Page 31 of Dare To Break

His eyes go to the coffin, then back to me. “You want to open it?”

“I do. It shouldn’t be difficult between the two of us.”

“Why?”

I shrug one shoulder. “I’m curious if he’s really inside, or whether it’s just a really fancy memorial piece.” I rise to my feet and turn in a circle to study the entire tomb. “Do you think the tomb is soundproofed?”

My gaze returns to the coffin, and we stare at it.

“Can we even get it open?” Kellan breaks the silence.

“I think so. We might have to chip away at it. I doubt it’s been moved since they interred him.”

“We’ll need tools.”

“We can get them from maintenance.” A smile tips my lips up. “We’ll need to clean up any mess, though. I don’t want my pet project hurting herself, if I decide to bring her here.”

“Speaking of which.” He turns to face me. “I think she got the dare. I was standing near the lockers when she opened hers. Something inside scared her. I didn’t see it, but she definitely took something out and kept it in her palm.”

Satisfaction coursed through me. The waiting is finally over. It’s time to begin.

“Did she tell anyone?” I close my sketchbook and return it to my bag.

“I didn’t see her talk to anyone. She shot out of the building like her ass was on fire.” He pulls a drink out of his bag and hands it to me. “Are you serious about the coffin?” He jerks his chin toward the white marble at my back.

“I want to look inside. Aren’t you interested to see if there’s any truth to the rumors about him being buried with his wife and pets?”

His head tilts as he looks at the coffin. “I’m not sure that many things would fit inside it. Anyway, the story is he haunts the place looking for his wife, so I doubt she was buried with him.”

I smirk. “Maybe he was buried with her … alive.”

We trade glances, then laugh. Neither of us believes in ghosts or any of the stories about the place being haunted.

“Do you think they’ll let us have a Halloween party this year?”

My good mood fades. Last Halloween resulted in the death of a girl I’d considered as close a friend as Kellan.

“They will. I think they’ll want to throw a party to remove the memory of what happened last year.” My voice is carefully controlled, nothing of my inner rage over Zoey’s death showing, but Kellan knows. It’s there in his eyes. He knows because he feels the same way.

“Maybe you should leave Arabella alone and concentrate on—”

“I can do both.” I drain the can and crush it in my fist. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 21

Arabella

Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I brush my thumb over the surface, illuminating the screen. I stare at the time. Two a.m.

The piece of paper with the dare written on it is under my pillow, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. No one knows I received it. There’s been something a little thrilling about keeping it all to myself. Only me and whoever put it in my locker knows I have it, and I haven’t been able to figure out who it is.

Lacy is snoring softly on the other side of the room in her bed, and neither of us has an alarm set as it’s Saturday morning.

Still clutching my phone, I flick back the cover and slip off my mattress, scurrying in the direction of the bathroom. I close the door behind me, switch on the light and move to the sink. I study my reflection in the mirror. There are worry lines between my brow and my eyes are clouded with uncertainty.

Do I do the dare? It’s just a dumb prank, that’s all. How many people really go through with them?

It’s just a bit of harmless fun. And no one will know it’s me.

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