by Lauren Dane
Brody called to her and she smiled and waved, moving to him after she’d said goodbye to Shane.
He stood there, thinking about the last thing Liv had said. That love changed how he saw things. Sure he’d been sorry he hurt Maggie because he liked her as a person. Liked her as a sister, even loved her as one. But loving Cassie had opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure he liked what he saw of himself before. He’d closed himself off and it hadn’t made him particularly nice to women. He hadn’t been a cad, but he hadn’t seen them in the way he should have.
He looked across the lawn at her as she laughed and talked with Penny, her back resting against the tree trunk. Damn she was beautiful. Yes, stunning on the outside, but her inner beauty shone like a beacon. He loved her. He didn’t see her with love, he didn’t love things about her, he loved her. Was in love with her.
“You love her, don’t you?” Shane’s father came to stand next to his son.
He looked at his father. “You’re scary. I just realized it myself. I’m scared to death I’ll fuck it up. I don’t have the best track record with this stuff.”
Edward chuckled. “That’s love. Real love is scary. Because you know what you stand to lose. But she’s damned strong, Shane. You need that. You didn’t need some tough-as-nails woman to capture your heart. That’s Marc. No, you needed a woman who was as strong as you but who engaged your ability to empathize. To show you what it meant to truly rise above and live. She’s a fighter, our Cassie. She’s your equal and your other half because she gives you the ability to see beyond yourself.
“You’re a good man, Shane. But you’ve been selfish with women after Sandra. It’s been hard to watch you wall your emotions off the way you did. All we could do was hope like hell Cassie would come along and break your shell. And she did and you’ve broken hers too. Seeing you so gentle with her does my heart proud. I’m proud of you, son. You’re a man now.” Edward pressed a kiss to his son’s cheek and squeezed his shoulder before Shane moved to walk down to his woman.
But before Shane got to her she was standing up and looking toward the water. She took off at a run and Matt ran the other way, toward the front of the house.
Shane yelled her name but she dove off the dock and he ran, balls out, to reach her. Dee was crying and, in what felt like slow motion, Cassie surfaced, holding eighteen-month-old Michael in her arms. He’d fallen from the dock into the water and at some point, he’d taken a knock to the head and a deep, ugly wound gashed into his forehead.
Matt shoved him out of the way and took Michael from Cassie. Breaking free of his trance, Shane reached out to help her scramble up onto the dock.
“Back up,” she ordered and everyone did. Shane put his arm around Dee with Arthur on the other side of her.
Matt opened a medical bag and Shane watched in awe, as his Cassie melted away and a confident, in-charge woman replaced her. Her face was set in concentration as she tipped Michael’s neck up and leaned in.
“Matt, I’m going to need something for this head wound but let’s get him breathing first.”
Matt took orders smoothly as she began to give CPR to Michael, who’d turned blue.
Dee sobbed and he heard his father yell out that an ambulance was on the way.
Cassie broke her lips from Michael’s and turned him onto his side and he coughed, water gushing from his mouth. She continued to give orders to Matt while she alternately spoke to Michael in a soothing voice to keep him calm.
Without taking her eyes from Michael, Cassie addressed Dee. “Dee, honey, can you hold it together? Just kneel down and touch his legs. He’s scared. I’m going to get this gash on his head cleaned up and the bleeding stopped. He’ll probably need a few stitches. Ask when you get to the hospital for a surgeon to do it. Preferably a plastic surgeon if one is available. That should help with the scar. He’s going to be all right, Dee.”
Dee took a deep breath and fell to her knees. She reached out to rub Michael’s legs while talking to him, reassuring him. Cassie continued to work and Matt handed her everything she asked for. The siren sounded as the ambulance neared.
The paramedics ran over with a board and Cassie spoke to them clearly and quietly, explaining what had happened and what had been done. Dee moved to go with them in the ambulance, Arthur would follow in the car. Cassie followed until they got loaded in and drove away.
As she returned to the yard, Shane looked to her, amazement on his face. Matt wore an identical look.
She held up a hand. “I need a drink. The story is long and I can’t tell it with everyone here.”
Polly had already begun to shoo people out of the yard and Edward put a tumbler filled with an amber liquid into her hand. One handed, he pressed her into a chair in the shade.
When everyone but the Chases, Penny and Liv had gone, Cassie took a deep breath, and the smoky scent of good scotch filled her nose. Two swallows and it was gone. The heat spread through her, warring with the adrenaline crash.
“My name is not Cassie Gambol. It’s Carly Sunderland. Or rather, it used to be Carly Sunderland, it’s been changed legally. A long time ago in a galaxy far away, I was a successful vascular surgeon at a private hospital in Orange County. You all know the story of my ex-husband.
“I divorced him. He wasn’t happy. He harassed me and my family. Showed up at my job until they had to bar him from the hospital and he lost his position and ability to practice there and his own practice group tossed him out. I kept quiet and was careful when I went home so he couldn’t follow me. I thought I’d been successful. But I wasn’t. Eight months later he found me. Broke into my condo while I was sleeping. I woke up with him on my chest and a hammer coming toward my face. I threw him off but I tripped leaving my bedroom and he landed on my back. He held me down while he used the hammer to shatter the bones in two of the fingers in my right hand. I tried to get free but he’s a big man.
“Blood was everywhere, I was slipping in it as I tried to struggle. I’ll never forget the smell. It wasn’t like I’d never smelled blood before but it was different because I knew it was mine. I knew I was losing too much.
“He’d hit me so hard the handle of the hammer began to splinter, and it broke completely when he hit me on the back of the head with it. I worked to stay conscious as he began to stab me with the shattered handle. Repeatedly. In the back and neck. He left me for dead as I lay in a pool of my own blood. But I managed to reach my phone just as I passed out. Luckily 911 sends someone out when there’s no response.
“I was in a coma for three weeks and then in the hospital for nearly another month. It’s all more complicated than I want to dwell on but after that they found him and arrested him. Put him on trial.
“At first they thought he’d paralyzed me. The wounds really messed up some of my nerves in my right arm. But with physical therapy, and my good luck at having one of my colleagues work on me, they saved most of my movement and by the time the trial was midway through I could walk through the door on my own power.
“I testified. They convicted him. He was supposed to be remanded immediately, awaiting sentencing. But there was some sort of paperwork error and they let him go. By the time they realized their error he’d skipped town.”
She held up her hand to silence Shane, as Edward handed her another drink. Penny pressed some crackers into her other hand, which she ate to stave off the nausea.
“He called and taunted me. Said he’d be back to finish the job. It wasn’t like I could be a surgeon ever again. I don’t have the fine motor skills in my hand to do it. I had a wonderful victim’s advocate the court hooked me up with. She got me enrolled in a program to change my name and social security number. He’d tracked me to my new apartment with my social security information.
“My brother drove through Petal a few years ago on his way to Atlanta and he liked it here. I chose an apartment I saw online and Carly went away and Cassie moved t
o Petal.”
“Jesus God.” Maggie looked up at Cassie.
Cassie swallowed and turned to look at Shane, wincing as she saw him. “I’m sorry I lied. I’m a little messed up right now, but I’ll go home and clear out of town as soon as I can. You must all hate me.”
A deep, tortured sound came from Shane as he fell to his knees and pulled her into his arms. “How you survived that and had the courage to come here and start your life over I’ll never know. Cassie, you’re amazing and I love you so much it hurts.”
Cassie blinked several times, trying to figure out if she’d heard him right. “What?”
Shane pulled back and kissed her and kissed her again for good measure. “I. Love. You. Cassie, you’re so damned strong. I don’t hate you. How could you think I’d hate you for not wanting to share that horrible fucking story?”
“I lied about my name.”
“So what? Cassie Gambol is your legal name now isn’t it? Honey, you must think I’m a grade-A prick if you think I’d be angry at you for having to give up everything to move here to protect yourself from a homicidal freak.”
She put her face in her hands. “I don’t know what I thought! You don’t...you’re all...shit. I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
He laughed. “You’re sorry? Honey, let’s get you to my house, okay? Get you tucked into bed for a rest. You just saved Michael’s life and told us one hell of a story. That’s got to take a lot out of a girl.”
“I’ve got lake water all over me.”
“Why don’t I go to your place and get you some clothes? I’ll bring them by Shane’s.” Penny squeezed Cassie’s hand. “Honey, I knew you were good people the minute you walked into my shop and not a damned thing you’ve done has made me doubt that.”
“I lied to you all!”
“Not about anything important. Your actions speak the truth, Cassie. You were in charge and strong out there on that dock today. Even though it exposed you, you did it. You saved Michael’s life without even a thought. You’ve been a good friend to us and you’ve, well, you’ve saved Shane too.” Maggie fought tears.
Cassie couldn’t deal much longer. She needed to be away from them all before she lost it. She also knew she couldn’t be alone in her apartment. “My keys are in my purse. It’s in the front closet.”
Marc jogged inside and brought her purse back out and Penny took her keys and handed the purse to Shane, who took one look at Cassie and picked her up. “We’re going to go to my house. I’ll talk to you all later.”
He started toward the car and Cassie laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
As the car pulled out of the driveway, everyone else stood on the front porch watching Shane take her to his house just three doors down.
“Holy hell.” Matt leaned back against the front porch rail.
“I’m going to go to Cassie’s and get her clothes.” Penny moved to her car.
“I’ll stay here until you get back.” Polly sat in the porch swing and Edward joined her.
Penny waved and left.
“I can’t even imagine. I knew it was bad. When she told us about the abuse I was horrified. I thought there was some big incident but she didn’t say. I just had no idea it would be this.” Maggie leaned back against Kyle.
Polly sighed. “I knew it would be a strong woman who’d finally captured Shane’s heart. But she’s braver than any woman I’ve ever met in my life. Imagine just up and leaving after suffering so much and starting over again halfway across the country.”
“She won’t be safe until this asshole is found.” Kyle held his wife to him.
“Shane won’t stop until he is.” Matt spoke with absolute certainty.
* * *
Shane took her up to his bathroom and turned on the water in his shower. “You can use a T-shirt for the time being. Let’s get you cleaned up now.” He tried to hold on to the tasks to get her comfortable. Anger and fear warred within him but he didn’t want her to see either. He needed to be strong for her right then. Later on he’d go into his weight room and beat the hell out of the bag.
Woodenly, she let him help her out of her shoes and pull her shorts and panties down. As gently as he could, he freed her hair from the ponytail. Reaching down to pull her shirt off, he steeled himself. He knew seeing the scars would be shocking but he also knew he had to control his rage at Terry Sunderland to not make her feel bad. Her hands came down to stop him.
“Let me see you, Cassie. I think you’re beautiful. You’ve told me the hard part. It doesn’t matter to me. The scars don’t make you less beautiful.”
“You don’t know. The scars...”
“Is that why you’ve left your shirt on when we make love?”
She nodded slowly. “That and well, my stomach and stuff.”
“Cassie, please trust me. Your body is gorgeous. I don’t care about the scars. They only make me think you’re more beautiful.”
More beautiful? Was he out of his mind? Angrily she pulled the shirt up and over her head and yanked her bra off. She moved her hair away, giving him her back. “There! Still think I’m beautiful? Still think fourteen stab scars makes me more beautiful?”
She felt the press of his lips over each one of her scars until tears came from so deep she couldn’t stand anymore. He was there though, taking her weight into his arms, pulling her into the shower with him.
She clung to him as he shampooed her hair and soaped her up the best he could with her arms wrapped around him.
“Come on, darlin’. Let’s get you out of here and dried off.” He helped her out of the shower and toweled her off after he’d wrapped up her hair.
Leading her into his bedroom he had her sit on his bed. “I’ll be right back. I’m guessing Penny has been by and left your clothes downstairs.”
And she had. Left a bag just inside his screen door without disturbing them further. There was a note that Cassie’s keys were at Penny’s house when she needed them.
He stood in his living room, a towel wrapped around his waist, thinking about her scars. Out of Cassie’s presence he let the rage take him. The rage at seeing the pink skin of fourteen scars on her back and neck. Of knowing the man who’d done it to her was still out there, keeping her so afraid she didn’t sleep at night. That the sick fuck had taken away her career and nearly killed her—all because she wanted a divorce. Took away her name and her home.
He needed to let it wash through him because the last thing Cassie needed was a pissed off man. He knew right then that he would track Terry Sunderland down and turn him over to the courts or kill him himself. Shane Chase was a man who lived by law and order, believed in the power of justice. But at the moment, he wanted to kill another man. Wanted it with a power he’d never felt before.
Forcibly unclenching his fists, he took several deep breaths and let it go. He picked up the bag to bring Cassie her clothes.
Cassie lay on his bed quietly, her hands folded over her abdomen. Totally naked. The shock of her beauty hit him in the gut like it always did but this time with greater force because she wasn’t covering up. She was totally exposed to him emotionally as well as physically.
“Darlin’? I’ve got your clothes here.”
“Do you want me to cover up? Do the scars creep you out?” She sat up, the wet strands of her hair moving over her shoulders and chest.
Putting the bag near the door he pulled off the towel and stood there, naked and hard. “Does it look like your scars creep me out, Cassie?”
She shook her head. “Shane?”
“Yes, darlin’?”
“Do you have condoms?”
“Yes.”
“Will you come here and make love to me please?”
He froze a moment. “Are you sure, baby? I’d like nothing more than to do that but I don’t want you to do it if you don’t feel up to it. It�
��s been a trying day for you.”
“It has.” She nodded. “But I... I need to feel alive and you make me feel alive. When you’re inside me, with your hands on me, I feel alive and vibrant.”
He crawled across the bed to get to her. “You... Cassie, you make me feel so much. I love you. I’ve said it to another woman but I didn’t even know what love was until I met you.”
She moved to her knees and touched his chest and encircled his neck with her arms. “I love you too.” Her voice was small but he heard it and his heart skipped a beat. “I love you but I’m scared.”
“Let’s work on that, okay? Because I’d give my life for you, to protect you. I love you and that means you’re mine. And not in the way he meant it. You’re not a thing to me. You’re everything to me. I want you to be free from fear. Happy. You deserve that. Let’s work to make sure I can help protect you.”
She pushed him back on the bed and scrambled to straddle his body. “I love that you asked to protect me.”
“I love this position.” He grinned lasciviously. “And I’m trying. God knows I want to hide you and go to war for you, but I know that’s not what you need so I’m trying to find a middle ground. Because I have to tell you, I want to find this bastard so you can live freely. I want you to be able to choose to be Carly or Cassie. As long as you’re with me, I don’t care what you call yourself.”
Leaning down, she kissed his lips and then the cleft on his chin. Her hands skimmed over the hard, tight flesh of his shoulders and chest. Through the hair there and over the coppery nipples, his gasp of pleasure bringing her a smile.
“I like that you have hair on your chest. It makes you even more masculine. And my goodness are you masculine. It makes me all shivery.”
His hands slid up her thighs and came to rest at her waist. “I’m glad. I like that I’m not the only one shivery all the time.”
She brought her lips to the hollow of his throat and swirled her tongue there, tasting the salt of his skin. Over his collarbone and down, teeth grazing over each nipple. Scooting back, her ass rested on his thighs as her hands traveled over the flat muscle of his belly until she finally reached his cock.