by Maria Walton
Copyright 2017 by Wahba Publishing House - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
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The Gardener
by Maria Walton
On the Edge of Town
By: Maria Walton
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter One
I sat at my desk and watched the hands of the clock slowly tick by. The day was dragging on at an unusually slow pace. This hadn't been in my plan. When I made the decision to join the FBI, I wanted to prove to my family that I was something more than a safe and passive doormat. My mother thought that I would never join. When I did, she cried for days until I promised her that I would be safe and send her regular updates. Now, I was regretting my career path altogether.
When my cell phone rang, I jumped and scrambled to find it. My sister's cheerful picture popped up on the screen and I quickly answered it. I hunkered down to make sure that my boss didn't see me. I doubted that he would care but I still didn't want to deal with the repercussions if he did decide to look my way. Though it was my guess that as long as the paperwork didn't start to back up, he wouldn't even notice if I never showed up to work at all.
"Hey girl, how's it going?" I said in a hushed whisper.
"Great! How is life as a big bad agent? Have you shot anyone yet? Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to be forced into witness protection," she joked.
I rolled my eyes, "You really are the most dramatic woman I know. What's up? I can't really talk, I'm at work."
"Then you have all the time in the world, right?" said Alyson, her trill laughter ringing in my ear.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and cringed, looking around to see if she had attracted the attention of anyone else. Thankfully, no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to me which was pretty normal given my standing at the bureau. I glanced over at the stack of forms that were waiting for my undivided attention and rolled my eyes. I had to get out of there before I completely faded into the walls.
"Did you need something or were you just calling to interrupt my day?" I asked her, my tone harsh.
"I knew it! You forgot, didn't you?" she hissed.
My mind raced as I looked for anything that I was supposed to remember. I fumbled around for a few moments before skidding to a halt on the date and cussing under my breath. I had forgotten and now I would have to scramble to make it down to her in time.
"Of course, I didn't forget. Dinner tonight, right? I was just getting ready to leave work actually."
"You are a terrible liar! Cass, this is really important to me, you promised."
I sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. I just have a lot going on but I will be there. Why is it so important though?"
Immediately, I regretted the question. The string of cusswords that she shot out at me was enough to make a seasoned sailor blush. I pulled away from the phone again and covered the earpiece even though I was the only one who could hear her angry words. I let her rant for a little while before the screaming died down and I put the phone back up to my ear.
"I'm sorry Alyson, I've had a lot going on around here. I didn't mean to upset you. So, why is tonight so special?" I asked again, hoping she had winded herself enough to just answer the question.
"Jesus, Cass, you promised me that you would meet him tonight. Ryan. I think he's the one!"
I swallowed back the snide commentary that instantly replaced my disappointment. Alyson had met 'the one' at least six time in the past couple years. Alyson had a way of attracting the worst possible men. It was one of the things that inspired me to go into the bureau. Years ago, I had watched my parents' home become a circus after one of Alyson's boyfriends decided to turn their home into a stolen electronics operation.
The night that I found out what was going on in my sister's bedroom, I called the local police. They came in with their guns blazing and carted him off to jail but not before interrogating my entire family and turning our house upside down. The memory still caused me pain. My poor mother couldn't take it any longer. My father had a blind spot when it came to his little girl and the stress of her escapades broke apart their marriage. They filed for divorce a short while later.
"I just want to make sure he's worth meeting," I muttered, the painful memory now fresh in my mind.
She fell silent for a moment and I knew that she was thinking back to the same time that I was. It had been a very dark time for our family; a time that I knew Alyson still carried around a great deal of guilt over. I never meant to hurt her, I just didn't want to see her fall into the same trap that she'd stumbled into before.
"Cass, this one is different, I promise," she whispered.
I wanted to believe her but it was so difficult, "Okay, Alyson."
"Can you at least wait to judge him until after you've met him? I know that you will like him once you do."
"I think I can do that. I'm sorry that I forgot about dinner. I will leave work right now, okay?"
"Thank you, Cass, your approval means the world to me. Just give Ryan a chance. I didn't meet him at a club or anything either."
I was intrigued, "Where did you meet him then?"
"At school. He's taking the same night classes as me."
I cocked my head, a little surprised. I didn't even know that she was taking classes. It already seemed like her new boyfriend had a leg up over all the others.
"That's great kiddo, I will see you at seven," I said.
I heard her squeal in the background, "I can't wait Cass! I just know you two are going to hit it off."
"Hey," I said as an afterthought. "What's his last name?"
She sighed, "No way, you aren't going to use your connections to look into him. You are just going to have to meet him like a normal person!"
"What's the point in having this job if I can't do a little snooping?” I questioned playfully.
"Oh, I don't know," she replied, pretending to think, "maybe to save the world from bad guys? I don't mean my boyfriend, either! Sorry, you are just gonna have to wait."
I laughed, "Fine! But if I don't like him then I get to interrogate him. Is that fair?"
"Deal," she said before hanging up the phone.
I ended the call and looked around the office. Would anyone even notice if I left without telling them where I was going? Probably not. Still, the responsible adult inside of me wouldn't just get up and walk away from the job I had worked so hard to obtain. I adjusted the sharp ponytail holding back my red hair and straightened my blouse before casually walking to my boss's office.
The conversation was short, he didn't even look up from the paperwork he was engrossed in. I was the only woman in the field office, a distraction he said he didn't want for his men. I was little more than a nuisance according to him and he was more than happy to let me skip out of work a few hours early to make the hour-long drive to Hartford.
Chapter Two
The drive to Hartford went by quickly. I thought about stopping at my apartment and changing but in the end I didn't both
er. If my hunch was correct and this new boyfriend was like all the rest, the evening wouldn't go well. I had no problem telling Alyson to drop a man, especially after my parents' divorce. I arrived early at the bar where I was meeting them and ordered a beer. With my bureau training, I took notice of everyone around me, including the two men sitting at the end of the bar glancing my way.
One man leered at me and licked his lips. He had numbers tattooed on his face. I got a crude wink before he started sliding from his stool and sauntering over to me. I was just about to flash my gun and tell him to piss off when I heard Alyson scream my name from the entrance. I spun around at once and smiled at her. She bounced into the room, bringing a carefree and cheerful atmosphere with her. Her pixie cut was new but it matched her personality and the skin-tight dress that she was wearing.
The man behind her looked in my direction and nodded. He was handsome; but they always were. He towered over her, his green eyes and cool demeanor cancelling out Alyson's bubbly persona. I wrapped my arms around her and smiled. I couldn't deny that I had missed my baby sister far too much since starting my new job.
"I feel like it's been years! How long has it been?" she asked me as she pulled away.
"A few weeks maybe?" I replied as I held out my hand to her boyfriend, "Cassandra. You must be Ryan."
He shook my hand and met my eyes, instantly giving him points in my book. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Alyson talks about her big sister all the time."
I laughed, "Don't believe everything you hear."
"Let's sit!" said Alyson as she grabbed both of our hands and pulled us to a table.
Grabbing my drink from the bar, I glanced around to see that the man who had been approaching me had disappeared. All the better, I didn't want to deal with any nonsense tonight. I sat down and took in Ryan. He was well dressed. Muscular but not to the point that it was obnoxious. His hair was short and he was clean shaven but what was most important, he looked at Alyson like she was the greatest gift in the world. Smiling, I felt a little more at ease. Maybe she was right, maybe he really was a keeper.
"So, what do you do, Ryan?"
He grinned, "Right now, I'm just a student. I spent some time in the army but it wasn't for me."
"Oh, a military man? Were you ever deployed?"
Ryan nodded, "Just once and that was enough. I got injured and they sent me packing."
I cringed, "I'm sorry to hear that. What are you in school for?"
"Criminal science."
I nodded my head in approval and the table fell silent. I didn't want Alyson to feel like I was interviewing her new boyfriend. He didn't seem like much of a talker but I also didn't feel uneasy in the silence. As we drank, I took a back seat and let Alyson do most of the talking, something that she was very good at. Her fingers went back and forth between twirling her hair and drawing hearts on Ryan's hand. The intimacy between them was almost overpowering but I was happy to see that she may have finally found a winner.
The night started to wane but the drinks kept coming. I started to relax more with my sister and Ryan. They talked about their future and his plans and I listened with rapt interest. He seemed to genuinely care for her. Though he was a little bit quiet, I couldn't find a single flaw besides that with him. As the bar started to close and we headed for the exit, Alyson pulled me to the side.
"So? What do you think?" she asked excitedly.
I grinned at her, "He seems really great. I am happy for you."
"Really? Oh my gosh, that's so wonderful! I was worried that you wouldn't like him and you know that Mom and Dad think that what you say is what matters. Will you tell them how great he is?"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her enthusiasm. I knew my parents valued my opinion but even I couldn't be right when it came to Alyson. She couldn't pick a man that was ever right. I was leery of my first impressions of any man. I didn't exactly have them lining up at the door to go on a date with me either. It didn't matter. If Alyson was happy, I was happy.
I looked at the clock on my phone, it was a little after two. "I should get going. I have a long drive back into the city."
"Why don't you just stay with me tonight? I don't want you driving that far."
"I don't mind the drive. I don't have work tomorrow but it looks like you will have your hands full this weekend anyways."
She jumped up and down like a little girl again. "Cass, I am so happy that you came! You don't know what this means to me."
I wrapped my arms around her, "He really is great, let me know when you are ready to tell Mom and Dad."
Alyson rolled her eyes, "That isn't going to happen for a while."
"Really?" I said in shock, "That has to be the first time you've ever said that. I'm glad that things are going so well, kiddo."
She blew me a kiss, "I'm gonna go grab us a cab, can you tell Ryan where I went? He said he was going to the bathroom."
"Sure, I'll see you Sunday for brunch with Mom," I called after her. "Call me tomorrow!"
She skidded to a stop to hail a cab, "It will have to be later. Jenna and I are going to Dante's"
"Okay fine, but call me after."
I scanned the small crowd after she left. It was a nervous habit that I'd picked up in the FBI. I hated it, especially when I just wanted to turn work off for a little bit. From drug dealers to rapists, our streets were never safe. That was the world that we lived in though.
A familiar figure caught my eye and I looked at the corner of the bar. Ryan was engrossed in a conversation with the creepy looking man that I had seen at the bar earlier. I couldn't hear what they were talking about but it obviously wasn't a friendly conversation. Ryan started to walk away but the man grabbed his shoulder. I took a step in their direction and they both looked over at me. The man's hand fell away instantly and Ryan took the opportunity to slip away from him.
He walked past me without saying a word, I grabbed his arm. "What the hell was that all about?"
He tried to shake me off but I didn't let go. "Start talking unless you want me to tell Alyson that I think you are shady. You know how much she relies on me."
"Fine," he said in a hushed tone. "Listen, it has nothing to do with me or Alyson. My little brother owes that guy some money. I'm trying to get him a little more time."
Right away I felt like a jerk. I had been wrong about Ryan, he wasn't the criminal I had assumed that he was. He was just a brother looking out for a sibling. I was doing the same thing with Alyson.
I smiled at him, "Sure, I get it, we are always looking out for our family, right?"
Ryan smiled back at me and nodded his head before slipping into the cab behind Alyson. As I walked to my car I smiled. I was happy for Alyson, she deserved a good man.
Chapter Three
I rolled over in bed, stretching out my arms and basking in the bright sunlight that peeked through the curtains. My apartment was small, but it was my home. Immediately, I thought about Alyson. I picked up my phone and had no missed calls but I wasn't surprised. She and Jenna had plans for the morning. Dante's was a nail salon in the next town over. Jenna and Alyson had waited for weeks to get in. She was my absolute opposite. I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that.
Flipping through social media, my phone started to vibrate. It was Jenna. "Hey, what's up?"
"Hey Cass, have you heard from Alyson today?"
Immediately, I was on edge. "No. She said you two had nail appointments today."
"Oh, well, she didn't come home last night. I know that I am probably over reacting but I'm a little worried."
My heart was racing. I couldn't think straight. "She probably just spent the night at Ryan's place. I'll give her a call okay?"
"Sure, can you let me know if you hear anything and I'll do the same?"
"Yeah," I mumbled before hanging up.
I had no idea what Ryan's number was but I could find out. It wasn't anywhere near legal but I knew a man who could hack a phone line better than any government agent. I
took a deep breath and started to get dressed, the phone pressed between my ear and shoulder.
"Hey Jack, I need a favor," I said as soon as the man answered.
"Cassy? Is that you? I never hear from you anymore. Uh oh, the feds aren't on to me, are they?"
"No Jack, and even if they were I couldn't tell you. I was wondering if you could get a number for me. I'll send you the lead number. It's probably the last number called. I'm looking for a man named Ryan."
"Last name?"
"I have no idea, I'm guessing there will just be the one though. Give me a call and please make this top priority."
"What's in it for me?" he asked playfully.