The situation with Andy had been completely out of the norm. There was no way in hell he was going to let Cassie continue to be hurt – or be killed – by that son of a bitch. He'd done what he had to do. And he'd covered his tracks very well. The odds of Andy's body ever being discovered were slim. But there was always that chance he'd missed something and would find himself getting popped for murder. He was realistic enough to know there was no perfect crime, and all he could do was cross his fingers and hope for the best.
“Carl's really pissed, isn't he?” she asked.
Damon nodded and took a swallow of his beer. “Yeah.”
“I'm sorry, Damon. I didn't mean to cause you or Carl all these problems.”
He looked over at her and gave her a gentle smile. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I feel like I do. I mean I – ”
“You didn't do anything wrong, Cassie,” Damon said. “You were a victim in all of this.”
She looked down at the bottle in her hands. “I just hate seeing all of this tension between you and Carl. You've been friends for so long.”
Damon sighed. It was true that Cassie's presence – not to mention all of the drama that had gone on – put a strain on his relationship with Carl that they'd never had before. In all the years he'd known the older man, he'd never felt like punching him before. And he was pretty sure Carl had never thought about punching him either. But lately, they had seemed like they were on the verge of doing just that. But Damon didn't regret anything he'd done. Nothing. “Carl can be stubborn,” Damon said. “And he gets so wrapped up in the club that, sometimes, that's all he can see. He doesn't always see the bigger picture.”
“And what is the bigger picture?”
Damon finished off his beer, looked at Cassie's bottle, which was still half full and signaled the bartender for another round anyway. “The bigger picture is that what I did was right.”
“Which part?” she asked.
“Everything,” Damon said. “From pulling you out of that stairwell that night to shoo – to what happened with Andy.”
Cassie took another drink of her beer as the bartender set their fresh bottles down in front of them. She looked at Damon and found ] she didn't know what to say. So she said nothing as he took a long swallow from his fresh bottle.
“Carl's put his heart and soul into the club,” Damon said. “I'll give him that. And he has a vested interest in protecting it. We all do. But he also said when he took it over, he vowed to do things differently. He once told me he didn't want the Dragons to be known as just another bunch of rowdy ass kickers. He wanted to shed that reputation.”
“Doesn't seem like McReed is going to let that happen.”
Damon shrugged. “That guy's a prick. It in a lot of ways that matter, Carl has rehabbed the club's image. The Dragons do a lot of good work within the community, believe it or not. A couple of years ago, we had those assholes from Kansas down here picketing the funeral of a couple of kids who got killed over in Afghanistan and Carl had us all down there to drown them out and keep things under control. He doesn't get a lot of credit – hell, he never seeks it – but Carl has this club doing some good things. Yeah, we still have a bunch of rowdy ass kickers who wear the patch, and we'll always throw down if need be, but the Dragons are more than that these days.”
“I didn't know that,” she said. “Any of that.”
“I'm not going to sit here and say we're choirboys, because obviously we're not,” Damon said. “But we believe in doing the right thing. And protecting you was the right thing to do.”
“But Carl is still really pissed.”
“Because he perceives a threat to the club that may not even exist.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked quietly. “Because if they ever connect you Andy, that's going to be really bad for you and the club.”
“They're not going to.”
“But how do you know?” she pressed.
Damon took another pull from his bottle. “They can't make a connection if they can't find him.”
“How do you know they won't?”
Damon smiled. “It's because I know this place as well as, if not better, than most. I know exactly where to lose things you don't want found.”
“But wouldn't somebody like McReed know the area as well as you?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But what he's looking for is so off the beaten path that finding him would be a miracle in and of itself. You would really have to know where to look to find him. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
“Good,” he said and looked around before pitching his voice low so only she could hear. “They will never find Andy. He's gone for good.”
Cassie knew she should have been feeling relief, but there were still so many things that could go sideways that all she felt was more stress. Damon's intentions were good and even though he knew the area well and had put Andy's body well away from the normal routes, there was never a guarantee he wasn't going to be found. There couldn't be. All it would take would be an animal carrying off a piece of Andy's body and leaving it to be discovered. And if it were, it would unleash hell on Damon, Carl, and the Dragons.
But the last thing she wanted to do was continue questioning him. She didn't want Damon to ever doubt he gratitude for what he'd done.
“He's gone for good, Cassie,” Damon said softly. “No more living your life looking over your shoulder.”
She reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” he said. “It was the right thing to do.”
“I just wish Carl would see it that way so you two could go back to being friends again.”
Damon waved her off. “Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. This is just a rough patch. Every relationship has 'em. When he doesn't find Andy's body or anything else he can pin on us, McReed is going to get bored and go away. This is all going to blow over eventually.”
“I really hope so.”
He smiled at her and it was his turn to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know so. Just hang in there and follow my lead, okay? I'll keep you safe, Cassie.”
She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “Thank you, Damon.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I feel like hell.” She could see through the window that the sun was barely over the horizon, casting the sky in soft hues of purple and pink. Cassie groaned and rubbed her head, trying to ward off the headache that started to form the minute she'd opened her eyes. She groaned, basking in the realization that she'd had a few too many beers down at the Mouse last night.
But once they'd gotten over the initial awkward conversation and tension in the clubhouse that had led them to flee to the Mouse to begin with, it had actually been a fun evening. Free from the clubhouse and everything going on there, Damon had loosened up. He'd relaxed. They'd talked, laughed a lot, and had a great time. She got to see a different side of Damon – one who wasn't caught up in all of the politics and business of the Dragons.
“You shouldn't have had those last three shots,” Damon laughed. “I told you that you couldn't handle it.”
“Shut up,” she gave him a lopsided grin. “It was a sexist statement and I wanted to prove you wrong.”
“Oh yeah, you really put me in my place on that one,” he said. “I was a little worried about you riding on the back of my bike when we left. Seeing how you couldn't seem to master a barstool...”
“You're a funny guy.”
Damon shrugged as he slipped on his boots. “I've been told my sarcasm is one of my better qualities.”
Cassie stretched and groaned again. “Where are you headed so early?”
“Gotta make a run for Carl. Need to pick up a few things.”
She nodded, knowing better than to ask what he was picking up. Club business was club business and given that she wasn't a Dragon, she wasn't privy to that sort of information. It was something she and Damon had talked
about at length. The less she knew, the better.
“Be careful today, huh?” she said softly.
Damon gave her a smile and kissed her on the forehead before turning and leaving the room. She heard him go downstairs and a few moments later, heard his bike start up and then he drove away. Cassie rolled over in bed and saw he'd left her aspirin and a glass of water on the nightstand. She smiled and felt a warmth flush through her.
She took the aspirin after sitting up in bed. With a groan, she got up, grabbed her clothes and bag, and walked into the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would help ease some of the gritty, nauseous feeling that had enveloped her. She turned the shower on as hot as she could stand and stepped into the cascading water, relishing the feel of it pouring over her body.
Cassie stood beneath the water until her skin was red. Shutting off the water, she got out and toweled herself off, dreading the fact that she had to go downstairs. She figured Carl and Breaker would be there and would be looking for breakfast. They'd gotten used to her being there and playing den mother. But after the visit by McReed yesterday, Cassie was afraid it was just going to be tense and awkward.
She knew she couldn't put it off any longer and, with a sigh, finished dressing and headed downstairs. She walked into the kitchen and found Breaker sitting with Carl at the table. Their conversation stopped and Breaker looked away from her, refusing to meet her eyes. Carl stared straight ahead and sipped his coffee. The air in the kitchen was tense. Expectant.
Cassie cleared her throat and smiled brightly. “How about some pancakes?”
Breaker gave her a half smile and got to her feet. “I – I actually grabbed something on my way here. But thanks. Without another word, he left the kitchen and walked down the hall to his office.
Cassie heard the door close, leaving her alone with Carl who sipped his coffee and remained silent. She turned to the cabinet and pulled out some of the pancake mix she'd picked up. She grabbed a bowl and a whisk and set them down on the counter and then turned around. “Pancakes, Carl?”
He sipped his coffee and set the mug back down on the table, finally shifting his eyes over to her. “No thanks,” he said. “I'm good.”
Cassie looked down at the floor and sighed. She didn't know what to say to Carl, but she wanted to say something. She wanted this tension, this awkwardness between them to disappear. “I want to clear the air between us,” Cassie said. “I think we should.”
Carl looked at her. “What is there to say?”
She sighed. “The elephant in the room, obviously.”
“And what is that?”
Cassie shuffled her feet and felt the knots in her stomach tightening painfully. “Andy.”
He nodded and drained the last of the coffee in his mug. He set the mug back down and stared at her. It wasn't with anger or resentment, but with something that looked a lot like her to disappointment. And Cassie was surprised to find his disappointment hurt and scared her a lot more than him flying into a rage would have.
“I'm sorry, Carl,” she said. “I'm sorry I brought all of this down on your heads. The thing with McReed yesterday – I know the scrutiny isn't something you want or need. And I'm sorry for that.”
“No, it's not something I wanted or needed,” he said. “And it's something I specifically told Damon I wanted to avoid.”
“I know that,” she said softly. “And I'm sorry. Sorrier than I can even begin to tell you.”
“I appreciate that, Cassie. Unfortunately, a sorry isn't going to make our problems go away.”
Cassie nodded and felt the first sting of tears in her eyes. “I know that, too. But Damon didn't have a choice – ”
“That's where you're wrong,” Carl said. “Damon had a lot of choices. But he made the choices he made and we all have to live with the consequences.”
The first stirrings of anger rose within Cassie's breast. “I didn't have a choice in any of this, Carl. Should I have just lay down and died? Would it have been better to let Andy kill me that night? Or maybe beat me to death at home? You don't like what Damon did, and I get that. Like I said, I'm sorry to have brought all of this down on you. But he saved my life.”
Carl looked at her evenly. “I like you, Cassie. I like you a lot. You're a smart girl. Sweet. And you're a hell of a cook,” he chuckled. “And in the grand scheme of things, you're really good for Damon. But you're not one of us. You're not a Dragon and you're not necessarily good for the club right now. You don't understand how this club works. And you sure as hell don't understand the way I run this club – ”
“Damon once told me you run this club the right way,” she said. “That you do things right. That you have principles. That you believe in doing the right thing. Damon saved my life – how can that not be the right thing?”
They remained silent for a few moments, just looking at one another. Though the air between them was still tense, Cassie thought that it felt a little lighter. Like Carl had discarded some of the anger and resentment he'd been hanging onto. His face softened somewhat and his eyes didn't look quite so tight. Maybe it was just a case of her being hopeful, but she wanted to believe that was the case.
“You're right,” he said softly. “Saving your life was the right thing to do.”
“You want to know the thing I'm sorriest about in this whole mess?”
“What's that?”
“The effect it's had on your relationship with Damon,” she said. “He really looks up to you, Carl. Respects and admires you.”
Carl nodded. “I've told him a million times he's the closest thing I've ever had to a son. He's got a good heart. We're kinda stuck in a little bit of a rough patch, but it will pass. We'll be okay.”
Cassie gave him a small smile, but her spirits were lifted knowing she hadn't driven a permanent wedge between Damon and Carl. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do – but struggled to find the courage to do it. She knew there was only one way she could take the heat off the club and possibly allow Carl and Damon the space they needed to being repairing their relationship.
“I can see you thinkin' over there,” Carl said. “What's on your mind?”
Cassie sighed. “I – I don't know how to ask this.”
“Just open your mouth and let it fly,” he chuckled.
“It's just that – I don't have anywhere to go. Andy made sure I was dependent upon him for money, the car – everything,” she said. “But I just feel like if I go stay somewhere else for a while – you know, at least until all of this heat is off you guys – it might be for the best. For all of us.”
Carl rubbed his hand along his jawline, the stubble making a rough, sandpapery sound. “You'd be willing to do that? Go stay somewhere else?”
Cassie nodded. “Yeah. If I'm not here, McReed doesn't have any reason to keep hassling you guys,” she said. “And maybe you and Damon will have some time to work things out.”
“It'd make things a lot easier around here,” Carl admitted, seeming to let out a breath of relief.
“I figured it might.”
“We could put you up in a hotel in town,” he said. “Let you stay there for a while.”
Cassie felt a bloom of hope blossom within her. Maybe she could make all of this right after all. She heard Damon's motorcycle rumbled into the garage and could hardly wait to tell him he news.
“It's settled, then,” Cassie said and smiled. “Thank you, Carl. Thank you very much.”
Carl nodded. “I think that sounds like a good solution to our problems.”
“What sounds like a good solution?” Damon asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Carl nodded at Cassie. “We're gonna put her up in a hotel in town.”
Damon shook his head. “Absolutely not. It's not safe.”
“It will help keep this club safe,” Carl said. “And with her ex out of the picture, she'll be just fine.”
“Yeah, until McReed gets a stick up his ass about her,” Damon argued. “You know what he's like, Carl.”
“I do,” the older man said. “But Cassie is smart. And she knows how to take care of herself. She's going to be fine.”
“No, I don’t think – ”
“Damon,” Cassie said. “It's done. Settled. It's the best solution for all of us.”
“Cassie, I don't – ”
“It's not your decision,” she said. “I've made up my mind. I want to go stay in town and take some of the pressure off the club. Off of you guys.”
Merrick: Harlequins MC Page 37