When Cassie drove out of the restaurant parking lot a few hours earlier, she finally felt like she could breathe again.
The combined presence of Doctor Cross and Franklin was enough to suffocate a room. Together, their aura, expectations, and unspoken pressure could roast chicken without fire.
She had endured it with practiced composure, but the moment she pulled onto the open road, her shoulders loosened and the tight knot in her chest slowly unraveled.
Now, she was headed somewhere safer.
The girls.
The relief was almost immediate.
The moment Cassie stepped into the karaoke club, excited cheers ripped through the air, loud enough to erase the lingering tension clinging to her skin.
The place felt completely different from the last time they'd been here. Tonight, it
