Page 30 of Vengeful Lies

Him for them.

“No! Cade!” she screamed, fighting against Jake’s strong arms that kept her tight against his chest.

He didn't stop.

“Come back! Cade!” she yelled again, doubling her efforts and almost managing to knock them both over.

“Stop, Gabs, he knows what he’s doing,” Connor told her, trying to move to block her view of Cade who was almost back to the building he’d just carried her and Essie out of.

“No! Why are you letting him do this? Stop him!” she begged as tears rushed down her cheeks. Cade didn't think he was coming back alive. That’s why he told her to take care of his daughter. She knew it. Could feel it. Even if he could never love her like she loved him she didn't want to lose him. She’d rather have him in her life as her boss than not at all.

Suddenly, Cade dropped to the ground.

Gabriella screamed, fought, but it didn't change anything. She was shoved inside the vehicle and Cade’s brothers drove away leaving him behind.

Chapter

Eight

September 4th

7:09 P.M.

Satisfaction was the first thing to hit him when he swam slowly back to consciousness.

Cade woke up with a grin.

It didn't matter to him how bad a situation he was in, or if he was going to survive, or whatever torture might be in store for him.

His girls were safe.

That was the only thing he cared about.

Of course, he didn't want to die. Essie had already lost her mother, and he didn't want her to lose her father as well. She’d been through a traumatic ordeal, and she needed her family around her as she healed. She still needed to reach so many milestones in her life, and he wanted to be there to support her through them and watch how high she soared.

But she was alive and safe.

When it all boiled down to it, that was all he wanted.

His daughter was safe and loved with Gabriella and the rest of his family, and if he didn't make it home to her, he knew they would love her every bit as much as he could.

Blinking open his eyes, he found himself in what looked like a basement. There were no windows in the large open space and the walls were rough concrete with an old coat of white paint that had mostly peeled off. Likewise, the floor was concrete, although it had been smoothed out better than the walls had been.

There wasn't much in the space. He’d been chained up in a corner, the one furthest from a set of rather rickety-looking wooden steps that led up to a door he was positive was locked. They knew he was dangerous, and he was sure that even though he was shackled they would have wanted a double layer of security.

Smart of them.

Just because he’d come up with this risky plan didn't mean that he wanted to die there.

On the contrary, he wanted to use this situation to his advantage, finally flip the script and give himself and his family an edge. For the last couple of months—hell, for the last couple of decades—they’d been at a disadvantage, walking blind through this maze in an attempt to find answers to clear their mom’s name.

No more.

It was time to get ahead, stop playing defense, and go on the offense.

Because even if he didn't survive this, his brothers weren't giving up. It didn't matter what they’d said in that email, those were lies he’d been more than happy to tell if it meant getting his girls out alive.

Doing a mental examination of his body, Cade found he had no injuries that he could detect. After hitting him with thetranquilizer, they must have just bundled him into a vehicle and driven him there, wherever there was. They’d chained him up, wrists were locked into metal cuffs, as were his ankles, and both were attached to metal rings embedded in the concrete wall and floor.

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