21. Ember

21

EMBER

T he room is spinning.

Nope. No, it’s not.

That’s not what’s happening at all.

It’s my world that’s spinning, and I’m pretty sure it’s about to implode.

“What are you saying? Are you saying my father used me as a pawn?”

Cage moves toward me again, but I hold up my hands, not wanting him to touch me right now. The only thing I want is answers.

“I can’t say that for certain. It’s what it appears to be, firefly,” he replies quietly. “I’m so fucking sorry, baby. I wish I had different information, but something wasn’t sitting right with me, so I had Cassian looking into it.”

“Can I see what he found?”

He stills for a second before letting out a sigh. “Baby…”

“I have a right to see it. If my… if my father used me to spy on you, I have a right to see everything.” My bottom lip trembles. I’m barely keeping it together. He’s got to have it wrong. My dad said we were going to have a fresh start. That we would be a family. He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it, right? “Please, Daddy. I need to see it.”

Cage clenches his jaw but nods and pulls me off the counter, then carries me on his hip through the house. “I’ll get you dressed. After that, we’ll go to the main house. I want to give Cass the necklace so he can figure out what kind of device it is.”

My grip on Cage is so tight that it’s probably hurting him, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he takes me into his room and sets me on the bed, then goes about finding clothes for me.

“You’re still in trouble for getting out of bed,” he mutters. “We’ll be finishing that conversation later.”

His reminder makes me smile. Of course he won’t forget that I disobeyed. Because he’s a good Daddy. Actually, he’s the best Daddy.

Then, a sudden thought pops into my head. “Do you blame me for this?”

Cage stops before me and roughly grabs my chin, pinching my cheeks together so my lips open like a fish. “Not for one fucking second, firefly. You’re the victim in this. The two of them and anyone else involved in this will pay dearly.”

The churning in my tummy settles slightly. I’m not sure what I’d do if he thought I was part of this. It would probably kill me if Cage didn’t trust me. Especially since I trust him more than all the people in the world.

As he undresses me and changes my clothes, I sit limply, letting him do whatever he wants. My body is numb, but my mind is racing. How could he do this to me? Use me to get elected? I don’t even know why I’m in shock. Of course he would do something like this. It’s always been about my father and his career. Everything has always been him.

I have very few memories of my mother. A core one that sticks out to this day is them fighting. My father walked out while my mom was crying because she wanted him to spend the day with us. When he slammed the door behind him, she collapsed into a heap on the floor. Even as young as I was, I went and sat on her lap to comfort her because she was so sad. It wasn’t long after then that she died.

“Baby girl,” Cage says gently. “Look at me.”

Tipping my head back, I gaze into his nearly black eyes and try to swallow the lump in my throat.

“No matter what, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

All I do is nod because I’m not so sure he’s right about that. Am I going to be okay? My father used me for his own political gain. I can’t overlook that. What am I going to do? Where will I live? And now that Cage has figured out that there’s no real threat, I have no reason to stay here. He hasn’t even been my Daddy for a full day and it’s already ending.

That’s not true. He’s been my Daddy since the day he threw me over his shoulder and carried me onto that plane, then drove the rest of the way across the country because he found out how terrified I was. I think I fell in love with him that very same day. Saying goodbye is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The thought of it is more painful than thinking about my father’s actions.

“Baby, you don’t have to do this. I can take care of everything,” Cage says darkly.

I have no doubt that my father has signed his death warrant with Cage. Ruth, too. The bitch. I never liked her. I’m pretty sure she’s never liked me either, even though we’ve only met a few times. She always came across as someone who thinks she’s smarter than everyone around her and that she’s better than them.

Maybe I should be trying to talk Cage out of whatever he’s going to do to them. I just can’t seem to find it in me to do so right now. Perhaps once the numbness wears off, I’ll feel more emotional about it.

“I want to see it with my own two eyes. I want to look my father in the eyes while he tells me that he used me. I’ve been the good, quiet daughter for so long.”

And I have Cage to thank for that. The man might be overbearing and a pain in the ass, but he has never wanted me to be silent and not bother him with my wants or needs. He has only encouraged me, even when he knew I wouldn’t make things easy on him by doing that.

Cage studies me for several seconds before he nods. “Okay, firefly. Just know I’m right here to be your support in whatever way necessary.”

He holds out his hand, the warmth of his palm calming my soul as soon as I take it. We’re both silent as we walk along the paved path from his house to the main house. While my mind should be on my father, all I can think about as I look around this beautiful land is how much I’ll miss it here. I’ve never seen so many trees in my life, and while the Cherry Blossom trees in DC are beautiful, they are nothing compared to The Ranch.

Cassian, Theo, Jasper, Rylan, Ghost, and Koda are already in the large conference room near all the offices when we arrive.

“Gunner, Dom, and Luca are coming, too. The rest of the guys aren’t here but will be listening in to the conversation remotely,” Cassian tells us.

Cage nods, and I look at him, suddenly feeling unsure. I hadn’t expected everyone to be here.

As if he understands what I’m thinking, he leans down to my ear. “Breathe, firefly. They’re all here because they care about you and want to help however they can.”

That stupid lump forms in my throat again, making it too difficult to reply. Instead, I do what my Daddy said, and I take deep and slow breaths as Cage pulls out a chair for me to sit in.

A moment later, the rest of the men coming with us file into the room, closing the door behind them. Before anyone speaks, Cassian and Ghost walk around the room, both with some kind of device in their hands.

“They’re scanning the room for bugs. Just a safety precaution we always take before we start a meeting in here,” Cage whispers.

As soon as they’re finished, Cassian sits at the end of the table in front of his computer. There’s a projection screen at the other end of the room, so we can all see his screen, too.

“Can you bring up the last photo we found and the crash report?” Cage asks him.

Cassian nods and opens two different photos. The first one my eyes land on is a grainy newspaper photo of my dad and Ruth from what looks like a long time ago. He didn’t have as much gray hair then. And as my gaze roams down the picture, I stop midway where Ruth’s hand is connected with my father’s.

“When was this?” I ask as I stare at it.

Cage clears his throat. “This was dated a month after your mother died.”

My stomach coils. I glance at the photo next to it. It’s some kind of report. A crash report. The final result was marked aas suspicious but closed as an accident.

“I don’t…” I gasp for air, the walls around me closing in. “I don’t understand.”

“We don’t know anything for a fact,” Cassian says. “We’re only going off our own intuition here.”

I turn my head to look at Cassian. “But you don’t believe the helicopter crash was an accident?”

He turns his attention to Cage for the briefest second, then back to me. “Based on the fact that you got sent here with a bug on you—one that your father gave you—I believe we need to consider it.”

Bringing my thumb to my chin, I stroke it. Without even rising from his chair beside me, Cage lifts me up and settles me on his lap, enveloping me in his arms. I wish I could stay right here, just like this, for the rest of my life. Safe. Happy. Cared about.

I close my eyes and mentally go through the possibilities. They could all be completely wrong about this. It could somehow be just one big misunderstanding. My father could be innocent. Ruth could be innocent. This could all be one big, horrible nightmare.

“I’d like you to take me to see my father,” I finally say.

The entire room falls silent for a moment before Cage speaks. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He could be dangerous.”

“He’s not.”

Cage raises an eyebrow.

“He might not be innocent, but my father isn’t dangerous. I want to see him. To ask him face to face if he used me for his own political gain. I deserve to know.”

Gunner shifts in his seat. “I can have a plane ready in an hour.”

“She doesn’t like planes,” Cage snaps.

I turn toward him, trembling slightly from how dark his expression is. When I touch his cheek, he meets my gaze and shakes his head. “I don’t like the idea of you going to see him.”

“He won’t hurt me, Daddy,” I murmur. “Besides, you’ll be there. There’s no way you’ll ever let anything happen to me.”

We may only be in a temporary dynamic, but that’s where the temporary ends. Once this is all over, I know without a single doubt that if I were ever in danger, Cage would be there in a heartbeat to protect me. That’s who he is. A protector.

While his chest rises and falls harshly, his face softens. “You’ll obey every single thing I say.”

It’s a question and a statement because he won’t go along with this unless I agree to whatever rules he puts into place. As he told me before, he’s lenient with a lot of things, but safety isn’t one of them.

“I will.”

“It will take five days if we go by car,” Cassian says.

I shake my head. “No. I need to see him today. Can’t you tranquilize me or something?”

The corners of Rylan’s mouth twitch. “She’s into that dark shit. I knew I liked her.”

Cage snorts and throws a pen at his brother at the same time as I scold him.

“Rylan!” I gasp. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Have you not seen how protective your brother is of me?”

Rylan smirks. “Oh, I’ve seen it, Little one. How protective… How obsessed he is. I’m starting to wonder if you’ve seen it.”

I frown, trying to make sense of what he means.

“The plane will be ready in an hour. Let’s gear up,” Gunner announces, breaking me out of my thoughts.

Just the idea of getting on that tuna-can death trap has me trembling.

“Dom, can you help me get her ready to fly?” Cage asks.

Dom nods and jumps up from his seat. “Of course.”

Before I can ask what that means, Cage stands with me in his arms and follows Dom out of the room.

I cling to him. “Where are we going?”

“To get you in a better state of mind for traveling, baby.”

Dom snorts.

Cage smirks.

I shiver.

“ M y tongue is numb.”

Cage smiles and buckles my safety belt. “That’s nice, baby.”

I glare at him. “You don’t even care that it’s numb.”

He uses his hand to cover his mouth, like he’s trying to keep from laughing. What’s so funny?

“I do care, baby. It’s just that you’ve told me fourteen times since we left The Ranch that your tongue is numb.”

Squinting, I look around the room. Why are the windows so small in here?

Jasper appears in front of me and holds out a juice box. “Both hands, Little one.”

“You smell nice.” I smile at him and take the drink he’s offering.

“He what ?” Cage barks. “Get away from her.”

Sheesh. Daddy sounds upset. He’s all growly. It’s so sexy when he does that.

“Daddy, you’re sexy.”

Several men around me chuckle while Cage pinches the bridge of his nose. “Drugging her was a bad idea.”

I shrug and take several sips of the juice. “Mm, grape.”

Jasper winks at me, so I do the same to him. He frowns and squats down. “You okay? Dom, should her eyes be doing that?”

Dom strides over to us, looking concerned. “What are her eyes doing?”

“Dude, I think she’s trying to wink,” Theo says.

I bob my head, and both Dom and Jasper exchange glances, then burst out laughing. I giggle and shrug before taking another drink. Boy, this is fun.

“We’re ready for takeoff,” someone announces over a loudspeaker.

Cage shoves his brothers out of the way and then sits in the seat beside me, taking my hand in his. “Ready, baby?”

“Ready, Freddie,” I reply.

He leans over, his warm breath on my ear. “If you ever call me Freddie or any other man’s name again, I’ll put you across my knee.”

I laugh, thinking he’s joking, then I look at him and the stern look on his face, and my smile drops. Shoot. Daddy’s really mad.

Just as I’m about to apologize, his entire face relaxes, and he grins. “Teasing you, baby girl. Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit and nap?”

At first, I open my mouth to argue with him. I am kind of sleepy, though. And everything feels heavy, including my eyelids.

He takes the juice box from me and slides something soft and furry into my arms.

Spike.

He remembered to bring my dragon.

I want to thank him. To tell him I love him and ask if we can make this not temporary. To ask him to love me and be my Daddy forever. Maybe when I wake up, I will. Right now, I’m too tired.

A s soon as I open my eyes, I sit up straight. This isn’t The Ranch. As I look around, my stomach gets so tight I think I might throw up. I’m on a plane. Oh, God. I really got on a plane.

“She’s awake.”

I look to my left to find Dom next to me, holding an IV bag in the air.

“Hey, sunshine,” he says gently. “Breathe. We’re on the ground. We landed about thirty minutes ago. This is flushing the tranquilizer out of your system, so you’ll be good to go in no time.”

Cage comes over and sits across from me. “How’s your tongue?”

Tilting my head, I squint in confusion. “That’s a strange question.”

He smirks then reaches over and cups my cheek. “Do you remember why we’re on a plane?”

Because my father is a backstabbing asshole who has failed me all my life. Instead of saying that, though, I just nod. No point in talking about it. Right now, I just need to focus on what I’m going to say to him.

“He’s at home. I’ve sent a few of my brothers ahead of us to do a quick survey of the place to see who is with him,” Cage explains.

Part of me wants to tell Cage to turn the plane around and take me back to Bend. Another part of me wants to vomit. The biggest part, though, wants answers.

Was my mom’s death a true accident? I can believe that my father would use me to further his career, but killing my mother? I don’t think he would do that. Even if he was having some sort of affair.

Once Dom removes the IV from my arm, he and Cage lead me off the tuna-can death trap to a waiting SUV.

Cage holds my hand the entire ride to my father’s house. He helps me out of the car and keeps a supportive hand on my lower back as we make our way to the front door. They seem like small things, but if he only knew how much it means to me to have him at my side, helping me, backing me, reassuring me. His brothers, too. They don’t have to be here. Yet, here they are, one flanking me on the other side to Cage; two in front of me and two behind, as if I’m someone special to protect.

I was already briefed in the car that if I want to leave during the conversation at any point, Cage will get me out immediately. He’s also reminded me about two dozen times to obey him or his brothers if they give me a command.

Gunner and Koda part at the front door, giving me space to knock. When I hold my arm up to do so, I pause. No. Fuck this shit. This is supposed to be my home, too. I quickly put the code in the automatic locking door then open it and step inside.

The only place I expect him to be is in his office. That’s where he always is. Even though I’m pretty sure he just spends most of his time drinking instead of working in there.

As soon as I walk through the open threshold, my father bolts up, his gaze taking in the group of men with me.

“Ember,” he says almost breathlessly, his gaze darting around. “I’m surprised to see you.”

Not surprising, considering he probably has GPS on that bug we purposely left in Bend.

“Father.” My voice is shaky. Like a frightened little mouse. I hate it. I have an army of men behind me.

“What are you doing here? It’s not safe.” My father shifts uncomfortably, moving his hands to his keyboard.

“Don’t touch that. Don’t touch a fucking thing, Griffin,” Cage growls from behind me.

Then he puts his hands on my shoulders and leans down to my ear. “Say what you want to, firefly. I’m right here to back you up. I’ve got you, baby.”

My tummy flutters, and the scared mouse disappears, replaced with something much more pissed off. I take a step forward, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You used me,” I snap at my father.

He rises from his chair and holds his hands up as if to stop me. “Ember?—”

I shake my head. “No. Shut up. Just shut up. You gave me a necklace with a bug in it so you could spy on these men to gain top-secret information that might sway the election.”

His face goes ghostly white, and it takes every bit of me not to break down into a puddle on the floor and bawl.

“Did you get what you wanted, Dad ?”

My father runs a hand over his face and sighs. “Ember, you’re making this out to be more than it is.”

Is he freaking serious right now? Is he really making it seem like I’m overreacting?

“No, I’m not!” I shout, stomping toward him. “I’m really not. On the day I was supposed to get my final college transcripts, you decided to devise a plan to scare the hell out of me. You sent me away with a stranger to spy for you. He could have been a cold-blooded killer. He could have raped me. He could have done anything he wanted to me. You didn’t care about that, though. All you thought about was your own personal gain.”

“Now you’re really being dramatic, Ember. Do you really think I would send you with someone who would hurt you?”

I laugh. It’s more of a cackle because this is so fucking unbelievable. There isn’t a single humorous thing about it.

“Where does Ruth come in to play on this, Dad? How long have you been fucking her? What’s in it for her if you take office?” I demand.

Cage’s body heat warms me, but he says nothing. He’s letting me take the lead because he knows I need to. It says a hell of a lot about him. A man as dominant as him letting a woman take the lead.

“Now, let’s just calm down and talk about this. There’s no need to shout and act crazy,” my father says as he rounds the desk and gets within a few feet of me.

I throw my hands in the air and practically explode. “Are you kidding me? Crazy? Me? Yeah, I’m sure you think I am after putting me in secret therapy because, God forbid, the public finds out your daughter needs a doctor for the shit she’s been through.”

“I did everything for you, Ember. Whatever you needed, you had. Quit being an ungrateful brat.”

This time, Cage steps in front of me, his broad body blocking my view entirely. “You call her a name again and I’ll break both your fucking legs right here, right now.”

“Oh, that’s rich. I’m paying you, and you’re turning against me.” My father huffs.

I move to the side so I can face the asshole who was supposed to love and support through all my life. “Did you kill my mother?”

He glares at me. “She died in a helicopter crash, Ember.”

I might as well have been slapped. That isn’t a direct answer. It’s what he does when he’s lying. He’s always done it. How can he even keep a straight face? No emotion. No regret. Meanwhile, I might be sick because my own father caused my mom’s death. I was so young when it happened, but there are still bits and pieces I remember. How much I loved her. How much she loved me. Why did he take her away from me?

“You did,” I murmur. “You had something to do with that crash.”

My father takes a step forward, and almost instantly, Cage has a gun pointed in his direction. It should scare me. I should tell him not to shoot my dad. Yet, it’s strangely satisfying seeing the black handgun pointed at his head.

“Do not take another step toward her,” Cage warns.

My bottom lips trembles. I thought if I came here and confronted him he would deny it and have a perfectly good explanation. Maybe it was more of a wish that my own flesh and blood wouldn’t have done something so awful to me. To my mom.

“You make me sick,” I whisper as a tear slips from my eye.

“I could say the same about you, sweetheart,” my father sneers. “The disgusting shit you’re into. That you’re doing with this piece of scum. I raised you better.”

Grabbing a paperweight from the end table close to me, I throw it at him. “You didn’t raise me at all!” I shriek.

The glass object hits him in the chest, and he staggers back slightly, letting out a grunt of pain.

A couple of the guys behind me chuckle.

“You’re dead to me.” I turn to leave the room, but my father’s next words stop me in my tracks.

“You were supposed to be dead a long time ago, right along with your mother, sweetheart. You were supposed to be in that fucking helicopter, but you were with your nanny. Instead, I was stuck with you for years. I couldn’t get rid of you after questions were raised about the crash. You should have been with her!” he shouts, jabbing his finger toward me.

My entire body turns ice-cold as I process that. He wanted to kill me, too. His own daughter. My mom didn’t die in an accident. She was murdered. By him .

A red haze starts to cloud my vision. That bastard. How could he? For her? For Ruth? Was that why? It doesn’t matter. None of the reasons are relevant. Only the facts.

I scream and run toward him, my arms flailing as I beat on him with every ounce of strength I have. He tries to push me away, though, my determination wins as I hit and kick him, my fingernails clawing at his face. Blood trickles from his skin, but I still don’t stop. I can’t. I hate him with every fiber of my being.

“I hope you rot in hell, you bastard,” I screech. “I hate you! I hate you!”

I’m not sure how long I attack him for. It isn’t until Cage pulls me away that I see just how much blood there is. It’s deeply satisfying to watch it seep from his ugly face.

Cage sets me on my feet. As soon as he does, I grab a lamp from the same end table and chuck it at my father, getting so much pleasure from the sound of breaking glass.

Then, with my head held high, I stride out of the office. The last thing I see when I turn to walk down the hall is Cage grabbing my father by his suit jacket. I might enjoy seeing him bleed, but I don’t want his filth on me for another second. Just as I cross the foyer to go into the kitchen to wash my hands, the front door opens.

Ruth steps in and closes the door behind her before she sees me and freezes. She does a quick once-over of me.

“You bitch,” I mutter as I take slow steps toward her. “You killed my mother.”

Just as I’m about to move toward her again, she reaches into her purse and pulls out a gun and points it at me.

Maybe my father is right. Maybe I am crazy. Or maybe I just don’t give a shit anymore because I don’t let the end of that barrel sway me from approaching her.

“Your mother was a money-hungry, needy bitch.” Ruth squares her shoulders. “She was a roadblock that neither Zeke nor I needed or wanted.”

“A roadblock for what?” I demand. “All she wanted was her family together. For my father to spend time with us. How was that being a roadblock?”

“Your father could have been elected a long time ago, but she didn’t want that. She wanted to have a family life out of the spotlight. Stupid woman, if you ask me.”

“She was a good woman. A better woman than you’ll ever be or ever have been.” I glance at the gun she’s still holding with a steady hand. Why do I get the feeling this isn’t the first time she’s held someone at gunpoint?

“I guess that’s up for debate, my dear.”

I shake my head, tears burning my eyes. “What was in it for you?”

Ruth tips her head back and laughs. “The president chooses the head of the CIA. With him in office and me as head of the organization, we could have taken over the world. The modern fairytale, I suppose.”

If my jaw could hit the floor, it would. What the fuck? Is this bitch serious right now? Rule the world?

Footsteps approach from behind me.

“Put the gun down now,” Jasper commands loudly.