Chapter 43 Betrayal Cuts Deep

It is a gentle touch that folds firmly over my shoulder. The touch of a woman that knows how to take my pain away. I need not even have to turn my eyes and meet her gaze; I fold my own hand over her ever so tightly. With her, I can break down; I can completely unravel. And that is what I do. The instant I turn around, and she slides those protective arms around my shoulders, everything disappears
"Mom, I have missed you so much. He was being a fool; he did not want me to help him."
"Christian, you know what a proud man your father was. He would never admit defeat nor take the hand of those that offer him help. I think your father knew the wrongs that he had done, and he saw this as a justice he had to pay."
"Mom."
My eyes seek that of my princess, that is still standing in the shadows. I know that this will bring great pain, and not for a second do I expect her to understand.
"Mom, the only justice that needs to be sought is Joseph Cummings at the bottom of the docks, only after I have taken his body apart."
I hear as my princess gasp and her voice hitch. This is her father, after all, but the true fact is that an eye for an eye is very much real. Shall she ever forgive me for that? I do not know. Shall she even stay with me, knowing what my intention is for her father? There is a part of me that truly believes so.
With pure revenge set in my mind, I say a final goodbye to a man that was not only a mentor but the greatest father that one can ever ask for, even though I did not tell him that most of the time. My greatest peace is that we could make amends and not part with regret in our hearts.
So I gently take his hand in mine and remove the only ring that ever had value to him. The ring that symbolizes the House of Caine. The ring is worn by a fearless leader, and now that ring belongs to me. Forget about being fearless; I shall be ruthless until every single man under Joseph Cummings has met his end. And then, only then shall I take a petrified coward and bring him down piece by piece. This, today, now, this moment marks the beginning of my war. I pray for the man that finds himself in my way. Revenge is sweet, but served cold is even better.
As I make my way out of my father s room, the elders in our Mafia family make their way to show their respect. My mission now, find the liar between my own men that betrayed me. And with my luck, I find them all standing in the kitchen. When they see me approach, they are not quite clear how to read my face. I do not hesitate to make my annoyance known.
"Which one of you has been hiding my mother?"
There is a complete silence that falls over them, not one being able to muster a confession.
"We will stand here the whole day until the one has revealed themselves. Believe me, right now; I have no better place to be."
Once more, there is not one that utters a single word. Their deliberate lies to me are only fuelling an anger that is slowly brewing underneath the edge. With a somewhat urgent voice, I raise my tone.
"Who the fuck knew where my mother was. One of you assholes better speaks before I start cutting pinkies off."
Terrified to shit, they all start to mutter underneath their breath, not a single one admitting his deceit. Out of pure frustration, I grab a knife from the block and eagerly start swaying it around.
"Let us start with the man that is fucking my sister, like they say, kill two assholes with one stone. Now I am not asking you again Mason, did you know where my mother was?"
"No, boss, I did not, I promise, I did not know where your mother was."
I turn to the second man that I trust the most, a man that I know my mom will confide in.
"Damian, did you know where my mother was?"
"No, boss. I promise."
Just as I am about to move over to Jax, there is a voice from behind me that clearly and very loudly state, "I knew where your mother was."
I spin in my heels and am shocked to see the face of the person I know the voice belongs to. Do I feel betrayed? Yes, I do. She saw my tears, and she sat here and held my hand as I read that note over and over. She sat next to me and saw how I broke apart, and she said nothing.
"Princess," my words come out softly as they vibrate over my lips. "Did you know where my mom was?"
"Yes, she phoned me after the whole thing that happened at my mom s house and told me that she was going to leave. She begged me not to tell you and to always look after you."
Then in a fit of rage, that anger erupts into a bursting volcano, "I can look after my fucking self. You could have been honest with me, but yet you lie to me. You look me in the eye, and you lie to me."
"Christian, I am so sorry."
"Get out!"
My voice echoes down the corridors of the house, every single eye turn on me as my fury sets an all-time high. Am I really throwing the woman I love out of our home? Yes, I am. I do not stand for being lied to. I have no desire to see her face at this very moment. It is plain cruel and heartless to watch the person you love hurt and keep your silence. She did not trust me enough to hold a secret. I do not trust her enough to hold my bed.
With another vibrating thunder, my voice once more demands, "Get out! Now!"
…Cassandra POV…
Christian has just thrown me out what would have been our home. Should I have felt secure in a home that is truly not mine? Truth to be told now, no.
I was only given in to his mother s wishes. She wished to be gone from Foster, not for good, just long enough to have taught him a lesson. I was to make sure that Christian does not go on a rampage looking for her. I was to make sure that his heart was kept healed and that he would patiently wait for her return one day. None of us thought that the death of Foster would have changed the plan.
I fully understand that Christian is hurting and that he is angry at the world and most of the people around him. But most of all, I understand that he is mad at my father. What my father did is unforgivable; this is a cruel world, these men chose to play a part in it. So he will kill my father, then what is left after that? Another that shall take revenge of him, a vicious circle that no man succeeds. Yes, this is a world that I will become a part of. Do I choose to kill my father? That is asking me to choose between Christian and my family, which I have told him I will always do. But that is when they were still alive. I guess an eye for an eye is truly real. And what I do know is the Christian that I just left behind in that kitchen is the Christian that he will always be.
So it is with a sad heart that I find myself winding through the city to Jessie s home. I am not sure if she is working a shift, so I will make a stop there first. Apparently, Tammy has met some guy that goes to the club, and she has moved in with him a few days ago, which is perfect for me; I can get my room back again.
It is with eager fingers that I knock on the door, but after a few attempts, I come to the conclusion that she is not home. So I make my way to the club; I have not been here since the incident with Damon. And I believe that Christian did end up buying the club, but lucky for me, it is not one of his guys that are running it.
So as I come to stand in front of the entrance, I take a deep breath.
"Breathe... Breathe Cassandra… Breathe… You can do this."
As I step through the door, I am happy to see Mike still standing in the same place he always stands, but I need to ask him with utmost seriousness, "Please don t tell Christian I am here."
"No worries, Cassandra, he never comes here."
"Thank you, Mike."
With that, I descend the stairs and find Jessie sitting at one of the tables watching a show. Her face completely lights up as she sees me coming towards her, but the minute she sees my puffy eyes, her face drops."
"Oh, girl, what did Mr. Caine do this time."
"He threw me out. He threw me out in front of everyone."
"Why," she asks as she cocks her head. "Why would he be so mean to you."
I clear my throat rather deeply; I know that she is going to take his side. "I lied to him. I knew where his mom was, and I never told him."
"Dammit, Cassie, you know that he will flip over that. The man is proud and stubborn; he will come to his senses."
"I don t think so, Jessie. His father just died."
She stops me immediately and gasps, "Foster Caine? Is he dead?"
"Yes, and my father had him killed."
"Damn, talk about seven types of fucked up. What are you going to do now?"
"I was hoping that I can have my old room back."
She takes my hand gently into hers; she whispers softly underneath her breath, "Are you sure about this? Don t you want to try and speak to Mr. Caine?"
"No, he is not going to take me back. I just know it."
She looks away for a few moments; she is thinking of something wicked. She has that look in her eyes where she is up to no good. Then as she finally speaks, I only but chuckle at her.
"Of course, girl. But what are you going to do for work."
"Jessie, I have not even thought that far. There is no way that my parents will help me after the way that I left."
"Come back, come work here again."