“I know you’re busy,” Mac began carefully, his hands in his pockets to keep from pulling her against him.
“Please go.”
“Look, I know I screwed up…”
“Please – go.” Cassidy turned her back, striding to the empty computer.
“I told you I was the boss, Cass…”
“The boss?” She hissed furiously low, shoving against the computer table and spinning on him. “The boss!” She repeated through clenched teeth. “Is that what you call it, Mac?”
“I never thought about it!” He answered, no longer trying to keep his voice down. “It’s just…we never talked about…”
“You never told me where you were living, Mac…why?” Hands were clenched tightly at her side. “I see…did you figure I was a money grubbing little wench out to separate you and your gold? So, oh, don’t tell Cassidy the truth about who you really are…”
“Who…the truth? You know everything there is to know about me! This is the real me! All there is! Christ, we did nothing but talk for months and I know damned well you’re not…”
“Then why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Cassidy put her palm up. “Please…right now I have work to do and I cannot talk about this.”
“Then later. At home. We can’t fix it without talking, Cass,” Mac waited for her to nod before turning and striding to the building, the door once more slammed off the hinges.
Cassidy felt the hot stinging, closing her eyes and sending through a message to Abby. “I think they’re watching us. Take separate cars and meet me at the parking lot outside the main entrance to the movie theatre.”
“Alright.”
Abby never knew a day could go so long in her life. She gave crisp and toneless instructions on buttoning down the canopies, locked all the cabinets and pulled her keys from her purse, striding to her car and seeing nothing as she walked.
She left her car fifteen minutes later, sinking into Cassidy’s and closing her eyes.
“Now what?”
“I don’t know, Abby…I just want to curl up somewhere and cry…so much for being a big girl, huh?” Cassidy pulled in a long, hard breath. “Come on…into the mall…walk and shop and not think.”
After an hour and half of walking and shopping, they had clothes for the morning and twenty messages on their phones each. They sat outside at one of the small teriyaki shops, phones buzzing incessantly.
“They aren’t going to give up,” Cassidy said quietly.
“It’s part of their charm,” Abby answered, a tint of sarcasm in her tone. “We have to eat something…or at least…I’m getting a milk shake and you’re having one, too…chose a flavor.”
“Chocolate works,” Cassidy looked at the text message and turned the phone off, shoving it into her pack. She pulled the lap top out, opened it and began the power up.
Abby set the milkshake on the table, pulling a chair to the side and watching the screen. She looked at Cassidy. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“It’s how we met, Abby.”
Chapter Nineteen
Several hours later, Mac almost jumped out of his chair. “They logged in,” he announced to the pacing Cade.
“Yeah? And how the hell is this going to help us find them?” Cade growled.
“Because I wrote the program,” Mac answered without thinking. “It’ll pinpoint the Wi-Fi they’re piggy backing with, which will send data through my program which will tell me where they are…trust me…”
Mac typed into the chat line.
“Cassidy, answer your phone.”
“Go away,” she typed back, issuing a duel challenge.
“Damn it I am not going to duel you!” Mac heard his typing get louder. She repeated the challenge three more times. “Will you stop that! I am not…Cassidy! You put me on effing ignore? Are you serious?”
Cassidy moved her fingers over the keyboard, shutting down and closing the laptop. “He’s tracking us,” she said quietly, sliding the laptop into her bag and standing up with Abby beside her. They moved quickly out of the mall and into the parking lot. “Now what?”
Abby pulled the pass card from her pocket. “We have this. And a whole empty hotel.”
Cassidy nodded, opening the car and driving back. There had been a certain childish satisfaction in issuing a challenge to him, even though she knew he’d decline. Even more satisfying was envisioning his face when she put him on ignore. But it had faded quickly.
****
Mac slammed his palm on the desk. “They’re gone. They were in the mall.”
“Back to square one.”
“I can’t believe she put me on ignore,” Mac surged to his feet, thinking. “Where the hell would they go next?”
“Abby won’t go home…she has too much pride for that,” Cade paced the living area. “Our place is full of boxes, the storage company delivered things this morning. That’s why I didn’t miss the pass card immediately. I don’t know where they’d go.” He admitted honestly.
****
Cassidy made a stop before they went to the resort, running into the store and then back a few minutes later. Abby looked at her quizzically. “Fruity, sweet and alcoholic.”
Abby sighed. “That doesn’t sound half bad.”
“It gets better…” Cassidy said with a devilish grin. “I got a plan, girl.”
****
Mac sat before the computer. Cade sat sprawled in one of the chairs, legs straight out and head back.
“They’re here,” Mac announced triumphantly.
“In the resort? How…”
“Because it just dawned on me to check the pass card log ins,” Mac said flatly. “Woman’s dulled my senses. You don’t have your pass card, remember? They do. Let me find out what room they took…” His hands moved over the keyboard. “Got it,” he announced, grabbing up his card and heading for the door.
They knocked first. Twice.
“Mac…you really think they’ll answer?” Cade asked bitterly.
“Okay…I’ll give you that one,” Mac slid the card into the slot and pushed the door cautiously open. “I guess I should be glad it’s not in game…she’d be throwing things at me and…holy hell…”
Cade’s eyes very slowly took in the clothing hanging from various pieces of furniture. Skirt and vest…slacks and tank tops….shoes on the floor.
“So…they’re on the grounds…in their underwear?” Mac croaked out.
“Bathroom is empty. They went shopping…but the stuff is still in the bags.”
Mac met his eyes. “The pool. The indoor pool was cleared yesterday.”
“This does not bode well,” Cade lifted an empty bottle of Riesling from the garbage.
“I didn’t know Cassidy drank wine,” Mac frowned, striding down the hall and ignoring the elevator, taking the stairs to the lower level.
“I’m sure that’s our fault,” Cade told him dryly.
Mac ran his card through the reader, pushing the door quietly inward. It took a little bit for their eyes to adjust to the very dim lights. When they did, both of them stood silently for a few minutes.
Lying face down on the cushioned lounge chairs, neither woman noticed them at first. Cade nodded to the empty bottle of wine on the table. Long, damp hair hung down the sides and almost touched the concrete from each woman.
Abby knew she had finally dozed off. Finally found a little peace in sleep when she thought she heard the door open, felt a slight breath of cooler air cross over her. She raised her head, propping her chin in her palm.
“Well, well, well…look who has honored us with their presence,” Abby announced flippantly. “The bosses,” she said in a reverent whisper.
“You think they’ll fire us?” Cassidy asked curious and casual.
“Right now, I honestly don’t care,” Abby laid her head back down. All the emotions came flooding back when she saw him just standing there.
Cassidy sighed thickly. “I know the feeling.”
&nbs
p; “I’m not sure how far we’ll get with them in this condition…” Mac dropped to his heels, unsure on how to proceed. “Even if we managed to explain, would they remember it in the morning?”
“Hello? We can hear you,” Came the sing-song voice from Cassidy.
“Then you should have answered your damn phone.” Mac growled back.
“Be gone with you…before someone drops a house on you,” she mumbled.
Abby started giggling.
“And you put me on ignore? W-T-F?” Mac threw back, pacing around the pool with Cade close behind.
“Yeah, well I need a damn ignore button now,” Cassidy lifted her palm and stabbed at the air. “You should have accepted my challenge.”
“Cassidy, I am not going to duel you…”
“Chicken.”
“I’m a god damned warrior! You’re a…a…”
“An ass-kicking priest who would’ve cleaned the floor with you!” She announced triumphantly.
“Okay…this is going well…” Cade shook his head. “Abby…I know you’re in there…we need to go home. We can get your clothes and…”
“We…are not talking to you,” Abby answered loftily without looking. “We are quite comfortable right here. But thank you for the kind and most generous offer, Mr. Rollins, sir.”
“We…are going home,” Cade pushed the words between his teeth. “We…are going to talk the whole damn night if that’s what it takes to get this straightened out and we are going now.”
“I think the big boss has spoken,” Cassidy remarked casually.
“Gee…I’m quaking in my boots…oh wait…I’m not wearing any boots!” Hysterical giggles burst out from both of them.
“And that’s going better, how?” Mac asked with a growl.
“Yeah, well I know a solution to one of the problems,” Cade moved quickly, grabbed one of Abby’s arms, flipped her to the side and lifted her off the lounge. Two long steps and he stood at the edge of the pool. “Always worked on guys in the military.”
Abby opened her eyes in time to see the water beneath her, her struggle coming a little too late. Arms and legs flailing and her scream echoed in the high ceiling of the huge pool room.
Mac was watching the events. Cade stood with his hands on his hips.
“That should sober you up…” he stopped, leaning over expectantly. She hadn’t come right to the top.
“Maybe they drank too much to…” Mac moved closer to the edge.
“Ah…shit…” Cade jumped into the pool at the same time a pair of small hands struck hard in the center of Mac’s back and Abby struck out quickly for the other side.
Abby and Cassidy stood by the main entrance long enough to see them both surface, shock and disbelief on their faces. Abby met Cade’s eyes without a smile.
“Don’t ever doubt the intelligence or devious nature of two totally pissed off women. I guess I have another one for my list.”
They went through the door, a chair slid beneath the handle. They were in their room dressing hastily and didn’t hear the loud laughter filling the pool room.
Chapter Twenty
“Well…it does provide insight into one aspect of the problem,” Mac commented, hauling himself up on the side and peeling his tee shirt over his head, wringing the water out as he watched Cade unzip his boots, a very painful expression on his face. “They wouldn’t have worked so hard on that little plot if they didn’t still care.”
“My boots…” Cade groaned shook his head, stopping and looking at Mac thoughtfully. “Okay…that’s good…”
Abby stopped the car as they drove through the gate. Cassidy leaned over her to speak to the guard.
“Harry…send one of the patrol guards to the pool room and let the two guys that are locked inside out, will you?”
“Guys…” suddenly the guard looked a little uncomfortable. “The only guys on site right now are Mr. Rollins and Mr. Lawson.”
“That’s them,” Cassidy tipped her fingers off her head. “See you tomorrow, Harry.”
“Hotel?” Abby drove quickly, through the quiet streets.
“Yeah…but I have to admit I do feel a little better,” Cassidy shook her head. “Seriously…they think we’d drink ourselves silly over them?”
“One glass was nice, though,” Abby agreed.
Cade carried his boots with him through the hall.
“Harry…how did they get onsite?”
“How…” now he was looking frantic.
“One car or two, Harry,” Mac interpreted.
“Two.”
“And how did they leave?” Cade continued.
“One. Miss Murray was driving.”
“Thanks, Harry. Good night,” Mac tossed his soaking wallet, keys and phone onto the bed. “Great. Now I need a new damn phone…”
Cade followed his actions, peeling down to his briefs and tossing his clothes with Mac’s into the dryer.
Mac was peeling things from his wallet, laying them out on the table.
“Now what?”
“Now we try and get some sleep and think,” Cade said with a shrug, a thick towel around his waist when he came out of the bathroom, groaning at the procedure Mac was going through. Cade sat in the opposite chair, emptying his wallet and shaking his head at the phone, carefully removing the sim card. “They won’t make it this easy a second time.”
“This was easy? It was a damned ambush…shit…”
“Yeah…no kidding…”
Abby parked the car and they walked to the cantina shortly before seven in the morning. “I don’t feel as watery today,” she said quietly, lathering a bagel with cream cheese and taking a bite.
“Yeah…I think it was the therapy of seeing them both in the pool,” Cassidy agreed. “But it doesn’t solve the issues…”
“No…but it gave us thinking time. It’s bad enough to have a fight, but it’s damn…annoying…to carry it on through tears,” Abby said firmly. “And worse…in public.”
“Okay…that’s true…”
“Don’t forget…girl’s night with my mom…we’re leaving here at four, like yesterday,” Abby walked to her desk, prepping things for the applicants of the day.
****
Logan poured coffee bright and early the next morning and looked at the less than starched pair, one stretched out on his sofa and the other barefoot and kicked back in one of the office chairs.
“I’ve heard a few…let’s say rumors,” Logan mentioned, working hard not the laugh.
“Yeah?” Cade didn’t open his eyes. “After the last couple days, I bet they’re rampant.”
“I’m just going to push forward,” Logan said after a long pause. “Don’t forget tomorrow morning at nine…here…pounding out the rest of the clinic budget. Ian, Anya and Sam will be here. So how was the pool?”
“Warm,” Mac responded with a sigh. “Women make you nuts.”
“Welcome to the club,” Logan said with a laugh.
****
Abby began to notice people watching her about eleven when she was sitting in the cantina with Cassidy. She stabbed at the salad she bought, chewing thoughtfully.
“You notice…”
“People staring?” Cassidy completed with a grimace. “Yeah…I’m guessing we’re now known as the bosses women.”
Abby’s expression flattened. “I was afraid of that.”
“Logan hired us, Abby,” Cassidy pointed out, biting into her sandwich.
“Which should alleviate one of our problems,” Mac said flatly, turning one of the chairs and straddling it while Cade pulled another chair to the other side. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
“We’d ask if we could join you for lunch, but our egos are feeling a little on the fragile side at the moment,” Cade picked a tomato off her plate and popped it into his mouth. “So we’re just going to make a leap of faith and impose ourselves upon you.”
“Are we on even ground after last night?” Mac leaned his arms on the back of the chair, watchin
g the pair of them. It was like seeing a couple of fawns standing in the center of a field, waiting, listening.
“People are staring,” Abby finally said, taking another bite of salad and not tasting a thing.
“And let’s don’t forget talking,” Cassidy added, glaring at the proprietary hand that took half her sandwich and bit into it hungrily.
“So? We’re mostly adults,” Mac remarked in between bites. “Or is that we’re adults most of the time? I’m not sure on that one.”
“We…” Cade began quietly. “Are not your supervisors. We did not have one thing to do with either of you being hired. You won the jobs on skill and merit.”
“We are very well aware of that,” Abby told him frostily, pulling herself up straight in the chair.
“Alright…then ignore the people staring and talking. It’ll fade in time,” Cade told her.
“You never told us who you were, you never told me where you were living,” Cassidy looked from one to the other, a frown creased her lips when Cade nodded to Mac.
“I’ll let you handle that one first.”
“You never asked where I was living. It never came up,” Mac said firmly and clearly. “I told you I was a programmer. I am. I told you I was the boss…”
“The boss?” Cassidy leaned over, her voice low and furious. “You are not just the…the flippin’ boss! You’re one quarter of the…the damned conglomerate!”
Mac seemed to honestly be taken aback. “So? It’s not a big…”
“Don’t even go there,” Cassidy held up one finger.
“It’s not a big deal,” Cade finished the statement, carefully studying Abby. “I didn’t hire you, Abby. I wanted to know what our process was for hiring. I wanted to know how thorough we were and how we were handling integrating the community around us. I had no idea you and I would hit it off,” he admitted carefully. “I screwed up. But by the time I realized it, I already knew the kind of wall I would slam into because you’re a professional. Dating the boss…”
WindSwept Narrows: #2 Cassidy, Abby & Mia Page 16