17. CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 17
Cassidy
Graham leads me down the steep stairwell into a dark wine cellar, which seems to also serve as their holding area. He closes the heavy wooden door behind us, leaving us with his three brothers and their mates. I hold onto a chair to stop my hands from trembling.
As my heartbeat quickens and I feel faint, I force myself to think about how grateful I am that we're on the same side here. That these people are open-minded enough to allow a human to join them.
Still, I'm going to need a lot of courage to face my past again. Not just that. I'm going to have to confront Tim in front of everyone, including Graham.
"Are you okay?" Graham asks, gently touching my shoulder.
I look into his eyes, trying to find solace and comfort, something to balance the intense feelings that threaten to overwhelm me. I give him a small nod.
"I'm glad you're both here," Helia greets us and then walks over to give me a brief hug. "How do you feel?"
Tears spring into my eyes, but I push them back. This is hardly the time or place to lose control.
"Are you strong enough to do this?" she asks. "You're allowed to change your mind, you know."
She's giving me an out. While part of me likes it, I have to swallow my fear. This is my chance to end the killings, not just for me but for the innocent people who just want to live their lives in peace.
"I'm ready," I say, trying to sound convincing.
Helia's smile is so warm I feel like hugging her again.
"Follow me then," she invites. "The interrogation room is right through that door."
"We'll be able to hear and see everything," Garren tells me, pointing at the two-way mirror.
"Don't be afraid if the shadows move," Gavin adds, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. It’s almost as if he materialized out of the shadows themselves. "They're under our control."
I nod but feel sick to my stomach as the pressure to perform starts building. I swallow a few times to find my bearings. I can't make any mistakes, not when I'm facing my old boyfriend.
"Lead the way," I say, getting ready for an emotional rollercoaster.
Graham takes my hand in his, gently forcing me to look at him. "Everything will be okay," he says softly. "You can do this."
His faith in me has me even more determined. After we cross the dark wine cellar room, Grayden opens another thick wooden door. I'm the only one to enter.
The room is like something out of the police movies. Empty concrete walls with no windows, a table in the center that's screwed to the floor, same as with the chair where Tim's sitting and the one across the table that I assume is mine.
Tim's not bound in any way, which further proves how unworried the wolves are. In fact, the room itself has no chains, and I'm sure its usual guests are wolves, which means that there must be magical protections on the door.
Tim's head hangs down, his brown curls hiding his face from view. When I sit down across from him, he glances at me without lifting his head.
"What did they do to you?" he asks, worry etched on his face.
My mouth falls open, taken aback by his reaction. I would think that the first thing he'd be worried about is his life. Instead, his entire expression fills with pity for what he probably assumes the wolves have done to me.
I've lost blood, and I know that's showing on my face and the rest of my body, but the Greys wouldn't have touched a hair on my head, no matter how angry they'd be. Not on purpose, at least.
"They saved my life," I reply firmly, not wanting to go into details that it was their fault I needed saving in the first place.
Tim grimaces. "I'm sorry, Cassie," he mutters, his gaze dropping to the table. "I tried to keep you out of it, but I got in way over my head."
"You owe me some answers," I cut in. "We can go back and forth with how sorry you are, but it doesn't erase what you've done."
"Are you working for them?" he asks, his eyes darkening. "They're evil. They shouldn't exist. None of them should. It's unnatural."
"Tell me about Jason," I say, ignoring his rambling. It's best if I try to keep him on track. "How did you two meet?"
Tim takes a shaky breath and his muscles grow tense. He stares at the metal table for a moment, contemplating.
I cross my arms and wait. I'm not the one who's a prisoner here. He doesn't have any choices other than talking to me and spilling everything he knows about what Jason and the radicals are doing.
"I met him at the Base Club almost a year ago," Tim says slowly. "He noticed me sitting at the bar and offered to buy me a drink while he was waiting for his friends. We started talking, and I liked what he was saying. He invited me to join his group, and before I knew it, I was attending these meetings twice a week."
"What were they about?" I ask, intrigued. I'd always considered Tim a stable, boring individual who'd be offended by people who made conspiracy theories their reality. He surprised me by meeting Jason and ending up as part of the group.
"Freedom. Personal, social, and environmental. Equality and fairness," he adds.
"Freedom from what?" I ask. I'm smart enough to connect the dots, but I need him to spell it out for me.
"For what," he corrects.
"Okay, for what?" I ask again.
"To do and live whichever way we want," he replies simply. "I'm not good at explaining this, but Jason can be very convincing. I was hooked. So much so that I didn't even blink when he invited a few of us to a VIP meeting where he told us about the existence of different species."
My chest tightens. So not only did he know about the existence of wolves, but he was actually a follower of the Silver Dawn Coalition who think they need to be eliminated.
Maybe, after Jason described precisely what a wolf-shifter is and does, it made sense to Tim. He went from liking the notion of freedom to becoming the enemy of another species altogether.
"What did he say about the wolves?" I ask.
"Only the truth," Tim says, with a conviction so strong it makes me worry for his well-being. "Of course, he understood that humans and witches aren't strong enough to fight them alone, so he created a separate group to which he invited his loyal followers and wolves that were fools enough to believe they deserved to live."
"He needed more people to fight, so he lied to the wolves to get them on his side," I conclude, taking it all in. I get the reasoning behind wanting more supporters, but it still sounds harsh.
"Exactly," Tim replies. "But the packless wolves were happy to find a place to belong, so they jumped at the chance. Their desperation was laughable. They'd do anything for Jason."
"So, you believe all wolves to be bad?" I ask. "Including the ones that joined your cause."
"Obviously," Tim replies, giving me an annoyed look. "Don't be na?ve, Cassie. Once a wolf, always a wolf. Don't you get it? It's like a disease. They're not the people that you think they are. They're wild beasts wearing sheep's skin. They're vicious. Soulless."
As horrible as that sounds, I have to keep myself under control. I can't afford to let Tim see how much his words hurt me.
"If wolves are your only enemies, then why did you kill humans and witches too?" I challenge.
I want to argue that not all wolves are monsters, that some are decent people, but I doubt Tim will listen to me. He's too far gone for that.
"We had to keep the wolves in our group happy," Tim replies as if it's obvious. "We have plenty of enemies amongst humankind too. Even some of the witches are wolf lovers. Disgusting traitors."
"Your logic is flawed," I tell him. "You can't just kill an entire species for not believing the same thing as you do."
"We're only trying to protect the humans," he argues, raising his voice, but then all of a sudden, he deflates. "At least that's what I was trying to do. I still believe that Jason meant to do good, but he crossed the line when he started threatening you."
"What do you mean by that?" I ask, my eyes wide. "What do I have to do with it?"
"Jason wanted me to access F-Rec to help him track down our enemies," Tim explains. "I didn't want to lose my job. It was the only thing I had left after our breakup. It was the only way to stay in touch with you without stalking you. I didn't want to give that up, and I told him that. I thought he understood me, but he didn't. Instead, he threatened to send a group after you. Some of the things I did, I had no choice. You have to believe me, Cassie."
With a trembling breath, I absorb his words. My insides go numb as I'm faced with the knowledge that I was on the terrorist group's radar.
"Did he send people after me?" I ask slowly, bracing myself. "Were any of those killings from the news linked to me?"
He shakes his head. "The only way they were linked to you was that I've given him the locations in order to protect you."
"Those were humans, Tim," I hiss. "You say you got into this to protect humans from wolves, but in the end, it was you who ended up killing them."
"I didn't kill anyone!" he exclaims.
"The fact that you didn't inflict the killing blow doesn't make you any less responsible for their deaths," I say coldly. "You're just as much of a killer as Jason. Just because you avoided looking the victims in the eye, it doesn't make you innocent."
Tim's gaze drops and he lifts his shoulder slightly in acceptance.
"I made a mistake, Cassie," he admits with a defeated sigh. "There's no going back from that. There's no redemption for me. You're right. I'm responsible for dozens of deaths."
"Do you regret what you've done?" I ask.
"I regret where it's taken me, and especially that it's gotten you into trouble," he says, his face sullen and grey. "I regret that innocent humans have died. I regret it all."
I stare at him for a while, pondering his answer. Is his regret for the right reasons or is it only his self-preservation talking? Am I convinced of his remorse, or am I just desperate for it?
"What about wolves?" I ask, needing to know. "Do you regret killing them?"
He looks up, meeting my eyes. "Regret?" he repeats slowly.
He doesn't say another word.
"Wolves deserve freedom and equality," I tell him, searching his face for any emotions. "They're not that much different from us. Why can't you see that?"
"Because it's not true," Tim replies, and I can hear a hint of old determination back in his voice. "They're monsters. Wild beasts. They're a danger to us."
"And so are guns, and yet, instead of putting out a law to ban them, we can go to the nearest shop and buy an entire arsenal of them," I shoot back. "I'm afraid it's too late to call the wolves an existential threat."
Tim narrows his eyes, and I can see the wheels turn in his head. It's too late for him though. He can come to whatever conclusions he wants, but he'll never step out of the box he's inside. He's closed off to anything that goes against his warped beliefs. Jason's clutches are too deep.
I try to hide my disappointment as I meet his gaze. "Where is Jason now?" I ask, steering back to the main point of this conversation. I can't let Tim distract me. It doesn't matter how sorry he feels. Not after everything he's done.
He shrugs. "I don't know."
"Lies," I hiss, slamming my fists on the table. "You know his hideouts and he won't be without an army. Tell me where they are."
"They never stopped moving," he replies. "I'm not a part of his inner circle anymore. Not since he had to threaten me to get me to do his bidding."
"You'll forgive me if I don't trust you," I scoff. "You betrayed everyone for a man you hardly knew."
"Believe whatever you want," he says with a shrug. "For the last few months, my main goal was to protect you. I see that I've failed even in that."
"What do you mean?"
"You've been colluding with the wolves," he hisses, his face contorting with disgust. “I know you fucked him!”
I suppress a groan, hating that he's being difficult. I'm not here for conversations. This is an interrogation, after all.
"Why did you bring the footage of Jason's killings to my attention?" I ask. "You could've easily deleted it without anyone seeing."
"Because I thought you were going to call the police," he replies. "I wanted them to be stopped, but I couldn't very well be the one to make the call."
"You were hoping someone else would do your dirty work," I mutter, unable to stop my condescension from spilling out. "How convenient."
"It's pointless, Cassie," Tim sighs. "You want the answers that we both know you're not going to believe anyway. What do you really want to know?"
I think for a second and then get up. "There's nothing else you can give me. You're a disappointment, Tim. I can't believe how low you've fallen. I always believed you to be a good man. It was why I was attracted to you in the first place. Your strong morals and kindness. You're nothing like the man I used to know and care about. Goodbye, Tim."
I turn away from him. Everything inside me hurts. I'd believed in him, trusted him. Look how that turned out.
He grabs my wrist. "I'm still the same man," he says, stopping me. "How I feel about the wolf problem hasn't changed, but I care about you, Cassie."
Before I can say anything, the shadows in the room come alive. They wrap themselves around Tim's hands and legs, pulling him back and pinning him against the wall high above the floor.
The door's thrown open, and through it, Graham bursts in. His eyes go to Tim first, as if he wants to confirm that he's not a threat. Then, as if suddenly remembering where we are, his glance falls on me.
"Are you okay?" he asks, taking my wrists in his hands and turning them around to inspect them. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine," I assure him.
"He dared to touch you," Graham snarls, his wolf clear in his eyes. It makes my stomach somersault with fear.
Grayden steps into the room, with Garren and Gavin on his heels.
Tim cowers into himself. "Please, don't," he starts to beg. "Don't kill me. I'll never be a danger to you again. I'll quit my job and stay far away from Cassie."
"You don't need to quit," Graham tells him. "You're fired."
"You can't do that," Tim argues.
"I can, and I did," Graham bites out. "Don't worry, though. Where you're going, you won't need to work. I'm sure that your precious human government will put you in a nice prison cell, making you feel like you're in a five-star hotel."
“Please,” Tim begs. “You can’t do that to me.”
"Shut up, Tim!" I snap. "Try to at least pretend you have some dignity left."
With a nod from Graham, the shadows pull Tim higher off the floor.
I step forward, my eyes locked on the man I used to share my life with. “I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. I tried very hard to ignore all those messages you’ve sent me. I even ignored the nasty rumors you spread about me around the office. Maybe if I hadn’t done all that, I’d see just how bad you really were. It might not mean much, and I’m doing this for me, not for you, but I want you to know that I forgive you. I forgive you for what you did to me. That’s all that’s in my right to forgive. Everything else, you’ll have to carry on your conscience. Goodbye, Tim.”
The shadows keep him from speaking, but his eyes hold a vast well of emotions. It’s over. We’re over. Forever.
I hold my breath and clutch my hands into fists, bracing myself for what will happen next.
In the end, the shadows carry Tim closer to Helia who puts her hand on his forehead and casts a sleeping spell on him. Just like that, the battle with Tim is over.
"I'll have Blaine and the Dark Hunters bring him to the human authorities," Alyssa says. "He'll make sure that he's given over to the people we trust."
Garren nods.
"That was surprisingly easy," Leia says. "I expected him to be a bit more tight-lipped."
"Don't underestimate the power of love," Gavin mutters.
I shiver at the thought. Though I had nothing to do with Tim's actions, I can't help but feel responsible for how things turned out in the end. He accessed F-Rec for Jason because my life was threatened. If it wasn't for me, Jason wouldn't be able to blackmail Tim. It's irrational to think that, especially when my rational part tells me that if he hadn't used me as collateral, they'd find someone else.
"We should find a way to get in touch with Tiana," Garren says. "Right now, she's our only link to Jason."
"Who's Tiana?" I ask, glancing at Graham.
"There's something I didn't tell you yet," he replies and takes my hand. "Let's go up. I could use a drink."
I let Graham take the lead as the others follow us. Sleeping Tim's not a threat to anyone right now. Alyssa will call Blaine while Graham tells me all about this Tiana person and her involvement with Jason.