I Promise You (Dare 2)

I do as he orders and try to roll my shoulders, but I can’t. My right one aches. I need these cuffs off.

Trenten looks down at me and then at the phone. “Maybe we should listen to it in private.”

“No,” Monroe snaps.

So Trenten’s already listened to it. That’s obvious. But he doesn’t think I know what’s on it. I smile on the inside. I’m the motherfucker who found it. I did your job. You’re fucking welcome!

Hours earlier

I stand over Kellan’s dead body as Bennett joins us on top of the hill. He has his flashlight, which makes it easier for us to see.

“What the fuck?” Bennett asks, looking down at Kellan wide-eyed. Then his eyes run over me, taking in my bloodstained clothes, busted knuckles, and sweaty skin. It’s a hot and muggy May night. “What the hell happened?”

Austin’s blood is starting to dry, causing my clothes to stick to my skin. And the overwhelming smell is making me lightheaded. I wanna rip it off. Claw at my own skin. Just to get her off me. But I refrain because I gotta finish this first.

“Kellan killed Celeste and shot Austin,” Deke answers.

Bennett runs his hand through his hair, his eyes running over me again as he asks, “Fuck! Is she okay?”

Deke shrugs. “We’re waiting for an update from Shelby.”

Bennett shakes his head and clears his throat, clearly shaken up.

I tilt my head and watch the way he swallows. How he shuffles from foot to foot. Did he know what Kellan was going to do? Was this their plan all along? To fucking play Deke and me? Kellan said that Austin was always meant to die for the game … Just how many were playing against me?

“What do you want me to do?” he asks Deke, but his eyes stay on Kellan’s dead body.

“Cole and I need to get back to the clubhouse and shower. The cops are gonna come looking for him. They know he was there. We need you to dispose of the body.”

He nods. “I’ll call Shane—”

“No!” I interrupt him, finally speaking. “No one else gets involved. Can you take care of it or not?” I don’t trust Shane. He was always defending Kellan. If he had any involvement in hurting Austin, he will be the next one I take care of.

“I got it,” he answers without hesitation.

I bend down, satisfied with his answer because I don’t have time to stand around at the moment. The clock is already ticking. I begin to pat down Kellan’s jean pockets and find both of his cell phones. All of us have two. Just like when we forced Austin into the group, we gave her a backpack, and it also had her a new phone in it.

I pull them out and throw one to Bennett but keep the other one. I slide my finger across the screen to unlock it and frown when I see that he has a recording app open. I go to the last thing recorded and press play.

“I don’t think …” Trenten whispers to Monroe.

“I don’t care what you think,” he growls. Then he looks at me and presses play. He thinks it has incriminating evidence of me on there. And he wants to see my face while he plays it.

Fuck him!

“Please, baby?” Celeste’s whiny voice comes through the speaker and then sniffs. “Let’s just take the money and go.”

“No,” Kellan says in a clipped tone. “That’s not what we agreed on.”

“What do you expect me to do? I’m gonna start showing soon.”

“I don’t want a fucking kid,” he growls.

She begins to sob. “I can’t play it off as Bruce’s.”

“Then you should have taken your birth control correctly.”

“We need to act sooner,” she whispers. “We can pull it off—”

“I’ll do what I want when I want,” he snaps, interrupting her.

“Please?” Celeste begs. “Don’t do this.”

“It’s over,” Kellan growls. “It’s been over. But you refuse to believe it.”

“You can’t do this …” Celeste’s voice trails off. “Austin.” She sounds surprised. “I didn’t expect you to be home so soon.”

“I’m going to bed,” Austin answers, and my chest tightens.

I’ve already heard this once, but that doesn’t make this time any easier. She had just arrived home, not knowing what she walked into. In less than ten minutes, she’s gonna be dead lying on her father’s kitchen floor.

“Have you told her?” Kellan demands.

“Tell me what?” Austin asks. No one answers her. “I’m tired, and it’s too late to play games with you, Kellan. What has she not told me?”

“All her secrets,” he says simply.

“Kellan, don’t—” Comes Celeste’s panicked voice.

“I don’t have time for this,” Austin says.

“Why do you think you’re here?”

“Excuse me?” Austin asks Kellan.

“It’s ’cause I wanted you here,” he answers.

And my jaw tightens. That motherfucker was playing us from the beginning. I should have done more than just break his fucking jaw before I killed him.