Dare Series Collection - Shantel Tessier Page 0,171

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.

“What?”

“I was with Celeste when your mother called her and said that you were too much for her. That it would make Celeste look like a saint in this city to take in Bruce’s troubled teen. But she didn’t want you. She wanted Lilly.”

“What?” Austin asks again. You can hear the panic starting to rise.

“So you still haven’t figured it out yet.” He sounds proud of himself. “What she did. What she is capable of.”

“Don’t,” Celeste growls at him.

“She can keep a secret, babe,” he tells her. “Celeste, here, killed Betty, Cole and Lilly’s mother.”

Monroe’s brows pull together in confusion. They don’t understand it. Why would he? No one would understand why Celeste would kill my mother. They don’t know that Lilly’s father is Bruce.

“It was an accident,” Celeste says defensively.

“Don’t lie,” he growls.

“You what?” Austin asks shocked. “Why would you …”

“At first, everyone suspected Liam or Bruce, but no one could figure out why they would kill her at nine months along. If they were going to do it, they would have done it the moment they found out she was pregnant. But when Celeste found out she was pregnant, she was pissed. She wanted a baby. She wanted to have Bruce’s child. But Bruce didn’t want kids. So, Celeste went over to her house and confronted her. Said that she wanted joint custody of Lilly, and when Betty said no, she pushed her down the stairs.”

That fucking bitch killed my mom, and I never knew it! Never even suspected it. I let her take care of Lilly and never knew what she was capable of.

“I told you all of this in confidence,” Celeste barks at Kellan.

He continues. “Then she called 911 and said she heard her fall down the stairs. As if she cared about her pathetic life.”

“No!” Austin says slowly, still refusing to believe it. “Cole said she fell and died in surgery due to complications.”

He laughs. “Cole only knows what Celeste told him. She waited thirty minutes before she called for help. Lilly was delivered in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Betty was dead by the time they arrived at the hospital.”

“You son of a bitch!” Celeste shouts at Kellan.

“And now you’re gonna see history repeat itself,” he calls out.

You hear some commotion, and Celeste cry out. “Back up!” he orders.

And I can only guess that he’s speaking to Austin.

“Keep them up!” he snaps, and I imagine he is pointing his gun at her.

The same make and model of my gun. But all they gotta do is open my magazine, and they’ll see all but one bullet, which is chambered. I’m sure they already have. It’s probably sitting there, chamber cleared and magazine empty.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Austin says, and her voice shakes.

“See …” He goes on. “Celeste is pregnant.” She starts to sob. “With my child. After getting Betty pregnant, Bruce had that situation fixed so it would never happen again. That rules him out. And I’m the only other guy you’ve fucked, right, baby?” he asks.

Celeste continues to sob but doesn’t answer out loud.

He goes on. “And just like Bruce and Liam, I don’t want a child. But unlike them, I plan on doing something about it.”

“Please, Kellan,” Celeste begs. “I love you.” She sobs.

“You were nothing to me.” You hear Celeste falling down the stairs from him pushing her. Then silence.

“You killed her.” Comes Austin’s voice. “You killed her,” she cries out this time.

“You are trying to save her? She killed the love of your life’s mother. Who just happened to be your half-sister’s mother as well.”

“She’s pregnant,” Comes her frantic voice. “The baby didn’t do anything to you.”

“Oh, but it will. That’s why it’s got to go.” You hear more commotion and the sound of skin being dragged across the marble floor, followed by her gasping for air. Then nothing. Whatever position he has her in, he’s choking her. My breathing picks up. “You’ve been playing a game all along, Austin, but it’s been my game. My rules. And now it’s over.” Then you hear her body hitting the floor once again.

We knew exactly what to do with his cell. Bennett doctored it, though, because Kellan had said too much on the tape. He spoke