Read Online False Regret: Pikorua - Book 1 by Angela Reid - Free Book Online Page B

your back. You didn’t
believe me, though, did ya?”
    “Let’s
just get to the cabin,” said Cade, keeping a firm, bruising hold on me. I could
sense the waves of anger rolling off of him as his fingers dug into my flesh.
    The
three of us walked, and it surprised me how far I had run. Cade periodically
stopped to wipe blood from his eyes as the wound drained down his face. I was
glad it was him I’d hit. Not only did it feel good to inflict pain on him, for
once, but Gordon wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me for such an act. The
reality of how stupid I’d been to think I could get away, hit me like a gut
punch, and my spirits deflated, making the long walk unbearable. My adrenaline left,
and the fight in me was somewhere on the forest floor. Cade must have sensed
the change, and he let go of me, allowing me to tread on my own. I was soaked,
as was Cade, and we were both freezing. When we got back to the cabin, Gordon
pushed me into the shed. I slipped in my vomit, now tinged red with Cade’s blood.
    “You
try anything else, and it will be the last thing you do, bitch.” He slammed the
doors, and the lock clicked into place.
    I
stripped off all of my clothes, except the undergarments, to keep my blanket
from getting wet from river water and puke. My shivering was so intense, I was
sure the walls of the shed rattled.  I kept the clothes near, so I could
re-dress if I heard either of them coming back, and I didn’t have to wait long.
It was less than an hour before someone was jiggling the lock again. I scurried
into my jeans, which was no easy task. Saturated denim was not cooperative.  I
didn’t have time to get in my shirt, so my arms went to my chest, covering my
sensible bra. To my relief, it was Cade, not Gordon. He had on dry clothes and
a bandage on his head.
    “Put
your shoes on let’s go,” he said, picking up my dripping sweatshirt and water
logged socks. He tossed them at me, and I forced them onto my frozen body. I
was shivering so fiercely, it was difficult to get my limbs functioning. Cade
picked up the blanket and wrapped it around me.
    “What
now?” I asked. “Does fuck-face need his gun cleaned again?”
    Cade
sighed and stared at me. “Just come inside and get warm. I have more clothes
and an extra pair of shoes for you.” He looked back over his shoulder before
continuing. Close to my ear he whispered, “I’m getting you out of here.  I’m
done. I can’t be a part of this anymore, not with you. I’m sorry, Ellia, for
all of this. I shouldn’t have agreed to any of it, but I honestly believed I
was doing the right thing. Now … not so much. I won’t watch you suffer any
longer.”
    I
didn’t respond because I didn’t know how. I wanted the hell out of there, but I
wasn’t sure I could trust Cade, either. Maybe it was all a new twist to his
mind games. “Tell me why you are doing this. Is your career that important to
you? Have you hurt other people to advance yourself? That’s not the Cade I used
to know. You always stood up for what was right, and now—now you can’t be
trusted. You’re a liar and a scumbag.”
    He
looked genuinely wounded by the words, but I didn’t care, it was true. “I don’t
blame you for feeling that way. I have reasons for all of my actions, but I
can’t explain things to you at this time. Gordon is watching us from the
window. Please, Ellia, trust me just enough, for now. I am getting you out of
here tonight. That’s all you need to believe.” We reached the door and Cade
held his finger to my lips. I nodded, and we went inside the cabin.
    “I
guess you are lucky my partner here is such a bleeding-heart pussy. I’d leave
your ass out there to frost bite, personally,” said Gordon.
    “There
are clothes in the bathroom for you. You can shower again if you want to warm
up,” said Cade, motioning toward the powder room. His tone was flat and cold
again, like a switch had flipped inside of him. Who the hell are you, Cade?
What happened to