Pretend You Love Me

by Stacia Wolf

Cassie swallowed hard. If she were alone, she could easily disarm him. But right now, with Irina and the baby Stan's main target, she couldn't take any chances.

  Irina opened the door, with Cassie a few steps behind her. As they headed to Cassie's car, Mike's Mustang pulled up at the curb and he leapt out.

  "Stay back!” Stan held the Beretta in front of Cassie's face and pointed it right at Irina's head. “Get out of our way, and nobody will get hurt."

  Cass knew that gun. She'd learned to shoot one year ago, and had used one for target practice. Ironic that one would be used against her now.

  Suddenly something came into focus.

  "Oh, for Pete's sake!"

  Anger surged through her, fueling her body. Vaguely she heard Mike shouting at her, but she didn't hear exactly what he said. Everything blurred except that gun. If she was wrong, someone would die.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Eleven

  Mike's heart dropped into his shoes. Cassie came out of the house, a man holding her around the shoulders with a gun pressed against her head. Cassie's client, Irina, walked in front of her, clutching her baby, her eyes wild with terror. Mike wanted to save them somehow. But unarmed, he didn't stand a chance. All he could hope for was that the man would calm down and give up willingly.

  Then he saw that look in Cassie's eyes, that gleam that always meant trouble.

  His pulse stopped. “Cassie, don't!"

  But she either didn't hear him, or didn't listen. She stomped backwards, one of those nasty heels digging into the man's foot. At the same time she grabbed his arm, the one without the gun.

  "Cassie!” Mike started to run. He had to get to her, save her.

  Cassie twisted and the man flipped over, landing with a loud thump. The gun flew out of his hand, landing several feet away. She held the guy down by wrenching his arm back and up.

  "Cass, what the hell are you doing?” Mike finally reached them. Damn, he wanted to shake her.

  The gunman roared in pain and thrashed around, trying to get away. Mike picked up the gun, pointing it at him. “I'd stop if I were you. I'm not as nice as Cassie. I won't let you off with just a few bruises."

  Letting go, Cassie stepped back. “Irina, are you all right?” The woman nodded, her body shuddering in reaction.

  The police arrived and in moments they took charge, relieving Mike not only of his prisoner but of the gun as well. They escorted Irina inside to get her statement. Mike stared at Cassie as she talked to an officer. She seemed so cool and collected, while anger raged through him, twisting him into knots. He couldn't believe she'd done such a stupid stunt. It was a miracle nobody had died.

  Finally, they were alone. “What the hell were you thinking?” His words came out sharp and harsh. But he didn't care. She could have been killed. Or Irina, or the baby.

  "I was thinking that I couldn't let that idiot get away with it. Irina was terrified."

  Mike ran his hand roughly through his hair. He couldn't believe this woman. “And you thought getting her shot would calm her down?"

  Cassie rolled her eyes, and his temper rose. “Cass, you can't keep doing crap like that. This time, you were lucky."

  "This time,” she snapped. “I saw that the safety was on."

  Stunned, Mike stared at her. Her eyes shot daggers at him as she continued. “Do you honestly think I'd risk Irina and Andy like that if I wasn't sure I could take him down? He'd obviously never touched a gun before. Do you really think I'm that careless?” She studied him for a long moment, then gasped. “You do! You truly think I'm that dumb."

  "Not dumb, Cassie. Just impulsive. You run with your emotions instead of thinking things through.” He lifted his hands. “C'mon, you can't deny that you leap before you look. It's almost your signature."

  Her lip curled back. “You truly think I don't think things through? That I don't weigh things out before I take that leap?” Her eyes searched his face. Apparently not liking what she saw, her expression tightened. “Look, Mike, I didn't take any chances with Irina and the baby."

  Mike barked, cutting her off. “You didn't take chances? What do you call bringing her here without police escort? You lied to me, Cass. You told me that you wouldn't come here alone, and you led me to believe that you were coming here with a cop. You misled me, just like—” He bit off his words before he said something he'd regret.

  But Cassie didn't miss anything. “Just like Sharon, right? Like your darling ex-wife who lied to you and cheated on you. You don't think I see you looking at me, searching for little ways I'm like her so you can distance yourself from me? You don't think I gauge my every word, my every move, wondering if it'll remind you of her and give you an excuse to walk away?” Her eyes glimmered with tears. “When are you going to realize that I'm not her?"

  His chest constricted at the sight of her pain, but his own hurt drove him on. “When you quit doing crazy things like this. Next time you might not be so lucky. Then what?"

  "Then I guess I'll deal with it. In my own crazy, impulsive way.” Pressing a fist against her forehead, she sighed.

  She lifted her gaze to his face. “But that's not the entire problem here, is it? The truth of the matter is that you can't trust me to do the right thing. So you try to manipulate me into doing what you want me to do. Like today. You made me feel guilty about doing what I needed to do for my client. Because of that, I ended up twisting things. I shouldn't feel guilty about doing my job, Mike. You're trying to control me, because you don't trust me."

  Her chest heaved, as if fighting for breath. “How can we build any sort of relationship if you can't trust me?"

  Her words shafted through him. Was she breaking up with him? “I don't think it's that bad, Cassie. We can work it out.” Reaching out, he grasped her hand.

  Pulling away, she took a few steps back, then crossed her arms. “Can we?” A sob rattled in her throat. “You know, I've been struggling with the fact that your mother kept my parents apart. I'm not sure if I can ever forgive her, but I was willing to give it time, for you."

  Tears sparkled on her lashes, and she slapped them away. “Now I see you take after her, jumping to conclusions without any facts, twisting things around to get what you want."

  "Now who's jumping to conclusions?” Bile twisted his guts. Mike balled his hands into fists. “I'm nothing like my mom, and if I've been overprotective, it's from twenty years of habit. You have no common sense. You don't think things through before you act. And you have the nerve to be caught in a lie, then tell me that somehow it's all my fault?” Sucking in a deep breath, he forced it out over his clenched jaw. “You're right about one thing. We don't have anything to build a relationship on."

  He dragged his eyes away from her and turned them to the road. His feet didn't want to cooperate, but he forced them. Every step shoved daggers further into him, but he accepted them as part of the package deal that went with loving Cassie.

  "So that's it?” Her voice, sounding broken and torn, stopped his footsteps.

  He didn't allow himself the luxury of looking back at her. “I trusted you, Cassie, and you let me down. You lied to me, and I don't know if I can forgive that. It's over."

  He felt her eyes boring into him. “Fine. You've always wanted to judge and label me. You wanted to justify your opinion of me. And now you've found it. And you're wrong. You never trusted me. I need that, but you give me nothing but suspicions.” Her stiletto heels clicked sharply on the concrete path as she strode into the house.

  Mike ignored the faint sob he heard as he walked away and started his solitary journey back to his old, lonely life, a life torn apart by one Cassie Delistraty.

  * * * *

  Cassie pulled up in front of her house, barely able to understand what had happened. All she knew was that Mike had left her. And she'd let him. She'd allowed the only man she'd ever truly loved to simply call it quits.

  Her hands shook on the steering wheel. Unshed tears burned her throat. This couldn't honest
ly be the end, could it?

  No, she couldn't let it end like this. She'd go find him, talk to him, try to work things out. Jerking the car into reverse, she stomped on the gas pedal, and within minutes found herself outside the club. Mike's car wasn't there, but she'd wait for him.

  It was late afternoon, so the place felt almost empty. Cassie ignored Kendra's slanted glare and headed toward the bar, where she saw Ernie mixing a drink.

  He nodded at her as she slid onto a barstool. “Hey, Cassie. Where's Mike?"

  She tamped down on the lump that rose into her throat. “I'm not sure. We had a fight."

  Ernie pierced her with a slanted gaze. “Bad one, I take it from your voice.” At her nod, he flipped over a glass, squirted some pop into it, and slid it to her. “Don't go away.” Picking up the mixed drink, he delivered it to another customer at the end of the bar, then returned.

  "Cassie, I don't know what the fight's about, and frankly, I'm not sure I want to know. But I do know this. Mike loves you. And from the look on your face, I'd say the feelings are mutual. So don't give up on him, okay?"

  Cassie remained silent, her thoughts bouncing through her mind. She knew Mike loved her, but that didn't mean he'd be willing to work things out. He still saw her as headstrong and impulsive, and now she'd added the stain of her lies on top of that. With a sigh, she sipped her soda.

  The Delistraty curse was alive and well. Her mom might have been able to defeat it, but Cassie didn't feel so confident.

  "By the way,” Ernie said, “I wanted to thank you for what you did."

  "What?” she asked, puzzled.

  Ernie lifted his brows. “For saying something to the zoning commission.” At her confused look, he said, “Didn't Mike tell you? They changed their minds. They're letting us open the club in the waterfront warehouse."

  "Ernie, I didn't say anything to anyone. And Mike never asked me for help.” She didn't know what she would have done had he asked. She hated using her family connections for anything. She did things on her own, without using her family name to open doors. After discovering that Ken had married her for the Delistraty political clout, she'd always wondered if she'd ever be loved for just herself. With Mike, she'd never worried about him wanting her for that reason. In fact, the opposite had held true. “If they agreed to rezone, it's not because of me,” she said. “You two must have been very convincing."

  Ernie's brow furrowed. “That's just it. We didn't even get a chance to say anything. The commission announced that they were granting our request. So I thought that... Huh, I wonder."

  "What?"

  Ernie shrugged. “Well, I asked him to talk to you about helping us right before you two went to visit your grandparents. Maybe he said something to your grandfather?"

  "No, he never got a chance,” she said. Then she remembered hearing voices in Mike's room. Had Mike spoken to him then?

  No, he wouldn't have. But doubt ate at her. Ken had used her for her name. Surely Mike wouldn't?

  No, he'd always said he'd never fit in with her crowd. Why would he turn to her family for help when he'd known how she'd been hurt by Ken using her?

  But the proof stared her in the face. Ernie and Mike now had their precious zoning change. Her heart shattered.

  She'd been used again.

  "Cass. I'm glad you're here. We need to talk."

  Her gaze whipped upwards and found Mike in the kitchen entrance, staring at her. Crazily, her heart leapt at the sight of him. How it could break one moment, then fill with joy the next, she didn't understand. But she did know something else with certainty.

  It was over.

  Holding his gaze, she slid off the stool, picked up her purse. Straightening her spine, she mentally cut their bond.

  "Goodbye, Mike."

  She spun around and walked out the door, never looking back.

  * * * *

  "You really are a jackass."

  Mike didn't look up. He continued wiping down the bar with a vinegar-water solution that cut through the film on the sleek black finish. This attack was merely another in a long line. “Shut up, Cal."

  Large hands with whitened knuckles slammed into his view. “No, I'm not shutting up. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to a pulp."

  Mike tossed the towel into the bucket. “She made her decision.” He'd killed himself by breaking up with her. Finding her in the bar had been like a reprieve from hell. Then she'd walked away.

  He headed into the kitchen. He'd finish the bar later. Bad enough he couldn't work past the blinding pain that clung to him like a third degree burn. It showed no signs of letting up, even though a week had passed since he'd last seen Cassie. Now he had to have his ex-best friend tear at the scabs like a lunatic.

  Apparently madmen didn't give up easily. Cal followed him right into the kitchen. “No, instead you accuse her of lying, proving my point."

  Resisting the temptation to dump the dirty water somewhere else, Mike emptied the bucket into the sink, then haphazardly tossed it under the floor. Garbage. He needed to empty it. He grabbed it, can and all, and headed to the back door.

  Reaching the dumpster, he tossed the entire can in, then realizing what he'd done, reached in and pulled it out. Turning around, he came face-to face with Cal.

  "Okay, fine. I'll bite,” he said. “What the hell does that mean?"

  "It means that you keep confusing her with your ex-wife. Sharon lied because she was a using, heartless bitch, who married you because you looked good on her arm and impressed her shallow friends. Cassie lied because you backed her into a corner, making her choose between you and her client. Not a fair choice, given how much she wants to help people."

  Mike jerked the bag out of the can, tossed it in the dumpster with more force than necessary, then hefted the can off the ground, glaring at Cal.

  "Cassie lied. Justifying it doesn't make it go away. I don't have her confused with anyone, Cal. I know her for exactly what she is—someone I can't trust."

  * * * *

  Cassie poked listlessly at the strawberry shortcake she'd made for herself. Why had it sounded so good while she'd prepared it, but now tasted like sawdust?

  The same reason everything else went flat, that annoying voice in her head told her. She placed the dish on the coffee table with a feeling of defeat. Immediately Suzy jumped on her lap, plopping her head down on Cassie's knee. Cassie scratched her, welcoming the presence of the tiny body.

  "I'm glad you're here,” she said to the dog. Suzy glanced up at her, while keeping her head firmly on Cassie's knee. “You make me feel needed, even if it is as a source of warmth."

  Suzy didn't reply, not that Cassie had expected her to.

  This must be how Batman feels. Hidden in a dark cave, all alone and misunderstood, with only bats to talk to. Yep, that fit her perfectly. All she needed were some of the winged rats flitting about to perfect the mood.

  The other dogs began to bark as Lucia swept through the front door. Her bright red summer dress hurt Cassie's eyes.

  "Hello, darling. I have news for you."

  Suzy leapt off Cassie to dance enthusiastically around Lucia's feet. Abandoned again. Sighing, Cassie sat up. “What is it, Mom?"

  "We've set a wedding date. Labor Day weekend. And you're my maid of honor. It won't be quite a normal wedding, but it's going to be close.” Lucia petted the dogs, then swept her blonde hair back and frowned at Cassie.

  "Are you still moping around? I thought you and Mike would have made up by now."

  Pain shot through Cassie, and tears burned the back of her eyes. “I told you, Mom. We're not getting back together. It's over.” Even though she'd faced the reality, it still killed her to say it aloud.

  "Nonsense. You two are meant to be together.” Lucia sat down by her, shoving Cassie's feet off the couch.

  A tear escaped her tight control. “No, you're wrong. Just chalk it up to the Delistraty curse."

  Lucia snorted. “You're copping out. We're in charge of our
own lives. You and I aren't going to let a simple curse stop us from getting what we want."

  Cassie laughed with disbelief. “Mom, it took you thirty years to get what you want. I don't think I can hold on for that long."

  The dam broke and she swallowed a sob. With a soft exclamation, Lucia folded her into her arms and Cassie let the tears fall.

  "Oh, honey,” Lucia said. “I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should never have interfered."

  Cassie stifled a sob. “Interfered?” She hiccupped. “What do you mean?"

  Lucia flushed. “Well, I'm afraid I decided not to let nature take its course. I set up that little dance contest, knowing Mike would call you, then he'd have to rescue you.” She smiled slightly. “Did you really think I'd be that crazy?"

  "You what?” Confusion and shock tore away her tears.

  "I'm sorry, Cassandra. But quite frankly, waiting for you and Mike to figure it out on your own was driving me crazy. You'd flirt with him, he'd run, you'd pout, then drive him crazy with your sexual innuendos. You two weren't making any progress."

  "Mom, did it ever occur to you that Mike and I don't belong together? That your meddling simply made things worse?” Cassie pulled away. Needing something to do, and she popped a glazed strawberry into her mouth, chewing liberally.

  "Well, no, not until now,” Lucia admitted. “I guess my little plan messed things up, rather than fix them.” She reached out and smoothed a random lock from Cassie's face. “But I still believe you two belong together."

  "Mom, I can't take any more of this.” A chunk of cake followed the strawberry. “Promise me you won't interfere any more.” Lucia's gaze skittered away from her, and Cassie raised her voice. “Promise me."

  Lucia sighed. “All right, I promise. No more meddling. But you need to quit sitting around here, pouting. Trust me, I have thirty years of experience with this. Staying active is the best thing for you."

  She glanced at her watch and gasped. “Heavens, I'm going to be late. Your father and I are interviewing officiates this morning.” She turned a stern frown Cassie's way. “Get dressed, go out and do something. Now."