Chapter 14 #2
Not only had she been pleased to be included in the guy’s intel gathering session, not that she had much to contribute, unlike Rose, she didn't even know all the key players well enough to be helpful, but Dragon and the others had been completely open with her. They’d shared with her more details about what had happened to them after they were injected with the experimental drugs, and she knew that was no small feat.
While she didn't want to get her hopes up, mainly because she wasn't sure whether she’d stay there with Dragon after she was no longer in danger, or if he even wanted her to, she knew it meant they were accepting her.
Welcoming her into their little family and making sure there was nothing left between them.
Clearing the way for her and Dragon.
If she was brave enough to take those steps toward what she wanted. And it was what she wanted, she was just scared. Because there was no way to try having a relationship with Dragon and not be honest about her sexual preferences.
Even if she pretended that she could have sex the normal way, Dragon would notice that she never came.
Of course she could fake it, but somehow, she was pretty sure that he would either figure it out because he’d be the kind of guy to feel that her body didn't orgasm, or maybe he’d be able to smell it.
Either way, she didn't see faking it as a long-term solution. Which only left telling him the truth and facing his judgment and rejection.
“You're quiet tonight,” Dragon said from beside her as they worked on dinner together in the kitchen.
“Just thinking,” she said honestly. The silence between them had been comfortable, she’d been relaxed enough to let her mind wander and not succumb to her usual need to fill any quiet with chatter.
Since growing up with her brothers, all moving out one after the other, eventually leaving her alone with their elderly grandparents, she’d missed the noise and commotion as each brother left.
So she’d overcompensated and started filling any and all silences.
Except tonight.
Except with Dragon.
When she’d stayed there before, she’d quickly found that whenever she was alone with Dragon, she never felt the need to chatter. Being with Dragon filled her with contentment that didn't need anything else.
Her phone rang, and when she saw it was Cade’s name on the screen, she smiled as she wiped her hands on a dish towel and snatched it up.
She knew her phone was safe to use, the location services had been turned off, and the guys had gone through it to ensure it was clean, so no one could track her location. Not even her brothers.
“It’s Cade,” she told Dragon as she accepted the call. “Hey, big brother. How’s my absolute favorite brother today?”
“Hi, boo,” he said, using the nickname she hated.
Her phase of hiding and jumping out to scare her brothers, yelling out ‘boo’ at the top of her little lungs had stuck even though she hadn't done it since she was eight, resulting in the silly nickname.
“And I'm only your favorite because I'm the one talking to you, you're a fickle little thing, baby sister.”
Cassandra laughed because that was true.
She’d always called whatever brother she was talking to her favorite, except if they were all together, then it was whichever one did something nice for her.
Everyone knew she didn't really have a favorite.
She loved every one of her brothers, biological or step, equally.
“How’s my favorite niece? Is Essie still excited to be the flower girl at the wedding?” The five-year-old had been obsessed with weddings and being a flower girl ever since her daddy proposed to her nanny.
“You know she is, more so since we got her the dress, she’s driving Gabriella crazy asking to wear it all the time.”
Although she smiled because she could absolutely picture her niece harassing the woman she already called Mom, something in her brother’s voice had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.
Something told her this wasn't a social call or a check-in to see how she was doing.
Apparently, she was giving off those vibes—or scent—because Dragon stopped what he was doing and moved closer.
“What's wrong, Cade?”
Her oldest brother sighed, long and low. “I hate to be the one who has to tell you this, boo, but something happened last night?”
“Gabriella and the baby are okay?” Her first fear was for her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s pregnancy, because she’d had so many miscarriages in the past and never been able to carry to term.
Gabriella’s pregnancy might be running smoothly so far but that fear was still there, and they were all counting down the days until she could give birth to a healthy baby.
“Both fine. This is about you, baby sister.” Another sigh from Cade, and she found herself holding her breath and bracing for bad news. “It’s your house, Cassandra. Someone torched it in the early hours of this morning.”
Her house?
Torched?
It wasn't until Dragon’s big body pressed up against hers that Cassandra realized she’d started shaking. Leaning into his warmth and solid strength felt like the easiest thing in the world.
“How bad?” she whispered, although her voice trembled a little.
“Pretty bad. I don’t think much will be salvageable.
I’m so sorry, boo. I hate this for you. You’ve already been through so much.
Learning about mom, about that man, what you did to end it for all of us.
” Cade sounded more frustrated with each word, and she could picture him raking his fingers through his hair.
She, on the other hand, felt empty.
Another burden.
Another thing she would pretend didn't break her heart wide open.
Another weight of grief as she lost photos and mementos of her parents and her childhood.
At least she’d brought her bunny with her when she packed that bag and left with Dragon.
“It’s not your fault, Cade,” she reminded him, injecting as much calm into her tone as she could manage.
“I’ll be okay. It’s just stuff after all.
What's that saying? No use crying about spilled milk.
What's done is done. Hopefully, at least the cops can get something from it that will help Dragon and the guys link these people to the woman who came up to me and her boss.”
“It’s okay to be upset, Cass, it might be just stuff, but it’s your stuff.”
“I’ll be okay,” she repeated firmly, even though that was feeling less and less likely. Just as she started regaining her footing, feeling more like her old self, something else happened to knock her off again. “Call please if you find anything else.”
Before her brother could protest or offer more platitudes that weren't going to help, she hung up and set her phone back down. Dragon’s hands closed around her shoulders, and he turned her to face him.
“What happened?”
“My house burned down. Someone set it on fire.” Was it punishment for her sexual preferences? Because she liked rough sex and her mom had been raped? That was wrong, she knew it, maybe the universe knew it too.
“Little rabbit,” Dragon murmured, and his expression grew tender, but it was the opposite of what she needed right now.
All of this was her fault.
Her punishment.
She’d been judgmental with Dragon and his team about their plans, without knowing all the details—not that she would ever have approved of using Rose that way—but she’d been self-righteous when she was the biggest hypocrite of all.
“I’m sorry we dragged you into this, Cassandra. We’ll get them, I swear we will. And they will pay for everything they did to Rose, to us, to you.”
Breaking free from Dragon’s hold, she shook her head and started for the door. No platitudes, no reassurances, no pity.
She didn't deserve any of it.
Running out of the room, she headed straight for the front door, needing to be outside, alone.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision, but she knew her way through the house, and once she burst out the door it didn't matter where she ran, all that mattered was that she needed to get away, needed to be alone.
She didn’t deserve comfort when she was such a sick and twisted young woman.