She seemed annoyed, but now more than ever, I was determined to make sure she stayed out of harm’s way.
Chapter 15
Cassie
From the moment he walked into my hospital room, I regretted calling him. He acted like his shit didn’t stink, and it bothered me. Nobody was perfect, especially an agent who used his badge to control people.
The doctor who promised to give me something to help me sleep didn’t order the prescription until the middle of the night. Exhaustion had already set in, so the moment my IV was filled with the medication, I passed out.
The next morning I woke up to a nurse taking my vitals. A plate of breakfast was already sitting on the tray next to my bed. I coasted the room for Brant only to realize I was alone. Before attempting to eat something that may or may not be appetizing, I used my cell phone to call my boyfriend. It got his voicemail six times in a row. His phone was either turned off or he’d forgotten to charge it. I thought about calling Tammy, but I didn’t want to hear her voice, asking where I was and when I’d be back.
Figuring he might be on his way in, I remained calm. I watched television, and managed to keep down some hard toast. By lunch time, I was chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital. I don’t know why I did it, but I threatened to harm myself if they didn’t let me go. They strapped me into the bed and put in for a psychiatric evaluation.
I was in a big fat mess, and I didn’t have any way to get out of it.
I cried. I screamed. I begged.
No one came. They left me there to rot.
Nightfall came, and still no Brant. I couldn’t exactly use my phone since I was strapped to the bed. They fed me through an IV, but my stomach growled for something solid to eat. Finally I dozed off, succumbing to the fact that I had to wait it out. Footsteps caught my attention. I turned, excited to see my boyfriend, only to realize it wasn’t him at all. Logan Campbell stood over my bed, his hair disheveled and face looking exhausted. “Do you mind telling me what happened earlier? I called to check on you and they said you had a breakdown. What’s going on? Did you hear from Brant?”
“No. That’s why I’m freaking out. Is he alive? Is he in jail?”
“If he was in jail I’d know it. As far as my team knows everything has been quiet all day. There hasn’t been one person coming or leaving from the residence.”
“Do you think they’ve hurt him?”
“There’s nothing to make us think an act of violence has occurred, Cassie.”
“I need to get out of here. I can’t stand it anymore. I’m starving, and they’re not feeding me. Please, Agent Campbell. Please help me get out of here. I don’t care if you have to take me to jail. At least I’ll be able to eat. They won’t even talk to me when they check my vitals.”
He stepped out for a second and came back in. In a matter of seconds he freed both of my hands. “I made some calls. I have good news and bad.”
“What’s the good?”
“They’re releasing you under my supervision.”
“What does that mean? Do you have to babysit me?”
“Pretty much. Tomorrow they’ll assign a detail to you, but right now we’re short staffed. There was a murder of a government official on the strip earlier, and all agents are busy at the scene.”
“Just let me go. I need to check on Brant.”
“I can’t. It’s my civil duty to protect you. Now, I’ve had a shitty day, so don’t even think about trying something stupid. It’s for one night. My roommate is a nurse, and she’s agreed to care for you until you can manage on your own. She’s not involved in this, so don’t treat her like you treat me. She’s kind, and she knows what you’ve been through.”
“What?” She wasn’t happy at all. She pointed her finger in my direction as she spoke. “I’m not going to your house.”
“I’m doing this because I’m not willing to let you get involved with my investigation. It’s too dangerous. You need to be under protective custody until further notice. You know too much, and that puts you in the line of fire.”
“Protective custody? You’re the one putting me in danger. I can’t do this. Brant might need my help. I have to go home.”
He grabbed my hand to keep me from searching for my clothes. With him standing behind me I knew exactly what he was getting an eyeful of. I turned toward him with a disgusted look on my face. “Get away from me, you pervert.”
“Are you being serious? I’m a government agent, not the pope. Maybe you should have stayed in bed until I could hand you something to put on? Did you ever think of that?”
I shut my mouth and watched as he located my bag of things. He tossed them in my direction. “Here, I’ll wait outside. Call me when you’re finished.”
I gave him a dirty look behind his back, but dressed quickly once I knew I was alone in the room. I didn’t care what I had to do to get to Brant. I had to warn him he was in danger. I had to save him from himself before it was too late.
Agent Campbell led me to the outside parking lot where he’d parked his cruiser. He looked around, as if he was making sure someone wasn’t watching us. He opened the door for me and made sure I was buckled in before walking around to climb in himself. He started the vehicle, still without a spoken word to me.
“How far away do you live?” I asked.
“I live outside of Vegas. It will take us a bit to get through the traffic. Don’t worry, I plan on stopping to get us something to eat.”
My stomach growled at the mention of food. I was starving. “I could eat a triple cheeseburger if you stuck one in front of my face.”
“Wow, as small as you are, that could be entertaining to watch.”
I suppose his comment was somewhat funny, though I didn’t have the energy to laugh. My mind was consumed with worry. “I know it’s asking a lot, but could you at least call to make sure nothing has changed. I haven’t heard from Brant all day, and that’s not like him. He was worried about me last night. He wouldn’t have left me in the hospital without a call. Something is wrong. I can feel it.”
I could tell he didn’t want to, but he pulled out his phone from his leather jacket and made a call. I listened to see if I could make out what they were talking about.
“It’s me. Any change?” He paused and listened to whoever he was speaking to. “Have you seen the boyfriend? Yeah, I see. Okay. Keep me posted if anything changes.”
“Your boyfriend is fine. Apparently a bunch of people just showed up. Music is playing and it seems like there’s a party taking place. Do you know if one was scheduled?”
I felt sick again. “No. Brant didn’t say anything to me.”
My contact says the backyard is full of people. They’ve seen your boyfriend several times throughout the day.”
I couldn’t believe he’d left me in the hospital, and was now partying it up. How could he have been so cruel. “I left everything for him,” I managed to get out. “I can’t believe he’d abandon me. I thought he cared. I was under the impression he was supportive of me getting clean.”
“Cassie, it’s not my business to say, but sometimes misery loves company. Maybe he’s not ready to stop. How bad is his addiction?”
I shrugged and looked out the window as I answered. “I don’t know. He seems to be in more control over what he does. It’s easier for him to stop and start up again. Before we dated he was into it pretty bad. He cleaned up when we got together.”
“Are you okay?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve done so much to be with him; to make him happy. Maybe I’ve never been enough for him.”
“Are you sure I can’t call someone from your family?”
“I’m fine. I’m a big girl. I made this mess, and like my Momma always told me, I need to fix it myself. I’m responsible for where I am.”
“Family forgives, Cassie.”
“I’ve had about enough of your positive vibes. Can you please just find a place for us to eat? I’ll even buy the food. Just get there
faster.”
“I’ll pay for it. I’d hate to eat with money you took from someone else.”
“I resent that. I’m not a terrible person. Yes, I’ve made mistakes, but only because I was desperate. I’m trying to be better, but you should know more than anyone that it takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, dude.”
We finally pulled up at a fast food franchise. My heart started to flutter at the idea of shoving greasy food into my famished mouth. Agent Campbell ordered for himself while I scoped the menu for the most fulfilling meal. He let me order my own food and pulled around to pay for it and pick it up. We sat in the parking lot gobbling it up as if it were the last food on earth. I licked my fingers after tossing a few fries in my mouth. “I know my life is a freaking mess, but this feels like heaven.”
When I turned to see his reaction, I noticed he was staring at me with wide eyes. “I’ve never seen someone scarf down food the way you can. Are you sure you’re chewing it?”
“I told you I was starving. Don’t be a hater.”
He left the remainder of his food in the bag. “I’m going to finish at home. I need a shower and some Aspirin.”
I kept eating my fries until the container was empty. As much as I wanted to devour my burger, I knew it was respectful to save it until we’d reached his house. When we pulled up I was surprised. I guess I pictured his home to be small. It was the opposite. Much like Rocky’s house, it was very spacious and on a corner lot. “Wow. How do you afford this on an agent’s salary?” I wondered how much money someone in the FBI made. Maybe I should have wanted to fight crime instead of the path I was on.
“I inherited money when my parent’s died, not that it’s any of your business. Keep in mind you’re only here because I have no where else to put you unless you want to spend the night in a jail cell.”
“Geesh, you don’t have to be so mean.”
He walked by me and unlocked the door, opening it all the way for me to be able to enter. He flicked on a light and led me up a set of stairs. The living room was the first place we came to. In the rear was a large dining room and to the left of that was a big eat in kitchen. “The bathroom is down the hall if you need to use it. I’ll show you your room after I eat, if that’s okay with you?”
“It’s fine.” I took the seat across from him and pulled my burger out of the bag. We sat in silence for several minutes while eating. Finally he dropped his sandwich to sip at his drink.
He kept looking at me, as if he was trying to read me. Maybe it was a FBI profiler thing. I hadn’t been around enough to know. “What’s your deal anyway? What did you want to be when you were a kid?”
“I wanted to be a kid when I was a kid.”
“You know what I mean,” he retorted.
“First I wanted to be a doctor, until I realized people would bleed. I was afraid of needles, so that was a no-go. Then I wanted to be a professional ice-skater, but I broke my arm when I was seven while trying to skate on our family’s pond. After that I suppose I wanted to do hair like my mother does. The older I got the easier the jobs became. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a wife and mother someday. I thought I’d have that life with Brant, but now I’m wondering if he’s not the right guy for me. I know you probably don’t care about my drama, so I’ll shut up now.”
“It’s cool. I asked.”
“What about you? Did you always want to be an FBI agent?”
He seemed bothered by my question. “Not really. I didn’t decide to go into the police academy until I lost my parents. From there I graduated and proceeded to get into the bureau.”
“How did they die?” I felt like it was a legitimate question, though I could tell I’d hit another nerve. He took another bite of his sandwich before answering me. “They were murdered.” He tossed what was left of his food back in the bag and stood up. “Are you okay here while I get a shower? ”Our conversation was over just as fast as it had begun. I couldn’t read the agent to save my life. One minute he seemed to care about other people, but the next he was withdrawn and angry.
When he offered to leave me alone while he showered I knew it was my chance to leave. I had to get to Brant. Even if he was okay, I had to see it for myself, or else I’d be worried. If he was partying while thinking I was in the hospital I was going to give him a piece of my mind. I didn’t deserve to be lied to, especially after what I’d done to be a part of his crazy life.
Chapter 16
Logan
I should have known better than to think she’d stay put. The moment I stepped out of the shower I knew something was wrong. I hurried to dress, only to find my worst fears confirmed. Cassie had taken off and I knew exactly where she’d be headed. This chick was obviously going to be a pain in my side. If my boss got word of me losing her, I’d never hear the end of it.
I hopped in my car scanning both sides of the road as I drove along. She couldn’t have gotten far, not without calling for a ride, which she’d have to wait for in this part of town.
Street by street I searched until finally I saw her walking. The moment she spotted my car she took off through a person’s yard. I parked a little further down, judging where she’d surface again. While making my way in her direction, I spotted her before she could see me coming. I ducked back behind a house to gain space between us. She was hiding behind a shed when I found her. I waited until I was a few feet away before startling her enough she’d turn around instead of running. “I should have known you wouldn’t listen.”
I grabbed her by the arm and started leading her back to the car. “Get off me,” she fought.
“I need you to listen, Cassie. I’m doing this to keep you safe, not to be an asshole. You have no idea what you’re walking into.”
“Don’t you get it?” She argued. “I don’t care what I’m walking into. I have to know he’s okay.”
“I’ve already confirmed it. Let us do our jobs.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t. You can drag me to jail if you want, but I’m not going down without a fight. I need to see him. Please. You say you want to help, but you’re not doing anything I need you to.”
“I’m prohibited from allowing you to complicate our investigation. You’re safe with me. That’s all you need to worry about right now.”
Before she responded I felt a swift kick between my legs, sending me down to my knees. The pain radiated into my stomach, crippling me for a brief moment. It was enough time for her to break free of my hold and take off down the road.
It took me a minute to regain composure. When I did I drove as fast as I could toward the suspects property. If Cassie was determined to go there, I’d be waiting to stop her. I couldn’t let her appearance ruin our chances of catching Mr. James. We’d put too much time and money into closing the case for a crazy insecure woman to interfere.
Prior to arriving, I made a call to my unit to notify them to be on the lookout for Cassie. I told them to restrain her without a scene, by any means possible. That meant if she fought them she’d get tased, and I knew from experience that it hurt like a bitch.
In a short amount of time I’d arrived at the location. To the other agent’s knowledge, Cassie hadn’t arrived. A few people were exiting the house, getting in their cars and driving off down the road. I’d yet to see either of the suspects, or Cassie’s boyfriend. One by one the guests continued to leave, which made me wonder if something had happened. Why would people be leaving when it was still so early? Had something occurred to make them leave in a hurry?
The only remaining cars belonged to the three people suspected to still be in the home. I climbed out of my sedan and walked over to talk to the other agents who’d been there doing surveillance. “Any changes I need to know about?”
“It’s been a revolving door for the past hour. People were coming and going up until twenty minutes ago. Everyone left. Cruise is out back in the woods. He’s got eyes on James and his associate. According to him they were having words. Things got heated, and James ord
ered everyone to leave. After the altercation both suspects went back inside of the home. It’s been quiet since.”
“Can we get an audio feed from inside?”
“We tried earlier tonight. James has something interfering with the signal. He’s covering his tracks. How are we going to find out what’s going down if we have no intel?”
I scratched my head and tried to think of a way to get answers for Cassie, while determining the next move we needed to make. We were parked too far down the road for me to be able to see inside of the windows. It was important we remained undetected.
While contemplating my next move, I saw a taxi cab pull up into the driveway. Before I was able to call her name, Cassie ran inside of the house.
I turned to the agent I’d been talking to for a brief moment and grabbed my gun from it’s holster. “I’m going around back. Cover me if you hear shots.”
I didn’t wait for him to tell me it was terrible idea. My only concern was making sure Cassie hadn’t just walked into her own funeral.
The first thing I heard once I was close enough were two female voices. They were screaming at each other about someone cheating, and what the one had done to the other. Figuring Cassie had caught her boyfriend with his pants down, I lowered my gun while continuing to watch and listen for something more incriminating. I wasn’t close enough to a window to be able to look inside, and since they didn’t have curtains, I couldn’t exactly walk up without being detected.
I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As much as I wanted to keep Cassie safe, I knew it was going to ruin my investigation if James found out we were outside watching and waiting.
A man’s voice became apparent. He was angry and then I heard something shattering. A woman screamed and then the sound of a door slamming caused me to hide behind a hedge. I watched the tall blonde storm out the front door. She climbed into her sport’s car and took off down the road. Not one person came out to catch her before she could leave. Now there were only three people in the house.
Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #6) Page 10