“Don’t talk about her like that, or I will bury your body next to all the others. Do you understand me?” I shake him when he just stares at me. “Answer me!” I scream in his face.
They’ll never find him. I may even be able to pin it on Bruce, or, hell, Kellan would be better. All I would need is a day to figure out a plan.
“You think you got me?” The shock wears off, and his eyes narrow on mine. “Because you used your fist? I’ll take her …”
“You’ll never touch Austin.” Over my dead body! Kellan taught me a lesson. Never let your guard down no matter what.
“You can have that piece of trash.” He spits out, and my teeth grind. “I can keep you from Lilly. Both of you!” he shouts in my face. “I’ll ship her off to an all-girls school in Switzerland, and you’ll never see her again.”
I laugh at that, and it just makes him even more furious.
“I fucking raised you! I taught you everything you know! You will show me some respect!” His face is red with anger, and his blue eyes so big they look like they are about to pop out.
I give him a smile and take a step back from him.
He squares his shoulders and runs his hands over his now wrinkled button-down.
“You’re right, Dad.”
He smiles like he just won. As if he expects me to kneel in front of him and thank him for everything he ever gave me, including Austin. I’ll burn in hell before that happens.
“You did raise me,” I say, and he grunts. “I only came over here today to give you something before I leave town with Austin and Lilly.” Reaching into my jeans pocket, I pull out the USB drive and toss it on his desk. His smile falls. “You taught me that without insurance, you have nothing.” Austin wasn’t the only one who made sure to record things that could come in handy.
“What?” he snaps, looking down at it and then back at me. Swallowing nervously, he picks it up and wraps his fingers around it. “What is on this, Cole?” he demands. “You have nothing on me!”
“Don’t worry about trying to destroy it. I’ve got copies.”
“You ungrateful little shit …”
The door opens behind me, and I spin around to see the last man I expected to walk into Liam’s office. I stay away from him as much as I do my own father.
His graying hair is slicked back, and his face cleanly shaved. He wears a midnight blue button-down and black slacks with a matching suit jacket, sans tie.
He doesn’t acknowledge me in any way. To him, you are insignificant unless you have a pussy or a wad of cash in your pocket he can take.
Langston walks over to the mini bar and takes the cap off the bourbon my father keeps and pours himself a glass.
“Cole …” My father growls my name.
“We’re done here.” I give Liam one last look, and his jaw sharpens while he glares at me. I walk over to the door and yank it open.
“Cole?”
I look over my shoulder to Langston when he calls out my name this time.
He stares down at his glass as he swirls it around, not caring to meet my eyes. “Tell my son it would be in his best interest to return my phone calls.”
I snort and walk out, shaking my head at the fucking bastard.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DEKE
I PULL UP to the clubhouse and turn my SUV off. I see Cole parked out front but still sitting in his car. I exit mine, and ask, “What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you,” he says as he climbs out of the driver’s side.
“That’s what your text said.” I frown. “Is this about what you wanted to tell me at the hospital?”
“Yes.” He turns toward the door to enter but stops and faces me. “If Austin asks, I just had lunch with you.”
“Okay.” Simple as that. No questions at all.
“Hey, babe!” Austin calls out from the top of the steps. “How was lunch with Deke?”
“It was great,” I answer, entering behind him and rubbing my stomach. “Gotta love sushi.”
Cole glares at me over his shoulder, and I wink back at him. I’ve got your back, buddy. I hope he wasn’t specific about where we were going to eat.
“Austin, will you come down here for a second?” he asks.
The smile drops off her face, and she straightens her shoulders. “Everything okay?”
He doesn’t answer. “Just come down here.”
I sit on the couch. My eyes going back and forth between Austin and Cole. I’m confused. I thought this was something he wanted to tell me. Honestly, I didn’t think she would even be here.
“What’s going on?” she asks, concern taking over her features.
“Sit next to Deke.”
She looks over at me, and I just shrug. When she sits down, we both look up at him. He sits down on the gaming chair and leans over, placing his elbows on his knees. “There are some things you need to know.”
“We see that,” I say, nodding.
“Did the police find something?” Austin asks. “Are they gonna take you guys to jail?” Panic evident in her voice.
He shakes his head. “Nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?” she demands.
He takes in a long breath. “It’s about the car wreck.”
She frowns, and I tilt my head to the side. “What about it?” Austin asks.
“I wasn’t driving.”
“We know that.” I nod and clarify. “Well, I did.”
“You did?” Austin asks, looking over at me. She looks as surprised as Cole is at my confession.
“We had our suspicions that he was lying. I was the first one to know about the accident. Shelby called me from the hospital and told me what happened. She said that Cole was brought into the hospital.” I shift in my seat. “She informed me that he was the only survivor. That everyone had been thrown out of the car.” I nod toward him. “She snuck me back there to see him in ICU. You were in the hospital bed and didn’t have a shirt on. The bruise was still fresh across your chest. I knew then it was the seat belt and you were covering for the driver.”
Austin fists her hands in her lap. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she snaps at me. “You guys let the entire town believe he killed three friends!”
“Austin—”
“No, Cole!” she interrupts him. “Why wouldn’t you stand up for him?” she demands.
I look at my best friend when I answer her. “Because I know Cole, and if he didn’t want anyone to know the truth, then I wasn’t going to out him.”
Cole sighs and sits back in his seat.
“I don’t understand why all of you would cover for Eli like that,” she growls.
“I didn’t cover for Eli,” Cole tells her.
Interesting. That’s also who I thought he was covering for.
“Yes, you did. You told me that day up in the loft that you took the fall for him.”
He shakes his head. “You assumed, and I never corrected you.”
A long silence fills the clubhouse. She opens and closes her mouth a few times.
I frown. “Then who was it?”
He takes in a deep breath and lets it out. I stiffen, knowing I’m not going to like whatever his answer is.