"I can't stay with him anymore." Her voice broke, shattering like thin, fragile glass. "He's hitting me in front of the kids. He used to wait until they were in bed, and that was bad. But now he hits me in front of them, and he says terrible things. Things they shouldn't hear. It's not right. It makes them part of it, and it's not right."
"No, Cass, it's not right. You need help now."
"I thought about it all night." She hesitated, then slowly eased down the neck of her sweater.
At the sight of the raw marks scoring that pale, innocent flesh, Regan's face went white and cold. "Oh, dear God—he tried to strangle you."
"I don't think he meant to at first. I was crying, and he wanted me to stop. But then he did." Cassie lowered her hand again. "I could see it in his eyes. It wasn't just the drinking, or the money, or the other women he seems to want. He hated me just for being there. He'll hurt me again if he gets the chance, and I have to think about the kids. I have to go to Devin and file charges."
"Thank God."
"I had to come here first, to get up my nerve." Knowing there was no more point in them, Cassie wiped at the tears. "It's hard, being it's Devin. I've known him all my life. It's not like it's a secret. He's been out to the house I don't know how many times when the neighbors called in. But it's hard." She sighed. "Being it's Devin."
"I'll go with you."
Cassie closed her eyes. That was why she had come here, to have someone stand with her. No, she admitted, ashamed all over again. To have someone hold her up.
"No, I need to do it myself. I haven't thought about after," she said, and soothed her raw throat with a sip of tea. "I can't take the kids back to the house until I know what's going to happen."
"The shelter—"
Stubbornly, Cassie shook her head. "I know it's pride, Regan, but I can't go there. I can't take my kids there. Not yet, anyway."
"All right, then you'll stay here. Here," Regan repeated as Cassie protested. "I only have one extra bedroom, so you and the kids will have to rough it."
"We can't pile in on you that way."
"You were the first friend I made when I moved here. I want to help. So let me help."
"I could never ask you that, Regan. I've saved some tip and overtime money. Enough for a motel for a couple of days."
"You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings that way. You're going to stay at my place. For the kids," Regan murmured, knowing that nothing would tilt the scales as heavily.
"I'll go get them after I see Devin." She had no pride when it came to her children. "I'm awfully grateful, Regan."
"So am I. Now."
"What's this? Tea party during business hours?" Because his eyes were on Regan, Rafe had stepped into the office and tossed his coat over the back of a chair before he saw Cassie's face.
Regan was stunned to watch charm metamorphize into pure violence in a split second. The quick, potent grin sharpened into a snarl. His eyes fired. Her first startled thought, as that lean body tensed to spring, was wolf.
When his hand shot out, Cassie flinched, and Regan leapt to her feet. Before Regan could step between them with some wild idea of protecting Cassie, Rafe's fingers stroked, gentle as a kiss, over the battered face.
"Joe?"
"It—it was an accident," Cassie stammered.
His opinion of that was one vicious word. He swung around, blood in his eye. Cassie was on her feet and racing after him.
"No, Rafe, please don't do anything." Desperate, she pulled at his arm, all but jumped on his back. "Please don't go after him."
He could have knocked her aside with a shrug. It was that knowledge that added bitter fuel to the fire. "You stay here. Stay with Regan."
"No, please." Cassie began to weep again, helplessly, as she pulled at him. "Please. Don't make me any more ashamed than I already am."
"The bastard's going to pay this time." He bit the words out, started to set her aside and looked down. The tears did what fists and threats could never have done. They stopped him cold. "Cassie." Undone, he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her against his chest. "Don't cry, baby. Come on now, it's going to be all right."
From the doorway of the office, Regan watched him. How could there be such tenderness, she wondered, side by side with such savagery? He was holding Cassie as though she were a child, his head close to hers as he murmured to her.