“No buts. Here, let me help you put it on.”
Cassandra handed Sadie the necklace, turned around, and lifted her hair. The ruby medallion rested between her breasts, cool and comforting against her skin.
Sadie touched Cassie’s shoulder. “There. Let me see.”
Holding back the tears, Cassie spun to face the generous woman she’d known all of her life. “Thank you, Sadie. It’s beautiful and I’ll cherish it always.”
The elderly woman had a suspicious-looking moisture in her eyes. “Promise me you won’t take it off.”
“I promise,” Cassie vowed. And she meant it. She decided to change the subject lest she break down and cry like a two-year-old. “Where are your sidekicks this morning?”
“It’s after noon, dear. And they had some thrift store shopping to do.”
“Ah, must be nice.”
“Yes, well, you’ve never been thrifting with those old farts, or you would thank your lucky stars you don’t have to go.”
Cassie grinned. “Duly noted. Would you like some coffee?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?”
An image of Ben raced through Cassie’s mind, and she fought back a giggle. “I’ll just bet they do.”
“I have a date tomorrow night,” Cassie announced while pouring Sadie’s coffee.
The elderly woman’s gaze bored into hers. “You remember what I said.” She glanced at Cassie’s chest. “Don’t take off the medallion.”
A chill ran down Cassie’s back, but she brushed it off. It was common knowledge that the Murphy sisters were overly superstitious. She decided to humor her. “I’ll wear it to bed.”
“Good girl. So tell me about this date of yours.”
Nerves swirled through Cassie’s stomach as she contemplated her upcoming date night. “His name is Malik Devain, and he’s here from Alaska.”
Sadie took a sip of her coffee. “Alaska, huh? What’s he doing in DeFuniak Springs?”
“Some sort of business. He’s staying at the hotel in town.”
A strange light passed through Sadie’s eyes. Cassie chalked it up to a reflection coming from the mirror behind her.
“Where is he taking you?” the elder woman pressed.
Cassie became uncomfortable with Sadie’s questioning. “We are meeting here at seven o’clock, and then I believe we’re going for a steak.”
“They make a perfectly good steak right here.”
“I know they do, Mrs. Murphy, but I’m actually excited to have a night away from the place where I work six days a week.”
Sadie’s expression softened. “I understand, dear. I’m only worried about you.”
“And I love you for that. It’s nice to have someone other than Carly and Logan concerned with my welfare.”
“Your mother did the best she could with what she had. Her mind hasn’t been right since you were a child.”
Cassie’s heart squeezed with the memory of her mother’s laughter and the compelling way she’d had of drawing people to her, of lighting up any room she entered. “I remember.”
“She might have stood a chance if she’d killed her no-good husband before he’d done so much damage.”
More memories came rushing to Cassie’s mind with a vengeance. The sting of her stepfather’s belt arcing across her back. The alcohol on his breath. The sound of his voice in her ear as he entered her room late at night. But the feel of his disgusting hands on her skin would forever be seared into her soul for the rest of her life.
With a shudder, Cassie blanked her expression. “I have to grab some lemons from the kitchen. I’ll be back in a flash.”
Spinning on her heel, Cassie raced from behind the bar, hurried through the kitchen, and ran into the bathroom. She stopped in front of the sink, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water onto her face, fighting nausea with every breath she took.
Chapter Six
Malik awoke in anticipation of the night to come. He would finally have Cassandra all to himself. His fangs tingled with the thought of sinking them into her warm flesh. He wondered if she would taste as good as she smelled.
Apparently, Ben hadn’t mentioned running into Malik outside Cassie’s home the night before, or she would have surely broken off their date this evening. Unless of course she wanted the pleasure of doing it in person, in a crowd, with law enforcement involved.
He showered and dressed in a pair of jeans he’d brought along for his trip south. A white button-down shirt and light brown boots completed his ensemble.
Cassandra had no idea, when he’d mentioned being here on business, that Albert Sanders and his family happened to be the business Malik had referred to, or that he had been waiting for this moment for months.
Running a hand through his dark hair, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror, noting the light burning in his eyes.
His mind drifted back to the first time he’d seen Cassandra’s beautiful face. He’d been sent newspaper clippings of her in connection with the disappearance of convicted felon, Mack Doyle.
Malik normally wouldn’t have given the articles a second thought had it not been for the mention of Logan Sanders, a wolf shifter and son of his family’s most hated enemy, Albert Sanders.
Suspicion of Albert’s involvement in the Doyle case became apparent after an extensive investigation had ensued. Malik had been ordered by his uncle Azrael Devain to politically destroy the Sanders family before taking Albert’s life, along with any children he’d sired.
But then Cassandra had suddenly surfaced in affiliation with the Sanders family scandal.
Malik bit back a snarl as he remembered the picture on Cassie’s dresser, of Logan pushing her in that swing. The laughter in her eyes. The smile on the shifter’s face.
How had she become involved with the Sanders family? Was Albert’s son her lover?
Malik had known of Logan’s recent marriage to Carly Bryson and that he’d had a child on the way. What Malik didn’t know was how deep Cassie’s involvement with the shifter ran. And that pissed him off even more. He looked forward to taking Logan’s life…right after he eliminated Albert.
A knock sounded on his door, pulling him out of his murderous contemplation. He drifted over and gripped the knob. “Yes?”
A muffled voice reverberated from the hall. “Maid service.”
Malik opened the door and stepped out, forcing the short woman to back up a foot. “I was just leaving, ma’am. I won’t be needing anything tonight.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I’m absolutely certain.” He smiled to remove the sting of impatience dripping from his voice.
“Okay. I apologize for being so late. We had a party in the breakfast room today, and everyone is running behind schedule.”
Malik gritted his teeth. It was obvious the woman wanted to chat. “No need for apologies, ma’am. Now if you will excuse me, I’m running a bit late myself.” He darted off down the hall before she decided to follow him.
A gentle breeze touched his face as he emerged onto the sidewalk and headed toward the alley that would lead him to Scruples.
More than a little excited to see Cassandra again, he picked up his pace, blurring through the night unseen. Or so he thought.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end with the feeling of being watched. He came to an abrupt stop, scanning the alley for signs of life, only to find it empty save for a family of mice.
“Show yourself,” he taunted, shifting his gaze to the rooftops. “I know you’re there. I can feel you.”
“What are you doing in my town, demon?”
Malik stiffened. The deep voice coming from behind him left no doubt as to whom it belonged to.
He slowly pivoted on his heel to face his adversary. “Albert.” He gave a brief nod. “It’s been a while.”
Logan’s father stepped from the shadows, stopping a good distance away from Malik. “You haven’t answered my question. Why are you here?”
“Looking
for you.” Malik could feel his fangs descending, making it difficult to speak.
Albert took a step forward, his voice deepening. “Lucky for you, I knew the minute you rolled through the city limits.”
Malik watched as a fine sheen of hair sprouted on Albert’s face and hands. If Malik didn’t kill Sanders before he shifted, they would surely destroy half the buildings along Fifth and Sixth Streets, leaving them vulnerable to discovery.
Malik’s incisors ripped through his gums as he crouched low, ready to jump.
“Is that you, Malik?” a feminine voice called out, breaking through his revenge-fogged brain.
Malik cranked his head around to see Cassie standing at the end of the alley, squinting in his direction. He reluctantly straightened, fighting the urge to cut Albert’s throat and run off with Cassandra before the shifter’s corpse was noticed. “I’ll be right there.”
“What are you doing out there in the dark?” she persisted, her hands resting on her hips.
“Until next time, Sanders.” With a quick show of fangs to the shifter, Malik sauntered off toward his waiting date.
“Why are you walking around near the alley? It’s unsafe.” Malik took hold of Cassie’s elbow and guided her back toward Scruples’ parking lot.
“I could ask you the same question.” She pulled her arm free and glanced around. “Where is your car?”
“Back at the hotel. I wasn’t sure how crowded this place would be. Parking is sparse over here, I’ve noticed. If you will wait on the sidewalk, I’ll go get the car and pick you up.”
“It’s all right. I can walk with you. It’s only two blocks from here.”
Malik swung his gaze toward the alley where he’d recently left Sanders. What if the shifter attacked him while he had Cassie with him? Malik couldn’t risk it. “I wouldn’t hear of it. Better yet, why don’t you wait inside and have a drink. I’ll only be a minute.”
“Look,” she blurted, already sashaying across the street. “This whole protective thing is cute and all, but I grew up here. Crime is literally nonexistent in DeFuniak Springs.” She peered over her shoulder with a grin. “Coming?”
Malik caught up with her in a few short strides. “You’re a bossy little thing.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Taking hold of her hand, he slowed his gait, forcing her into an easy stroll. “What do you feel like eating for dinner?”
She seemed to consider his question. “Well, what I really want is in Crestview, but that’s nearly thirty miles from here.”
“I have all the time in the world. Name the place.”
“Are you sure?”
He was more than sure. Anything to get her away from the damnable town they were currently in. "Absolutely.”
“The place is called Bombay’s, and they make the best sushi this side of Fort Walton Beach.”
Malik’s stomach lurched. It was one thing to force a steak down—at least he could order that rare and bloody. But to consume nasty-smelling fish would be a nightmare. “Sounds great,” he found himself saying instead.
A few minutes later, they arrived next to Malik’s rental car. He opened the passenger-side door for Cassandra before circling around and climbing behind the wheel. “Which way?”
Cassie plugged the address to Bombay’s into the car’s GPS and fastened her seatbelt. “How long will you be in town?”
Malik pulled out onto Highway 90, checking the rearview mirror for a tail. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation with Albert or one of his goons while he had Cassie in the car. “I was planning on being here a week, but I’m open for anything.”
“You don’t have family to get back to? A job?”
Thinking over his answer carefully, Malik hedged. “I have my own business.”
“And family?” Cassie persisted.
“Some. My mother and uncle are in Alaska. I have a niece and two nephews there also.”
She seemed to contemplate his response. “No kids?”
“Never been married.”
“Neither have I. But you want kids, someday, right?”
Something in her voice caught his attention. He glanced at her before studying the road once again. “Perhaps. I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest.”
He’d intentionally left out the fact that he couldn’t see himself as a father. Not that he didn’t care for his niece and nephews; he did. He’d just never had the urge to sire children of his own.
Vampires felt emotions far deeper than humans could comprehend. With the ongoing shifter war, Malik couldn’t fathom bringing a child into the world and running the risk of losing him as his uncle Azrael had lost his wife.
“Why have you never married?” Her soft voice penetrated his gloomy reflecting.
He briefly faced her. “Why haven’t you?”
Cassie chuckled. “Keep your eyes on the road. And I asked first.”
“Fair enough,” he acquiesced. “I’ve never been in love before.”
She turned to gaze out the window. “That makes two of us.”
Malik could sense her tension, smell her anxiety on the air. “Not even a little?”
“Never.”
The finality of that one word held a wealth of underlying bitterness. One didn’t need to be a supernatural creature to recognize hidden despair in another being. Vampires experienced it many times throughout their long lives. “It would seem we have something in common other than our boots.”
Cassandra’s lips twitched as she abandoned her window-gazing to glance at his feet. “How uncomfortable are you in those?”
It warmed him to be able to lighten her mood in such a small way. “They’re not so bad.”
Chapter Seven
Cassie shifted in her seat and studied Malik’s profile. Of course the first man she’d shown interest in since Justin had to live thousands of miles away. “What’s it like in Alaska?”
“Cold.”
“You’re not the talkative sort, are you?”
Malik grinned in response to her sarcasm. “I guess you could say that it’s beautiful if you like seclusion, snow, and the night.”
“I hate the night.”
“I find it quite seductive.”
She fidgeted with her hands. “I find it dark and terrifying.”
“Fascinating. You don’t strike me as the fearful type.”
That got her dander up. “I’m not the fearful type. I just know what kind of things lurk in the shadows. Can we change the subject?”
The monotone voice of the GPS picked that moment to give directions for an upcoming turn. Malik maneuvered the car along the off-ramp, emerging onto Highway 85 in downtown Crestview. “Absolutely. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”
“You didn’t.” Cassie felt bad for her shortness with him and turned back to stare at his profile. “I’ve had some bad experiences in my life, and most of them happened after the sun went down.”
His jaw tensed, but he didn’t look at her. “I believe we have arrived.”
Cassie glanced around. “Yes. Straight ahead at the left end of the shopping plaza.”
Malik pulled the car into a parking spot closest to the building and got out. Cassie watched as he sauntered around the front of the car to open her door. He took hold of her hand and helped her out.
“I’m starved,” she announced, closing the door and trailing off toward the sushi bar. It wasn’t lost on her that he hadn’t let go of her hand. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“You have no idea.” The tone of his voice suggested he meant something other than food.
Warmth flooded her face, matched only by the heat pulsing in her palm where it lay against his.
Entering Bombay’s, the two of them strolled to the bar and took a seat. Malik ordered red wine and sashimi while Cassie settled for a beer and a couple of Philadelphia rolls.
The food arrived in a timely manner, and Cassie took a healthy bite, handling her chopsticks like a pro. “I’d forgotten how good the
se things were.”
She noticed that Malik appeared more pale than usual. “Are you all right?”
He took a sip of his wine before answering. “I’m fine. It’s delicious.”
“So is mine. Would you care for a bite?”
He gazed at her for several heartbeats and then quickly looked away. But not before she noticed a strange light glowing in his eyes. “Wow. I could have sworn your pupils just turned red.”
“Probably reflecting off the wineglass.” He smiled and took another drink. “What would you like to do after dinner?”
Cassie considered their options. “We can go to a movie or drive over to Destin for a walk on the beach.”
“Which would you prefer?”
“I vote for a movie. Destin is a bit of a distance from here. Besides, I think they have a good zombie flick playing tonight.”
“You like zombies?”
She laughed softly. “I dig the supernatural. But if I had to pick one to run up on in the middle of the night, it definitely wouldn’t be a zombie.”
“No? And what would your choice of monster be?”
“I’d lean more toward a shape shifter.”
A muscle ticked along his jaw. “And why is that?”
“Well, they are human when not in shifter form. Zombies are rotted corpses, and vampires are the undead that rely on blood to survive.”
“Do you believe in vampires?”
Did she? After learning of Logan, his father, and Ben’s abilities, she wasn’t sure about anything anymore. “I guess they could exist.”
Malik watched her for a long moment. “Why would you assume they are undead? “
“Vampires?” At his nod, she continued. “What else would they be? Their hearts don’t beat and they drink blood. Enough said.”
“I’m betting that’s an old wives’ tale. Nothing can live without a heart to pump blood through its body. No matter what it eats. Would you care for dessert, perhaps another beer?”
She shook her head. “I can think of one person walking this earth without a heart.” Realizing she’d said that aloud, she quickly changed the subject. “This was wonderful, by the way. I really appreciate the night out.”
Cassandra (Scruples Book 2) Page 3