Page 11 of Cries of Cassie

Thankfully, that gets a reaction out of Maddox. His hands raise slowly, and he nods. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, Rip. I know how you feel about her."

That's all I can take. Slamming my phone down on the armrest, I stand to my full height and speed toward them. Ripley moves out of the way for me with ease. Without putting my hands on one of the men I love, I point my finger at Maddox's thick chest and give him all I’ve got.

"You knew. You ambushed her and Jake out on the edge of the state park. He was pretty tight lipped, but by the concern he was expressing for Cassie after being threatened to leave, it's pretty fucking clear you were a prick. What did you do, Shade?"

"Don't fucking call me that," he snaps.

Huffing, I step back and cross my arms. "I'll call you whatever I deem you're worthy of. And right now, I don't feel all that close to you. Did you or did you not fuck with her head then send her off to drive home with little to no experience on a new bike?"

Heat encompasses my right and left sides. With Parker and Ripley beside me, it bolsters my confidence against Maddox. I may be calling him by his road name right now, but I still love him to hell and back a trillion times.

"Does it matter?! She's nothing!" he spits, his body jerking at the words as if revolting against the lie.

I wave off Ripley's thundering growl, but I register how Parker stiffens beside me. Not so unaffected as he's trying to make himself out to be. "What happened after Jake left? Please, just tell us. I only want to make sure she got home safe."

Maddox tosses his hands in the air like I'm being ridiculous. "You saw the photo. She's fucking fine! And I'd bet you my favorite boots she called Jake right away."

"That photo was before she met up with Jake. Why do you think Jake is so concerned, dumbass? She hasn't responded to a single text in the past two hours."

Maddox stands there, stupidly silent while the three of us fume.

Parker shocks the shit out of me when he takes a menacing step forward and growls, "What are you so afraid to tell us?"

"FUCK! Look, it wasn't supposed to happen the way it did. She just kept pushing me and pushing me. I had to teach her a fucking lesson. Then, goddamn it," he moans and turns around, hitting the wall a few times. With his head bowed, both hands holding himself up, he says, "I got the call that Victor would be dropping in this evening and I panicked. Just hearing his fucking name while I was balls deep in Cassie⁠—"

"You left her," Ripley states, sounding pained and furious at once, "because you were fucking scared. Did you come first? Did you even get her off?"

"What was the last thing you said to her? Or did you shove her aside and leave once you had your release?" Parker sounds ready to throw up.

What we're describing is not us. We're not bad men. Sure, we're assholes and brutal when it comes to protecting our brotherhood, but this? What it sounds like Maddox did, that's not who he is.

A shuddering breath leaves Maddox, and when he turns around, the single tear on his cheek feels like a physical blow to my heart. "I pulled her away from my bike. She still had her pants down and my cum on her thighs," he grits out. "The last thing I said was that would be the only way she'd ever get on a Shadows’ bike ever again."

"YOU MOTHERFUCK⁠—"

The shrill ringing of our phones halts our murderous uproar in one wave of dread. Maddox wipes the stray show of emotion from his face and straightens his shoulders. "We have bigger things to worry about right now."

Victor's here.

Chapter Seven

Cassie

Stick a fucking fork in me, and I'll kill you. That's how done I am.

When I started thinking our situationship would blow up, I thought it would be yelling and hashing out our issues. Not him leaving me on the side of the road with my pants down and his cum leaking into my shoes.

On wobbly legs, I drove myself home as carefully as I could since I was crying and not in the best headspace to be operating a motorcycle.

Maddox has been an asshole for many years, but never has he been that fucking cruel. There was one stretch, one looong stretch when we were happy. For a year he took me on dates, asked about my life, doted on me, and made love to me. We were madly in love amidst the unknown of our futures.

Sure, he hid me from the club, but I was fine with it because I wasn't sure if I wanted that life. That ended six years ago. We've been stuck in this toxic cycle I don't think I can deal with anymore.

Going from thinking we're endgame to fucking a few times a year because we just can't stay away from one another is a bad trip I need to end.

We may have professed our love, but when the pressure of really coming into his role as the Shadows’ president came, he pulled away. It hurt, but my love and support for him encouraged me to understand.

Well, I'm done being understanding. His sweet girl is safely tucked away while my badass self comes out to play. I can't keep holding out hope that I'll get a flash of love in his eyes a few times a year. At thirty-two, I'm tired of his bullshit.