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“You could have warned me about that pill before Jonas arrived,” he pushed between gritted teeth. “And what the hell are you doing risking yourself by just taking some damned drug that an anonymous killer sent to you? Have you lost your mind?” There was the anger. His voice rose with it.
“Don’t yell at me, Cabal,” she ordered him with more bravado than she felt. What she felt was sheer panic. He was angrier than she had first thought. “I took a risk admittedly, but it was one that paid off.”
“It could have paid off with your life.” His hands clenched around the steering wheel as he navigated the mountainous path. “Son of a bitch, Cassa. Did you even think before you did it? Did you even consider the risks?”
She gave a little shrug. “I always consider the risks, Cabal. Whoever sent that drug and the proof of those killings doesn’t want me dead yet. He has something to prove. To the Breeds as well as to me. Killing me wouldn’t serve his purpose quite yet.”
Because the past hadn’t come full circle yet. Cassa knew that. The killer had other plans in store for her, the only question was whether or not she would survive them.
Was it foolhardy? Risky? No doubt. She had admitted that going in. But after more than a decade of doubts, recriminations and guilt, she knew she couldn’t do anything less than see this through now.
She had dropped the ball during the rescue of the German facility where Cabal had been imprisoned. Because of her husband, so many had died. Because she had trusted Douglas to care about the story even though her marriage was failing. And she had been wrong.
Now she had a chance to make certain that this rogue Breed didn’t destroy the Breed community as a whole. She refused to drop the ball on this one. She refused to back down.
“And all you thought of was yourself?” he asked, his voice lowering, darkening.
Cassa gave a bitter little laugh. “Who else should I consider?”
“Friends?” He snarled. “I know you have many of them, don’t deny it.”
She didn’t try to.
“Look, this is my job. It’s my life.” Cassa turned to him, her own anger mixing with her fear. “I weighed the consequences and took the risk. It was my choice to make.”
His lips thinned as he narrowed his gaze at the road. His hands didn’t relax on the steering wheel.
“You knew we were mates when you took it,” he accused. “Did you consider me?”
“Oh yeah, let me think about that one,” she bit out sarcastically. “No, I didn’t consider your opinion of it quite simply because I assumed you really didn’t give a damn. It’s not as though you gave the impression that you were ready for a mate, Cabal. A harem maybe.”
She hated that. The playboy of the Breeds. Or at least he’d been considered one half of a play team before his brother Tanner mated.
She watched as his jaw bunched, and she wondered if his molars were strong enough to stand the force of his teeth gritting together.
“I’ve never had a harem,” he stated angrily.
“Whatever.” Cassa blew out an irritated breath and flicked her fingers in his direction. “You were just fucking your way through the world. I understand.”
And she hated it. The thought of those women touching him, having him, touching those sexy-as-hell stripes while she still had yet to do so made her crazy. She curled her fingers at the thought of touching those oddly colored markings and tried to push past the image of her lips running over them.
A man shouldn’t be this sexy or so damned irritating.
“You don’t understand a damn thing,” he informed her. “If you weren’t constantly running scared, maybe I wouldn’t have felt like an animal chasing a rabbit. You ran from me every chance you had.”
“I simply stood aside to keep from being trampled by the hordes of lusting women,” she bit back acerbically.
But she had been frightened, and she knew it. Frightened of the strength of her desire as well as the past that she feared he would never forget or forgive her for.
“You were scared, just as you’re scared now.” There was a hint of censure in his tone. “When have I ever made you believe I would hurt you, Cassa?”
She was silent at that question. He had never done anything to make her believe he would lay a hand on her. Unless she were the enemy, and then there would be no saving her from him.
God, wasn’t that a cheerful thought, considering the fact that she had been the reason for the worst betrayal of his life and still he hadn’t given any indication of the amount of blame he assigned to her.
“You’ve done nothing to make me believe you would hurt me, Cabal,” she answered wearily. “If you sensed fear, maybe it’s for other reasons.”
“Your husband?” He cast her a brooding look. “That wasn’t in the investigation Jonas had done on you.” She guessed she should congratulate herself for having hidden the abuse she’d suffered so well that no one had guessed. If anyone had suspected, then the Breeds would have had that information. They knew every damned thing. Sons of bitches couldn’t keep their noses out of other people’s lives.
