My hands shake, and my knees bounce as I sit in the driver’s seat, waiting for I don’t know what to happen. I don’t know where we are or what he has planned.
I hear an engine, and then a red car pulls out of a driveway to the gate I had watched him jump just minutes before.
He turns onto the road and takes off. I shove the car into gear and follow him.
He’s gone before I can even figure out how to shift his car. It’s been a long time since I’ve driven a standard. And I didn’t want to tell him, but I suck at it. My ex, Martin, had yelled at me for hours when he tried to teach me. I let off the clutch, and it jumps.
Shit!
I get it into second. And then third. I make it to fourth a lot better and press on the gas. He’s long gone. I can’t even see the taillights ahead of me. But I remembered what direction we came from. I hope that was the same one he took out of this town. It’s officially dark, and the town is quiet. We must be on the outskirts because I haven’t seen another car or person since we pulled in.
I hear sirens behind me, and I start to panic. What the hell was he doing? Does he want me to get caught? Is that his plan? Another game he wants me to lose? Well, I’d much rather it be robbery than murder, if I had to choose.
I see a tire repair shop at the end of the road with their garage open. I pull into it and get out quickly, pulling their bay door shut and lean up against it. Thankful it was open. I yank my ponytail out and run a hand through my hair. Frustrated and pissed that he has done this to me. Again!
Then I hear my phone ringing in the car. I run back to it and jump in, answering it when I see shark light up my screen.
“Hello?” My voice shakes with nervousness.
“Where the fuck did you go?” he demands.
“I could be asking you the same question,” I snap.
He growls. “Where are you?”
“Hiding in a garage.”
“Goddammit.”
“Maybe if you had given me a heads-up, I would have had some time to prepare to help you steal a fucking car,” I yell. My hand squeezing the phone a little too hard.
“Calm down,” he snaps. “Take a deep breath.” He lowers his voice.
My throat tightens as my heart pounds.
“I’ll send someone to come get you,” he says calmly.
“What?” Come get me? “Who?”
“Deke …”
“Are you crazy?” My voice squeaks. “He wanted to shoot me!” I all but yell. “I’ll drive myself.”
“I’m not coming back to get you,” he says matter-of-factly.
Translation—I’m on my own. If I get caught and arrested, I’ll take the fall. But I’d rather take my chances with the cops than with Deke. Or any of those other guys who were with Cole the other night.
I fucking hate him!
“Where am I going?” I ask, running a hand through my hair. My nerves shot.
“I’ll send you the address,” he says. “And Austin …?”
I hang up. I don’t have time to talk to him. I’m wanted by the police at the moment. I have got to get myself out of here.
The sad part is that this isn’t the first time I’ve run from the cops.
I get out, yank up the bay doors, and look both ways but find no cop cars in sight. I get back into his car and take off, leaving black marks on the floor of the garage.
I hear my phone go off and take a quick look down at it and notice that he has me going back to Collins, so I toss the phone. I’ll make my way there, then once I’m in town, I’ll look at the exact address.
My shoulders start to relax once I hit the curves, climbing the mountains, the city lights behind me, and finally able to drive his car better.
Anger starts to set in. Just what the hell did he think he was doing? Was this just another situation he wanted me to be involved in that could possibly get me in trouble?
I laugh at myself. Of course, it is. The guy is hell-bent on getting my ass thrown in jail.
I take the curves just as fast as he did earlier. Not worried if I fall off the cliffs to my right. At least that wouldn’t end in jail. Just death.
I take the next curve and then it dips down to a steep hill. I reach the top and see lights. “Shit!” I hiss when I see three cop cars. They must have tried to follow Cole, but he lost them. One is sitting on the right side, its ass almost falling off the cliff. The second, parked in the oncoming lane, faces me since the road is only two lanes. And the third is driving straight for me. He comes to a quick stop on his side, and I have a moment of panic. Do I stop? Just pretend like I was speeding? Or do I gun it and try to outrun them? Maybe they don’t know I’m involved in whatever Cole did.
I get my answer when the cop who is stopped on the cliff gets out and throws something in the road. A spike strip. Fuck! They know I’m involved. Even if I stop, they’ll question me. Then I’ll have four other guys on my ass for turning Cole in.
I gun it. I get right up to the spikes and swerve to the left. The driver’s side of the car barely misses the cop car that sits there, but it doesn’t miss the side of the mountain, and it rips off the mirror.
I laugh. Cole will not be happy about that. I look in the rearview mirror to see them jumping in their cars, but they’re never going to catch me. They had all their eggs in one basket, hoping I’d hit those spikes. Too bad for them.
_______________
I pull into town and punch in the address that Cole gave me. He’s called me four times, and I’ve ignored them all. Let him sweat it if I got caught and turned him in.
I pull down a gravel road and look around seeing nothing but darkness. I shut off my headlights, not wanting to bring attention to me and the car even though he has a loud exhaust on this thing. It’s not easy to hide.
I squint as I drive two miles an hour, not wanting to hit a tree or a person, until I see lights up ahead.
I speed up. As I get closer, I see a metal barn-like structure. The door swings open and out walks Cole followed by four others.
Of course! This night just keeps getting better and better. I gun it, then pull the e-brake, bringing the rear end around to stop in front of them. Dust from the gravel flies and all but Cole lift their hands to wave it away.
I open the door and jump out, slamming it shut behind me. “What in the fuck was that, Cole?” I demand.
He stands there, his blue eyes narrowed on me. His legs wide and hands in the front pockets of his black jeans. He still wears his black hoodie, but the hood is back.
“What the fuck?” I look to my right to see Deke, staring down at me with wide eyes and mouth opened. “You let cemetery girl help you?” he asks in surprise.
The other three look back and forth between Cole and me, trying to figure out what the hell is going on and who the hell I am.
My chest rises and falls fast, my heart racing. “You almost got me arrested,” I snap.
“You should have kept up,” he says.
My eyes bug out. “Kept up? I didn’t know you were going to steal a car,” I snap. He just stares at me. That look of hatred on his face. He should be thanking me for not turning him in. “Take me home,” I demand.
“Deke.” He looks at him. “Give her a ride home.”
What? “No!” I say, taking a step toward Cole as he turns and heads back toward the house. “You take me—”
“Gladly,” Deke says, interrupting me and taking a step toward me. I shut my mouth and take three back. He stares down at me with a smile on his handsome face, but the light shining down on us from the side of the barn makes him look crooked. Or maybe it’s the fact that I know just how truly twisted he is.
“I’ll just take your car,” I say with a smile, and he stops walking away. His back still toward me. Then I look down at it and smile. “I knocked off the mirror.”
“You what?” he snaps, turning to face me.
I give him the biggest fuck you smile I can. “I ran into the cops, and they threw a spike strip out.” His
brows rise. “I was able to dodge it but hit the side of the mountain. It knocked off your mirror.”
He fists his hands down by his sides while Deke laughs. The other three still stand around, not knowing what is happening.
“Who is this girl?” I think it’s Kellan who asks softly. I can’t remember who Shelby said was who.
“I’m Austin.” I answer his question when neither Deke nor Cole makes a move to do so. “Austin Lowes.”
All their heads snap to look at Cole. And Deke looks down at his feet, but I don’t miss his jaw hardening. Cole stares at me for a long moment as silence falls around us. And I feel like I’m back in the cemetery with him and Deke. Like he’s trying to think of his next move.
Is he going to stab me this time? Let Deke shoot me?
Finally, he looks away from me and to Deke. “Take her home,” he orders and then turns, giving us all his back. He walks into the barn, letting the door shut behind him.
“Let’s go home, baby,” Deke says, walking over to me.
“No …”
He grabs my upper arm and squeezes, making me cry out as his fingers dig into my skin. The other guys turn their backs on me and walk into the same door as Cole. Deke drags me across the gravel and over to the side of the building where a black Range Rover sits. He tosses me in the passenger seat and then climbs in. I press my body against the door.
He chuckles. “I’m not the one you should be afraid of, baby.”
“What does that mean?” I demand, pissed off over what Cole put me through tonight.
“It means …” He starts his SUV. “That Cole is the only one who decides if you live or die. Not me.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
COLE
I RIP MY hoodie off and then my black t-shirt. I toss them both to the floor and raise my fists in front of me. I start bouncing around and hit the punching bag that hangs from the rafter.
I hear the door open and then Kellan’s voice. “Cole, what is going on?” he asks.
“I’m handling it,” I say, hitting the bag again.
“That’s not what it looked like from where we stood,” Shane argues.
I snort.
“She’s Bruce’s daughter—”
“Yes. I know who she is!” I snap, interrupting Kellan. I drop my hands and turn to face them. “I’m well aware of whose daughter she is.”
Kellan looks like he’s seen a ghost, but Shane smiles. “She’s perfect.”
I let out a growl. “She’s mine!”
He doesn’t even try to hide his smile at my possessiveness. “No. I mean she’s perfect for what we need.”
Kellan shakes his head. “Absolutely not. I’m not gonna be responsible for her.”
“Between the five us, she would be fine.”
“Look at what happened tonight,” Kellan snaps, arguing with Shane.
“Were you not paying attention?” Shane asks. “She managed to get away from the cops. And she didn’t even have any help.” He points at me. “Cole left her to fend for herself.” He smiles as if he’s proud of her. “And I must say, I’m impressed.”
I, however, want to strangle her. She fucked up my M4. I just bought that car. And the cops saw her, which brings up another thought. Why were the cops there? We disabled the alarm, and no one was around for miles. That warehouse is there for a reason; no one is ever in that part of the town. Barnes is a little town full of elderly people who live in retirement homes. Who would have seen us to call the authorities on us?
“I say we bring her in. See how she does.” Shane nods to himself. “Challenge her. She seems like the kind who wouldn’t back down from a fight.”
“And?” Kellan asks.
“And what?” Shane looks at him.
“When she gets us caught and we’re all in jail, then what?”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you promise that?” Kellan snaps.
Shane looks back at me. “Because she won’t turn on someone she loves.”
I look at Bennett, the only one who has kept his mouth shut this entire time. He meets my eyes, and my chest tightens at the look in them. “You know damn well that she would be the best piece no one ever saw coming,” he says.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see it’s a message.
Deke: The princess was dropped off. Unharmed. You’re welcome.
I put my cell back in my pocket, close my eyes, and let out a long breath. “You guys know what this means, right?” I ask.
When silence falls over the room, I look them all in the eyes before I speak. “We’re throwing a party.”
AUSTIN
Shark: Party tomorrow night at my house. Be there at ten.
Cole sent me that last night while I was in the bathtub. As soon as Deke dropped me off, I jumped in the bath to clean off. To wash the day away. I never responded, but I don’t think he expected me to. He had summoned me, and he knew I’d show because well, what else do I have to do? And I want to know what those boys are up to.
Three had looked at me like I was a disease. Cole looked like he wanted to kill me, and Deke looked amused.
First, they kill a guy, then they steal a car? Like what is their deal? Was the car one of their dares? Shelby had mentioned how they were always getting into trouble.
And she had called them Great White Sharks? In and out of the water. That’s why I put his number under Shark. I could use them on my side at school. It’s the second semester of my senior year at a new place. And the town is a stuck-up, wealthy city. I’m sure all the students are little brats, so I could use someone on my side who others are afraid to cross. Or five someones. Even if I’m afraid of them too. Deke said that my fate was in Cole’s hands. So he runs the pack. That was obvious, though. As long as I stay on his good side, I should be okay.
“You look so pretty.”
I look over to the chair next to me that Lilly occupies. She had stayed the night with us. Then this morning Celeste had asked Cole if she could tag along with us to the salon to get her hair washed along with her nails painted. I found it odd that she asks Cole for permission and not their father, but I shrugged it off. Shelby had told me that Cole is the one who pretty much raises her.
“Thank you,” I tell her with a smile. “You look very beautiful.”
She holds up her hands, showing me her little fingers. “Cole’s favorite color is pink.”
“Then he is going to love your nails.”
She nods. “That’s why I picked this color.”
Celeste comes up to us, placing her cell in her pocket. “Well, Lilly, I just spoke with Cole. I had to beg and promise to have you in bed by eight thirty, but he said you could spend one more night.”
“Yay.” She throws both of her hands above her head.
It’s probably because he is throwing a party. Celeste looks at me. “Oh, wow, Austin. I love your hair.”
I look at myself in the mirror. “Really? I figured it was different.”
“It’s beautiful.” She grabs my shoulders and leans over to whisper in my ear. “He’s gonna love it.”
I frown. “I didn’t do it for a he.”
She gives me a small smile and pats my shoulder. “Whatever you say, dear.”
I look back at myself in the mirror and sigh. I guess it can’t hurt to try to impress him. I mean, he’s a boy, after all. All men think with their dicks. “Where are we going after we leave here?” I ask her.
“Wherever you want,” she says simply.
I smile. “I need something to wear tonight. Something red.”
She nods her head as a woman comes up behind her. “Celeste?”
She spins around and opens her arms. “Ellie.”
“What are you up to?” her friend asks as she pulls away.
“I’m out with my stepdaughter.” She turns and gestures toward me. “Ellie, this is Austin. Austin, meet my friend Ellie.”
Her friends smile drops off her face as her eyes meet mine, and she
looks back at Celeste. “Stepdaughter?” she asks quietly as if I can’t hear.
Celeste nods and gives a soft smile. “Yes. She is spending the rest of her senior year with us.”
“Oh,” She turns back to face me. “It’s nice to meet you.” She nods and then dismisses me, turning back to whisper to Celeste. She places her arm in the crook of Ellie’s, and they walk off.
I turn and smile at a confused Lilly. “How about an Icee? I saw a cookie place downstairs that had them.”
She nods excitedly as her brown eyes light up. “I like the Coke ones.”
“What? No way. Me too.”
She giggles, and I laugh, ignoring Celeste and her friend who are no doubt talking about me and where in the hell I came from. No one in this town probably even knows Bruce Lowes had a daughter except for the people I met back when I was seven. And most of them are probably long gone by now.
_______________
It’s ten thirty when I finally pull up to Cole’s house. Deke had messaged me the address an hour ago. And I tried not to let it bug me that Cole gave him my number. Like the bastard was too busy to even message me himself.
The house is just as big as my father’s house, but I’m not surprised. I park the bright red BMW my father bought me in the front and get out. The evening chill making me shudder. During the daytime, it gets up to mid-fifties, but it gets cold at night. Thankfully, that gives me a reason to wear long sleeves to cover my stitches.
I bought a thin deep red sweater that hangs off the shoulders with a black, tank top to wear underneath. I paired it with black skinny jeans and black high heels. And topped off the look with red lipstick. I hate to admit that I tried a little harder than I would have if not for Cole. And then that pissed me off. But of course, I didn’t change. Instead, I hung out at my house for thirty more minutes, knowing I would be later than he stated.
I walk into the house, and “Fuck Away the Pain” by Divide the Day pounds through speakers that hang on the walls. Kids of all ages crowd the foyer and hallways. Some even look old enough for college. I scan the crowd for Deke or Cole, not knowing what they have planned for me. Once again, I’m suspicious about why I was even invited.
DARE SERIES COLLECTION Page 7