Pretty in the Dark (Dark and Wild #2)

Chapter 12

12

JUNIPER

C ade's Bronco was very much a reflection of the man himself. Completely blacked-out with plush leather seats, tinted windows, and not a single spec of dust or dirt anywhere to be seen. For a man that lived and grew up in the mountains of Colorado, this was almost unheard of. I almost wanted to apologize for the wet print my boots had left on the rugged floor mats, then I decided I was still too angry at him to apologize for anything.

A light dusting of snow had greeted us when I'd finally pulled myself together enough to come downstairs. I'd stalled as long as I could, trying to get Stacy to answer my phone calls and text messages, but she never responded. I could only assume she'd see the half dozen calls and messages, and would call me back as soon as she was awake. Cade had refused to go on without me. Just like he'd also refused to let me drive myself into the city, claiming that my car was a rolling death trap on icy roads. He wasn't wrong. I just hadn't had the time or the money to put the right tires on it, but that didn't mean that I wanted to ride with him.

He backed me up against the side of his SUV and told me I could either be pissed at him and get in the damn SUV, or go back upstairs, get fucked until I couldn't see straight, and then get in the damn truck. My choice, but either way I was riding with him. The heat in his eyes, the press of his hard body against mine, and the way my body wanted to immediately say yes to the hard, angry fucking he promised, told me he meant what he said. He must have noticed my hesitation, or saw the flush in my cheeks because all he did was smirk and open the door for me. "That's what I thought. Get in, pretty girl. You can tell me how angry you are with me later with my cock in your mouth."

"Get fucked, Cade Black." I snarled back at him, even as I buckled up my seatbelt and sank into the warm leather.

"I plan to, Juniper Wild." He shot back, slamming my door shut with enough force that the vehicle shook. Cade was on edge. More than I'd ever seen him before. Something about this meeting was making him nervous, and that? made the pit of anxiousness in my stomach grow. I watched the mountain views slide past as I cast a look out of my peripheral to the man next to me. His entire body was rigid and emanated an air of violent energy. Who was he?

The thought startled me. Who was Cade Black? I'd only known him as the boy I fell in love with. The boy I wasn't supposed to fall in love with. Then when I came back, he'd been a whole different man. A business owner. I glanced at the luxurious interior. A successful one, it seemed. The social media images I'd seen of him came to mind. A bit of a playboy, too. Not that I could blame the ladies. Cade was sexy as fuck, and the muscles and tattoos only enhanced that bad boy allure. But that had only told me about the man he'd been since he'd come back to Wild.

Who had he been before?

My gaze fell on the scar that sliced through his face and stopped just above his cupid's bow lips. I realized that I'd rushed so fast into wanting the forgiveness of the boy who had haunted my dreams for the last five years, I'd never once stopped to consider who the man might be. Could someone really change that much?

"Where did you learn to cook?" I blurted out, before I could stop myself. I'd been determined to ignore him the entire ride into the city since he'd already said he wouldn't answer any of my questions about my brother, but now I found a new curiosity dominating my thoughts.

My question startled him out of whatever dark train of thought he had been focused on, and he flicked his hazel-green eyes to find mine. For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to answer me, but then his growly voice finally broke the silence. "In prison."

"Oh." The unexpected answer made my heart ache, causing me to shrink back into silence, fearing the consequences of probing further. But then he cleared his throat and continued on.

"They offered classes to us. A lot of the guys took mechanic classes or carpentry, hoping to get jobs when they got out." He shrugged. "But I already knew my way around an engine, so I took cooking classes and business classes. I have a degree in business management." That little breadcrumb of information surprised me, and I turned to study him more.

"You got your degree while in prison?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Not much else to do when you're in a nine by fifteen cell all day, every day, except read and study." The casual way he said it made my heart ache. Edmund had done this to him. Had done this to us. My desire to find him and make him pay only grew stronger. I had to find answers, and I had to find them now.

"What made you choose business?" I was genuinely curious now, trying to piece together the bits of Cade's life that were a complete blank for me over the past five years. We'd both journeyed down such different paths, and yet both of them had led us right back here to Wild. Why?

His fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter, as if on instinct or memory, but then he relaxed. "Honestly, your dad." There wasn't any malice in it or anger in his voice, just pure honesty.

"What? My dad—Edmund? But why?" I couldn't fathom how Cade would be influenced in any positive way by the man who'd despised him so much.

"I never wanted to be in a position where I could lose everything like my dad did." He didn't look at me as he spoke, but then again, his eyes needed to focus on the winding turns down the mountainside. "Edmund was a lawyer and a businessman. He outmaneuvered my dad because he understood how the system worked. So I learned how it worked, too."

"Oh..." My voice trailed off as I realized how much the choices of our parents and our past had influenced us. Cade had gone to prison and come out of it better equipped to fight back. I'd run away and come back better equipped to do—what? What had I done but waste the years partying, working dead-end jobs and above all being a shitty sister? Gray snow clouds filled the sky, reflecting the mood my thoughts had taken. We were getting close to Cade's shop now.

"As for the cooking classes." It was my turn to have my dark thoughts interrupted. He cast me that lazy, playboy grin that I'd seen captured so many times over social media. "Well, let's just say I like to eat."

I rolled my eyes as we came to a stop outside of the shop entrance. It looked like there was no one there, and yet I was sure that the shop hours said it was open. I turned to Cade with a frown. "There's no one here."

"He's here." He stated flatly. Cade's face was once more schooled into an emotionless mask. "I closed the shop for the day."

"Cade, who the fuck is my brother? You're treating this like I'm about to meet royalty or something." A nervous laugh bubbled up as Cade slid out of his seat and came around to open my door.

"It's actually the other way around, Juniper." A voice came from behind Cade and something stirred in my memory. I knew that voice. My gut clenched.

"I promise I'm no king. I'm only a man." Cade stepped out of the way and a wide grin greeted me, white teeth glinting against tawny skin, with coal-black eyes filled with what could only be described as triumphant delight. Kage Diovolo came toward me, his hand extended in greeting, and the very air seemed to be sucked out of my lungs.

"I have been looking for you for a long time, little sister.”