He didn’t like the slur in her speech. He’d been right there, right beside her, and she’d been drugged.
He couldn’t believe Mercer had been dumb enough to think that Cale would let her walk away. Or just be taken away.
“What’s happening?” Cassidy asked as she tried to sit up.
He put his arm around her, helping to steady her. He’d already dressed her—well, done his best, anyway—in jeans and a T-shirt that he’d gotten Tina to sneak up from the gift shop. “Mercer wants to take you out of D.C.” There was no time to sugarcoat. He figured they had all of about five minutes to get a plan in motion.
Mercer moved fast.
So did Cale.
“Out of...” Cassidy put a hand to her head.
“You have a choice to make.” He kept his voice steady. Kept his hand on her arm because she was weaving a bit on the bed. “Do you want to go with Mercer? He can put you on a plane and take you out of the city. You’ll be safe while the EOD hunts the people who took you.”
She frowned at him. “Where’s the choice?” Her voice was a bit stronger. Good.
“You can go where he sends you...or you can come with me. I can take you out of the city. I can keep you safe with me.”
“Both options have me leaving,” Cassidy whispered.
Yes, they did.
But who she left with—
“Going with Cale would be a mistake. He didn’t keep you safe before,” Mercer’s growling voice cut through the room as he stormed inside. He glared at Cale. “She was taken, stabbed, on your watch.”
Cassidy sucked in a sharp breath. Cale knew, understood with every fiber of his being, that if Mercer took Cassidy away from him right then, he would never see her again. Mercer would make her vanish.
I can’t let that happen.
Cassidy’s gaze slid over Cale. To Mercer. “Did you find Genevieve?”
Cale saw Mercer shake his head. Then he glanced at an avid Tina. “Wait outside, Doctor.”
Tina hurried to obey. She was probably already afraid that she’d crossed a line with Mercer.
Folks needed to stop jumping when the big, bad wolf growled.
Cale wasn’t in the mood to jump.
Mercer waited for the door to shut behind Tina. Then he said, “We found the man you shot.”
Cassidy sat up a bit straighter. When she winced, Cale’s fingers caressed her arm. He hated for her to hurt.
“H-he can tell you where Genevieve’s...body—” she stumbled over that part “—is. You can make him—”
Mercer shook his head. “Doubtful. Dead men don’t tell a whole lot.”
Cale swore.
“I killed him?”
“Only if you shot him twice, once in the stomach and once in the heart.”
Cassidy tried to stand. Cale made sure he gave her the support she needed.
“No. I just shot him once.”
“Then it looks like his partner wanted to make sure that he didn’t talk. He was left, dead, in the van. Techs are dusting for prints, checking for any evidence that was left behind.”
Her breath heaved out. “He knows I’m your daughter. That was why they took me. It had nothing to do with the Executioner, and everything to do with you.”
Mercer actually backed up a step at the heat in her words. “Cassidy, you need to calm—”
“Calm down? Really? You think that’s what I need to do?” She shook her head. Finally, finally, more color came into her face, even if it was in an angry burst across her high cheekbones. “I didn’t ask for this life. You’re the one who sought it out, not me. I’m just the one who had to pick up the pieces after you.”
Silence.
Mercer inhaled slowly. “I have a plane waiting—”
“You always do. Like sweeping me away is going to fix things. This guy knows who I am. He knows the secret that we’ve both tried so hard to cover. If we don’t find him, how do we know that others won’t discover who I am, too? I’ve tried your way, Mercer. I’ve tried it for years.” She sounded weary. “I don’t want to disappear for you anymore.”
Mercer’s hard stare cut toward Cale. “And you think you can just walk away with him? That he’ll be able to protect you?”
Cassidy’s brows rose. “Only recently, you thought he could keep me safe. Isn’t that the reason you sent him to Rio?”
Mercer’s lips thinned. “That was before!”
“Before what?” Cassidy demanded. She still weaved, just a bit, but her voice was much stronger.
“Before I knew he was sleeping with you!”
Cale had been quiet up until that point, but Mercer had just crossed the line. He positioned his body right next to Cassidy’s as he faced off against Mercer. “Father or not, you don’t use that tone with her—you don’t ever, understand?”
Mercer stared back at him. Was that shock in his eyes? Get ready for more.
“I’m done,” Cale said bluntly. He hadn’t anticipated saying those words, but he had no choice.
“Done?” Mercer parroted.
“I’m out of the EOD. Consider our test run over.”
Definitely more shock now. “You’re just going to walk out on Cassidy when she needs—”
“I’m taking her with me. Provided that she wants to come.” Cale threaded his fingers through Cassidy’s.
Cassidy’s lips parted in surprise.
“I told you,” he said, focusing just on her. “You have a choice. You can go with Mercer, you can get on his plane, or you can come with me.”
“You don’t have any place to take her,” Mercer snarled. “You don’t—”
“Whiskey Ridge isn’t more than a spot on the map, but you won’t feel hunted there, Cass. My sister and brother-in-law have a ranch. There’s plenty of room for us. We can stay there until it’s safe for you.” Or for as long as you want. If you like Whiskey Ridge, then I’ll buy land for you. For us.
But he didn’t tell her those plans. Not yet. It was too soon. She had enough to deal with at the moment.
“I don’t want to put your family in danger,” she whispered.
“My brother-in-law was EOD, too. Trust me, he’s used to danger.” And his brother-in-law, Jasper, knew how to protect what he valued most.
Hope flickered in Cassidy’s eyes. “I don’t want to be sent away again. I don’t want to become someone new.”