Cain's Darkness(16)

“Violet?” Fallina said in a sleepy voice.

It wasn’t that late, but Fallina worked as a schoolteacher and got up early. Violet felt bad for calling her friend, but she needed to get Cain’s phone number, and Fallina would be the one she could contact for an updated one.

“Hello?”

“I’m sorry to wake you, but you wouldn’t happen to have Cain’s number, do you?” There was the sound of shuffling, like Fallina was shifting on the bed, and the other woman cleared her throat.

There was a moment of silence, and then Fallina spoke again. “My dad’s number?”

“Yeah. I’d like to talk to him, know he’s out, and thought maybe if anyone had his updated number you would.”

“Sure, I have it, but he hasn’t contacted you yet, hasn’t given you his number? I know he wants to make sure you’re okay, but he has been asking about how everything is with you.”

Violet knew that, and although Fallina was her best friend she had never been brave enough to tell her that Violet was in love with Cain. But she did think there had been times the thought had crossed Fallina’s mind, especially when Violet had gone to see Cain, and written him for all those years. She had even called him on occasion, before he had cut all contact with her.

“I’ve talked to him, actually, but the exchange of numbers hasn’t actually happened.” The look Fallina had given her on a few occasions told Violet that her friend probably thought there was something in the emotion department going on, but Fallina never said anything. After she got the number and hung up the phone she stared at that piece of paper. Her heart thundered, even just the thought of calling him making her nervous. It was a ludicrous feeling since she had just seen him, but it didn’t matter because he had left, and it was like she was chasing him.

Maybe she should have just backed off like he said? But Violet had done that for too many years. Yes, he had been locked up, so staying away and not going to the prison hadn’t been too hard, but when he wouldn’t even respond to her letters or calls, she had backed off fully. But he had never been far from her mind, and now that he was out, she was not going to let him get away with just blowing her off again because he thought that was what she needed in her life. Violet knew about his life, and how rough and brutal it was. It wasn’t a secret, and she had been in the thick of it when he had gone in and the club had helped her and Fallina out.

She called Cain’s number, not knowing if he would even answer, but knowing that she had to try.

“Yeah?” he said over the line, the music loud on the other end and his voice hard and annoyed sounding. “Who the fuck is this?” he asked again, harsher this time. She heard the sound of someone shouting “cheeky” over and over again, and she knew he was at one of the bars in town.

“Cain,” she said his name softly. “I got your number from Fallina.”

“Fuck, Violet.” He didn’t sound annoyed, just defeated. “Is everything okay?” Although they had seen each other just a short time ago, she felt this tightening in her gut at the sound of her name coming from him.

“I’m okay.”

He exhaled loudly. “I meant to give you my new number. I guess the conversation and me hauling ass out of there had it escaping me. It’s just it wasn’t good for me to be there, especially not with where the conversation had been going.”

They didn’t speak for a few seconds.

“Violet, I know I left, and it’s for the best. Talking about it right now isn’t the right thing, sweetheart.”

She closed her eyes at the endearment.

“I will always look after you, protect you, but you and I both know we could never be together like that.” The sounds of talking and music faded away as he clearly moved to a quiet location.

She felt like an asshole, like some kind of scorned or psycho woman that was going after a man that didn’t want her. But you know he wants you. His emotions are on his face when he looks at you, no matter how much he tries to hide it.

That might be true, but Cain wasn’t the type of male to fold over when someone came after him. Cain was the type of guy that when he said something he meant it. He might love her—if he even had emotions that ran that deep—but that didn’t mean he’d allow himself to express them. She knew that from seeing him all those years, watching him with the few women he’d allowed in his life.

“I just want to talk, more than what we did because you ran off. You looked like I scared you, Cain, like what I said frightened you so that you couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with me.”