Into The Dragon's World - Brittany White Page 0,21

they can’t get to their obsession.”

“And how often do they kill their obsessions?” Casey asked, voice monotone.

Zack and Brady exchanged another look. That was all the answer Casey needed.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go to Jasmine’s tonight.” Brady gave her shoulder a light squeeze. “You’ll be safer here.”

“I need to do something.” Casey shrugged off Brady’s hand and grabbed her purse, heading for the door. “All this cat-and-mouse shit is ridiculous.”

Brady was suddenly between her and the door. “You can’t confront him, Casey. That’s what he wants: your attention. Good or bad, he doesn’t care.”

“Well, he’s got my attention,” she said angrily. “And it’s going to end tonight.”

“You can’t go looking for him.” Brady’s tone was harsh.

“Why not?” Casey’s eyes blazed with anger. “I think if he really wanted to hurt me, he would have done it by now.”

“Have you forgotten about what he did in the library?” Brady fought to control his mounting frustration. “You don’t know what he’s thinking.”

“This isn’t happening to you, Brady!” Casey’s voice rose, but she immediately caught herself. “It’s my life he’s destroying, not yours.”

Brady said nothing for a few moments. The look of concern in his eyes shook Casey. “I just want to help you.”

“You have helped. And I’m grateful. But now I’ve got to do something.”

“I won’t let you go out alone—”

“Whoa!” Casey reared back in surprise. “You won’t let me?”

Brady shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“This is my fight, not yours,” Casey said as she struggled to calm herself. “I’m not Savannah. I don’t need you to save me.”

Brady flinched as if she had slapped him and she immediately regretted her words. “Brady...I’m sorry.”

Jasmine quickly stood and tried to defuse the situation, joining Brady in front of the door. “Honey, we just want to make sure you’re safe.”

Suddenly, it was all too much for her. She felt a sob of anger and frustration welling up in her chest. Tears of rage burned in her eyes. She was furious with Evan Wallace for doing this to her, but she was taking it out on the only people who seemed to give a damn. It wasn’t fair to them. Not after everything they’d done to help her.

“I need to be alone,” Casey said as she brushed by Brady and opened the office door. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

Once she was out of the club, she allowed herself to cry.

After walking a few blocks, Casey felt like a total asshole.

Nice tantrum back there, she thought, watching her feet as she walked. Clouds were coming in and the afternoon was growing dark. She shivered. It wasn’t fair that Evan was doing this to her, but it also wasn’t fair to get angry at her friends. And why had she thrown Savannah in Brady’s face? What was she thinking? The words had spilled out before she could edit herself. In the moment, she had wanted to hurt him, and she had.

But Brady had a point. It would be stupid to try to confront Evan alone. All he had to do was shift into bear form and she would be completely helpless to stop him.

Maybe I should just shift into my bitch form and give him a fight, Casey thought with a sour smile. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. They were right. She needed to let them help her with this. It was too big for just one person to tackle alone.

She turned back, retracing her steps to the club. The wind picked up, bringing with it the first sprinkles of cold rain. She kept her head down as the rain picked up until it was coming down in sheets. The club would be opening soon. Maybe she could just bury herself in busy work to take her mind—

“Casey-Case.”

Casey’s head shot up and she stopped herself a half-step before she ran into Evan Wallace. Dressed like a stereotypical professor, complete with a tweed jacket and clip-on tie, he was completely oblivious to the cold and rain. His smile widened.

Casey looked around. The entrance to the club was only a few feet away. If she made a break for it, she might be able to make it.

“Did you like my redecorating job?” he asked, eyes glinting in the fading light. Casey could see his bear form just beneath the surface, a beast ready to attack. “I didn’t like you sending your boyfriend to see it first. I wanted it to be a surprise for you.”

Casey took