“I’m not going to stop worrying until you’re off the streets. If you won’t take either of those jobs at least move in with us. We have a guest house, you wouldn’t even need to see us if you didn’t want to. You could come and go as you liked. Please, Cady.”
No way. She shook her head.
“Goddammit, stop being so stubborn and let me help you.”
“You don’t have to help me. I already have a job and a place to live.”
Jacey looked at her suspiciously. “You do? Where? How did you get this job?”
“Hunter offered me one.”
“He did?” Jacey’s eyes widened. “When? Does that mean you’re moving to Dallas to live?”
“Well, I haven’t decided yet.” Although getting out of the city was looking like a better and better idea. How many times had she caught Sean watching her in the last week?
“Something’s wrong, what is it?” Jacey asked.
Cady smiled widely. “Nothing at all, why would you say that?”
“Okay, now I’m really worried. That smile is damn scary.” Jacey eyed her worriedly.
“Nothing is wrong, okay? I’ve just got a few things on my mind.”
Jacey sighed. “I wish you’d tell me what the problem is, but I know you won’t.” A sad look crossed the other woman’s face before it was replaced by a determined smile.
“I think you should take the job. You wouldn’t be happy in an office or as my nanny, I know that. I just can’t stand that I go to sleep in a nice house every night and you’re out on the streets. I worry about you, Cady.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know. Doesn’t stop me from worrying. You’re my friend. Consider taking the job, okay? If it doesn’t work out, we’ll try something else. But you can’t keep going the way you are.”
She didn’t see why not. Well, except for that little problem of Sean.
“I don’t know how you ended up on the streets or why and you don’t have to tell me. But I worry that one day I’m going to turn on the news and learn that something bad has happened to you.”
“Jeez, overdramatic much, Jacey?”
Jacey shrugged. “I know how scary things are, remember? And believe me, if we don’t get something sorted out, it won’t just be me on your case, Derrick will be having a chat with you and he won’t be nearly as nice as me.”
No, she could well believe that. Derrick Ashdown was extremely rich and used to getting his way. Cady knew he wouldn’t like the fact that Jacey was worrying about her.
“I’m surprised he hasn’t already tried to interfere.”
“Oh believe me, he’s wanted to.”
Great, that’s all she needed.
“Look, I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise, all right?”
Jacey sighed but nodded. “And think about moving into our guest house, it’s not being used and you could stay as long as you liked.”
Cady forced herself to smile and reached across to squeeze Jacey’s hand. She wasn’t really given to affection, but she could see the real worry in Jacey’s eyes.
“I’m okay. I promise.”
***
Two hours later, Cady looked down at the gravestone in front of her. She crouched and reaching out, ran her finger over the letters.
Rusty Rivera. 1979-2013.
She’d always teased him that with his name he should have been a porn star or at least a country singer. At least that way he’d probably still be alive.
He’d just laugh at her and sing some song in that God awful voice of his.
Had it only been ten months since he’d died? It felt like forever and yet at the same time, like it had been yesterday. He’d been killed in the line of duty. Her partner. Her friend. Her fault.
They’d both worked for the Baton Rouge Police Department, but after Rusty’s death his family had brought his body back here to Austin. She’d followed, unable to let him go.
“What do I do, Rus?” she whispered. “I need to get out of town for a while. If I stick around I’m worried he’s going to get lucky and hurt me, or someone else. But if I take that job, I’d have to work as part of a team. I don’t think I can do that again. Not after I got you killed.”
“Funny, I thought it was those druggies who fired the bullet that killed my brother.”
Cady stood, whirling around to face the female standing behind her.
“Lucia.” She nodded her head at Rusty’s older sister. How the hell had she not heard her approach? What if she’d been Sean? Cady had to get her shit together.
“Cady, I wondered if I would ever catch you here. I always seem to arrive after you’ve come and gone.”
“How did you know I’d been visiting?” she asked.
Lucia nodded at the headstone. “You always clean off the dust and dirt. Rusty’s is the cleanest headstone in this graveyard.”
“Oh. He was always so messy. I was constantly cleaning up after him. Guess it’s habit.”
“I know what you mean,” Lucia said with a smile. “Rusty was ten years younger than me, the son my parents never thought they would have. They doted on him. He got used to my mother picking up after him.”
Lucia narrowed her gaze, staring at Cady. “You blame yourself for his death. Is that why you never come and visit us?”
Cady swallowed heavily and wiped her sweating hands against her jeans. She’d grown up in foster homes, she didn’t have any family of her own so Rusty had often brought her home to his family for the holidays when they didn’t have to work. Cady had been reluctant at first, not wanting to intrude, but the Riveras were a force to be reckoned with. They’d practically adopted her.
“It was my fault. He wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for me.”
Lucia placed a hand on her hip. “Wasn’t it his job to go after the bad guys, to back his partner up?”
“We should have waited for back-up. We shouldn’t have gone in by ourselves.” But she’d raced in and Rusty had been the one to pay. Bullets had flown, hitting Rusty in the chest, his blood gushing in a thick, crimson river.
Cady swallowed back her bile.
“Wasn’t it a domestic disturbance call out? You had no idea it was a meth house,” Lucia said.
“Yeah, but Rusty had a bad feeling. He called in for back-up. I heard a woman scream and I couldn’t hold back. I went rushing in when I shouldn’t have. He followed me.”
“You forced him to follow you inside?”
“Of course not.”
“So my brother was just willing to stand on the sidewalk and listen to a woman scream in pain?”
“What? No, he was right behind me.”
“Close enough to tackle you to the ground if he’d wanted to keep you from going inside? You’re tough, Cady, but he outweighed you by a good sixty pounds. My brother never did anything he didn’t want to. There was no way he would have stood by while a woman was being hurt and you and I both know it. Tell me, then, why are you continuing to blame yourself?”
Cady knew there was truth to her words. But she wasn’t quite ready to let go of the guilt.
“I guess it’s easier this way,” she whispered. “I don’t have to let anyone get close.”
Lucia took a step forward and placed her hand over Cady’s arm. She was a beautiful woman, the lines on her face only adding to her appeal.
“Rusty wouldn’t want you to beat yourself up like this, Cady. He loved you. You and I both know that if he was here right now he’d be kicking your ass for the hell you’re putting yourself through. My brother died doing what he thought was right. The last thing he would want was for you to give up your life as some sort of penance. Move on, you know that’s what he’d want.”
Cady shuddered. Yeah, Rusty would kick her butt for the way she was acting. He’d hate the thought of her on the streets again. He’d known what her childhood was like, he’d have understood that she was shutting herself off to protect herself, didn’t mean he would have put up with it.
<
br /> “I expect to see you at our place for Sunday dinner,” Lucia said firmly.
“Actually, I can’t.” The other woman’s face grew thunderous and Cady continued quickly before that famous Rivera temper could be unleashed. “I’ve been offered a job. In Dallas. I’m not sure when I need to leave.”
Or if the job offer was still open.
“Well, all right, then. But I expect you to come by for dinner if you’re still here. Promise me.”
“You’re as stubborn as your brother,” Cady said with a smile. “I promise.”
***
Hunter leaned back against the bar and stared around the Twisted Thorn. He just wasn’t feeling it tonight.
“So are you going to do any playing tonight or are you just going to stand around like a morose bastard and growl at anyone who dares come your way?”
Hunter turned to Simon with a snarl. “If I’m such bad company why are you talking to me?”
“Because I’ve known you too long to be put off by a bit of growling and posturing. I’m kind of surprised to see you here. I thought you’d forgotten the address.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Really?” Simon drawled. “Busy doing what?”
“Working.”
Sympathy entered Simon’s eyes. “Worthington’s death must be a relief.”
“It still doesn’t answer the question of why Angie died. Why he killed her. I didn’t want him dead, at least not until I had my answers and then I wanted to take his life myself.”
Angie’s car had run off the road, killing her. An investigation had shown that she’d been drinking. Heavily. Except Angie didn’t drink, she couldn’t stand alcohol. She’d never told him why she’d quit her job with Worthington, but Hunter knew she was afraid of him. Six weeks after quitting her job, she’d left Hunter a fearful message saying she’d learned something about Worthington and she needed to talk to him, her car had then been run off the road and her place had been set on fire.
That was too much of a coincidence for Hunter.
Simon sighed but nodded. “I can understand that. No doubt I’d feel the same way. But keeping everyone at arm’s length isn’t going to help. Neither is locking yourself away. Why don’t you find a nice little sub to play with and relax?”
He shook his head. “I can’t focus. I shouldn’t be playing tonight.”
“Well, at least stop scowling at all the subs, will you? You’re scaring them to death.”
“I’ll try. I’m only here because Gray threatened me with Sasha.”
Simon raised his brows, his eyes lightening at the mention of his wife’s name. “Is that so? Well, it’s your lucky night. She’s not here.”
“Everything okay?”
“Sasha is fine. Her mother is staying with us.”
“Ahh, and she doesn’t know about your lifestyle.”
“She knows I own a club, but Sasha has been against telling her what sort of club.” Simon frowned, clearly unhappy with his sub’s decision.
“So why don’t you just tell her?”
Simon’s eyes widened. “It’s obvious you have never been married before. You do not interfere in the relationship between your wife and your mother-in-law.”
“But your wife is also your sub.”
“Yes, but we’re not full time. Sasha has her own life outside being my sub.”
“So if she was putting her safety in jeopardy, you’d just let her get away with it?”
Simon looked at her thoughtfully. “Sasha and I have our own terms for our relationship. If she did something I thought might harm her then of course I would speak up. I’m sure any husband would. But you have to learn how to compromise. Letting Sasha deal with her mother how she wishes is a compromise. I allow her to keep certain aspects of our relationship a secret and she shows me her gratitude once her mom leaves.” Simon grinned. “Believe me, it’s worth it.”
Hunter shook his head. He didn’t really understand. If he ever had a wife she would understand that he had her best interests in mind at all times and he wouldn’t allow anything in their life that might hurt her or bring her harm. If her mother couldn’t handle the relationship they had then she wouldn’t be welcome in their house. He wouldn’t hide what he was and he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt someone he loved.
Listen to him. He didn’t even have a girlfriend and here he was already dictating how his relationship would be.
“Gray’s here.”
Hunter looked over to see his friend making his way toward them. He stopped a few times to say hello to some friends. He always took the time to be polite, unlike Hunter who’d likely snubbed plenty of people as he’d strode through his club on the way to the bar.
Finally, Gray arrived at the bar. “Just a coke, thanks John,” he said to the bartender.
“Playing tonight?” Simon asked. None of them liked to imbibe before playing.
Gray shook his head. “I’ve got to get home. I just wanted to catch Hunter first.”
“Master Simon, Master Peter asked me to find you.”
The three of them looked over to find Master Peter’s sub, Sara standing before them, her head down.
“Thank you, Sara. Where is Master Peter?”
“In the exam room, Sir.”
“I’ll be right there. I’ll see you two later.”
Simon strode away.
Hunter looked over at Gray. “What is it?”
“Cady called me. She’s taking the job.”
Hunter stared at him in shock. “What? She called you?” Why hadn’t she called him?
“Yeah, this afternoon. I’ve booked her a flight for Monday morning.”
“I’ll meet her at the airport. What time does she arrive in?”
“No.”
“No?” Hunter frowned at Gray.
“She’s expecting me to collect her. You turn up and she could run scared. There’s a reason she called me, Hunter.”
Because she didn’t want to be around him. He was surprised by how that hurt him. “She’s going to have to get used to being around me.”
“A lot of changes for her to handle at once. Just let me get her settled.”
Hunter ran his hand through his hair but nodded. “I was going to put her in one of the safe houses until I got an apartment figured out. You’ll need to stock it with groceries, she won’t have anything. I’ll do that while you’re collecting her. Don’t worry, I’ll be gone by the time she arrives.”
He wouldn’t scare her off. Not when he had her right where he wanted her.
Chapter Three
Cady fought back her nerves as she exited the plane.
She hadn’t stopped second-guessing what she was doing here. This was the last place she’d ever expected to find herself. But she hadn’t had much of a choice. She’d had to get out of Austin and she had no funds or means to do so.
Lucia’s words had gotten to her. She’d given up everything in her life as punishment for what happened to Rusty, but this wasn’t what Rusty would have wanted for her. So she’d taken the first step, she’d gotten on the plane. Whether she was capable of more, she didn’t know. But she had to try.
“Cady, there you are.”
She turned to find Gray walking toward her, a smile on his face. He was impeccably dressed in a dark blue shirt and black slacks. She felt decidedly underdressed in her usual jeans and hoodie.
“Hi Gray.”
She kept a tight hold on the strap of her backpack which she had flung over one shoulder.
“Flight okay?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Well, shall we grab your bags and get out of here then? I’m sure you want to see where you’ll be staying and get settled.”
“I’ve got them.”
“Sorry?” he asked with a frown of confusion.
She let her backpack fall off her shoulder. “This is all I have with me.”
“Uhh, right, of course.” He recovered quickly, sending her a smile. “Let’s go, then.”<
br />
The first ten minutes of the drive was spent in awkward silence.
“So,” he finally said. “I thought I would show you the apartment you’ll be staying in. It’s actually one of the places we use for clients who need a safe place to stay. But we thought it would be ideal until we found you an apartment.”
“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “I can find my own apartment, though.”
Gray sent her a sideways glance. “You ever lived in Dallas?”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’ve lived here for years, I know the place pretty well,” he told her easily. “I know the better areas to live in.”
“I doubt I can afford the better areas,” she muttered, looking out the passenger window so he wouldn’t see how nervous she was. What was she doing here? She was fooling herself. They didn’t really want her here. They pitied her.
“Were you surprised by my call?” she asked.
“I was a little, yes.”
“And Hunter? What did he say? Does he regret offering me the job?”
“If either of us regretted it then you wouldn’t be here,” Gray told her truthfully.
“I have no credentials, no references, what makes you think I can do this? Isn’t it a bit stupid to hire a person you know nothing about?”
Gray glanced over at her for a moment. “You’re right,” he said, surprising her. “It would be stupid. But we know more about you than you think. Jacey and Derrick vouch for you. You’re calm under pressure. Hunter said you have some background with guns and self-defense. Plus, he has good instincts. I trust him.”
“You really trust him that much?”
“We’re more than business partners and friends. Hunter has saved my ass a time or two with his instincts. I’ve learned never to ignore them.”
Cady sat back and watched the city whiz by. “Do you think we could go to your office instead of the apartment?”
Gray frowned. “Ahh, sure. But don’t you want to unwind and settle in? No one expects you to go in today.”
“I’m sure.” She had to. She wasn’t sure she’d have the guts to do this tomorrow.
Forever Yours, Sir (Doms of Decadence) Page 4