The Deception series boxset: FaCade, Cadence, Beneath Innocence (53 page)

Eventually the room quietened, the silence confirming their brutal death.

Jenson walked over to Cade, his pale face telling me he had made himself watch every second in respect for Blue, his hand delivering the final blow.

“We’ll be outside.”

Cade nodded, giving him a faint smile as he patted his shoulder. Then he turned to me, his face full of sadness.

“This is it then.” I eyed him just as sadly.

Cade sighed, his eyes lifting to mine. “What the fuck happened to you?” He wasn’t angry, just resigned.

“Love.” I answered simply. “But in that one little word are so many others we forget about, brother.” He blinked at me, his face tight with emotion. “Jealousy. Control and greed. Desperation and insecurity. And we mustn’t ever forget possessiveness.” He dropped his eyes, closing them for a second. “And they’re only some of them, Cade. I loved Star with everything I had. I breathed for her, lived for her. Yet somewhere deep inside, both our insecurities drowned the good parts, the parts that love should be about.”

He shook his head. “They only control if you let them, Dante. You were strong, so strong. I idolized you, you’re my big brother. Only by a couple of minutes, but we came as a unit. I never saw the moment one of us destroyed that.”

“The moment we both fell in love with the same woman, Cade.”

He nodded, verifying the truth of my words.

“I loved you both but she was mine, I needed her,” I whispered, the pain of finality making my heart still. “Promise . . .” I blew out a breath and smiled sadly. “Promise you’ll love her like she deserves.”

He snapped his teeth together, sucking in a deep breath before he turned away, gathering the strength he needed.

“And I loved you,” he whispered as he pressed the muzzle of the gun to my forehead gently.

I watched as a single tear rolled down his cheek. I nodded to him, holding his gaze as a tear left my eye, the twin to his. “Do it, Cade.” He knew if he didn’t kill me and let me live I would have to kill him. The fury would come back tenfold to me and demand I take his life. He didn’t have a choice, kill or be killed. “Be happy. Make her happy.”

“I promise,” he whispered as he pulled the trigger and freed my soul from the pain of obsession for possession of another soul.

I WAS SCARED TO DEATH of finally pulling that trigger. It was like killing a part of myself. I felt it; the pain of killing my own flesh and blood, but with it the cleansing relief of knowing Faye was safe.

She was on the floor outside the doorway when I left the room. Her eyes wrenched open as she battled not to show her sadness. I wouldn’t judge her for showing human weakness. He was a bastard but a bastard we loved once.

Scooping her up into my arms we left his place in flames. Destroyed the evidence of us ever being there.

3 DAYS LATER

WE TOLD THE HOSPITAL STAFF Faye took a fall down the stairs. They didn’t believe us if the deadly looks I received were anything to go by but they were paid an exceedingly stupid amount for their discretion.

It was the first time I had ever felt uncomfortable in my own house with Faye. She had showered and was standing in a pair of her slouch pants and one of my t-shirts, her face bruised and full of sorrow. I didn’t know what to say to her. Was she grieving for him, Malik, Frank? Did she want to be there?

“I can take you home if you want?”

Her head shot up to look at me, a look of panic in her expanding eyes. Her teeth came out to worry her bottom lip and her fingers dug into the side of her thigh, her nervous actions making me wince slightly. “Can I . . . ? Please don’t make me go back there alone, Cade.”

I walked over to where she was standing, taking her hands away from her damaging her already torn up legs. “I don’t want you to go, Faye, I just don’t know what you’re thinking. For the life of me I can’t think what you need from me right now.” I hated this. She was everything. I always knew how to read her emotions but she was a new person now, we both were.

Her hands gripped mine. “It’s not him.” I closed my eyes. She was always aware of what I was thinking. “Dante died a long time ago. I didn’t know who that man was, Cade. He was an animal and stole things I can never recover.” I implored her with my eyes to keep talking. Her own eyes softened. “He stole us. He made me into someone I despise.” She was so defeated. He had broken my girl, dimmed her spark and beat down her spirit. “If you knew, you wouldn’t want me here,” she stuttered.

Damn, should I tell her I know?
If I didn’t she would always live in fear that I would one day find out somehow and turn my back on her which was impossible. Dante wasn’t the other half of me, she was. She was my other half, she completed the man I was, the man I wanted to be for her. My soul was created with hers and sent here for us to find each other. Love wasn’t condemning your soul mate for actions out of their control. Granted, love is painful, the most painful thing we endure on this earth but it’s also non-judgmental; it’s shameless and freeing the other person of all the things they find imperfect about themselves because to the person that loves them there is no such thing. Love is pure, true, enduring and for me, everlasting. I would love her forever and cherish the time we had. Love like ours was strong, intense and beautiful. Nothing she did without being right of mind could dirty how pure our love was.

“Faye.” I lifted my hand, gently cupping her cheek, my heart sighing contently with the simple touch of her. “I know what you went through and that you’re punishing yourself for it. It was abuse, baby, no matter what you tell yourself or what he told you.”

Her breath shuddered, her tremble coming back with a force. Fuck, would she ever recover from this? “Do you know?” she asked softly.

I knew she was asking me if Kenny showed me and I needed her to know I had seen her at her worst and still loved her with the same passion and ache as I always had. “You said in your message, ‘I know that thread is broken now,’ but with us it’s never broken. It may have frayed for a short time but it can never be broken
.
I know what he did to you and I know he stole your memory and fed you a lie.
”
Her pale face showed her shame as her eyes lowered but I placed my finger under her chin and tilted her head back until her eyes were where they belonged—on me. “Don’t you ever be ashamed of what happened. You were a victim, Faye. Men like Dante have an ability to turn your body against you.” I knew that was what was eating away at her and it was almost choking me to think and say it but she enjoyed some of the acts before she knew the truth and it was only natural for her body to react. I wanted to scrub my eyes with bleach and my memory of the images of it all but I couldn’t punish her any more than she was punishing herself.

“I’m so ashamed,” she choked out, her tiny shudders shaking the foundations of my heart. I wanted to fix her and take it all away but I was out of my depth.

I pulled her fragile body into mine, resting her head against my chest, my chin sitting gently on her head as my arms encompassed her in my shelter. Her tears soaked into my shirt. I just wished I could cleanse her of the consuming pain.

“Can you ever love me again, Cade?”

Oh fuck, I was dying from her pain.

“Do you know what I see and feel when I look at you?” She brought her hands up to wipe the tears covering her face and shook her head, her brows pinching together. “Boundless beauty.” I swiped as more tears trickled down her blotchy face. “Astonishing strength.” I stroked her hair back. “An enveloping need in my chest to touch you, share your air, your life, your love.” I stared into her searching eyes. “I see a divine ecstasy that only you bring me.” I placed a soft and fleeting kiss to her lips. “I see my future.”

“I’m sorry to intrude.” Amy’s voice came into the room, breaking us from our moment. Amy moved across the room and launched herself into me and Faye. “You didn’t call! You said you would when you had her safe.”

Fuck, what a douche. I should have remembered Amy was waiting on news.

“I was going out of my mind!”

Faye flinched and pulled away from us both. “I’m sorry, Amy, my mind was all over the place and Faye needed medical attention.”

She turned to survey Faye. “Are you okay?” Her tone dropped to soothing as her eyes roamed every inch of Faye’s bruised and broken body.

“Just glad to be home,” Faye replied and smiled over at me. I stilled, savoring her goddamned stunning smile. “I need to sleep if that’s okay?” she murmured.

“Oh, God, sure. I’m sorry, I was just so worried.”

I gripped Amy’s shoulder and led her out of the room calling out, “Go lay down, Faye. I’ll fix some food and bring it up for when you wake up.” I didn’t have a clue how to cook but Amy could make herself useful.

“Okay, thank you.”

BLOOD EVERYWHERE, EACH BRUTAL PLUNDER and squelch of the piece of mirror I had caused to smash pushing into the flesh of a man who was there to save me. He had told me not to play Frank and I ignored him, and got him killed.

Dante was like a possessed demon, showered in the blood of his once good friend. I would never get those images out of my mind.

I brought my hand up to the cut on my neck. I could have died, our blood swirling together. I had made it, though. What Dante had done to all of us affected and changed us forever. Alex may never be able to practice again. Blue may never birth children. Jenson was a killer, and Cade witnessed someone who he once loved die at his own hand.

I couldn’t close my eyes without hearing the final gunshot, the sound forever ricocheting around my head. It was over but it wasn’t. It lived inside me, haunting me. It was sickening watching the life leave someone. Our scars would heal though, I was with Cade and he still cared about me.

His beautiful words echoed inside my chest, creating a new beat. He knew how to reawaken me. He was always the one I was supposed to love because his love for me was astonishing, intense and unwavering. It was all around me, empowering and soul consuming.

I had given up at low points, imprisoned by Dante’s hate. He broke my sprit but Cade knew how to heal me with just words and his embrace. I was heartbroken and Cade knew how to mend my heart with one brief kiss. My mind would take longer; Malik’s shocked face as Dante struck stole my breath every time it flooded my thoughts. I couldn’t control them, they took my thoughts hostage. I wanted to sleep it all away. Time would heal everything, the doctor said with a pat on the knee. I needed time to pass and for me to be healed of this guilt and regret.