“Is it, though?” Carolina asks. “How do you know he won’t come back and do the same … or worse? From my experience, it’s not over until the guy is set straight or is scared enough to leave you alone.”

“I think it’s time you talk about what happened,” my mother says. “Or I’m involving your father.”

“Or we have Rex hack into your shit and find out everything,” Sierra chimes in.

“Invasion of privacy much?” I huff out.

“I’ll take you being safe over you being angry with me,” my mother replies.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lincoln

Thirty minutes have passed since Cassidy went to her bedroom to spill her secrets … or at least since she left the room with people attempting to get her to spill her secrets.

Thirty minutes of me pacing, of Rex cursing every three seconds, and of Kyle saying he’s going to strangle the guy nonstop.

Cassidy is a tough nut to crack.

Doesn’t give in easily.

And I’ve never seen such determination from someone who’s breaking inside.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in there for hours, begging her to talk to them, to give them anything to get the man who hurt her in trouble.

She’s a victim.

But Cassidy won’t admit that part yet.

We freeze when Sierra comes into view, her attention shooting straight to me. “She wants to talk to you.” Her face is unreadable, and she doesn’t disclose a word more.

The other women stand behind her.

I nod, shoving my hands into my pockets, and walk around them.

When I enter the bedroom, Cassidy is on the bed, her shoulders curled over her chest. When she raises her head, her face is red and puffy, tearstained, and I rush over to her.

“Baby,” I whisper, collapsing to my knees in front of her. I want to console her, hold her, wipe away every single tear, and make sure she never feels pain like this again.

Not only physical pain torments Cassidy.

It’s emotional pain.

Tearing her apart.

And I hate it.

She jerks away from me. “How dare you.”

She’s cold.

Hostile.

Taking out the anger on me that she should be taking out on someone else.

I can take it, though.

I’m strong.

I’ll take every emotion she needs to release.

“I …” I stutter for the right words, but there are none that’ll bring her comfort, none that’ll convince her that I didn’t tell Archer about her out of malice. But in reality, I know my brother. In the back of my mind, I knew he couldn’t keep that information to himself, not when it came to a woman being in trouble. I had him do my dirty work, hoping I wouldn’t have that guilt bearing down on my shoulders. “I didn’t know he’d tell.”