Page 90 of Becoming

“Nah, it should be me, I think.” Yeah, she was all confident and shit until it came time to knock on the door. She decided to approach this with the same mentality she used when working out. Get in, get it done.

“Why are you hopping around?”

“Getting ready.” Cass bent her neck from side to side, satisfied by the cracking that resulted.

“Are you going to fight him?” Rebecca hid her smile behind her hand. There were times when Cassidy showed her age. Luckily, Rebecca found those moments very charming and cute.

“Only if I have to,” Cass mumbled but stopped bouncing on her toes. Okay, here we go. She raised her hand, hesitated, then knocked. “Maybe it’s too late,” she suggested after waiting a mere three seconds.

“Give him time, baby.”

Just then, the door opened, and Connor was there frowning at them.

“What are you doing here?” he asked irritably.

“Just a courtesy call, man. I—we—thought you should know that Rand is, um, in jail.”

“In jail? Are you crazy? She said she was going out with friends. What the hell did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

While the two exchanged words, Rebecca studied Connor. One thing stood out to her the most.

“Connor?” The arguing stopped at once and they both turned towards Rebecca. “Could we come in?”

“N-no. It’s late.”

Rebecca gave him the head tilt. “What happened to your eye?”

Connor’s hand involuntarily went to his face. “Basketball. Some dude elbowed me. Still made the shot.”

“Since when do you play basketball?” Cass asked crassly.

Rebecca discreetly touched Cassidy’s arm. “That must have hurt.”

Connor glared at Cass but shrugged. “I can take it.”

“I’m sure. Well, we just stopped by to let you know that the police will be here in the morning.” She saw his knuckles whiten as he gripped the doorknob.

“Why?”

Cass didn’t understand what the hell was going on, but she stayed quiet, letting Rebecca take the lead. Had she noticed something Cass didn’t?

“Because Miranda made accusations against you that they need to discuss with you.”

Connor’s face scrunched with confusion. “What kind of accusations?”

Cass felt Rebecca’s slight nudge. Great. Now she wants me to talk. “Connor, Rand came to me, hysterical, saying you were abusing her.”

“That’s fucking bullshit! I never touched her!” Connor practically snarled at Cass. “This is all your fault! It’s always about you!” He moved to close the door but was stopped by a delicate hand.

“Connor, we know she’s lying. And we’re pretty sure we know why. Blaming Cassidy for this doesn’t help any of us.” She took a chance and laid a hand on his arm. “Did she give you the black eye?”

“No!” He jerked his arm away and was ready to slam the door on them.

“When my ex’s beatings left marks that were visible to others,” Rebecca called out right before the door clicked shut, “she would tie me to the bed to ensure I didn’t go out in public.”

Cass’s heart constricted at the image of a battered Rebecca tied to the bed. It was one more piece of Rebecca’s past, and Cass hated it. But it also had Connor opening the door back up. She couldn’t wrap her brain around the fact that Rand was the one abusing Connor. She would never have suspected that. Hell, even when she saw the black eye, it didn’t occur to her. Rebecca really had seen something that Cass completely missed. Thank God she’s here.