Page 47 of Cries of Cassie

Unfortunately, his thought process gives Ripley false hope. Poor fucker lights up and smiles at Cassie. Of course she doesn't return the gesture.

Nudging Parker, I shake my head at him. "She's mad at you too," I whisper.

"Mad?" Cassie scoffs. "You think I'm just mad?! I thought you were good men! I thought you lov—cared about me."

Maddox dips his head in defeat, worrying me for half a moment. There's a fierce determination in his eyes when he looks up. "I fucked up again. Keeping you in the dark about what's going on with the club was a bad call. For that, I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?" With narrowed eyes and clenched fists, she looks like a feral kitty ready to rip his eyes out. I just can't get over how she keeps glancing at me like I'm the worst person in the world.

Mads looks at me for a moment, then focuses back on Cassie. "I'll tell you a few things off the bat. After that, we're not holding back anymore. You will know everything by the time we leave this room, including the fact that you are ours."

"Not happening," she snaps.

Maddox smiles and tucks a red lock of hair behind her ear. She doesn't flinch, but another tear slips free as if triggered by the gentle care.

"Connor, the man Koa gave the drugs to, is an FBI agent who's working with us to take down Victor and his fucked up club. Here," Maddox mutters and reaches into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. I about collapse in relief when he procures Connor's business card we were given a few years ago the first time we crossed paths. "Call him. Text him. Do whatever you need to do if you don't believe me, but what I'm telling you is the truth, sweet girl. We're not the bad guys."

Eyelashes fluttering, Cassie blinks at the card. Then she blinks again. I feel like I'm watching her reboot her brain. Or her heart.

"Koa, come here," Mads murmurs, reaching for me. Remembering how she screamed at my touch a few minutes ago gives me pause, but Maddox grabs my hand and pulls me onto the bed.

Cassie doesn't look at me, just continues to cry while staring at the fucking card. What's going on in her mind right now?

"Koa intercepted those drugs from Victor's men with the promise he knew people who would pay more for it. Then handed it over to Connor to keep it off the streets and away from our club. We give Victor enough money to think we're selling his shit, but we're not. It's evidence against him. We just need to play the part long enough to get him locked away for good. It's the only way to keep our club safe. A war means casualties, and when we became presidents, we vowed never to lose another man or woman to club feuds."

Her sniffle breaks my goddamn soul. Practically hunched in on herself now, Cassie hides. I don't know what's worse: her trying to run or my woman hiding from me.

When Maddox says nothing else, I catch his eye. My brows furrow and he lifts his chin at her. Rolling his eyes at my confusion, he speaks to Cassie. "Cassie, Koa's going to love you now while we keep talking. What's your color?"

Fuck me. I don't know what makes my heart start pounding out of my chest: Maddox saying the L-word or Cassie whispering, "Green."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cassie

Too much information. Too many tabs open in my mind that I need to exit out of as soon as fucking possible before I ruin what we have for good. All the fear I felt minutes ago comes crashing down around me, burning to nothing except guilt and shame.

"You're afraid of us. How could you think we would hurt you?"

Those were Ripley's words. If anyone else had said them, I bet it wouldn't have felt like I was getting shot in the heart. The last person I ever want to hurt is my slightly unhinged, sweet Ripley.

What I heard was my worst scenario, and I created Ripley’s in the aftermath.

I can barely read the words on the business card through my anguished tears, but I believe Maddy. They're good men, no matter how gray they need to be to keep their club safe.

Even pitch black, I think I'd still love them if it were for a good cause.

I'm content with Ripley torturing someone in the basement of the clubhouse as long as they deserved it from a moral perspective.

I was shocked, hurt, and scared when I heard their conversation. Hearing that Koa was in possession of drugs from the man they told me wanted me dead was like a gut punch I didn't see coming. He's always been my reliable, fun-loving supporter. To find out his switch could flip so drastically stole the breath from my lungs.

Then Maddy said he wanted to lock me away. He's the biggest of my guys, so if he truly wanted to hold me captive and torture me for the rest of my life, there would have been no escape for me.

Hearing their hurt sends my fight-or-flight crashing to the bottom of the ocean of my tears. How could you think we would hurt you?

How could I?

"Cassie, Koa's going to love you now while we keep talking. What's your color?"