Chapter 69
KADENCE
My bed was empty, but I woke up with a text from Blaize. My heart was full because she was actually trying. The woman who didn’t understand her emotions got on her knees for me and begged like I told her to, and then she asked me on a date. She took me on a real date and made me feel special.
It scared the shit out of me.
My life was slowly becoming everything I wanted it to be.
I did something I shouldn’t have done and downloaded Facebook.
Before everything happened, I set it up so no one would know I was active, but the curious part of my brain wanted to know what my father was doing.
I’d been in Westhaven for months now with no issues other than Blaize breathing down my neck for an answer.
My father wasn’t looking for me, the Born Killerz weren’t worried about the woman who killed their leader, and Dom was probably ruining someone else's life.
At least that was what I wanted to think.
When I logged into my old Facebook account, I froze on my dad’s name.
“The little girl who lit up my world, reunited with her brother. Watch over me, Caden, and give Nathan a hug.” I scoffed at the caption.
I didn’t light up anything but the cigarettes he smoked.
Did he want people to think I was the doting daughter and he was a mourning father?
If people knew what happened behind closed doors, they wouldn’t be giving him condolences. I checked my messages and saw his name. Some of them were recent. Fuck. Don’t do it, Kadence. It didn’t matter. After today, I was deactivating it completely.
NICK CARPENTER
Where are you, Caden?
Stop playing these fucking games. Where the fuck are you?
Get your ass back to New York or I will send every damn FBI agent after you. You can’t ditch your detail like that.
Caden, when I find you…
Caden, please.
Please. Why did he sound like he actually cared?
When I got to the end, I saw the texting dots. Shit. I knew this was a bad idea, but there was no hiding it now. He couldn’t trace me through Facebook, and I would deactivate my account so I would never let my curiosity win again.
NICK CARPENTER
Caden…I’m coming for you. You can’t keep running.
The thing was, I wasn’t running anymore.
I had roots to finally plant in Westhaven.
This would be my home, and I would create a life he never gave me.
I had a family here. I had people who cared for me.
Hawke saved my life. The Reapers gave me a safe space to lick my wounds until I was ready to spread my wings.
Annika and her guys became the family I never had.
The girls at the club cared for me and treated me like more than a pretty face and an object.
And Blaize…Blaize was slowly opening up to me and providing me something I never had from past partners.
It would take a while to fully give her my heart, but I was falling in love with her.
My father didn’t do shit for me but made my life miserable. He wouldn’t take this away from me. Even if he tried, he would have to deal with the Reapers and my friends.
NICK CARPENTER
Where are you Caden? Stop playing games.
CADEN CARPENTER
Caden is dead.
I quickly went to my settings before he could respond and deactivated my account.
When my page was gone, I deleted the blue app from my phone and threw it to the side.
It was the final piece left of my past, and now Caden Carpenter would finally become forgotten history.Maybe I needed to tell Blaize who I was.
Tell her all the horrible things done to me after Nathan died, and then I could let her go.
Caden was an anchor weighing me down when I was working hard to swim up from rock bottom.
I couldn't do everything I wanted before, but now I had a second chance. There was a part of me that was scared she wouldn’t believe me or blame me for my behavior, but that was insane to think.
She was there when the man attacked me in the club; her people saved me when I was attacked walking home.
She would believe me and maybe she could help me.
People said second chances never happen, but I had one. I needed to take advantage of this opportunity and give myself the life my parents never provided.
I reached for my phone once more and texted Blaize.
ME
Can we talk tonight?
I need to tell you something.
There was no response, but she was a busy woman. If she didn’t respond to me by tonight, I would go to her before or after work and see if she was available. It was time to stop holding onto my trauma and my past like a clutch.
To be fully free, I needed to let go and live.