by L A Cotton
NO ONE COULD HAVE PREPARED us for what we found at the hospital. Aunt Ruby was deteriorating fast, and I almost felt bad for chastising Mom about being strong. It was impossible to look at the frail woman in the bed, tubes and wires everywhere, and not fall apart. We sat with her for what felt like hours, listening while Mom regaled us with stories of their childhood while perched on the edge of her sister’s bed, holding her paper-thin skinned hand. Dad and I took turns keeping Lilly entertained. They became fast friends, just like the other recent guy in her life. And the burning pain in my chest was eased slightly at the knowledge Lilly had gained two more people in her life who loved her unconditionally.
“Miss Malson,” a voice said from behind me, and I turned to see Dr. Saffron. “May I have a word?”
I nodded, checking quickly on Lilly who was finally asleep in her car seat, and met him in the hallway. “Is everything okay, doctor?” I asked.
“Do you mind if we step in my office?”
“Of course.” I followed him into a side room and took one of the seats.
“I wanted to give you an update.”
“Okay.”
“As you’re aware from the last time we spoke, your aunt’s condition has worsened significantly. At this stage, there isn’t anything we can do besides make her comfortable. She’s on a lot of drugs, so her pain is minimal, but I don’t anticipate she’ll last much longer.”
The room fell away as he confirmed what, in my heart, I already knew.
“I appreciate your candor,” I managed to choke out. “Wh-what should we do?”
“Spend time with her. Be there for her. I know you have your daughter to consider, so please know that when you can’t be here, we’ll take good care of her, and we’ll keep you informed.”
He didn’t say the words. He didn’t need to.
I shuddered a harrowing breath, and my stomach roiled. I didn’t know what would be worse. Being here when she took her last breath or getting the call to say she was gone.
Tears stung my eyes. Burned my throat. But I was running on empty. When I made no effort to leave, Dr. Saffron said, “Go and be with your aunt, Miss Malson. She needs you.”
I wanted to tell him that he had it wrong. That she was the strong one and I was the one who needed her. But when I opened my mouth to speak, an ugly sob ripped from my throat. He offered me the tissue box on his desk and said, “I’ll give you some time.”
The second the door closed, and I was alone, I let myself break.
But only for a minute.
Then I dried my eyes, inhaled the biggest breath I could muster, and steeled myself for walking back into that room. For spending what could be my last evening with the woman who had saved me.
MOM AND DAD DIDN’T go back to the motel. Instead, when we finally got back to the house, we put Lilly to bed and ordered pizza. Like me, I didn’t think Mom wanted to go to bed in case the call came. Aunt Ruby had been barely conscious when we left her. Her skin sallow and her breathing weak as we said our goodbyes, knowing it could be the last time.
“I didn’t expect her to be so sick,” Mom said, clutching her mug of hot chocolate as if it was oxygen.
“I know, Mom. I know.” I hadn’t known either. If I had, maybe we could have done something.
“The doctors said there was nothing to be done.”
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken out loud until Mom answered, and we went back to our pained silence. Neither of us touching the pizza box on the table.
“That’s it,” Dad said. “You both need to get some rest. You need some energy for—” The phone blared, startling us. Mom broke down, and he went to her, pulling her into his arms as I forced myself off the couch. My whole body trembled as I walked toward the noise.
“Hello.”
“Miss Malson, this is County Hospital ...” The phone slipped out of my hand as I crumpled against the wall.
She was gone.
Aunt Ruby was gone.
30. Dennis
After leaving Cassie with her parents, I drove straight to Hale’s farmhouse. I knew if I didn’t go right then, I’d never leave. It wasn’t until I was about thirty miles outside of Redmont that the weight pressing on my chest lifted. This was the right choice—the only choice. If I stayed in Redmont, things with Hernandez would get messy.
Didn’t they always when two guys wanted the same woman?
And maybe I wasn’t the right person for Cassie. Maybe I should have walked away the second I laid eyes on her. But I would move mountains to make sure she was safe. To keep her from ever being taken advantage of again. I might have hurt her once before, but it was only ever to protect her from the world I lived in.
When I finally turned off the highway and onto the dirt track leading up to Hale’s farmhouse, I found him working on his Harley, grease smeared across his wifebeater as the afternoon sun beat down on him. He threw down the tool, wiped his hands on his jeans, and came over to me as I climbed out of the truck.
“Well, this doesn’t look good.” His eyes were narrow, assessing my grim expression.
“Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“Sure thing. Let me ask Margie to fix us some food.”
“You don’t need to do—”
“Son, you’re in my house, my rules.”
“Fine. I guess I could eat.” I’d been on the road for almost two hours, but food had been the last thing on my mind.
“Come on.” He motioned for me to follow him inside. When I’d first met Hale, my gut instinct told me he was a bad seed. The worst. But as I’d come to realize, things weren’t always black and white, and plenty of shades of gray existed in our world. Was Hale involved in some bad shit? Absolutely. But he was also a family man. His love and loyalty to his wife and three kids radiated from every pore. And illegal or not, whether I agreed with his business decisions or not, I didn’t doubt everything he did was for them.
Margie greeted us with a warm smile, the smell of pot roast lingering in the air. “Hey, honey.” She kissed Hale on the cheek and then offered me a polite nod. “What can I do for you boys?”
“Me and Dennis need to talk business. Can you rustle us up some of those sandwiches? The ones with the salami and pickles?”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring it through.”
I followed Hale deeper into the farmhouse. From the outside, it looked ready for demolition, but inside, it was homey, and the renovations had been made with love and attention. My hand ran over the staircase spindles.
“Carved each one by hand. Took me an eon, but it was worth it.”
“It’s beautiful. I’m not sure I’d have the patience.”
“All things worth having are worth the wait.” His eyes held some unspoken message. “Come on, my office is back here.”
We reached a small room at the back of the house. It was a work in progress. The walls stripped back to the studs, splashes of paint here and there. But the desk was something else.
“Don’t tell me you—”
“I sweat blood and tears for that thing. But she’s a beaut.”
“It’s ... wow.” It was all finely carved detail and expertly polished.
He let out a coarse laugh and took the seat behind the ornate desk. “So what’s up? Ah shit, don’t tell me. I know that look. Seen it one damn time too many.”
Confusion pinched my brows, and he leaned back, smiling to himself. “Who is she?”
“She? How did you—”
“I know a man in love when I see one. So what’s the sitch? Your girl in some kind of trouble?”
Caught off guard by Hale’s words, I choked over my next line. “Something like that.”
“Whatever you need,” he said. “Just say the word.”
“Just like that? No questions?”
He shrugged, running a hand through his long hair. “I like you, Hayes. I like you a lot. I think you and me could make a good team one day. And I make it my business to look after my investments.”
I blew o
ut a steady breath. “You’re not making this easy.”
“Just spit it out, will you, and put this old man out of his misery.”
“It’s Hernandez. We’ve got a problem in Redmont.”
“Ahh.” He cupped his jaw, rubbing his scruff. “That complicates things. We’re still weeks out from being ready to take Redmont. If we go in early—”
“I’m not asking you to change your plans.”
“So what is it exactly that you want?” He leaned forward, waiting. But there was nothing to think about. I’d decided. I looked him dead in the eye and said the three words that would change everything.
“I want out.”
His eyes gave nothing away as he rubbed his jaw. “Out? You want out?”
I nodded, holding his unforgiving gaze. This was the Josiah Hale I’d heard of. Cold. Calculated. But I needed him, and I hadn’t come unprepared.
“What if I told you you’re making the wrong move trying to take Redmont from Hernandez?”
Brows pinched, he worked my words over in his head. “I’m listening.”
“I’ve watched him. Hernandez is organized. Stays under the radar. His crew is loyal. And for as much as it kills me to say this, Hernandez is a family man.”
I’d seen it in the way he’d treated his employees at the bar. He cared deeply. Probably to a fault. Which was why I’d walked away. Because I was a threat to Cassie. To a member of his family. And in his eyes, that was more dangerous than anything.
Hale had shifted, his eyes alight with intrigue. “You’d vouch for him?”
I cleared my throat at the strange direction things had taken. “No, but I think you’d have more to gain by going into business with him than going to war.”
“Say I take you on your word. Say I present a business opportunity to him he can’t refuse. Where does that leave us?”
He didn’t need me to the say the words because it was right there, written over his face. But he wanted to hear me say it. To understand what I was asking. He narrowed his eyes, waiting, no doubt, to see what lengths I’d go to for love.
But I was already there.
I’d already made my choice the second I saw Cassie again. I just wanted to give us a fighting chance. Shifting on the chair, I met his steely gaze and sealed my fate.
“Well, I guess that would make us enemies.”
I STAYED AT HALE’S until the sun disappeared over the forest. It had been a risk going to him first, but I needed to know if I could make a clean break or whether I’d be forever looking over my shoulder. He was a family man. Big on loyalty and the bonds of love, and I’d hoped I could use that to my advantage.
By the time I reached Redmont, it was late. I’d almost driven straight to Cassie’s, the pull too strong to ignore. But she’d texted me to say she was home with her parents. They were staying the night, so I knew they’d take care of her. Despite what had happened, she was their daughter and they loved her.
When I turned into the dusty parking lot, the bar was already closed. I waited until Mario and the fake blonde left as well as a couple of Hernandez’s guys. Which, by my calculations, left Cael, Hector, and Amanda. But I knew it was now or never. I’d already been MIA for twenty-four hours. Any longer, and things could spiral downhill rapidly.
As I pushed open the truck and my boots hit the dirt, it occurred to me that Cassie might not ever forgive me for this. But it was the only way I knew how to protect her, and in the end, that was all that mattered. One day, she would heal and move on and live the life she always wanted. Knowing it was the right thing to do hadn’t made leaving her again any easier, though.
The night we’d spent together had been everything I’d ever wanted. After she’d fallen asleep, I lay there for hours, watching her, not wanting to miss a single second. The gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept peacefully. Ghosting my fingers over her delicate skin. Basking in her beauty. When she finally stirred, confusion had radiated from her, and I half expected her to have a meltdown, but she didn’t. And when she rolled in my arms and looked in my eyes, I saw it.
Cassie loved me.
Whether or not she realized it herself yet was a different matter. But she had more important things to contend with, and I wouldn’t stand in the way of that. I wouldn’t put her in the middle of a war she didn’t deserve. So leaving her, although it was the hardest thing I’d ever done, was also the most noble. I just hoped the support of her parents and Amanda would cushion the blow.
Dragging a hand over my face, I shouldered the door to the bar and went inside. “Hayes, that you?” Cael was stacking chairs, ready for the cleaners who came in at the first sign of sunrise. “Boss man said he’s been expecting you. Where’d you disappear to last night?”
“Long story,” I said, keeping my focus on the door marked private. “He back there?”
“Yeah, but watch your step, my man. He’s had a stick the size of Mexico up his ass all day.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
I knocked once and entered. There was no use in beating around the bush.
“You’re a brave man, Hayes.” Luis eyed me, leaning back in his chair. “Either that, or you’re digging an early grave.”
“Consider this my resignation.” I held firm, looking him dead in the eye. The air crackled around us, and I knew things could turn to shit pretty quick, but the Hernandez I’d gotten to know over the past few weeks wasn’t reckless. From what I could tell, he never handled personal business at the club.
And this was about as personal as it got.
“I wondered about you, you know,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “Couldn’t quite get a read on your motives for taking me up on my offer. But I got to hand it to you, Hayes, I never expected it to be about pussy.”
Anger bolted through me and my spine snapped straight as I clenched my fists into my thighs. But I refused to play his game. I just had to plant the seed, and then get the hell out of here.
And never look back.
“I didn’t see it at first. It wasn’t until Dominique mentioned something ... I had to know for myself.”
So that was why he showed up at Cassie’s house. I’d known Dominique was trouble, but I didn’t think she’d throw me to the wolves so easily.
Hernandez studied me, his cold, calculating gaze searching my mask of indifference for any cracks. “But what I can’t quite figure out is why? Why Cassie? You could have had your pick of my girls, which leads me to believe there’s more to this story. Who is she to you, Hayes?”
“Doesn’t matter.” I shrugged, trying to remain calm. “She wasn’t interested.”
“She wasn’t?” His brows quirked up in surprise. “So it wasn’t your truck I saw in her driveaway yesterday?”
My lips pressed together, forming a thin line.
“You’re not denying it.” It wasn’t a question.
“Look,” I said. “Did I want to go there? Yeah. She’s hot, and I thought we had a connection. Turns out I misread the situation. But I don’t think that’s what’s got you all ate up. I think it’s because you know she looked at me the same way. Cassie wants me. She’s just too damn broken to give anyone a chance.”
His smug expression slipped, revealing an ugly snarl. “Watch your mouth.”
“Or what?” I narrowed my eyes. “You need us. I made a shitty decision, and I can’t take it back, but I’m out. There’s no reason to stick around where I know I’m not wanted.”
“You think it’s that easy? You think you just get to walk away after going after my—”
“Your what? Woman?” I barked a laugh. “You’re fooling yourself if you think she’s ever going to let you in. She’s nothing more than damaged goods.”
As the words left my lips, I felt my chest crack wide open. But I needed him to believe I wasn’t interested and that he was wasting his time with someone like Cassie. At least until Hale took care of the rest.
His palms slammed down on the desk. “I should put you in the ground for disre
specting me, disrespecting my staff.” But we both knew he wouldn’t because business was business, and he probably knew my old man would rain down his worst nightmare if I didn’t return to Stonecreek in one piece. Just so he could tear me a new one when he found out the truth.
“I don’t ever want to see you in Redmont again. From now on, I’ll deal with Miller or your cousin only. Got it?”
I nodded and started for the door. But his voice gave me pause. “You’re wrong about her, you know?”
I glanced over my shoulder and waited, but he didn’t finish. Just held my unwavering gaze and then flicked his head, dismissing me.
Cael was still out front. His head snapped up as I strode for the door, adrenaline pumping through my veins. “Hayes, how about a drink for the road?”
“Not tonight. I have to get back.” Because although the conversation with Hernandez had had the potential to detonate, it was nothing compared to what awaited me back in Stonecreek.
31. Cassie
Rain pelted off the window. I watched the droplets land, exploding into wet oblivion. It was hypnotic. Drop. Explode. Drop. Explode. Some droplets survived the landing, sliding down the pane of glass. But their course was set, their fate the same.
“Cassie?” Mom’s voice startled me, and I turned to meet her grim expression. “It’s almost time.”
I nodded tightly, feeling the tenderness around my eyes. I’d cried most of last night. It started as I tried to choose my outfit for today, but I couldn’t find anything suitable. Everything was either too formal or too drab or too ... just not right. Aunt Ruby had left clear instructions about today, requesting that it be a celebration, not a commiseration. But that was easy to say when you were the person gone. But what about the people left behind, trying to pick up the pieces?
My eyes swept over the fitted black dress I’d decided on. It still felt all wrong, but there wasn’t time to change again. Besides, I had a feeling nothing would feel right.