Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #6) Read online

  When I woke from my sweet somber I was completely alone. I know, because I searched the room for Brant, even the closet I thought he was hiding in to scare me. I wasn’t worried about him, but more concerned he hadn’t woke me up to tell me where he was going. We were in a city I’d never been in. It wouldn’t be smart to wander out on my own alone, and I didn’t want to spend any of our cash without making sure it was okay with him.

  We’d ditched our phones before leaving Kentucky, making it hard to not wonder if my parents had been out all night hunting for us. Since Brant wasn’t around to stop me, I picked up the phone and dialed my cousin, Christian, desperate to let her know I was still alive at least.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s me, Chris. We made it to Vegas. I just wanted to tell someone in case my mom and dad are freaking out.”

  “Girl, you have no idea. They’re here in Kentucky. Your mom is a mess.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  “Your dad was talking some crazy shit last night. Are you sure you made the right decision? You have every right to change your mind you know. You’re always welcome home.”

  “It’s not that simple. I wish I could have both lives, but it’s not possible. My dad was clear with his demands. As long as I’m sleeping with the enemy, I have no home to go back to.”

  “He’s only saying that. You know he doesn’t mean it.”

  “Chris, I’m happy. I’m free for the first time in my life. I was just calling to tell you I was all right. If you want to pass on the message I’d appreciate it.”

  I could tell she wasn’t happy about being the bearer of bad news. “Don’t put this on me. You didn’t see your parents last night. They called Uncle John. They had him calling in favors to look for the vehicle you were in.”

  “Thanks for not telling them where we were headed.”

  “Don’t mention it. Just let me know when you get settled so we can come visit. Oh, and Jax called me this morning. He told me if I talked to you to tell you he’s pissed you won’t be around to watch the twins when Amber has to go back to work.”

  “Of course he did.” My cousin Jax was a newlywed with new twins. He was a twin himself, so we all said it was a curse. I think he actually enjoyed being a parent, at least it seemed that way. His wife was a model. She’d taken off work to be with the children. If you ask me, Amber was already back to her beautiful figure she had before getting pregnant, but who really knew. She was gorgeous no matter what she weighed. “Tell him to get Callie to do it.”

  “I miss you already. I’m kind of jealous you’re out there in Vegas while Ethan and I are here working on decorating the new house. It’s getting annoying. I’m tired of colors and hardwood. I’m ready to cement the floors and call it a day.”

  I laughed at her comment. She was engaged to her boyfriend and they’d been building a house on a piece of property his parents gave him. Ethan was from a farming family as well. If you ask me, they were made for one another. They were like the same people in two different bodies. “Thanks for the money you gave me. It’s going to help us get a start.”

  “Do you know where you’re going to be staying? Did Brant even discuss what his new job is? Uncle Conner is speculating it’s something illegal. You’d tell me if you were in trouble, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yeah. For sure. He hasn’t talked about it, but I’m not worried,” I lied. “I’m sure it’s a normal job. There are plenty of jobs here.”

  “True.”

  I heard the door opening and knew my boyfriend was returning. If he saw me on the phone he’d think I was trying to back out of our plans to be together. “I need to go. I’ll call you soon, Chris. Love you.”

  I hung up before I heard her reply. Brant came in the room and stared at me, and then the phone. “I leave for a couple hours and you’re already calling home?”

  “No. Of course not. I called Chris. I promised I’d tell her we were fine.”

  “She better not tell your daddy where we are.”

  “She won’t. I trust her.”

  He shrugged. “It don’t matter if you did. We’re out of here.”

  “Really? So soon?”

  “I got in touch with my friend this morning. He’s going to meet us at our house we’ll be living in. Grab your things. We’re going to our new home, baby.”

  With excitement consuming me, I hopped out of bed and avoided asking about his job again. I had to trust him. After all, wasn’t he doing this for us to be together?

  Chapter 3

  Cassie

  When he said we were headed for better things, I assumed we’d be staying in a nice sized apartment, at least something we could afford. I never imagined it would be as lavish as the property we pulled up to. A green landscaped lawn was the first thing I noticed when we turned into the driveway. Then I saw the house; the huge two-story dwelling. “Do we need to pick up a key? Is this where the landlord lives?”

  Brant cut off the ignition and turned to address my question. “I told you we were going to be happy here, baby. This is our place, at least for the time being. Once I get enough dough we’ll move on to our forever home.”

  “Yeah right. You must think I’m gullible.”

  Right as I said it a couple came walking outside, and when I say a couple I meant it in the nicest way. They weren’t holding hands or giving each other googly eyes. The guy looked to be in his forties. His hair was slicked back, and I couldn’t tell if it was a dark brown or jet black. What I did noticed right off the bat was his attire. He was wearing a lot of gold around his neck and on his wrist. He had this suspicious kind of smile, which made me feel uncomfortable.

  The female, well I don’t even know what to say I noticed first. Admittedly, it was most likely her extremely large breasts, and then probably her platinum blonde hair. She bounced when she walked, and I wondered if she was one of the performers in one of the exotic shows people come from far and wide to see. She definitely had a Barbie complex about her. The word bimbo came to mind, especially when I turned back around to look at Brant and caught him checking her out. Immediately I felt overwhelmed with jealousy. It’s not like it was the first time it happened. He had a wandering eye, especially when it came to women who flaunted their sex appeal. I suppose moving to Vegas was going to be an adjustment. If I wanted our relationship to work, I’d have to learn to trust my boyfriend. The problem was that we’d been on again and off again so many times I often wondered what he’d done when we weren’t an item. I’d always said I didn’t want to know, but deep down inside it tore me up wondering.

  The blonde approached Brant first, hugging him like they were old friends. I didn’t have time to curl my lip in disgust, because the guy was headed in my direction with arms wide open.

  Now, I’d always been a friendly person, but like I mentioned before, something about him creeped me out. He wasn’t exactly a charming kind of man. In fact, it was more the opposite. It would be a challenge to pretend I felt normal being around him. My cousins had been through a lot with relationships, one being raped by someone she thought she could trust. I knew better than to think I was safe from being a victim. Knowing that kept me safe, because I was always on the lookout for a possible suspect.

  His arms came around me, but I didn’t dare hug him back. “You must be Cassie.” He turned to give Brant his attention. “You were right about her being pretty. Now I know where all the beautiful women must be hiding.” He winked when he said it as if it was meant to be funny. I however, felt like kicking him where the sun doesn’t shine and calling it a day. “My name is Rocky by the way. That fine looking woman over there is Tammy. We’ve been clearing out the room in anticipation of your arrival.”

  “The room?” I’d been under the impression we were living alone.

  “Yeah, baby. I told you we’re sharing a place with another couple.”

  No he hadn’t. “It must have slipped my mind.” I rolled my eyes and looked away, doing my best not to pay attention to Tammy a
nd her huge breasts. “It was nice of you to get the room ready.”

  Tammy headed in my direction, taking me by the hand and leading me inside. “You’re going to love it here. The pool is kept around ninety-six, so late night swimming is a blast. You don’t even need clothes,” she said with a giggle.

  I didn’t respond. I had nothing to say about it. If she thought for a second she was going to go skinny dipping with my boyfriend she would soon find out how country girls protected their belongings.

  Brant came up behind me and pulled me along, while Rocky followed. We walked into the foyer and right away I was impressed with what I saw. The cathedral ceilings made the place look huge. I could see the landing to the second floor immediately, even before taking a single step further. “The living room and kitchen are on the first floor, as well as a formal living and dining room. There’s a powder room down the hall, and the master bedroom is at the end. That’s where we stay,” she explained. “Your room is upstairs. There’s also a private bathroom. You’ll have to use the one out in the hall until the plumber comes and fixes the glass door.”

  I didn’t respond until she walked us upstairs and showed us around. The glass door frame was intact, but the glass was gone from it.

  “Wow, what happened?”

  She turned and looked at Rocky before explaining. “Our last tenant had to be removed. It got ugly.” She smiled like it was nothing to worry about. “We’ll have it fixed in no time at all.”

  I had to admit, the place was roomy, and having the upstairs to ourselves made me feel a little better. I didn’t want to take a dip in the pool yet, but maybe in time I’d feel better about being around the couple. My first impression was that they were hiding something, or up to worse. I didn’t do well with shady people, but since I knew they were going to be our ticket to freedom, I had to get along with them, against my better judgment.

  Since this was the only way Brant and I could be together, I couldn’t complain. He was doing his best to provide for us. Once he started making money we’d be able to get a place of our own. I had to be patient. Good things came to those who waited.

  Chapter 4

  Cassie

  Uncomfortable. It’s what I felt from the first moment I stepped foot on to the property. Something told me things weren’t going to be as spectacular as I’d imagined in my head. Though important to keep my opinions to myself, I preferred to hide out in my bedroom to avoid from being around Rocky and his ridiculously flirtatious girlfriend. In fact, for the first twenty-four hours I stayed in bed crying. It was partly because I missed my family already, but mostly because I feared I’d made a terrible decision.

  It didn’t help when Brant preferred to be entertained by our new housemates instead of staying in the room with me. I didn’t blame him. He was trying to keep the peace for the sake of his new job. He’d never been the kind of guy to sit still, so sleeping the day away wasn’t an option.

  That first night he came into the room inebriated. He smelled of strong liquor and his hair was dripping wet. Wearing only his shorts, I watched as he kicked them off his legs. My first inclination was that he’d gotten a shower, but it smelled like chlorine. “Where were you?”

  He was shivering as he climbed under the covers with me. “I was just chilling with Tam. She’s going to take us out tomorrow night for dinner, then Rocky and I are going to get things in order for our first gig.”

  “Gig?” I wanted to ask him about being around Tammy, but was too curious about the job. “It sounds like you’re in a show.”

  He gave me that look – the one where I wasn’t suppose to question him. “Listen to me, Cass. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make us money.”

  “It’s illegal isn’t it?”

  He shrugged. “It’s not if no one knows it ever happened. Here’s the thing though. After talking to Tam tonight, I think it’s best if you’re a part of the operation. We’ve got the potential to make a killing, but we need a distraction. As much as I’d like to say she fits the bill, we need someone who can blend in undetected.”

  “Undetected?” I sat straight up with worry. “I’m not getting involved in a crime, Brant.”

  He ran his fingers over my lips. “Shh, it’s going to be okay. All you have to do is play a couple slots and be friendly. You don’t have to touch anyone or commit a crime. I promise.”

  “This makes no sense at all.”

  He rolled over and turned off the light on the bedside table. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. I’m beat.”

  I remained sitting up in the dark room. I should have known this was a bad idea. “You knew all along you’d be doing something illegal, didn’t you?”

  “We have different values, Cass. Do you want to have a place of our own someday?”

  “I don’t want to hurt people to get it.”

  “You won’t. I said I’d protect you, and I meant it.”

  “This is wrong. It’s exactly why my parents wanted me to stop seeing you. I’m not going to be a part of this. I won’t!”

  “You said you’d do anything for us to be together. I just need some time, baby. I know it’s not an ideal job, but with a little bit of time I’ll find something else. It’s temporary, so we can stay together. Please. Give me a chance. Let me do what needs to be done until I can figure something else out.”

  I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t hearing me. He never would. “Fine, but I’m not okay with this. I don’t want to help you.”

  “I get it. That’s why I admire you so much. You always assume I can be a better person. You have to believe it’s what I want too. This main score will give us the cash we need to be on our own. In the meantime we’ll have to do little jobs to have some cash. We don’t have to stay in this city. We can move wherever you want, even if it’s back to the country somewhere. We need a head start. You know it. Without support from our families this is the only way. Please, Cass. Just give me a month. Let me do what I need to, and then we’ll figure it out.”

  Even though I hated the idea, I knew we were in a tough situation. Like many times before, Brant had kept the truth from me because he knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Now I didn’t have a choice. I could call my parents and have them pick me up, knowing they’d been right all along, or I could wait this out, until I could figure out another way for us to make end’s meet. “One month, Brant. That’s it though. I won’t let you lead us down a path we can’t be proud of.”

  “You have my word, baby. We’ll get what we need and get out.”

  My mind went back to his wet hair, especially since I needed to change the subject. “Were you in the pool?”

  “Uh, yeah. Rocky and Tammy made some burgers. We had a couple beers while going over the plans for tomorrow.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Why didn’t you change into swimming trunks?”

  “Yeah, about that.” He paused. “We didn’t need them.”

  I rolled over and buried my head in my pillow. After one night he was already making me question my decision. I feared it was going to get worse, and living under the same roof with a Tammy was going to test my ability to trust my boyfriend; something I’d been very bad at.

  “Don’t be mad. We’re in Vegas. There’s lots of naked people walking around.”

  He tried to touch me, but I forced his hand away. If he thought for a second I was going to be all right with him sitting around Tammy in all her glory, he was in for a rude awakening.

  “I hate it here.”

  He said nothing and I was glad about it. Had we gotten into an argument over it, I probably would have been on the first flight home. After all, the grass wasn’t at all greener, at least not yet.

  That night I tossed and turned in bed, finally deciding it was better if I got up. I put on some sweats and found my way through the dark house. After stopping in the kitchen to make a sandwich, I made my way outside to the pool. Assuming everyone was asleep, I was flabbergasted when I realized two people were still clearly awake
an in a surprising situation. In the dim light, I could make out Tammy, her large boobs bouncing around in the bubbly water, while high pitched sounds escaped her lips. Behind her was a man, but after ducking back behind a tropical tree, I noticed he was built different from Rocky. I covered my mouth with my hands and snuck back inside the house, determined to keep my little discovery a secret. Far be it from me to ruin a relationship when I didn’t even know if there was one at all. My main concern was Brant, and somehow making enough money to keep moving.

  The next morning I awoke to find him bringing in a tray of breakfast. I could smell the maple syrup he’d poured over the buttermilk pancakes. “Peace offering time,” he noted while handing me the tray.

  I sat up and welcomed the food. My appetite had been non-existent since arriving. “Thank you. It smells wonderful.”

  “About last night.”

  I shook my head and shoved a bite into my mouth. “I’m never going to be okay with you being around other naked women. I’m not a jealous person by nature, but she’s very different from me, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

  “I know. I had too many beers celebrating being free of your parents. It won’t happen again. Besides, she was with Rocky the whole time.”

  I raised my brows. “That’s funny. Last night I walked around and saw her fucking someone else outside.”

  “What? You must be mistaken.”

  “Let’s hope. I don’t need to be kicked out before we can figure out where we’re going next. We need to save everything, Brant. I don’t want to put roots down here. This lifestyle isn’t for me. I know you like it, but I want a more quiet atmosphere. I want children, and a place to raise them where I don’t have to worry so much.”

  He ran his hand through my hair. “I know, baby. I’m working hard to give it to you.”

  I was content with his promise, but only because I knew how long he’d stuck by me when my parents did their best to keep us apart. Brant could have given up a long time ago and found someone with less baggage. He loved me enough to wait it out, and so I owed it to him to give him the same amount of patience.