CADEnce (Deception Book 2) (8 page)

I held his eyes, our goodbye said without words as I pressed my finger to the trigger.

“STOP!” Faye shouted. “Cade, please don’t. Don’t!”

I was shaking. She had pulled her clothes into place and was crawling towards me, fright so clear in her eyes it made my heart ache for her even more. I never wanted to see that look in her eyes again. She wanted to save Dante. Had he really not forced her?

“Cade, don’t. I can’t lose you like this,” she whimpered.

Me?

“He needs to die, Faye. He deserves it.”

“There are live cameras everywhere,” she whispered.

“We found this motherfucker. He took Cole down,” Frank spat, throwing a big guy to the ground.

“Malik! Is he breathing?” Faye asked.

“Faye!” Frank rushed over, picking her up into his embrace. I wanted her in my arms but instead I was looking down at my replica who was smirking. He must have been in agony, the sadistic prick. He was too smug for someone about to die.

“Where are the rest of your security men?”

He spat out some blood and then laughed. “Why would I need security men, you f.u.c.k.i.n.g idiot?” I pushed the muzzle of my gun into an open wound until he writhed and hissed through his teeth.

“My security system alerted the police to your presence as soon as you stepped foot on my property. They will be storming the dock within minutes.”

“We’re not stupid, Dante. We disabled your security system. No one is coming to save you from my bullet.”

And there was the chip in his armor. I relished in his gulp.

“That’s impossible.” He choked on the blood filling his mouth from the busted lip.

“Yeah, Blue’s pretty impressive.” I grinned at him, clicking my tongue and giving him a smug wink. The flash of fear in his eyes was fleeting but I saw it.

“You just killed her,” he gargled, more blood filling his throat.

“You can’t kill anyone when you’re no longer breathing, Dante.”

The high-pitched echo of sirens filled the air, the sound faint but definitely there. What the hell?

“Smile for the fucking cameras, asshole!” The big guy laughed. Frank moved forward, swiftly kicking him in the stomach, making him cough and wheeze.

“He has cameras everywhere, Cade,” Faye breathed, almost inaudibly. “There are live feeds that are nothing to do with the security system.”

I jumped to my feet. “All power has been cut!”

“It works on another server to everything else, you fucking cock sucker! I’m not stupid,” Dante growled.

“We need to get out of here.”

“Too late.”

The room swarmed with police officers screaming at me to drop my weapon. We didn’t plan for police. He fucking kidnapped my girl and they were aiming their weapons at me.

I threw the gun away and raised my hands slowly, my eyes darting to Faye to make sure she was safe. The room was at a standstill. Why weren’t they arresting us?

Dante struggled to his feet, wiping at the blood decorating him. “What would the public think of their famous leading man if I let them see this footage?” He smirked. Like I gave a fuck! Being an actor was a safe outlet for me; I did all my own stunts and fight scenes. It was an adrenaline rush and it made me stupidly rich. It was never to gain popularity or fans; they just came with the genes our folks gave me.

“They’d think you’re a kidnapper and rapist, that’s what I think.”

“Is that what I am, Star?” He walked over to her. My instinct wouldn’t allow me to stand and watch. I was instantly restrained by armed officers, my arms forced back in a harsh snap as I struggled in their hold.

“That’s not her fucking name!” I shouted. “Just arrest us if that’s your plan.”

No one but Dante moved. “That’s not the plan. You don’t come into my house, touch me and make accusations.”

“What are you going to do, kill us in front of twenty police officers?” My heart was beating out of my chest. I just wanted to get to Faye out of there. I should have shot him and left while I had the chance. I’d have risked a prison sentence if I knew she was safe and waiting for me.

“That’s the difference between me and you, Cade. I was always the one with brains. I don’t pay brutes to protect and serve.” He walked towards me.

“Is this where your brains got you, Dante? Alone on an island where you harbor kidnapped women?”

He was grinning again. I wanted to kill him. “You’ve outstayed your
un-
welcome.”

“I’m not leaving without her.” I gritted my teeth and tried to pull from the fuckers holding me but it was useless. One shoved his gun against my spine.

“I should kill you, but a slow death is more appealing to me. One where your heart crushes you when you realize she loves me not you, and when she comes home of her own free will, I hope it fucking breaks you.” He nodded to the cops holding me. They maneuvered me over to the table and pinned my hands down.

“I’ll let her come with you, Cade, and every time you touch her she will feel your scars and think of me, if she isn’t already.”

My scars? What the fuck? The gun firing pierced the silence, followed by Faye’s screams, and excruciating pain exploded in my hand before I even realized he’d shot me.

“No! You bastard, Dante. That’s your brother, let him go!” Her terror was keeping me from thinking about the lava in the palm of my hand.

“It’s okay, baby,” I managed to get out against the shock making my body vibrate.

“Oh and, Cade, she’s not your
baby.
”

Another shot rang out and my other hand ignited in pain. My vision blurred, my teeth chattering to over-ride the torture tearing through my hands.

Muffled grunts echoed around me, making me aware of my men trying to get free.

Dante held up his hand. “Get them off my fucking property, and Star . . .” He chuckled slightly and blew her a kiss. “I’ll be seeing you soon . . .
baby.
”

Blood poured from my hands like a running faucet, making me queasy as I was dragged from the room with the rest of my guys, and then hit on the back of the head with a gun.

THE BLOW TO THE BACK of Cade’s head knocked him out cold. I had never been more lost and broken in my whole life as when he stormed that room and witnessed Dante inside me. How would he be able to look at me like he used to?

It was hard watching Cade so indulged in his demons as he held the gun to Dante. I didn’t feel anything at the thought of Dante dying. I think a part of me was convinced he died long ago and the person in his place, claiming his face and name, was just a ghost wrecking the memories I had of a man I loved once upon a time.

What I couldn’t face was Cade taking his life. Going to prison for the rest of his life and living with taking the life of a man he shared a womb with.

How did we get to this? Cade had a bullet hole in each palm from his own flesh and blood and it was all my fault. With every passing second he remained unconscious, a little piece of me faded with him. Jenson was restrained outside and went crazy when he saw Cade bleeding and then knocked out. I was in a dream state, my brain trying to make sense of everything.

Frank held me while my body trembled and the world washed away.

“CADE!”
I SCREAMED AS I woke.

I was in a hotel. Amy was by my side, her red-rimmed eyes divulging the fact she’d been crying. What the hell was she doing there?

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re safe,” she said, tucking some of my hair behind my ear.

“Where’s Cade?”

Her eyes closed, her face contorting in pain. “He’s okay. Alex is working on his hands. I can’t believe his brother would do such a thing.” Her timid voice showed her innocence to such violence. I kind of envied her.

Standing on wobbly legs, I pushed her hands away when they reached forward to support me. “Why are you here?”

She looked surprised by my question, her eyes popping wide making her eyebrows rise high on her forehead. “I’m here for Cade.”

Yeah, the hollow black hole inside me was back, swallowing any traces of my soul. Had he moved on to her, found comfort in her? The tears sprung free, a broken dam flooding my cheeks. Death would be less painful than this. “Where is he?”

I followed her out of the room and through a corridor into another room. Cream carpets and whitewashed walls played host to the entire band, Beneath Innocence, and also Frank, Sed and Cade.

They had their trained medic, Alex, working on Cade’s injuries. Alex traveled with Cade and his security. I bet he never thought he would need to fix bullet wounds.

Cade was awake and talking to Jenson. He looked pale but stunning. Every fiber in my body hummed and pulled to go to him. Silence eclipsed the sound of everyone else when his head turned to me, the only sound was my own heart stampeding in my chest.

“Faye.” My name left him in a whisper.

People passed me, leaving the room, and before I could suck in a breath we were alone. He stood up wearing only his jeans that were covered in blood; his blood. God, Dante was insane. His muscled torso rippled and strained as he strode towards me. Bandaged hands grasped my face, his eyes watering, the deep brown almost obscuring his pupils.

His forehead came down to rest on mine. “I thought I’d lost you,” he choked, dropping to his knees before me, his arms wrapping around my waist as his face burrowed into me. His grip was so tight it was painful. I didn’t care, it made this real. He had come for me. I was with him.

My fingers swept through his thick hair, longer than Dante’s. He clearly hadn’t had a trim in a while. His shoulders flexed, the tattoos, half of which I designed for him, moved as if they were alive on his skin. His deep, raw scream that vibrated against my skin made my heart fracture.

He jumped to his feet and grabbed my hand, flinching from the pain in his palm. He dragged me into a bathroom and switched the shower on. “Baby, take off your clothes.” He was broken, his brow furrowed and his voice cracking. I wasn’t ready to do this. “Baby, you smell of him. Take your clothes off, please.”

Realization hit me like a wrecking ball. He could smell the sex on me. Hurrying to rid myself of the nightmare I’d been living in I stripped the clothes away and put them in a bin in the corner of the room.

Standing under the hot spray of water, I knew it would never clean me of my sins but I was here with Cade, not Dante. The world was back in color.

Cade watched me for a while, studying every inch of me, tears slipping from his eyes every time his gaze clashed with a bruise. My throat had black and blue bruises covering it. Cade’s hands were fisted, crimson rivers coating the once white bandages. That must have hurt like hell. I needed to ebb his rage.

I reached my hand out to him and waited. With each passing second he didn’t move, I didn’t breathe. When he slipped his hand into mine, and then his body into the small cubicle, my heart ignited. He was so selfless and forgiving; would he be if he knew it all?

“You’re bleeding,” I murmured, taking his palm and kissing the stains there.

“Alex numbed them.”

“I’m sorry.” I cried, bringing his palm to my cheek. I craved his forgiveness, his comfort, his love.

“No, don’t say that. I lost you, I’m so sorry . . . he will pay for this, Faye. I promise you with my soul he will die for this.”