CHAPTER FIFTEEN

COLE

I already made the mistake of leaving her alone with Shelby once. I wasn’t gonna make it again. I heard her talking to Austin about me last time we were here. So this time, I stand in the kitchen with them while they sit at the table as Shelby removes her stitches.

“It looks really good,” Shelby tells her as she examines it. “And the scarring will be very minimal.”

Austin smiles at her. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Shelby says, waving off her gratitude and pulling her in for a hug.

“May I use your restroom?” Austin asks, standing.

She nods and shows her where it is.

I’m leaning up against the kitchen counter when Shelby reenters. Her smile drops off her face when her eyes meet mine. She comes to a stop in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest. “Why did you do that to her?”

I don’t respond.

She sighs at my silence. “Why are you getting so close to her? I’ve seen the video Deke posted online. You’re playing her. But the question is why?”

“What I do with her is none of your concern,” I decide to say.

“Cole.” She runs her hand through her hair. “You can’t do this to people.”

“I can do whatever I want.”

She fists her hands down by her sides, clearly frustrated. I stare back at her unblinkingly, showing a sign of indifference. Shelby has too much heart. I don’t have enough. “I saw the news. And that Jeff is missing.” She changes the subject, her eyes searching mine for any indication I had something to do with his disappearance. She knows me better than that. I’m a wall. She gives me her back and lets out a nervous laugh. “This has to stop, Cole.”

“Are you gonna stop me?”

She spins back around to face me. “This is serious! This is your life!”

I look away from her as guilt starts to eat at me. A life I shouldn’t be living.

“Cole.” She softens her voice. “It wasn’t your fault.”

I tense. No one talks to me about what happened that night I killed three friends. They know that’s a line I never cross, but Shelby doesn’t care about people’s limits. “You can’t right all the wrongs in the world. Eli would understand. It was an accident. It could have happened to any of us.”

“We both know he deserved it,” I growl, focusing on Jeff instead of my friends.

“Jesus.” She hisses softly, realizing I just admitted to killing Jeff. “Who all knows?”

I clamp my mouth shut. She looks away from me.

“Was Deke involved?”

I stare at the back of her head, refusing to give in to the urge to look at the floor. I won’t answer her question, but I also won’t give her a reason to assume either.

My silence has her turning back to face me, and there are tears in her soft blue eyes. She reaches out for me, her hands gripping my shoulders, and her eyes meet mine. “I need him, Cole. You can’t take him from me. Do you understand?”

My eyes search hers, a tear falls down her cheek. And my chest tightens at the thought of losing Deke. He and I are by far the closest. He, Eli, and I were inseparable. He was supposed to be with us that night. But plans changed, and he ended up not coming along. It probably saved his life.

“Thank you again …” Austin’s voice trails off as she enters the kitchen.

Shelby lets go of me and turns her back to us quickly, rubbing the tears from her face.

Austin comes up to me and watches me closely, probably wondering what the hell is going on between us. But I give her a cold stare. I don’t owe her an explanation.

“Anytime,” Shelby says cheerfully. Her tears now gone. A smile on her face.

_________________________________

The silence in the car is as thick as fog, making it hard to breathe. To swallow. My hands fist the steering wheel and gear shift.

Austin sits beside me, and I can feel her anger toward me rolling off her shoulders. She’s confused about what she saw between Shelby and me. Probably thinking I’m playing her—fucking her and others too. And I won’t tell her otherwise. What I do is none of her business. Just like it’s not Shelby’s.

Her phone goes off, and she looks down at it. “Great,” she mumbles.

“What?” I ask unable to help myself.

She types back a quick reply and then throws her phone back into her lap but stays silent.

“What, Austin?” I growl.

“That was Celeste,” she answers.

“And?”

“My father is coming home tomorrow. He wants to have a family dinner.”

And just like that, my tense body relaxes. I smile. “What time?”

Her head whips over to look at me. “Why?” she asks, eyeing me skeptically. “Have plans for me already?” she snaps, angry with me.

Ignoring her question, I grab her left hand and bring it to my lips to kiss her knuckles. “Because I’m gonna have dinner with my girlfriend and her dad.”

She yanks her hand from my hold, and it reminds me of when I kissed it outside the church and how leery she was of me then. She knew I had ulterior motives. I still do.

“One, you’re not my boyfriend. And two, why?”

“Do I have to have a reason?”

“Yes! I can see it all over your face. You just wanna piss him off,” she says matter-of-factly.

“What’s so wrong with that? Don’t tell me you care if he gets mad? I already know you hate the man too.”

“Yeah.” She looks down at her hands in her lap. “But if he gets mad at me, he can ship me back.”

I look over at her quickly surprised by her words. We don’t share personal information because I don’t talk about myself and because I don’t care to know about her. Maybe I should … But then I remember what Celeste told me about how she didn’t think she was safe and how I was a good influence for her. And my chest tightens. I’m a murderer. Evil. What could they do that would be worse than that? “Celeste wouldn’t let him send you back,” I tell her. She would fight for her to stay here. Because if it came down to it, I would force Celeste to make that happen. Like she said, I always get what I want. And too bad for Austin, she’s it at the moment.

Plus, I still have some tricks up my sleeve. One that will get her father to do whatever I want. Including giving her to me.

She looks straight ahead and lets out a long breath. “I’ll tell Celeste you’re coming,” she says and then picks up her phone again.

I look ahead as I drive her home, wondering just what has happened to her that she would rather stay here with the devil than go home to her mom and her mom’s boyfriend. A part of me wants to know. The other just doesn’t wanna acknowledge it.

Because I don’t care. I don’t.

AUSTIN

The next day was just like all the other days. Cole picked me up. We dropped off Lilly and then went to school. Once again, he didn’t say anything to me, but he kissed me before class and made sure to put his hands on me. I didn’t push him off.

His words and stares are so cold, but when he touches me, he’s hot as fire. It doesn’t make any sense. And he’s starting to get in my head. The back and forth with our bickering. The way I like that he touches me. The way he is with Lilly. He thinks the world of that little girl. And every time I see him kiss her goodbye when we drop her off at school makes my chest hurt. I wanna ask why he seems to do everything for her but can’t quite find the words. And I know he would ignore me. Cole is good at that, and it drives me crazy!

I haven’t had many boyfriends. I only ever dated Martin, and he was nothing like Cole. So dark. So closed off. Something about him keeps me guessing. Makes me wonder what happened to him that has made him this way at such a young age.

Cole reaches over and grabs a fry off my plate, smearing it in ketchup as we sit in the cafeteria.

“We have a team meeting today,” Deke tells him.

“I know. I got the message.” Cole nods, looking down at his phone.

“Hey, we’re going to the movies tonight. You guys wanna go?” Becky asks as she steals a fry from my plate. At this rate, I’m not gonna get any.

“Can’t,” I say through a mouthful of cheeseburger. “We’re having dinner with my father and stepmom.”

Deke is trying to pull her to him for a kiss, but she pushes him away. Shane and Bennett are too busy on their phones, but Kellan gets up, throws Cole a look of hatred, and then walks off. Cole ignores him completely.

“Meeting the parents, huh?” Becky smiles. “Things getting serious.”

I choke on my cheeseburger, and Deke snorts.

“I knew her father long before I started fucking her,” Cole replies flatly.

Becky gasps, and Deke chuckles like what he said was actually funny. I roll my eyes. He can be such a prick.

As we walk out of the cafeteria, I stop at his locker with him. “What’s up with you and Kellan?” I ask.

He looks over at me for a quick second and then starts to dig in his locker. “Getting personal? Didn’t think we did that.”

I snort. “You seem to get really personal with me.”

He shuts his locker and throws his arm over my shoulders as he walks me to my class. I notice the people who stare at us as they walk by, but I ignore them. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he says.

“I’m starting to feel like he’s more of a threat to my life than Deke is,” I say and give a nervous laugh. At least now Becky is keeping all his attention.

He stops walking and turns to face me. We stand in the middle of the hallway, and he stares down at my face with no emotion. He lifts his right hand and pushes a piece of hair behind my ear. Then his fingers continue downward and run over my hickey I have covered up. And fear creeps up my spine.

He’s no better than the rest. Out of all five of them, he’s the one who has done the most damage.

I take a step back from him, and his hand drops to his side as his blue eyes meet mine. “I’m no better.” He says what I’m thinking.

I swallow nervously.

“I still wanna hurt you. I still wanna see you bleed. And I think of you bent over that countertop every second of the day.” His hand reaches out and snakes around my waist, pulling me in. “The way you looked when you came … the way you cried out my name … it just made me want all those things even more. Don’t think I’ve changed, Austin. Because I haven’t. And I won’t.”

I tilt my head back to look up at him. My heart pounds in my chest. “Are you saying I should be afraid?”

He leans his head down and whispers into my ear, his hand still splayed across my back, holding me in place. “You should be terrified, sweetheart.” My breath hitches. “Because I’m gonna get what I want.”

“Which is?” I can’t help but ask.

“Everything you have to give.”

_________________________________

“You okay?” Becky asks as she shoves my arm.

“Huh?” I ask, looking over at her as we stand in the parking lot waiting for the guys to finish their meeting with their coach. Cole was able to get Blanche to pick Lilly up from school today, so I stayed with Becky to wait on the guys.

She frowns at me. Her white Gucci glasses cover her blue eyes. “I asked if you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I nod with a lie.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you’re lying. Why?” She adjusts her backpack on her shoulder.

Mine sits on the ground by my feet while I lean against Cole’s car. “I’m just … tired.”

“Austin. I don’t pry into Cole’s and your relationship …”

“We’re not together,” I correct her.

She snorts. “But you know you can talk to me, right? I know I’m your only friend and all.”

I shove her. “That’s not true.”

She arches her perfect brown brow. “Name another person.”

I bite my bottom lip and let out a sigh. “Fine,” I growl.

She throws me a winning smile. “See. Only friend.”

“I’m about to replace you,” I say jokingly.

She throws her head back and laughs. “Well, good luck with that. Most of the girls hate you because you’re dating Cole and none of the boys would go near you because of him.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s ruining my life.”

She stands tall, and the air around us changes. “That’s what I’m talking about. I see how he keeps you secluded and the way he was with you at the party that night. Then yesterday at lunch you mentioned stitches, and he got pissed. It was like he was the reason you have them.”

I run a hand through my hair. What would she do if she knew Deke wanted to shoot me just two weeks ago? “It’s fine, Becky. Really. Thanks for worrying about me, but I’ll be fine.”

She nods once as if she doesn’t believe me. “What’s up with you and Deke?” I change the subject.

“Oh, it’s just sex,” she says, waving me off.

I wish that’s all it was between Cole and me.

I look over at the school and see Deke and Cole walk out of the gym, and my thighs instantly tighten. He wears a pair of black basketball shorts, and a white Under Armor shirt that clings to his lean body. And a pair of tennis shoes. He has a black duffle bag thrown over his right shoulder, and he’s looking down at his phone, texting away as they walk toward us.

I hate how gorgeous he is. How my body wants him even though I know I shouldn’t.

Deke reaches us first, and he picks Becky off her feet and kisses her. She giggles like a schoolgirl, and then he slaps her ass. Cole finally comes up to us and pops his trunk. He throws his bag in the back, picks mine up, and tosses it in there as well and then lifts his chin to Deke. “I’ll call you later,” he tells him and then gets in his car.

I fall into the passenger seat and buckle my seat belt. My hands fist in my lap as I think of what Becky said a minute ago. He’s making me the laughing stock of school. If she sees how he treats me, then so does everyone else. It’s just some game to him. “I’m driving myself tomorrow.”

“No, you’re not,” he says, still staring down at his phone. I yank it out of his hand and throw it behind him. “Hey—”

“Why are we doing this, Cole?” I demand. “Huh? Why am I here?”

His defined jaw sharpens, showing me his annoyance.

Too bad.

“Why don’t you just stop? Let me walk away? I haven’t gone to the police about anything. And I’m not going to.” I’m too far in. I know too much. They would hang my ass with them. And I refuse to let that happen.

“No,” he growls. “You’re not going anywhere.”

I unbuckle my seat belt, shove open the door, and jump out. Deke and Becky have already left, so I start walking, not even caring about my bag being in his trunk.

“Austin!” I hear him yell my name and then his car door slam shut.

“I’m walking home, Cole.” I shout, not bothering to look back at him.

“Why do you do this?” He yanks on my shoulder, spinning me around. “Why do you piss me off?”

“Me piss you off?” I hold up my right arm. “Look what you’ve done to me. You sliced my arm, and I had to get fifteen stitches. And let’s not forget you almost got me arrested.”

“Please.” He rolls his eyes. “I knew what I was doing when I stole that car. You weren’t going to get arrested.”

“You may have, but I didn’t! I’m not a criminal, Cole.”

“That’s not what I heard.”

“What does that mean?” I snap.

“I heard you were doing drugs. Got in trouble with the police. That you were too much for your mother and her boyfriend, so they sent you to live with Bruce.”

I wanna demand who told him that, but I already know. Celeste. No one else here knows anything about me.

“You’re right,” I say, and he frowns as if he wanted a fight. “I got in trouble. And was shipped here.” I spread my arms out wide. “To my dad’s because she wants me to send her his money.” Not a total lie. “But I don’t have to put up with you, Cole. You and your bullshit games.”

I throw my hands up. “I’m done.” My voice shakes. “You take whatever video you want of me and show the police, show the school.” My throat tightens with emotion. “Show whoever the fuck you want. I’m done, Cole.”

I turn my back to him and walk away. The first tear runs down my face and then another one. I’m not that girl who gets all emotional. But I cry when I get angry. And I’m so mad right now. At my mother. At my father. And at my life.

A hand fists in my hair, and I cry out when my back is pinned to a hard chest. “I’m not letting you walk away,” Cole growls into my ear, making me shiver.

“You don’t get to choose …”

He spins me around, looking down at me and lifts his hand to my cheek. He runs his thumb through my tears. “Beautiful,” he whispers.

“Please stop.” I hate that I’m begging, but I’ve got nothing left. I’m treading water, but the water’s too deep, and he’s circling me. He smells the blood and is just waiting to strike. Waiting to pull me under into the darkness where he’ll eat me alive. He’s a shark, after all.

He smirks down at me. “You think no one wants you, Austin, but I do.” Another tear runs down my face. “Why do you think I keep you so close? Why do you think I want everyone to know you belong to me?” I don’t answer. “It’s because I want you. And no matter how much you fight it, I know you like being mine.”

“I don’t belong to you,” I say, fisting my hands.

He chuckles. “Are you wet right now, sweetheart?”

“Fuck you, Cole.” My voice is breathless.

“That’s exactly what I wanna do to you.” His hand cups my face and tilts it back. I don’t fight him. He lowers his lips to mine, and I open without thought.

This man has power over me. And it’s scary. My body just reacts to him, no matter how hard I try to fight it.

His tongue slips between my lips, and my arms wrap around his neck. I taste my tears, and I know he can to. He presses his body into mine, and his hardness presses against my lower stomach. I moan.

Cole deepens the kiss, and it takes my breath away. When he bites my lip, I nip at his. Then he pulls away, panting. “Now. I’m gonna take you home. And I’m gonna fuck you.”