Chapter 24 #2
I put my palm over his mouth. His promises were causing warmth to bloom in my stomach. He exhaled, and a rumble in his chest sounded too close to a purr. Once he started to purr for me, it was game over. I’d turn into putty in his hands.
“Can you tell me more about Susanna?” He stiffened, clamping my hand to his face. I felt his frown against my palm. “I need to understand.”
Pain made my voice huskier. All this was about bringing them the truth and reuniting them. While they were distracted with each other, I could make my escape.
Cade’s eyebrows lowered, and he nodded slowly. I exhaled, relieved.
“You all met at the orphanage, right?”
He nodded again. “She arrived late. I think she was around fourteen”
“And you guys were together for more than a decade?” I croaked.
Rafe and Dorian looked the same age. That was one piece of information I did get from my father: their ages. Dorian and Rafe were about to hit the mid-thirties, while Cade was a few years younger.
He shook his head hard.
“No. She left the following year.” The way he said it seethed with frustration. I cocked my head, waiting for him to continue. Cade sighed and lay down, resting his head on my thigh. “I told you a little about what was done to us while we were at the orphanage. She made it stop.”
How could a younger girl make that stop?
Cade lifted a hand and brushed his knuckles against my cheek.
“She was adopted. She left us to find a way to report what was happening at Forest Peak. If she hadn’t, the next beating would have landed Dorian dead.
His dominance was growing, and they didn’t like it. ”
“How do you know she saved you all?”
“She told us.” He said it so simply.
I blinked a few times; the words rolled in my mind. “That’s it. She . . . told you.”
He nodded hard, his hair brushing against my legs.
That didn’t sound right. In all my research, the obscure documents I found mentioned it had been an undercover council investigator posing as a teacher that stopped the abuse at Forest Peak.
“She disappeared almost two years ago now. After being with us for three years.”
“Disappeared again?”
I doubted the council would lie about the C.I. so either they were lying . . . or she was.
In this instance, my gut was saying it was Susanna, now going by Demi, who lied. There seemed to be a trend happening, and they were blind to it. Yet, they searched and searched for her. They hadn’t had any reason to doubt her then. That was how deeply they’d cared. I stiffened my spine.
“I have to get up.” I inched to the side until his head was no longer on my thigh and stood. But Cade was already on his feet.
“I didn’t want to tell you.” His scowl deepened, and he brushed past me. Anxiety emanated from him. He shoved his hands into his hair and shook his head. “No, she’s not leaving.” He spoke softly as if to himself.
“Wait,” I said.
It was like he came to life. His eyes widened, a light coming into them, and his mouth parted, erasing the frown.
“Can I borrow your phone for a little while?”
“Are you leaving us?” He stiffened, that wild look returning.
“No.”
“Calling an Alpha?” He tensed like he was about to lunge.
“No,” I sighed. “You don’t have to believe me, but don’t I deserve a little help after what you did to m—” He flinched, and I clamped my mouth shut. I studied his guilt riddled face. “I’ll consider forgiving what you’ve done to me.”
He immediately held out the cell. I took it without hesitation.
“I need a little privacy.” I poked a finger toward the bathroom and backed up into it, then I locked the door behind me.
“Don’t take long.” Cade’s voice filtered through the slab of wood.
“I won’t.” I looked up the place she mentioned dancing at.
The Bordello.
On the homepage was the next event being hosted. The drop-down listed a bunch of services. Bottle, dance . . . I kept reading and came to a stop at the pricey private session. I tapped on the phone number.
“The Bordello,” the male voice on the other end responded.
“Hi, can I book a private session with your headliner?” Silence.
“For you?” The doubt in his voice put me on edge. I gritted my teeth.
“For my best friend’s Pack,” I tossed out. He grunted.
“Of course, let me look at her schedule. She books up fast,” the deep, male voice on the other side murmured. “Looks like we had a cancellation. We have a spot available for tomorrow at eight PM.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Perfect, all I need is an email to send the payment information. You’ll enter your card number as soon as possible to lock in your reservation.
If it’s not completed within thirty minutes, you lose your spot.
It will charge an hour before your session.
No refunds.” He continued droning on about the regulations.
Finally, the call came to an end. I deleted everything and returned to the bedroom, tossing Cade’s phone to him. He stood from where he perched on the bed.
“I need one more favor, and I’ll forgive you,” I said it knowing it was a lie. The pure relief on his face was a gut punch, but I ignored the guilt.
“Get the Epad from Dorian’s room, a debit card, and no questions.”
He nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched him leave. Everything would fall into place tomorrow. They’d have their Susanna back, or whatever they wanted to do with her after her lies were exposed, and I would be . . .
Alone.