“So, you girls ready for tomorrow night?” Deke asks them as we sit at our table in the cafeteria.
Austin nods, and Becky smiles. “What are we gonna do afterward?” she asks.
I place my arm over Austin’s shoulders. “I don’t know about you guys, but we are going back to the clubhouse.” We’ve spent a lot of time there lately, and I have never been happier that I bought that run-down barn.
Becky frowns. “You can’t not party on prom night.”
“Oh, we’re gonna party,” I say, leaning over and burying my face into Austin’s neck.
Austin chuckles and pushes me away. “I agree with Becky. There are a ton of parties going on. We should go to one.”
“Why would I go to a party with people I don’t even like when I can spend the evening alone with you?” I am completely obsessed with Austin Lowes. Pathetic, right? But I wasn’t all that surprised when I was finally able to admit it to myself. The whole damn school knows it too. Good thing I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.
“Because it’s our senior prom, and that’s what we do,” Becky answers.
I look at Deke. “Help me out.”
“I already told Becky we can do whatever she wants to do,” he says, leaning back in his chair.
I sigh. “Pathetic.”
Austin hits me in the ribs, and I grunt like it hurt. “I think it’s sweet that he puts her wants first.”
I smile. “We both know that I always give you what you want first.”
“Cole!” she snaps, making us all laugh.
“Fine,” I say, throwing up my hands. “We can go to a party.” Becky claps excitedly. “But you’re staying the night with me.”
She leans over, kissing my lips softly. “I guess. Since you asked nicely and all.”
I grip the back of her neck. “You love that I don’t ask.” Then I kiss her how I want. Possessively.
“Cole?”
I pull away and look up to see Bennett and Shane sitting down at the table. I guess you can say we made up, but we’re still not how we were. “What’s up?” I ask.
“I was just doing some research, and it seems that Bruce has bought out Jerrold and Jeff’s company.”
“How is that possible?” Austin asks. “They’re dead.”
He nods. “Yes, but it seems that Jerrold had sold Bruce Jeff’s shares after he went missing.”
“How are we just finding this out?” Deke asks. “Jeff has been dead for three months. Jerrold a little over a month.”
“I’m not sure why it took him so long to take over but …” He pauses.
“But what?” I ask.
“I liquidated all of his accounts. Bruce has to know that the money is gone. When I was done with it, there was nothing left.”
“Can he trace it back to you?” Austin asks, worried.
He shakes his head. “I covered my tracks, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be suspicious. Especially given how Jerrold died.”
Jerrold’s death was ruled a tragic accident. Tragic, my ass! But Austin’s father was still suspicious. Too many things were happening to people who he was doing business with. I have no doubt that he will eventually start to connect the dots. But we will be long gone by then.
“So what do we do?” she asks him.
“I’m still doing my homework. At the moment, there is nothing we can do. I just wanted to let you all know.” He nods. I look over at Austin and open my mouth when he speaks again. “Can I talk to you, Cole?” He gets up, not even waiting for my reply.
“I’ll be right back.” I sigh and get up, following him out of the cafeteria and into the empty hall. “What is it?” I ask when I see him leaning against a locker.
“The final dare.”
“What about it?”
“We need to do it.”
“No—”
“Just hear me out,” he interrupts me.
“Austin is no longer a pawn in this game,” I growl. “I won’t use her to get back at Bruce.” Then I turn my back to him and start to walk back into the cafeteria.
“He’s gonna kill her.”
I come to a stop and spin back around to face him. “Bennett …”
“We both know what he is capable of. And how much he hates you.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Everyone in this city knows that you love Austin.”
I swallow at that. I no longer deny it, but we still haven’t said it. We’ve only got less than a month of school left, and then she is moving with me to Texas. Her agreeing to that was better than hearing the words I love you. After all, they’re just words. Her actions say more than they could ever mean.
“What are you getting at, Bennett?” I snap.
“I’m trying to tell you that even he knows you’re not faking it anymore. He already tried to kill you once and failed. This time, he won’t go for you. He’ll go for her. And he’ll succeed.”
“What do you suggest I do?” I growl.
“Let her go.”
I shake my head. “That risks putting her in danger.”
“She’s already a target, Cole.”
“I said no, Bennett.”
He sighs as if disappointed in me.
“But we can do the final dare,” I say, taking in a deep breath. “We’ll just change it up.”
“And Kellan?”
“What about him?” I snap at the sound of his name.
“Do we bring him back in, or do we leave him out?”
The final dare was decided before Austin ever entered my life, but even now, having her doesn’t change the plan. Bruce must die. Especially since he tried to kill me. He can’t get away with that, and I can’t let him touch Austin. I’d die protecting her.
This dare was the one dare that was the exception. Just like I told her Jeff was. We didn’t need to draw this one. We knew what we were going to do before senior year even started.
“I don’t trust him,” I decide to say.
He nods. “It’s your call.”
I walk back into the cafeteria and sit down next to Austin. She looks over at me. “Everything okay?” she asks.
I nod and lie. “Yeah.”
AUSTIN
“Your dress is gorgeous,” I say, looking over at Becky as we stand in my bedroom. She chose a strapless champagne mermaid dress. It shows off her thin frame and flares out at the bottom. She loves to watch it flare out when she twirls.
“Thank you.” She smiles. “When are you gonna get dressed?” she asks, looking at Cole’s zip-up hoodie that I still wear and yoga pants.
“As soon as I finish my makeup.” I lean over and line my lips with the deep red liner and then fill them in to match.
A hard knock sounds on my door, and I look over at it frowning. Cole never knocks, and Celeste stays clear of me. “Come in,” I say.
My father enters, and I straighten to my full height. His dark brown eyes have their usual look of impatience in them. “Becky, I need to speak to Austin,” he tells her.
“Sure, sir.” She nods once and then shuffles out of the room.
I turn to face him, giving him my full attention. We don’t speak much, and I prefer it that way. I still haven’t told Celeste that the thing I had been told was that Lilly was my half-sister. And after the secret she told me, I decided to keep my mouth shout about it. My father already tried to hurt Cole once. But no one knows the exact reason. We could guess all day long, but that’s not enough. There was a time I wouldn’t have cared what happened to Cole, but things change. People change. He and Lilly have become the most important people to me, and I refuse to give him any more power than the bastard already has over people in my life.