“I feel free,” he whispered. And it was true. At least in part. “I feel relief that you’re safe. That I’m safe. That we can move forward without fear.”
“That’s not all you’re feeling,” She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “It’s okay to feel sadness, Viper. It’s okay to grieve the loss of your family. I don’t expect you to forget that you loved them for many years.”
Heaviness tightened his chest, and for fuck’s sake, his eyes watered. Damn Cassie and her sweetness. Her kind, compassionate nature would be his undoing. And damn Fox for being such a motherfucker. For turning everything Viper had known on its head. For making Viper have no choice but to break his oath to the club.
A harsh sob left him as the heaviness in his chest strengthened to a crushing pain. His knees buckled. Cassie only held him close and lowered them both to the ground.
“It’s okay, Viper. Let it out, baby. I got you. You’re safe to feel whatever you need to feel with me,” she said in his ear as she rocked him gently back and forth.
And he did. Her sweet words opened the floodgates. Viper cried for the loss of his father and the loss of his family. He wept for all the women he hadn’t known his club was harming and who he hadn’t been able to save. He sobbed out his anger and hatred of Fox as well as his love of the man who’d raise him. And he cried for Vanessa, whose life had been stolen too early and whose death was the catalyst to open Viper’s eyes. The only other time in his life he’d cried was when she’d died.
Cassie stayed with him on the floor of their apartment with the front door wide open. She continued to rock him back and forth, whispering soft words he couldn’t decipher.
Christ, he loved her. She was everything he needed and wanted in his life. He’d tell her soon. Not today, with a cloud of uncertainty, grief, and relief hanging over them. He’d save it for a time when it could be the primary focus.
Once he’d calmed, he gently disengaged himself from her arms only to find her cheeks streaked with tears as well. The tip of her nose shone red, and her beautiful green eyes held a deep sadness. “Please don’t be sad,” he whispered, wiping the tears from her face. “You’re safe now, Cass. You can do whatever you want. Go wherever you want.”
As the words left his mouth, he wanted to call them back or scream at her to stay with him. Fear ripped through him. If she left, he wouldn’t survive it. If she walked away from him, he’d know a depth of loss he hadn’t thought possible.
She cupped his face between trembling hands. “You silly man,” she whispered. “Please tell me you aren’t worried about that. Viper, why would I go anywhere? You’re here.”
Those two words had him feeling like he’d taken his first breath since they left Washington. She wasn’t leaving. Cassie wanted to stay with him. Her smile lit his world and had him kissing her until his brain spun from lack of oxygen.
When they finally pulled apart, panting and grinning, he asked, “Would you like to call your family?”
Her eyes popped wide. “Oh, I…wow.” She sat back on her heels. “I suppose I should. I don’t even know what they think happened to me.”
“Want me to leave so you can have some privacy?”
“No.” She shook her head. “No, I’d like you to stay.”
With that, she stood and walked to where the phone hung on the wall in the kitchen. They’d purchased an extra-long phone cord since she warned him she liked to pace while chatting. He followed close behind and circled an arm around her waist as she dialed.
“Here goes,” she whispered more to herself than him.
He kissed her cheek, and she leaned into him.
“Dad? Um, it’s me, Cassie.”
1982 - TENNESSEE
“CASSANDRA?” HER DAD said, surprise in his voice.
“Um, yeah, Dad. It’s me. H-how are you?” Her hands trembled so bad she nearly knocked herself out with the phone. Viper’s strong, steady hand curled around hers, helping to stabilize her arm.
“Where the hell have you been? Cassandra, don’t you think this has gone on long enough? Punishing Marissa and I like this?”
No, she didn’t think that, but they’d never agree on how he managed his personal life. None of that mattered as she planned to never return to Washington. “Dad,” she cut off in a sharp tone she’d rarely used in his presence.
He fell silent.
“Dad, I’m not calling about that. I-I just want you to know I’m okay. I’m not in Washington, and I’m not coming back.”
He grunted. “Cassandra, really, this tantrum of yours is growing tireso—”
“I was drugged and kidnapped,” she blurted.
Silence and then, “Cassie?” came whispered through the line.