the shit out of him. I was about to untie Maggie and call the police when the bastard started laughing. Laughing! He said, ‘They’ll never believe you, you filthy piece of trash. I’ll tell them she was obsessed with me. That she broke into my house to get close to me. Who do you think they’ll listen to? Two street kids? Or a high-powered attorney?’”
Jace paused, staring at the floor, elbows resting on his thighs. He wasn’t seeing the floor, he was seeing everything that had happened.
“When I ripped him off Maggie and threw him to the ground, he knocked over the end table and some papers spilled all over the floor. I was trying to figure out what to do when I saw what the papers were.”
Cassie still hadn’t moved, keeping her promise to not interrupt. What kind of doctor was she, to remain patient and not interject with questions while his memories threatened to overtake him?
“They were photos… of girls like Maggie—young, long dark hair, naked, tied to a bed. They appeared dead, their bodies battered. I knew he got away with it all and he was right. He’d get away with kidnapping Maggie. Maybe even try to finish the job another time. He had to be stopped. It all had to end, so I finished him.”
Cassie seemed to quit breathing. Then she folded her arms across her chest again. Her knee brushed his as she re-crossed her legs. He waited for her to get up and ask that one of them be removed from the room. He waited for her to cry You’re a murderer? And yes, he was.
“Go on,” she said. She was still looking at him. He hung onto that and looked up. She was guarded, but not disgusted or hostile. His head was even with hers since he was hunched over, elbows on thighs. He gazed into her warm brown eyes, the rest of his story was easy, except for the unknown ending of what she’d do.
“His family came after me with their legal team. Blamed me for the girls, for his death, everything. I pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and got eight years in prison and two years probation. My mom cut me off, my sister even cut me off. I brought attention to our family when Mom sacrificed everything to hide us in plain sight. Even the wolves wanted nothing to do with me, I might bring attention to our species.
“Commander Fitzsimmons came to talk to me in jail before my sentencing. All he said was ‘Human crime, human time. We have someone on the inside; you lose it in there we’ll put you down.’
“I did my time, got out, and got a job at Pale Moonlight. Christian’s a pack leader, takes in poor fucks like me who have no one and nowhere to go. Then you walked in, Cassie.”
She held her arms tighter, her crossed leg started bobbing again.
“I saw you and knew you were mine.”
Cassie ceased all movement, the rest of his story temporarily forgotten. Was he kidding? What did he mean she was his? He was sitting there, dressed head-to-toe in black with his shaved head, piercing eyes, and boots that screamed “my other car is a Harley.” He worked in a bar with bombshells showing off their artillery. Constantly. All. Night. Long. She was pretty secure and didn’t feel like she lost out in the looks department. She liked her shower-and-go hair and, with a wicked running habit, she enjoyed her desserts enough that she didn’t lean out too badly and lose her T&A. But for this guy to call her his ? Like they were destined to be together?
“But you were with that guy,” Jace bit off the word, interrupting her thoughts. “I knew you were out of my league – the way you moved, the way you dressed, fuck, even your ex screamed class. I decided to wait. You’d realize he was wrong, you’d be drawn back to the club, we’d be together. I was impulsive once. I lost my life and my family. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake with you. So I waited.” Jace shrugged, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. Except she knew differently, practically seeing lightning rods of
Jace paused, staring at the floor, elbows resting on his thighs. He wasn’t seeing the floor, he was seeing everything that had happened.
“When I ripped him off Maggie and threw him to the ground, he knocked over the end table and some papers spilled all over the floor. I was trying to figure out what to do when I saw what the papers were.”
Cassie still hadn’t moved, keeping her promise to not interrupt. What kind of doctor was she, to remain patient and not interject with questions while his memories threatened to overtake him?
“They were photos… of girls like Maggie—young, long dark hair, naked, tied to a bed. They appeared dead, their bodies battered. I knew he got away with it all and he was right. He’d get away with kidnapping Maggie. Maybe even try to finish the job another time. He had to be stopped. It all had to end, so I finished him.”
Cassie seemed to quit breathing. Then she folded her arms across her chest again. Her knee brushed his as she re-crossed her legs. He waited for her to get up and ask that one of them be removed from the room. He waited for her to cry You’re a murderer? And yes, he was.
“Go on,” she said. She was still looking at him. He hung onto that and looked up. She was guarded, but not disgusted or hostile. His head was even with hers since he was hunched over, elbows on thighs. He gazed into her warm brown eyes, the rest of his story was easy, except for the unknown ending of what she’d do.
“His family came after me with their legal team. Blamed me for the girls, for his death, everything. I pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and got eight years in prison and two years probation. My mom cut me off, my sister even cut me off. I brought attention to our family when Mom sacrificed everything to hide us in plain sight. Even the wolves wanted nothing to do with me, I might bring attention to our species.
“Commander Fitzsimmons came to talk to me in jail before my sentencing. All he said was ‘Human crime, human time. We have someone on the inside; you lose it in there we’ll put you down.’
“I did my time, got out, and got a job at Pale Moonlight. Christian’s a pack leader, takes in poor fucks like me who have no one and nowhere to go. Then you walked in, Cassie.”
She held her arms tighter, her crossed leg started bobbing again.
“I saw you and knew you were mine.”
Cassie ceased all movement, the rest of his story temporarily forgotten. Was he kidding? What did he mean she was his? He was sitting there, dressed head-to-toe in black with his shaved head, piercing eyes, and boots that screamed “my other car is a Harley.” He worked in a bar with bombshells showing off their artillery. Constantly. All. Night. Long. She was pretty secure and didn’t feel like she lost out in the looks department. She liked her shower-and-go hair and, with a wicked running habit, she enjoyed her desserts enough that she didn’t lean out too badly and lose her T&A. But for this guy to call her his ? Like they were destined to be together?
“But you were with that guy,” Jace bit off the word, interrupting her thoughts. “I knew you were out of my league – the way you moved, the way you dressed, fuck, even your ex screamed class. I decided to wait. You’d realize he was wrong, you’d be drawn back to the club, we’d be together. I was impulsive once. I lost my life and my family. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake with you. So I waited.” Jace shrugged, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. Except she knew differently, practically seeing lightning rods of
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