Page 33 of Cage's Downfall

I wasn’t sure what hurt more, that Autumn didn’t trust me or that she would openly lie to me. Because Hawk and I both knew, Autumn was lying about being with Jacob.

And now, we were about to have a conversation about how to deal with it. Autumn had every right to a secret. But was she keeping it from me, or the club- or both.

They say blood is thicker than water and in Autumn and Jacob’s case- they would always stand by each other. The lengths they would go to protect each other was unlimited and that truly scared me.

Because how could she ever be mine, if she would willingly lie to me, and go under her brothers protection.

I knew then, that Autumn and I had bigger problems then just her lying to us. I knew our relationship was on the line. Fuck if we even had one. How could she go missing for two days and not tell me? How could she stand there and lie to me?

I was losing her. And it fucking terrified me.

Because she was my true north. She was my moral compass. She kept the little big of sane I had, inside me; she kept the monster inside me tamed.

But at the mere thought of losing her, that monster was crawling on the inside to be let out.

Chapter 21

Autumn

Jacob was acting extremely weird. There was no other way to describe it. He had driven me half an hour out of town to a run down motel. I was beginning to think he had brought me here because he wanted to kill me or something. No one would come out here looking for the body that much I knew.

I got out of the car.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked him.

“Just.” He paused and ran his hand over his head. “Just hear her out, okay?”

I frowned. I had no idea what he was talking about. Till I saw the motel room door open behind him. Jacob stepped to the side, and my eyes locked with a familiar pair of green eyes.

My mother’s eyes.

* * *

No amount of explanation could explain how I was feeling right now. As I sat across from my mother who less than an hour ago- I thought was dead.

Now here she sits. Sipping from a cup of tea.

“Autumn darling, do you have any questions?” she said with a smooth voice.

Questions! They had peppered me with facts when I freaked out. They explained mom was in witness protection. That they faked her death so she could be free from the club. She told me she was the one informing on the club currently.

I couldn’t help the rage I felt when I heard that. This club had taken me in when she faked her own death. Hawk stepped up. God. Hawk. How he had punished himself for her death. All for this! For Mom to live without a guilty conscious about what she knew about club activities.

The sad part? I put two and two together and got four. My operation plus her informing equalling in me getting the same offer they gave her, only I wasn’t taking it.

“Autumn, I know they have approached you,” Mom said smoothly. “You have to know you aren’t meant to do time darling. This is your opportunity to start fresh.”

“Fresh!” I scoffed. No matter where I went or where I lived the depression would follow me.

I looked at Jacob. “You going to turn on the club as well?”

Jacob shook his head. “Mom knows I won’t do that.”

“So what, I’m expected to!”

“I need you to Autumn,” Mom put a hand on my knee. “To keep me safe, you have to turn, you have to give them new information. Everything I have given is expired. They are threatening to take my protection away.”

I loved the club. I loved Hawk. I loved Cage. But this was my mom and she had protected me when I was little. She was my mother. So if you were put in a position to insure your mother would be safe, and the club would get a slap on the wrist- what would you do?

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