“Bye, Thor,” I end quickly, meeting Cade halfway between his truck and the dirt road. “Hi, Gorgeous.” My voice is fake cheery as I reach for the hulk of man that looks like he’s ready to shake me, toss me over his shoulder and spank my ass all the way home. But this is Cade we’re talking about, not Theo.
Cade stops in front of me, his hands fisted by his sides, jaw ticking with unbridled rage. “Don’t talk,” he growls, snatching the plastic bag off my arm. “Just tell me one thing…Was it Lou?”
My usual playful attitude is gone as the gravity of the situation pushes down on my shoulders. All at once, holding Cade’s brilliant green eyes, I want to cry. I don’t want him to be mad at me. I want him to comfort me, to tell me I’m okay. For some unknown reason, I don’t want to be the strong one right now.
Tears well in my eyes. “I can’t be sure. I’ve never seen him before and he was behind me the whole time so I didn’t get a good look—”
Cade scoops me up like a baby, tossing down my bag, cradling me to his heaving chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” He starts walking us toward the truck.
“My bag,” I look back at it lying on the ground.
“Hayes will get it,” he returns, never slowing down.
I didn’t even realize Hayes was here but when we near the idling truck, Hayes jumps out, coming to me. “You okay, Commander?”
I sniffle, unable to look at his concerned face or I’ll start to cry all over again. I bury my face into Cade’s chest.
“Go get her bag.” Cade’s voiced is laced with so much venom that I doubt Hayes hesitated to go grab it. Cade is scary when he’s pissed. I’ve never seen him behave like this before. And that’s saying something with all the times Theo pissed him off.
The driver’s door is still open from his sudden exit and very gently Cade puts me down on the soft cloth seat. “Scoot to the middle,” he orders quietly, sliding in behind me. Hayes returns, my bag in hand and files in on the other side just before Cade guns it down the dirt road, headed home.
“Never again,” he growls, punching the steering wheel and causing the horn to blow, startling me. “This will never happen to you again.”
Neither me or Hayes comment. Instead, I ease my hand into Cade’s, interlacing our fingers, offering silent comfort.
