Page 35 of Mended Souls
“This one is on the house, sweet thang.” He made the drink and slid it to me as he gave Hunter two shots of Patron. Huntercocked her brow, smirking at Jax. “I’m trying to get lucky tonight, babe.” Jax winked at her.
Hunter rolled her eyes. “One day, your sweet talkin’ will pay off.” Hunter poured the shot back before looking at me. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m alive. Someone wants to kill me…again, and my past is still out there.”
“If it makes you feel any better, the only person looking for you is your dad.”
I laughed bitterly. “I don’t know if I should be grateful or not. My dad was a controlling asshole. I think I’d rather deal with Liam again than him.” I winced. How fucked up did I have to be to deal with my rapist instead of my father? One night broke me, but I had twenty-two years of neglect and abuse with my father.
“Gotta love shitty fathers,” she mumbled, taking the second shot. “You’re safe here. You have a new name and—” she reached into her bralette, “—your new identity is written. Kadence Hayes. Twenty-three. Born and raised in Westhaven.”
I took the driver’s license from her, my hand trembling slightly. She used the picture I took here for my file, but it was me. Hunter gave me my identity. There was no more pretending. This was who I finally got to be. Kadence Hayes finally had a future because of Hunter.
“H-how?”
“I’m a techy, Kadence. When everything happened, I decided to help you. You said Kadence Hayes doesn’t exist? Well, she does now. If this is who you want to be, then who are we to stop you? You write your own story.”
My own story.
My own life.
Caden can finally be put to rest, and I can live my life.
“You sound like you talk from experience.”
“You have no idea.”
I pulled Hunter into my arms, and she tensed, like she didn’t know how to respond to a hug. When she finally put her arms around me, she was still frigid, but not as tense. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Now, if you want me to ruin your father’s life, just give me the go ahead.”
I shook my head. “No. He'll never find me, and now I can finally let Caden go. If he finds me, Blaize might kill him.”
“Hell, I’ll kill him, too. You’re too pretty to let him put those shadows in your eyes.”
I smiled softly. “I don’t have to worry about him ever again. Do you want to spar one day?”
Hunter arched her brow. “Are you trying to get me hot and sweaty?”
I laughed. “I mean, we still have an unfinished night to work on.” I winked at her. Maybe flirting wasn’t the best thing to do, especially if I was trying to fix things with Blaize.
“Mmm, now you want to get me in trouble. I’ll rock your world one day, princess, only this time I’ll have to ask permission.”
Hunter and I chit chat for a little while longer when Everly skipped towards us, taking a seat on Hunter’s lap. They both said they weren’t dating, but they acted like a couple. Hunter grasped her thigh as she kissed her, and then Everly looked at me with a bright smile.
“I am so glad you’re okay!” Everly beamed.Did everyone know what happened to me?“I put two-and-two together, and it wasn't that hard especially after Hawke dragged you out of here.”
“I am alive, thankfully. I’ll be dancing again in no time.”
“Make sure we have one together!”
CHAPTER 28
BLAIZE
Damon wanted me to meet him in Bellevue, and I couldn’t handle anything else happening right now. I still needed to find who killed Layla and who shot Fallon. I needed to find the person who wanted Kadence to take the fall. Who attacked her on the pier. There was too much I needed to do without falling apart. My people needed me to be strong—Kadenceneeded me to be strong.
When I arrived at the Outlaw’s clubhouse, Damon met me at the door. “Sorry to drag you out here. I wanted to keep you in the loop.”
