A Gentle Welcome

**POV Cassio.**

I stared down at the glowing screen of my phone, reading the quick text message from Dane. He warned me that Valerie was frantic, panicking over keeping him waiting for a mere five minutes at the bakery. I slipped the device into my pocket and gritted my teeth. What the actual fuck did Gideon do to his daughter to make her this terrified? The dark thought consumed me. I did not car