Page 170 of Masters of Secrets

Both Law and Julie’s phones alerted simultaneously. Different sounds, but they’d gotten a text message at the exact same time, which was either a colossal coincidence or…

Julie glanced at Law as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at her screen. She was so much shorter than Connor when she was right next to him, and looking at her phone, he couldn’t see her expression, but he could see Law’s.

The scowl Law had worn when losing had been real but without any real driving emotion behind it. It had now morphed into something much more intense, with real fury blazing in his eyes as he looked up and over at Julie.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Iris asked, jumping up to try to look at Law’s phone. Rather than keep her away, he tilted the screen toward her so she could see, and she gasped as Julie told the rest of them.

“The upcoming introduction classes are on hold. Cassidy’s ex has been seen around Marquis, and Olivia’s tires were slashed today.”

“Was it him?” Asad asked, getting automatically to his feet, his fists clenching at his side. The others were upon their feet as well, only a moment behind him, looking just as ready to throw down as he was. “Was it her ex?”

“They can’t prove it because there are no cameras where Olivia was parked, but…” Julie’s voice trailed off.

Sure, it could have been someone randomly targeting Olivia’s car while Cassidy’s ex was in the neighborhood. It could have been.

But what were the chances of that?

Chapter Thirty-Two

Julie

“I’m moving to Pennsylvania.” Cassidy was pale, but her tone was resolute. With her hands folded in her lap, her hair pulled back in a severe bun, and wearing a baggy t-shirt and jeans, she looked like she’d lost all the confidence she’d fought to regain.

They’d been working their way around to this topic the whole session. Pressing her lips together in sympathy, Julie waited to see if she was going to say anything else. Cassidy looked up at her, dark eyes dull with resignation.

“I think it might be safest for you,” Julie said after a long moment. Cassidy snorted, and Julie raised her eyebrows. “I take it you’re thinking more about keeping others safe.”

Cassidy’s shoulders hunched slightly.

“If I’m not here, he’ll probably leave you all alone.” There was sadness in her voice and regret, but the resoluteness remained.

“He might,” Julie said gently. “Or he might escalate in an attempt to find out where you’ve gone.” She hadn’t thought Cassidy could get any paler, but she did. “My point is that you need to make the choice because it’s the right move for you. You don’t know how he’ll react. You can’t make his choices for him.”

Taking a deep breath, Cassidy rubbed her hand over her face, shuddering.

“I hate this. How can I make a decision without thinking about how he might react? I wouldn’t be thinking about moving to Pennsylvania if it wasn’t for him.”

“I would hope you’re moving to Pennsylvania for your own safety and your own peace of mind,” Julie pointed out. “If you’re moving because you think it will make everyone else safer, that’s not a guarantee. Neither of us can predict how he might react because he’s not behaving in a logical, rational manner.”

“It’s so messed up that he has to actually do something to hurt me before the cops will do anything.” Cassidy’s expression pinched, some emotion starting to brighten her eyes again. Julie preferred anger over resignation because at least that had some spark to it. “It’s the fact that I have to rely on my friends that puts them in danger.”

“Well, if they can connect him to Olivia’s tires, that will be something.” But the odds were slim, and it was unlikely he’d face any time for it. More like a fine. Which would make a man like him even angrier, or it would make him smug at getting off with such a light consequence.

Julie would be willing to put money on the latter. He was getting bolder, and while there was plenty of anger there, she felt like he was more getting off on the power. Which was the same reason he’d called himself a Dom. He liked feeling empowered. He liked seeing what he could get away with.

The fact that he’d had very few repercussions for his previous treatment of Cassidy had probably emboldened him. Which made a thought occur to her.

“It’s very possible he’d be targeting the club and its members even if you had moved away immediately.” It probably wouldn’t be much comfort to Cassidy, but if she wasn’t taking the total blame for Douchebag Don’s actions, Julie would count that as a win. “While his main focus has been on you, the club kicked him out. He would likely see that as an insult, especially because he would have expected them to be understanding and even supportive of him. He believes he’s a Dom. That rejection would sting.”

“So, he might follow me, but he might not.” Cassidy hefted a sigh and slumped. Then she shook her head. “I think I should still go. He might follow.”

“He might,” Julie agreed.

“And if he does, I’ll be better protected by Patrick’s cousin’s team than I am down here.”

“Personal security could make a big difference.” And Patrick’s cousin would have resources that they didn’t. Especially since the club no longer had a connection to the police department through Kincaid.

“I think starting over will help me, too.” Cassidy looked down at her hands. “I have so many memories around here and not necessarily good ones. I don’t want to leave the people… but some of the places I can do without.” She looked up again, meeting Julie’s gaze. “I want to keep seeing you, over video, to start. If I start feeling like I need someone in person, I can let you know.”