False Regret: Pikorua - Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

strong.”
    “Why?
What difference does it make? You and your people are just going to kill me in
the end.  Yours is the only face I haven’t seen. I am not stupid; there is no
way out of this for me,” I said.
    “I
told you that I’ll protect you,” he offered.
    “Ha!
You have done a hell of a good job so far, asshole. You even hit me yourself.
Why should I believe a damn word you say? Why do you care, anyway? This is obviously
your occupation, so why should I trust you?” I backed away from him and refused
his food.
    “Dammit,
Ellia, I don’t want to tell you the truth because you have to appear afraid. I
need you to play along, but I won’t let them kill you or permanently scar you
in any way.”
    “But
you will allow them to beat the fuck out of me and participate yourself, right?
What about rape? Is that going to be okay as long as there are no physical
scars? Do you plan to join in on that as well? How is any of this all right in
your world? Jesus, I am one woman against both of you. Am I supposed to just sit
here and take it like a good girl?  What truth is there to tell? What the hell
is happening here? Who are you?”
    He
exhaled in exasperation and pulled the ski mask off his face. Seeing his dimly
lit face, I nearly screamed. I stood up and backed into the corner even farther.
 My nerves were on fire, yet I shivered as if coated in ice.
    “No
... Oh my God ... No, it can’t be. You died ... You died when you got shot. Oh
my God, Cade? Is this some sick game?  It can’t be you!” I fainted.
    When
I came to, Cade held me in his lap. I was sure it was a dream, and I basked in
it momentarily, wanting to pull him to me and drown in his life force. The last
time I’d seen him, I was seventeen years old. This Cade was older and taller now,
his tattoos changed, his voice deeper, but his eyes were the same, though
lacking the warmth that had always been an intricate part of who he had been. He
definitely wasn’t the same person that I had loved more than life itself, my first
love, my first everything. This man, this lying violent male, was someone
completely foreign, yet he stroked my hair tenderly, like he used to when we
were love-struck teenagers. My heart wanted to melt into a pool at the bottom
of my chest, but I wouldn’t let that happen. A hard lump froze in place
instead, and I sat up, pushing myself away from him. I got to my feet and stumbled
back into the corner again. I felt dizzy and sick as reality pounced on me. How
can he be alive? How can he be here? Why did he hurt me so much?
    “Why?”
The word hung there between us as the sobs burst from me. “Why are you … How
are you … alive? What happened?  Why did you leave me? How could you do that to
me? How could you, Cade?” I lost control of my speech as the emotions rocked
me. He stepped near me, and my hand rose with a life of its own as I slapped
him hard across the face, the sting on my palm centering me enough to hurl the
accusations that overshadowed any happiness I might have felt for his being
alive. “Why would you be so cruel to me? I loved you. Your death nearly killed
me. Did you ever care for me at all?” I spit the angry, grief filled words into
the air like a bad taste. I began to hyperventilate as the pain broke through
the fury.
    Cade
grabbed me and pulled me into an embrace I didn’t want. I struggled against
him, kicking and flailing, but he held me tight. “I didn’t leave you, by
choice, Ellia. I did love you. There isn’t time for explanations right now. I need
to protect you, but I have a job to do. I promise, when this over, I will tell
you everything.”
    “Why
are you with these men, Cade? When did you become a criminal? How could you do
that? What about your music? What about us? What about who you were? What about
college, and getting married, and having a life together?” I understood he
didn’t want to dredge it up in that moment, but how could he expect me not to
ask questions? Hot, angry