Shadows Peak |✔

Chapter 42: Casey

"I told them we shouldn't trust an easterner, but they didn't listen and now Bobby's gone! It's unfair that you'll get to see him once I've choked the life out of you."

Evan.

The man was definitely Evan, now that Casey could clearly make out what he was saying. He felt terrible hearing how broken the man truly was over the death of his brother, but the moment Casey realized who the woman was in the ordeal, all compassion left him. In a fit of rage, Casey charged at Evan and pinned him to the ground, throwing punch after punch at him until the only thing the man could do was try and cover his bruising, bleeding face with his hands; the hands that were wrapped around Sydney's neck just seconds ago.

"Case, stop."

It took Reid and another man from their group to pull Casey off of Evan, and still he kept lunging for him. He couldn't believe he'd gotten so close to killing Sydney, and nothing was satisfying his need for vengeance.

"He's not right in the mind, right now, Case. He's not right in his mind," Reid kept saying until Casey was no longer trying to attack.

"Let me go," he demanded, tugging their grasp off of him before rushing over to Sydney, who was just now starting to stand up.

Instinctively, Casey grabbed her face until he could see her neck in the moonlight. Anger boiled through him when he saw the fresh red marks from where she was strangled.

"What happened?" he asked as she pushed his hands off of her.

"I could have handled him," she spat, frustration all over her face. "You didn't need to step in."

"What?! Are you sure about that, because that's not what it looked like to me," Casey retorted, taken aback by her sharp statement.

The glare she threw at him was intimidating, but he was done not talking to her, even though it seemed like that was exactly what she wanted him to be.

"You're right. Maybe I'm just too eastern to understand," she said, storming off into the rain.

"No, no, no," he ranted, running after her. "You do not get to throw that back in my face. It is not my fault you didn't tell me about what happened to you. You're the one who wanted me to leave that topic alone, remember?"

The rain had lightened up in comparison to how it was earlier, but the droplets still fell, sliding down their skin as they stood there. No one else seemed to follow them out, which was good because right now they were having a much needed conversation and privacy was crucial.

"You never told me about your father. I only knew because Reid blurted it out at the bonfire," Sydney pointed out.

"Because he was none of your business," he stated flatly, his jaw tensing at the mention of his father.

"And Liz was none of yours."

Liz?

Giving Sydney a quizzical look, Casey took a few steps forward. His eyes studied her face the closer he got, trying to find the hidden crack in her resolve.

"Who is Liz, Sydney?"

The moment she looked away he knew he had to keep pushing before she closed up on him.

"Who is she?" he pressed.

"Someone you'll never get to meet, so just drop it!" she yelled, turning her back and taking a few steps away from him.

Casey stood where he was, trying to figure out the best thing to do in this situation.

"You're not the only one who lost someone. My own people killed Liz. They killed her and so many others," Sydney sighed, her fists physically clenching.

"Why? Why would they do something like that?"

"I don't know...and I'll probably never know why they thought I deserved to be framed for it."

That certainly caught Casey off guard. He was not expecting there to be more to her story after the death of her friend.

"That day was so normal. We were at the park, waiting for our president to give a speech when the bombs went off." Immense anger was evident in her voice.

Bombs...so that's how her leg got injured.

"I didn't know she was dead until my friend told me. He's the one that helped me escape when we found out the government was blaming me for the attack. So...you think I don't know how terrible my people can be? I think I'm very well aware of just how cruel they are."

Casey didn't know what to say. It was one thing to have an enemy, but it was a whole other thing for that enemy to be your own people. A new feeling of respect was forming and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Please, don't look at me like that," she requested, running a hand through her wet tresses.

Confused, Casey asked, "Like what?"

"Like you pity me or something. I don't want anyone to ever see me in that light. I want them to see me as strong...not weak or fragile."

"Sydney," he sighed, letting her name etch itself on his heart. "I've never seen you as weak, and you are far from fragile."

That made her look at him, and he could tell she wanted to know what else he thought.

"You're the bravest, toughest, most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Sure, you can be frustrating as hell when you want to be," he added, noticing the glint of amusement sparkling in her eyes. "But, I've never met anyone as strong as you."

The audible sound of her breath catching pulled him to her, and Casey didn't hesitate to close the distance between them. Bringing his lips to hers, he combed a hand through her hair until it found its resting place at the nape of her neck. The feeling of validation and affirmation he felt as she kissed him back made him realize that her affection had always been genuine, and he would have been safe to trust her days ago, when he first found out the truth.

Deepening the kiss, Casey pushed her against a tree until there was no space left between their bodies. He could feel the smile on her lips, increasing the passion he felt for her. Her hands were tangled in his wet hair as she pulled him down to her height, planting a soft kiss along his jaw before returning to his lips.

Why did I wait so long to do this?

The rain started to pick up, and the night wind began to lower the temperature. Starting to shiver, Casey groaned in disappointment when Sydney pulled away, needing to rub her arms for warmth.

"We should get back to the others," she said, a blushful smile on her face.

Reluctantly, Casey stepped back so she was no longer trapped by his body and the large tree behind her.

"Quit pouting," she giggled, placing a peck on his cheek. "Being a leader requires sacrifice."

Looking at her, he made a mental note to get her back for the way she was teasing him. But, she had a good point and considering the heated way things were left in the cave, Casey knew he had some things to deal with. Accepting the end to their moment, he nodded his head.

"Okay, let's go."