Page 82 of Secret Submission

But what were the chances of that?

32

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.”

“I think that’s perfect. I’m proud of you for making that decision.”

A ghost of a smile lifted the corners of Cassidy’s mouth.

“I’m proud of me, too. It’s getting a little easier to figure out what I want. As much as I want something new, I think having some familiarity will be good for me. I don’t want to change everything all at once, and starting with a new therapist… it would feel like starting over completely. I know part of it is not wanting to explain everything to someone new, but…” Her voice trailed off.

“That’s fine, Cassidy. There’s nothing wrong with that reason. You don’t have to tell anyone about your past or why you’re moving until you’re ready to. You don’t have to tell anyone at all unless you want to—well, other than Patrick’s cousin and his team. Though they already know a lot of the details.”

“Honestly, that makes it easier. That way, I don’t have to admit to any of them how incredibly stupid I am.”

“Hey,” Julie said gently, leaning forward. “We’ve talked about this.”

Cassidy huffed.

“I know. I still feel stupid. We always think, ‘oh, it won’t happen to me’, then it does, and I can’t figure out how it got there. How it was me.”

---