Page 72 of Cage

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.

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