Chapter Thirteen
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W hen Tristan saw the incoming call from Ryder, he picked up immediately. “Abrams.”
“You busy right now?”
“No. What’s up?”
“There’s been another incident with Cassie.”
He shot straight up on the sofa. “What happened? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. But she and Bristol were both hauled into the Sheriff’s Office for questioning.”
“About what?”
“Possession of illicit street drugs.”
“ What ?”
“Apparently someone called in a tip about a drug deal going down between Cassie and another person in the Albertson’s parking lot just outside of Crimson Point. Deputy pulled her over on the highway and found drugs in her trunk.”
“He planted them.” Someone had orchestrated it. Cassie was innocent. And it couldn’t be mere coincidence that this had happened so soon after the shooting.
“Not him, but someone did.”
“You’re sure it wasn’t the cop?”
“Yeah. Sheriff Buchanan saw the body cam footage. The drugs were already in the trunk when the deputy found them.”
“Did they charge her?”
“Not yet, but only because Buchanan got involved personally. Cassie and Bristol were both released half an hour ago, but charges could still be applied. The cops are trying to sort it all out, and we’re doing what we can on our end, including accessing security cam footage from around the grocery store lot.
I’m just leaving the station now. Thought you should know what happened, since you’re the closest to her. ”
Not nearly as close as he wanted to be. And once again, Cassie hadn’t reached out to him in a crisis. Although to be fair, she must have been busy coordinating with CPS and lawyers.
Thank God Ryder and the sheriff had both stepped in, or she might be behind bars right now. “Thanks for letting me know. Anything I can do?”
“Check up on her for me. She’s either at her place or Bristol’s.”
“I’ll head out now. Thanks for letting me know.” He ended the call, shot off a text to her, and was out the door two minutes later. Because, of course, she didn’t respond, and he wasn’t going to sit around waiting to find out whether she eventually would.
This whole situation was unreal. Complete bullshit. Cassie had been framed.
Maybe Becca hadn’t been the intended target the other day. Maybe it had been Cassie all along. Although he didn’t have a clue why anyone would come after her.
Cassie still hadn’t responded to his message by the time he arrived at her house twelve minutes later. TJ’s vehicle was parked beside hers in the driveway.
He strode to the front door, battling to get a collar around his frustration, and knocked with a bit more force than was necessary. TJ opened it moments later. “Hey, man.”
Tristan was still getting to know the former undercover DEA agent. TJ was now working for CPS on a contract basis, but it was rumored they were going to make it permanent. “I heard what happened. They okay?”
“Yeah. Come on in.” He stepped back.
Cassie and Bristol were at the kitchen table. They stopped talking when he walked in.
“Hi. Guess you heard the news?” Cassie said. She didn’t seem that surprised to see him, but at least she wasn’t mad that he’d just shown up.
He nodded, raw emotion pumping through him. He wanted to walk over there, pull her out of the chair, and hug her, didn’t care that Bristol and TJ would see. “Ryder called.”
The pause that followed was loaded with unspoken tension.
“Well, we’d better get going,” Bristol said. She got up, threw him a look that clearly said good luck on the way by.
“Cass, let us know if you need anything,” TJ said from the entry.
“I will. Thanks.”
The front door closed behind Bristol and TJ moments later, leaving him and Cassie alone. In the sudden quiet, he heard an old clock ticking somewhere in the background.
Cassie didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just sat there watching him.
She might not be happy that he’d shown up uninvited and unannounced, but he wasn’t leaving until he knew for sure she was okay.
He crossed through to the kitchen, took the chair across the table from her, and sat. “You all right?”
She started to nod automatically. Then stopped. “I’m not sure, to be honest.”
Surprised but ecstatic that she was dropping her guard a little, he waited. Biting back the urge to demand why she hadn’t reached out to him or responded to his message. The truth was, Ryder and the sheriff had helped her way more than he could have.
But something twinged in his chest at the sight of her like this, slouched over in her chair, elbow on the table, head in her hand.
Fragile. Almost looking...defeated.
He couldn’t stand it. Had to help her. “Cass, talk to me.”
She shook her head, looking up at him in bewilderment. “I don’t understand any of this.” He felt the impact of that silver gaze right through him. “They have to be connected, right? This and the ambush. I don’t know how. They’re so wildly different. But they must be.”
He nodded. “I agree.”
“The sheriff got the department to hold off on bringing charges for now, but I’m still waiting to hear whether they’re going to officially charge me.
I’ve been back and forth with the CPS legal team all afternoon, and so far, they’re saying the cops can’t charge me since an anonymous tip isn’t probable cause and doesn’t justify him searching my vehicle.
My best hope is that a security camera caught the person planting the drugs.
Otherwise, I could be in a whole hell of a lot of trouble. ”
“Not happening. CPS has a strong legal team. And you haven’t done anything wrong.”
She nodded, still looking deflated. “It’s a lot of shit to deal with all at once, you know?”
He nodded, aching to hold her. To ease her pain and worry. Find out who was behind all this and hunt them down. “I’m here for you, no matter what happens.”
Surprise flickered in her eyes, but her wistful smile threatened to break his heart. “Why are you so good to me?”
His chest hitched at the note of uncertainty in the question. As if she couldn’t fathom why someone would treat her well. “Because I care about you.” He didn’t dare tell her just how deeply.
A long, loaded pause followed while she seemed to measure him. He held her gaze, refusing to look away. Letting her see his resolve. He’d meant what he said. He would stick by her no matter what.
But her uncertainty of him was triggering. His whole life he’d made a point of keeping his feelings under wraps. Of being the calm, contained twin. But his feelings ran deep. Deeper than most people realized. And Cassie constantly forced them all to the surface.
Her phone rang, breaking the silence. She glanced at it, picked up.
“Hi, Sheriff Buchanan.” She listened to whatever he said, closed her eyes and sighed in what seemed like relief.
“That’s great news. Will I need to come back in tomorrow morning?
” A pause. “All right. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. Have a good night.” She ended the call and met his gaze.
“What did he say?”
“He spoke to the prosecutor. They’re dropping the charges because they don’t have a real case.
I have no criminal record. I’ve passed recent background and security checks by CPS, the anonymous call came from a burner phone, and my vehicle was parked in a public place where anyone could have seen someone breaking into my trunk.
And, lucky for me, cameras across the street show someone picking the lock and planting the drugs. ”
Son of a bitch. “Do they have an ID?”
“Not yet, except that it’s a twenty or thirty-something male.
He was wearing a hat and most of his face was shadowed.
” She expelled a hard breath, leaned her head back and put a hand to the back of her neck, closing her eyes.
“But someone’s trying to screw with me. That could have been a felony. ” She would have done prison time.
Yeah. It filled him with a deep, burning rage that someone had done this to her. “Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you?”
She opened her eyes and looked at him. A shadow moved in her gaze. And she hesitated a fraction of a second too long before responding. “No.”
She’d thought of someone but was holding it back. Why? He struggled to find his patience, something he normally had a large supply of.
Then Cassie’s stomach let out a vicious growl.
“Have you eaten anything?” he asked, seeing an opportunity.
“No. Not since the piece of pie earlier with Bristol, before we stopped at the grocery store.”
He stood. “Come on. We’re going into town.” He headed for the door without waiting for a response. This time he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
As he bent to put his shoes on at the door, he glanced back, relieved to see she was getting her jacket from the closet. Progress.
If he had his way, by the end of the night he would dismantle a sizeable section of her walls.