Dare Series Collection - Shantel Tessier Page 0,15

I say, looking back at the older man. And my breathing picks up. This is just another way for him to pull me in. Get me involved. “I don’t wanna know …”

“This man killed his wife.” He ignores me. “He beat her repeatedly. All the time. But he was smart about it. As smart as a bastard like him can be. He never touched her arms, legs, or face. He only touched where he knew she could cover up.” I look back at Cole. “One day, she had had enough and went to tell the one person she thought she could trust. His brother, Jeff.” He runs a hand through his dark hair as he stares straight ahead at the man. “She begged him to help her. Her husband kept her close because she had no family. Well, she had someone, but …” He trails off. “Anyway, so she turned to his family and asked for some money to leave her abusive husband. He told her to give him a few days.” His hand grips the steering wheel. “But he went to his brother and told him what his wife had asked him to do. So when he got home, he beat her. He beat her, not caring where the bruises showed up because he knew she wasn’t gonna survive this time.” My throat tightens. “Then after he beat her to within an inch of her life, he took a knife and slit her throat.” He speaks with no emotion, and tears sting my eyes. “He didn’t even give her a proper burial. He carried her to the old cemetery, dug a hole, and dropped her in it.”

I reach out and touch his arm. “I’m sorry …”

He yanks back from me, and his eyes meet mine. They have fire in them, and his breath has picked up.

I lower my eyes to my lap. “Who was she to you?”

“She was Eli’s older sister.”

“Eli?” I ask, looking up at him through my lashes.

“My best friend,” he says, his eyes back on the man who runs around aimlessly in his office.

I don’t remember that name from last night at the cemetery. “Why not kill him?” I ask.

“He doesn’t deserve death yet.” His eyes meet mine. “Death is no different than anything else. It too must be earned.”

I look over at the man, and he has his cell in his hand. He keeps putting it to his ear and then pulls it away. Repeating the motion. “What do you think he’s doing?”

“He’s trying to contact Jeff.”

I look over at Cole, and a soft smile covers his face. “They are business partners. And without Jeff, he’ll lose everything. Jeff was the mastermind behind their shit show.”

I look back at the guy who stands in his office. He reminds me of watching a hamster in his cage as he runs on his wheel, getting nowhere. He just keeps circling around, that phone still in his hand. “So you go around killing people who kill others?” I ask.

He snorts. “No. Jeff was … an exception.”

I run a hand through my hair, trying to understand what is going on and how I feel about it. “You still killed someone …”

“It wasn’t like he was innocent,” he snaps.

I narrow my eyes on him. “You cut my arm.”

He places his hand in my hair again, but instead of leaning into me, he yanks me across the center console. I gasp at the feel of his nails digging into my scalp. “I’ll do whatever I have to do, sweetheart. And I watched the video. You’re not as innocent as you claim to be.”

“I’ve never killed anyone,” I snap.

He chuckles, and his free hand comes up to my throat. “But you want to.”

My heart starts to pound. “You don’t know me …”

“You’re a Lowes, after all. Remember? Everyone in our town knows what kind of man your father is. Including you.”

I clamp my mouth shut because I know how terrible he can be. And I can’t count how many times I’ve wished him dead.

He leans in, his nose running along my jawline. I shudder. “We are all the same, Austin. Some of us just choose not to pretend.”

CHAPTER FOUR

COLE

I PULL AWAY from her, and my eyes fall to her lips. Bringing her here was a mistake. Having her in my car alone with me was a mistake. But I made them anyway. I’m known for fuckups. No one expects much from me. Well, no one except Lilly. But she isn’t hard to