, and I’m not sure if it’s from anger or embarrassment.
Deke stands and looks at Kellan. “What the fuck, man?”
He shrugs carelessly. “Not sure what the problem is. We all know that he’s just playing with Austin for the month, and he’s fucked Kaitlin before. Not like she’s a bad lay. We’ve all had a piece of that.”
“You know why,” he snaps.
Shane runs a hand through his hair nervously while Bennett looks at Kellan with a tight jaw. We all know what he’s doing. But there’s nothing we can do—rules are rules.
I smile. Kellan is just asking for me to fuck him over. He still doesn’t know that I’m aware he’s fucking Celeste. I know she hasn’t said a word to him because he would have confronted me.
I could tell him. But what good would that do? It won’t change anything now. Plus, I want him to continue fucking her. I need insurance. And I won’t get it if he stops.
Kellan looks at me. That smirk still on his face. “You’ve got a month, Cole,” he says, then looks to Austin and winks before he walks out.
Her eyes meet mine, and she looks absolutely pissed. And I find
I like another side of her. One I’ve never seen before—jealousy.
_______________
Everyone but me, Austin, and Deke have left the clubhouse. She still sits on the couch. She hasn’t said a word since I read my dare out loud over thirty minutes ago.
Deke sighs heavily as he approaches me. “What are you gonna do, man?” he asks, lowering his voice.
“What I have to do,” I say simply.
He shakes his head. “I told you shit was gonna come to a head. And it’s gonna happen within a month.”
“It’ll be fine.”
He growls. “Kellan was out of line.”
“He’s playing the game.” Not very well, I might add.
“Fuck the game,” he snaps.
I slap his shoulder. “I’ve got it under control.”
“You can’t pull out of the group.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure him.
“So you’re gonna fuck Kaitlin?” He gives Austin a quick look over his shoulder. She is typing away on her cell. “You can’t come back from that, Cole.”
“Quit worrying so much, Deke,” I decide to say.
He lets out another long breath, shaking his head. Then, without another word, he turns and walks out.
“Let’s go,” I say to her.
She stands from the couch and walks out to my car. I follow her and close up the clubhouse. When I get in the car, she looks straight ahead. I turn the car on and take her home.
As I pull up to her driveway, she’s already reaching for the door. “Wait,” I say, grabbing her arm.
She finally looks over at me, and her green eyes are simmering with rage and her lips thinned.
“Trust me.”
She says nothing. Doesn’t even blink.
I hold in a sigh. I’m going to fucking kill Kellan. I haven’t worked this hard to get her where I want for him to come along and fuck it all up. “I know I haven’t given you a reason to, but I need you to trust me on this.” Deke was right; I could never come back from this. And if I want Austin Lowes to fall in love with me, fucking another woman isn’t going to do it.
“You’re right. You haven’t given me a reason to trust you, and I’m not gonna start now.” Then she gets out, slamming the door behind her.
DARE SERIES COLLECTION Page 23
