Free Hell Bent by Becky McGraw Page B

chewed on what she said as the miles passed by and silence settled between them.  He couldn’t fault Dave for wanting to protect her from the atrocities in the world, that kind of life.  He totally agreed it wasn’t the kind of life she was meant or suited for. 
    But really, she was an adult who was legally allowed to make those decisions for herself then, even if they didn’t think her mature enough to make competent ones.  The way she’d made the decision proved they were right to be concerned.  Just signing up and leaving like none of the people in her life, including him, mattered to her one damned bit didn’t show a scrap of maturity or that bravery she idolized in her brother. 
    How she did things was cowardly, and at the time, he thought an act of rebellion against her brother.  Logan told her she couldn’t do something, didn’t let her have her way, and being the spoiled brat she was damn the consequences.  Cecelia set out to prove to him she’d do as she damn well pleased.
    Cade couldn’t deny she’d been overprotected.  Once she got to college, Dave had passed that baton to him with his blessing because he was too busy then finishing up his military service and going to work as a cop to watch out for her.  Even when Logan found out they were dating, he didn’t have a problem with it.  He actually told Cade he hoped it would become permanent to give him some relief.  They’d made decisions for Cecelia that she had no involvement in again, treated her like she couldn’t make them for herself.
    He knew that would’ve definitely pissed him off if he were on the receiving end in that situation.  Phil tried to make decisions for him too, decided when Cade was seven years old that he was going to become a lawyer and follow in his footsteps.  His father pushed him in that direction his whole life until Cade pushed back.  His sister wasn’t so lucky, she did follow in Phil’s footsteps for a while until she finally decided to go in her own direction too.
    Had Cecelia just been pushing back in her own way?  Was he wrong to be so angry at her, so judgmental, when he had basically done the same thing with Phil? 
    Grudgingly, Cade had to admit she was right about one thing.  If she’d talked to them first, they all would’ve tried to talk her out of it.  He pulled off the interstate at the airport exit, his mind swirling. 
    It was much too late for a friendship between them but maybe they could at least come to some kind of truce because she was right—they needed to be able to work together until he left.  Which would be as soon as fucking possible, because he didn’t need this kind of turmoil in his life.  When the funnel cloud of confusion in his mind dissipated, it left scattered lumber in his brain, but anger settled on top of the debris. 
    She claimed to fucking love him six years ago, but left him without a backward glance, without a word.  Talking to him before she left was the least she could’ve done.  But she didn’t give him one thought.
    “If you’d have talked to me before you lef—” he started, but her sharp bark of laughter cut him off and he shot her a hot glare.
    “I did come to talk to you but figured you weren’t much into talking or listening to anything I had to say with that brunette’s lips wrapped around your dick,” Cee Cee snarled, a brow lifted over her angry, hurt eyes.
    A shock of electricity shot through his body to boil his blood which crept up to the base of his throat as memories of that night, the last time he’d seen her, flashed through his mind.  He cringed, and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. 
    That night he’d been as cruel as he could be to her because he wanted to hurt her as much as she’d hurt him.  Cade wanted to show her she didn’t mean an iota more to him than she’d proven he meant to her by leaving him dangling on a limb without an explanation or excuse for two fucking weeks.  That she showed up on the