Dare (Fighting Fate Book 6)

by Maree Green

  Squeezing my eyes shut tight, I pressed my lips together, trying to stop the tears from coming, but the events of the last week were still too fresh for me to contain. As a sob escaped, Austin tightened his hold again.

  “What’s the matter, Rabbit?” he said softly.

  “Nothing. Everything,” I said, stepping back and swiping at my eyes.

  Taking my hand, he scooped up his bag in the other, and started towing me toward the side of the house, where two swings were tied to the big, old oak tree. Dropping his bag, he gently nudged me to take a swing, while he took the other. “Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”

  Staring at the ground, I slowly rocked back and forth, my feet still planted on the dirt. “I broke up with Wyatt a couple of days ago,” I said softly.

  I looked up to see him frowning at me. “Why?”

  “It’s a long, complicated, and messy story,” I said, letting a slight humorless laugh slip out. “I don’t know. That’s not even the reason I’m upset, really.”

  “Okay, you’re confusing me, Rabbit. Start at the beginning. You know I haven’t met Wyatt, so I’m having trouble getting what you’re talking about.”

  I sighed, letting my shoulders sag. “I don’t know. I’m struggling to work it out in my head. I keep going back and forth, trying to figure it all out, and I just keep getting nowhere. I mean, to start with, I kind of feel bad about the breakup. Wyatt’s a nice guy. In a way, he was kind of perfect. He said and did all the right things. He has ambition and goals of success, and he wanted me to be a part of it.”

  “But . . . ?” Austin probed.

  “But, in my gut, something just didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel as though we connected. All his goals—all the things he would get excited about—they just didn’t excite me.”

  Austin’s eyes narrowed. It was obvious I was confusing him. “Okay, so are you second-guessing your decision?”

  I shook my head. “No, not really. I know I made the right one.”

  He gave me a hard look, letting me know I was starting to piss him off. “Then what the hell are you upset about? I’m having a hard time here, Rabbit.”

  My shoulders slumped as the real problem drifted to the surface. “A few nights ago, I was drugged,” I said quietly.

  “You fucking what?” Austin said, halting his swing to stare at me.

  I sighed. “Nothing happened to me. I don’t even know who it was that did it. Wyatt took me home, and I passed out on the couch. I was still fully dressed in jeans when I woke the next morning.”

  “Then how the hell do you know you were drugged?”

  This was the part I was dreading. “Eli told me the next day that Wyatt’s best friend had been seen buying a similar kind of drug. He made me go get tested.”

  “Are you fucking serious right now?” he said, pushing to his feet. “Did you go to the police?”

  Pressing my lips together, I swallowed down the anxiety that was forcing its way in. I should’ve known this was coming. I forgot how protective he could be. “No, not yet.”

  “Why the hell not, Jess? When did this happen?” he demanded, hands on hips.

  “Monday night.”

  Tilting his head back, he looked up at the sky, turning his body away from me. After a moment, he sat back down on the swing and rubbed his forehead. “Okay, do you think Wyatt could’ve had something to do with it?”

  “No, I don’t. I’m just confused about the whole situation. It’s been a really emotional week, and I’m having trouble processing everything that’s happened.”

  He sighed before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and taking my hand. “Jess, I get what you’re saying, but drugging someone is a pretty fucking serious thing. It’s not something you should just sit back and contemplate. What if he tries it again? What if he tries it on someone else? These are the things you need to be thinking about, Rabbit. These are the important things.”

  “I know,” I said, squeezing his hand back. “I really do. And I will go to the police. I promise. I just need a little more time to process it. I’ll get there. My heart’s just a little bruised right now.”

  “All right,” he said, nodding.

  Taking a deep breath, I gave him an intense look. “While we’re on the topic of bruised hearts—” I started.

  Austin’s hand disappeared from mine in a blink. “Oh, no,” he said, pushing to his feet. “Not going there, Rabbit. I’m fine. As fine as I’ll ever be.”

  My lips pressed together, desperate to push the issue further. The death of a girlfriend was not something you recovered from easily. Fine was not the word I would use to describe Austin’s heart at all. But it was Christmas, after all. For once, we were all together, and it wasn’t the time to linger on past hurts, recent or ancient.

  Fleetingly, my mind drifted to the one thing that had been my only form of distraction from the chaos these past couple of days. The dream. My very fucked-up, drug-induced, erotic dream. The one that was quickly making my life very weird whenever I saw Eli. Because whenever he came anywhere near me, all I could see, all I could hear, and all I could feel, was him. On me. Against me. In me. And, as much as I’d tried pushing it away, it just wouldn’t leave me alone.

  “Are you okay?” Austin asked, his brow creasing as though I was freaking him the fuck out.

  Crap. “I’m fine.”

  His eyes narrowed with disbelief. “Do I even want to know what you were thinking about just then? Because it was kind of creepy, Rabbit.”

  “Shut up,” I said, slapping him on the arm as he tried to duck away from me. “We both know you’re the creepy one in the family.”

  He threw his head back and laughed as we started making our way around the back of the house, to where Mom and Norman were fussing around. “Dream on, little sister. Dream on. Red, remember?”

  I slapped him again as we rounded the house, but that was that. He was exactly the kick up the ass I’d needed to get me moving past this whole mess with Wyatt. And that was why I loved my brother to the other end of the universe and back.

  Now, if only I could do the same for him.

  Chapter 16

  Eli

  Sitting back in my chair, I groaned and rubbed my slightly aching stomach. As Mom held up another offering of pudding, I vehemently started shaking my head. “God, no. If I eat one more thing, I’m seriously going to explode. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so full in my life.”

  Mom rolled her eyes, but it was obvious she was trying to conceal a grin. “Anyone else?” she called.

  A series of groans echoed around the table. If Mom had one life goal each Christmas, it was to feed her family into a coma. Kara let out a slight whimper across from me. “Damn you, Ali,” she said. “If I go into labor now, I’m going to curse you to all eternity.”

  Mom placed the pudding back on the table and chuckled. “And lose the best babysitter you’ll ever have?” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I don’t think so.”

  Kara had less than two months until she was due. We were all taking bets on the day she would pop. I put my money on Valentine’s Day. That kind of thing would fit right in with our family.

  Dad clapped his hands and pushed his chair away from the table. “All right, let’s get this mess cleared away, so we can all pass out in the den. I might not technically be a granddad yet, but I sure can nap like one.”

  Isaac pushed himself up to stand beside him. “It must be in the genes, then, Dad, because I can nap like a damn pro.”

  As Kara struggled to her feet, one arm latched onto Adam and the other around her bulging stomach, she sighed a wistful sound. “All I can say is that this baby better have that gene. It’s the one thing I’ve been dreading. I don’t do well on limited sleep.”

  Adam’s lips pressed into a thin line behind Kara, his eyes widening with agreement, but wisely, he just shook his head, choosing to not go there.

  Dad clapped him on the back as he passed him, plate in hand, mumbling under his b
reath. “I taught you well, Son. You’ll go far.”

  Leaning forward on the table, I watched Noah drape his arm over Kaeli’s shoulder and draw her closer to him before he kissed her on the temple. I had to admire my little brother for his dedication and commitment to his girl. It wasn’t something you saw too often with guys his age. Hell, it was rare in guys my age too. Wyatt proved that point better than anyone I knew.

  I scowled, pissed off with myself for allowing Wyatt into my thoughts. One, I just simply detested the guy for treating Jess the way he had. Two, when I thought of him, it made me think of Jess, and she was the last thing I needed to be thinking about right now.

  As everyone started migrating into the kitchen to clean up, I loaded up my arms with whatever I could carry and followed. I was with Dad. A nap sounded amazing right about now.

  “How’s everything going, E?” Noah asked as I passed him.

  Kaeli smiled as I paused, grabbing a couple of plates from me and disappearing toward the kitchen. “Okay, I guess. How’s the investigation going?”

  He nodded, but his expression was distracted. “We may have a witness,” he said quietly. “It’s been a tough one, but I have a gut feeling about one of them. She knows something.”

  My pulse started picking up a little faster. If Zac really did drug Jess, I would love nothing more than to see him arrested for it. “You think someone saw Zac slip something into Jess’s drink?”

  His head moved side to side. “I’m not sure exactly, but I think she knows more than she’s letting on. A lot more.”

  I thought about his words as Kaeli appeared, to take the rest of the things I was holding on to. “Sorry, I’ll be in there in a minute to help.”

  She smiled brightly. “It’s all good. We’ve got it under control.”

  We both watched her disappear through the doors before Noah met my gaze again. “I still can’t believe the test came back positive,” he said. “It’s fucking with my head trying to figure it out.”

  “Yeah, I just don’t get it, man,” I said, shaking my head. “I know it’s all still speculation, but if it really was Zac or Wyatt who drugged her, then why? If neither of them wanted to take advantage of her, why do it? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  Noah scratched his chin. “Yeah, I can’t figure that one out, either,” he said, sighing. “But if either of them slipped something into her drink—regardless of what their intentions were—they’ve just started playing in an entirely different ball game. Not only is this their careers, this is their life, man, and if my gut is right, they’ve just fucked up in the biggest way possible.”

  He had no idea how right he was. I knew what the last seven years had been like for me. The only thing that got me through each day, was the knowledge that it would all soon be over, and I would finally start receiving the benefits of all the hard work I’d been putting in. If anything happened right now that would take that possibility away from me, I didn’t actually know what I would do. It would be devastating.

  But if all this turned out to be true, and either Zac or Wyatt was guilty, I knew I would have no sympathy for them. This wasn’t some unfortunate event that fate had dished out to them. This would have been a choice. They put their own needs before Jess’s safety, and her justice was something I would fight tooth and nail for.

  “You know she likes you, right?” Noah asked suddenly.

  My thoughts did a complete one-eighty. “Who?”

  Noah smirked. “Jess. You should ask her out.”

  And the conversation was over. Taking a slight step toward the kitchen, I gave Noah a playful smile. “A girlfriend is the last thing I need right now, Noah. I didn’t subject myself to seven years of hell, only to be distracted in the eleventh hour. I’m going to finish this shit, and I’m going to ace the bar exam, and then I’m going to live.”

  As I walked away, I heard Noah chuckle. “Famous last words, Brother.”

  Chapter 17

  Jess

  “Tell me again why we’ve decided here was the best place to come?”

  I didn’t bother watching for Amber’s response to my question as we navigated the curbs and parked cars. The answer was one I already knew, but I was in a mood and wanted someone to placate me.

  Clutching the pre-mix bottle of vodka in my hand, I stepped over the storm water drain, awkwardly holding my arms out to keep my balance. It was way harder than it should’ve been, but I assumed that had everything to do with the number of bottles I’d already consumed.

  Beside me, I heard Amber sigh. “Dude, just do it. Get it out of the way. Rip that shit off like a Band-Aid. Trust me, you’ll feel way better for it.”

  I glanced up at her long enough to scowl before returning my gaze back to the ground again. “Exactly what is it that you think I should do?”

  “Whatever floats your boat,” she said, an obvious smirk in the tone of her voice. “Tongue fuck his mouth, take him out the back for a BJ, or go for gold and just take him to bed. Isaac will be lucky if I don’t jump him tonight too.”

  I rolled my eyes before taking a swig of my drink. “I think you’ve got that backward, hon. I’m sure Isaac would consider himself the exact opposite of lucky if you didn’t jump him tonight.”

  Catching my gaze, she waggled one perfectly sculptured eyebrow. “Well, maybe he’ll consider himself damn lucky by the end of tonight. I never say never.”

  Oh, he’d be lucky all right. I glanced over the rockabilly chick look Amber was rocking these days. With her perfect red lips, winged eyeliner, and pastel pink hair, she was absolutely stunning, but put that with high pumps, a pencil skirt, and spectacular cleavage, she had every eye on her wherever she went. Girls included.

  Pausing my steps, I waited for Amber to face me before I placed a hand on my hip and cocked my head to the side. “I dare you to do it. Tonight.”

  Amber raised her eyebrows with amusement. “Are we back at high school, girlfriend?” I held my drink up and shrugged, making her roll her eyes. “I’ll accept your dare on the terms of a return dare. You and Eli.”

  Crap. I was such an amateur. As much as I knew there was no way I’d have the guts to proposition Eli, I couldn’t back down. “Fine. I accept.”

  She gave me a knowing look. “You know that means if I hook up with Isaac, you have to do the same with Eli, right?”

  Scowling, I took a drink and started walking up the steps to the front door. “Yeah, I get it.” Nodding for her to go through the door first, I wiggled my now-empty bottle. “I’m going to need more drink.”

  Amber stepped forward and placed her hand on the doorknob, mischief in her eyes and amusement on her lips. “Get your shit together, Princess. It’s too late to back out now. We’re here, and so is Eli. It’s time to bitch up.”

  Before I had a chance to comprehend her words, she was throwing the door open and striding on through with a flourish. Shaking my head, I let out a slight laugh under my breath and followed her in. As much as her advice was crude and unforgiving, she was right. Dare or no dare, now was a good time to do something about this attraction to Eli. The choices might not have been easy, but they were limited. I either took Amber’s dare and hoped whatever happened satisfied the intrigue that damned dream had brought me, or I could ignore it and hope it would go away on its own. I was leaning more toward the latter. It spelled less of disaster.

  But as I made my way inside, all thoughts of Eli were suddenly replaced by shock and confusion, because I honestly thought I’d walked into the wrong house. There were bodies crowded in every possible space. I’d seriously never seen this many people in one house at a time.

  Catching a glimpse of the back of Amber’s dress disappearing through the crowd, I darted after her, ducking and weaving and pushing through the bodies. It was insane. Grabbing a hold of Amber’s hand, I squeezed it hard. “Have we entered another freaking dimension? What the hell is going on? Why are there so many people here, Amber?”

  She turned to her side so I could hear
her over the loud, thumping music. “I guess this is what happens when every member of your family is allowed to invite whoever they want.”

  I gawked at the vast number of people around us, my head slowly shaking with horror. This wasn’t good. I honestly thought it was just going to be family and friends. I’d been good with that. Now I was slightly stressing. The last time I’d been in a party environment, I’d been drugged. Even though nothing bad had happened, it still scared the absolute crap out of me to experience firsthand just how easy it could happen.

  Amber tugged on my arm. “Come on. Let’s grab a drink and find the others. They can’t be too far away.”

  Drawing in a steadying breath, I nodded. I could deal with this. I just needed to be careful with my drinks. Moving toward the back of the house, we found Kaeli and Noah in the kitchen with Mia and Jace, and Aiden and Emmy. As Mia and Kaeli rushed forward to give me and Amber a hug, I sighed with relief. It calmed me to know I was going to be able to surround myself with my closest friends. I had no doubt they’d all look out for me.

  “Hey, Jess,” Noah said, catching my gaze. “How’re you doing?” His look told me he could tell I was already under the influence, and for some reason, it amused me.

  “I’m still trying to wrap my head around how many people are here,” I said, letting my gaze drift around the room.

  He frowned and took a quick look around as well. “Yeah, I can’t say I’m too happy about it. Parties this size don’t usually end well.”

  Kaeli squeezed herself closer to him. “Stop stressing. It’ll be fine. Let’s go out back and sit down by the fire.”

  Now that actually sounded perfect.

  “Here,” Amber said, passing me another bottle of vodka. Her gaze narrowed as she studied me. She looked exactly like an elementary school teacher giving their student a warning. “Do not put it down until it’s empty. Got it?”