35. Sam #2
Cassidy got in my face, hissing as she grabbed for the phone. “You do not need to send anyone down here to watch me!”
I turned, yanking the phone away, out of her reach. She tried to grasp it from my hand, but with her leg in a cast, it wasn’t like she could jump up and grab it.
“Look, can you at least send Josie?”
He snorted at me. “Seriously? You think I’m gonna send my wife to watch over your fuck buddy when she’s in danger?”
“Look, I said I wanted you. If you’re not willing to send Josie, then at least get down here and—”
Cassidy ripped the phone out of my hands, turning away from me. “Do not come down here, JR. I am perfectly capable of—”
I grabbed the phone, snarling at my wayward woman. “Just get your ass down here.”
“Only today. You’d better not call me tomorrow to do it again.”
“Whatever.”
Hanging up, I ignored the glare Cassidy shot my way, or the way her nostrils flared in anger. She thought she was putting up a big fight, but honestly, her anger just turned me on. And thinking with my dick wasn’t what I needed at the moment.
“You have no right to order people to come watch me like a kid!”
“Until they find—”
“Do not speak to me anymore about Austin and his stupid threats!”
“He ran you down with a car!” I yelled, grabbing her by the arms and hauling her against me. “You could have fucking died right in front of me!”
“Well, I didn’t! And if this is the way you’re going to act, you can just leave.”
To hell with keeping my distance this morning. If I couldn’t fuck her, I would damn well kiss her until she realized she wouldn’t be getting rid of me that easily.
I crushed my lips to hers, holding her tight in my arms until she started to yield. It took a good minute, but finally, she stopped fighting me and threaded her fingers through my hair, kissing me with everything in her.
“I can’t lose you,” I murmured against her lips. “Not like that.”
“You’ll just walk away instead.”
“Cass—”
“I get it.”
I brushed her hair back, memorizing the feel of her skin under my fingers, the scent of her hair, and those gorgeous eyes staring up at me in sadness.
“You know I can’t promise forever, but I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.
I can’t watch you bleeding out on the ground,” I confessed. “I nearly killed me.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded, finally giving in. When I kissed her this time, she sank into my arms and didn’t fight me for another second.
The bell over the shop rang, and JR’s grouchy voice broke the spell. “Yeah, it really looks like I need to be here.”
When I marched into the police station, I was damned pissed, and it had everything to do with the hard-on that damn woman gave me.
Every time her temper flared, it spiked my desire.
I was supposed to be rebuilding my life, and instead, I was spending every minute of my day worrying about Cassidy—and how to get back in her pants.
“Well, that’s a sourpuss face if I ever saw one,” Bea observed. “Troubles got you down?”
I grunted in response, which only made her chuckle. “Maybe it’s not troubles, but a certain someone.”
“There’s nothing getting me down.”
She glanced around the station, then motioned me over, keeping her voice low. “This wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with the woman you’ve been watching, would it?”
“What woman?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.
“Oh, please. Did you two actually think you were keeping this a secret?”
She could be baiting me, searching for information, so I played along. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, of course you do. We all know you’ve been sneaking into Cassidy’s shop and her house at night. You’re not quite as discreet as you think,” she winked at me. “But we’ve all enjoyed playing your game.”
The secret was out. There was no hiding it any longer, which meant I didn’t have to sneak around. It also meant that the gossip would spread like wildfire.
“Well played, Bea.”
“I still have a trick or two up my sleeve.” She jerked her head to the side. “Mav’s waiting for you in back.”
“Pleasure as always, Bea.”
I’d hardly known the woman more than a year, but I was already certain she was not one to mess with. The stories about her were legendary, and I was certain they were not exaggerated.
Mav waved me over as soon as he saw me. “Shut the door.”
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked as I took a seat.
“On guard. This is about Cassidy.”
I stiffened immediately, though I knew he didn’t call me to discuss the weather. “What about her?”
“Knight is tracking Austin. He thinks he’s got a lead on him, but nothing for certain.”
“Okay,” I answered hesitantly.
Shifting in his seat uncomfortably, I knew whatever he said next, I wasn’t going to like. “If she could remember seeing Austin behind the wheel…”
“She already told you she doesn’t remember anything.”
“Maybe she could go to a therapist…maybe try to find a way to remember.”
I huffed out a laugh at his suggestion. Sure, it seemed like a good idea, but what about when she remembered?
What would happen to her then? I wasn’t sure that was a good idea when I looked back at how grouchy she was when she came home.
She was just starting to come around. Now, he wanted me to throw her life into chaos once again?
“You already know it was him. Why are you pushing this?”
“Because without proof that he was driving, he could get off.”
“But you have him there at the scene of the crime.”
“No, we have his vehicle. With the headlights in the camera, we don’t have a visual of him. Short of a confession, we don’t have a lot to go on.”
“He ran off. Doesn’t that incriminate him somehow?”
“Again, he’s on the run, but until we catch him, he could say he drove off and didn’t know there was a warrant out for his arrest. It’s not like we can go to court with allegations and pointing fingers.
It doesn’t work that way. And last I checked, the liar liar pants on fire argument hasn’t been used in over a century. ”
I understood what he was saying, but I wasn’t so sure Cassidy would agree to any of it. Still, it was worth asking. “I’ll talk to her, but I can’t guarantee she’ll do it.”
“Understood.”
“What about everyone else? How’s Archer?”
“Still in the hospital. Burn unit. They say he’s going to make a full recovery, but it’s gonna take time. As for Cheyenne, she was released last week.”
“What about all those people? They have nowhere to go.”
“Most folks have given them a place to stay. Cheyenne’s out with Liam and Bailey at the ranch. Alyssa’s staying with JR. Everyone else has found someone to stay with until they find new apartments.”
This was such a fucking mess. When I moved out here, I never thought I would get wrapped up in shit like this. I was supposed to be rebuilding my life, and just when I finally decided to take up boxing once again, everything went to shit.
I shoved out of my seat, deciding then and there I was gonna get back in the ring. It was the only thing I could do to reset my mind and goals.
“I’ll let you know what she says, but I’m not pushing it.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
I nodded and headed out, bypassing the bookshop in favor of the gym. The moment I stepped inside, things felt right again. Walking over to the ring, I ran my fingers over the canvas and smiled. It was time to get back to work.
“Sammy! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you all fucking week.”
“I told you I had things going on.”
He strode over to me, clasping my shoulder. “Look, I get it. Shit happens, but you’re either in this or you aren’t. Don’t waste my fucking time.”
“I’m in this.”
Both hands clapped my cheeks, and he squeezed hard. “You sure about this?”
“Absolutely.”
“I need you every day. No more bullshit. No putting me off. If you want to get back in the ring, we can’t do this half-ass. Every morning, you’re here at six.”
I remembered Parker’s offer to train with me, but now that Austin was on the loose, I wasn’t sure he would still be willing to help me out.
“I’ll be here.”
“Good. Now, get changed and let’s get to work.”
I spent the next three hours working hard, focusing on training. It wasn’t until Deke told me we were taking a break that I noticed it was already lunchtime. I’d left Cassidy for longer than I expected, so I shot off a quick text to check on her.
Sam: Still training. Are you okay for a little longer?
Cassidy: Yes, I’m fine.
Sam: I won’t be much longer.
Cassidy: Okay
Another hour or two of training was all I planned, but I got so wrapped up in my workout, getting in a run, weight lifting, and my end-of-day rundown that I didn’t even notice it had gotten dark out. Mix in a few breaks for rest and eating, and the day had flown by.
And Cassidy was still at the shop.
“Shit.” I ran out the door, getting in my car, hoping she hadn’t done something stupid like try to walk home. But when I pulled up to the shop, the lights were still on, and she was reading a book behind the counter.
“I’m so sorry.” The words tumbled out of my mouth as I rushed inside, running my eyes over her body, making sure she was okay.
She let out a big yawn, stretching her arms over her head, but she otherwise looked fine. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve just been getting some reading in.”
He looked around the shop, frowning. “Where’s JR?”
“He had to leave.”
“But—”
“Relax, it was two seconds ago. Besides, I was ready for them to leave so I could relax and enjoy myself.”
That’s what she said, but she looked exhausted. “Are you planning on coming back tomorrow?”
“And every day after,” she grinned.
“I’ll make sure I’m back earlier. I just got carried away today.”
“It’s fine. Now, hand me my crutches and let’s get home. I’m starving.”
Her words struck me hard. It was so domestic.
How the hell was I going to tell her that I wasn’t going to continue living with her?
This was only a temporary situation until we caught Austin.
Yet, as my eyes ran over her body and I thought about all that was waiting for me tonight, I couldn’t seem to find the words to tell her this was about to come to an end.