“What is this about?” Deke asks, checking his phone. It’s after midnight on a Friday. I’m sure he’s going to go meet up with Becky if she’s not already waiting for him at his house.
Kellan looks at me. “Cole’s dare. I say we move on.”
Deke raises a brow, and Cole stiffens as he stands by the table. “I can redraw—”
“No,” Kellan interrupts him. “We can move on to the next person.” He shrugs carelessly. “I don’t mind. Does anyone else have a problem with that?”
No one says a thing. The room falls silent, and even I can tell Kellan is setting someone up for something. I get my answer a moment later.
He rubs his hands together. “Okay, so we’ll move on, and come Sunday, Austin will draw.”
Cole spins around to face me. “Absolutely not. She’s out of the group.”
“What?” I snap.
Kellan looks at me. “If you don’t leave willingly, then we all have to vote you out. Do you choose to leave willingly?”
“No,” I say without looking at Cole. He brought me into this; I’m not gonna let him throw me out. Not after all I’ve done. All he’s put me through.
“Then we will vote you out.” Cole growls. “Who says she’s gone?”
Deke is the first one to say I’m out. I ignore him. He made it very clear tonight when he yanked hair out of my head that he will do whatever the fuck Cole says.
Shane comes next. Bennett sighs as if he doesn’t want to but folds anyway.
Everyone looks at Kellan, and he smiles. “I say she stays.”
The air in the room changes, and Cole takes a step toward him. “What the fuck?” he barks. “You’ve wanted her gone since day one, and now all of a sudden you want her to stay?”
I could argue that Kellan may think if he votes me out, that I’ll tell my dad he’s fucking my stepmom, but I’m not sure that is the reason.
He shrugs. “She wants to stay.”
“I don’t give a fuck what she wants,” Cole shouts.
“That’s obvious,” I say.
Cole spins around to face me. His eyes narrowed in anger, and I square my shoulders. “Everyone, get the fuck out!” he barks.
Kellan smirks at me as he walks by. Shane and Bennett hang their heads as they walk to the exit. Deke is the last one, and his eyes shoot from me to Cole as if he’s waiting for one of us to tell him to stay. We don’t.
The moment the door closes, Cole turns on me. “You’re not doing this.”
“You no longer control me, Cole,” I reply flatly.
“Cut the shit, Austin!” he snaps.
“No! You should have cut the shit, Cole!” I shout. “Long ago. You should have told me about Lilly. About Kellan and Celeste.” His eyes narrow on me. “Fuck!” I shout frustrated. “I did so much. I let you take so much.” I shake my head. “But not anymore. You brought me into this.”
His jaw sharpens.
“I let you use me,” I growl. “I let you fucking take and take because you needed something. Someone. But not again, Cole. Find someone else to fuck with. Because I’m done.”
I turn and go to walk out the door, but he grabs my arm and yanks me back. “Don’t touch me,” I shout. Spinning around, I go to slap him, but he was ready for it. He grabs my hands and pushes me onto the couch, pinning my hands above my head.
“Cole,” I say, my heart pounding.
“Guess not much has changed since that night in the cemetery, huh, sweetheart?” he asks with an arch of his brow and a cocky smirk on his face, referring to how easily he was able to pin me down.
“What? Gonna stab me this time?” I ask, fisting my hands. “Gonna let Deke just kill me?”
His cockiness fades, and he loosens his grip on my wrists but doesn’t let go. “I don’t want to hurt you, Austin.”
I narrow me eyes. “Quit trying to mind fuck me. It’s not gonna work.”
“I’m not …”
“Bullshit!” I shout.
I want to break you. His agenda hasn’t changed.
He lets go of my wrists, and I shove him off me. He falls onto the couch, and I scramble to get up. I straighten my top that rode up, grab my phone that fell onto the floor, and head to the door. This time, he doesn’t stop me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
COLE
“You know he’s setting her up, right?” Deke asks me as we both sit on the couch in the clubhouse.
It’s Sunday, and we have all gathered back here for Austin to draw her dare. I’ve been in a pissy mood ever since she walked out of here on Friday night.
“Yes.”
“What are we gonna do about it?”
I look over at him. “Be there when he does.”
He nods and goes back to texting on his phone.
The door opens, and she walks in with a look of indifference. She’s as good as I am at giving a blank expression. I fucking hate it.