CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JOSH
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I pull into the driveway, slam it into park, climb out of the Maserati, and stomp my way across the gravel to Cassy’s front door.
I know she’s okay.
My men have reported in. And replied to my five messages. But that doesn’t stop me banging on the front door and then opening it—because I have a key—and storming inside.
“Cass—”
“Josh?” Cassy steps into the entrance, her eyes wide with surprise.
I cross the space between us and grab her shoulders hard. “When I text, you answer. Understand?”
“You’re hurting me.” She gasps.
Fuck.
I loosen the grip on her arms and rub them as all the tension I’d been holding falls away. I hated being away from her. I hated that she ignored me. I fucking hate that I feel like this, and yet here I am with her in my arms. Again.
Almost.
“I didn’t get your message until I woke up,” Cassy advises. “You have five men surrounding my house. You know I’m fine.”
She is fine.
I wasn’t.
All day yesterday, I resisted the urge to text her and congratulated myself for lasting until ten in the evening, like it was some marathon.
She never replied.
The number of times I nearly got in my fucking car and drove over here. Okay, fine, I did once. But I didn’t pass through the gates.
“All it said was goodnight,” she says. I can see the hurt still in her eyes from yesterday and it gets under my skin.
“Did you hear the text?” I ask, and when she presses her lips together, I snap. “Fuck, Cassy. This isn’t a game. If I message you, I need to know you’re okay.”
I might be exaggerating. She doesn’t need to report in.
I just...I needed it.
She tugs at my hold, and I let her go as she turns her back on me.
“I know it’s not a game, Josh. I know! I lived through this once before.” She twirls. “But stop lying to yourself. Ryder could’ve told you I was fine, as could any of the men on this property.”
I cross my arms.
Because she is correct.
“That’s not how this works,” I say, hearing the bullshit in my own voice.
She looks disappointed in me as she walks away into the living room. I follow, taking in her sexy black pants and cropped matching jacket.
My body reacts, my cock hardening, but it’s the need to have her closer, to feel her on my chest and in my arms that is stronger. Even as I resist what this means.
“If you’re angry with me, I’m sorry,” I say, because I do need to make sure Cassy will communicate with me. “Tonight is important. Let’s clear this up so I know I’ll have your full cooperation.”
“I’m not angry. And you will have it. You do have it,” Cassy says as she lifts her coffee mug to her lips. The dark glint in her eyes is still there, telling me she is far from over this. “Want one?”
I shake my head. I barely slept and I’m wired. The last thing I need is caffeine.
“I had an apple.”
Her mug freezes midair in question.
“Bigger, longer high. Low glycemic index.” I explain, then shake off the topic. “Anyway, please don’t ignore me again. I was worried,” I admit as my voice calms.
Cassy lowers her mug, and in response, she softens before my eyes. “I thought it was Isaac. I was scared to read it.”
Shit.
Goddamn it. I fucking hate that I wasn’t here with her. That she was scared—so scared she wouldn’t check her messages.
Suddenly I don’t care about anything, or that I should let Ryder stay on point, or how my feelings are confusing and I don’t feel I can promise her anything.
Or be the man she wants.
Needs.
All I can think is that I can’t let her go through this alone. I want to be the man she can lean on. Rely on. Feel safe with. The one holding her at night, so she never feels that unsafe again.
I take a few steps—
Cassy holds up her hand. “Don’t. You were right, Josh. We can’t do this. I don’t regret anything, but we need to keep things professional.”
I grind my teeth, then nod.
CASSY CLOSES THE salon early this afternoon so key members of her team can get ready to attend the Salon of the Year Award. I watch as they transform from stylists into glamorous could-be celebrities.
Cassy looks mouth-wateringly gorgeous in a long, blood-red gown. Her dark hair is pulled to the side in big waves which look like they belong in the ocean.
Her eyes are smokey, her lips red, and she looks like a fucking siren who would never give me a second look.
Which is ironic given she barely has all day.
Part of me doesn’t care. Having my eyes on her and knowing she is safe is all that matters. Well, except right now I’d love to push her to her knees, grip her mouth, and slide my cock inside those blood-red lips.
But we are being professional.
If it were my fucking choice, I’d lock Cassy in my bedroom until Isaac is back behind bars, and I’d be completely unprofessional with her for hours and hours.
But here we are.
Ryder showed up thirty minutes ago and is leaning on the wall beside me. I can’t work out if he enjoys being in the salon or, like me, wonders why the hell he spent hours crawling through muddy waters and climbing mountain ranges only to end up here.
Some jobs are just like this.
But Cassy doesn’t feel like a job and so when he asked if I wanted support, I said yes. My mind is distracted, and tonight is too important for me to miss anything.
“Jesus,” Ryder mutters when he sees Cassy turn, and it irks me. “She scrubs up well.”
His eyes dart to me and then he does a double take.
“Keep your words inside your head.” I growl before he can speak.
He’s a man. I’m a man. He’s also extremely observant. Unfortunately, that means he’s worked out how I feel about Cassy.
Sure, he knew I was hot for her, but I know my feelings are much deeper now.
“Jesus. Let me take point Josh.”
“No.” I say firmly. Then add, “But I want you across everything.”
“You got it,” he says without fuss.
Unlike Aidan, Ryder and I are not close enough that he can cross the line and question me. I respect that he didn’t ignore it—I’m a potential risk to the operation—but then accepted my offer for him to step up more and cover me.
But I won’t step back completely.
I’m not sure I could ever walk away from Cassy, and this is what I was trying to tell her yesterday. I don’t know when I lost control of that. When did she become a part of my life instead of just a client?
Two glasses of champagne and what feels like an entire Taylor Swift album later, the women climb into the three SUVs out front.
I hold out my hand as Cassy follows, stopping her.
“Hold.”
She does. Without glancing at me.
On the sidewalk beside the vehicle, five of my armed men in black suits and comms pieces in their ears stand in various positions watching. What she can’t see are the two men with sniper rifles in the buildings across the street.
“Turkey is on the move,” I say into my comms piece as we step out the door, my hand around her lower back.
“You...Turkey?” Cassy shoots me a glare.
“Take it up with Ryder. He chose it.” I guide her into the vehicle, then climb in. “Move out, all vehicles.” I tell my team.
“Turkey,” she mumbles.
Scarlet is on Cassy’s other side and leans forward. “This is so cool. It’s like we’re in a Men in Black movie.”
“That’s an alien movie,” Cassy states.
“I know, but I couldn’t think of another example, but they wear black suits.” Scarlet shrugs.
“That doesn’t make sense. It’s a terrible analogy,” Cassy retorts.
“Okay IMDb, then you come up with one.”
“Bodyguard. The Sentinel. In the Line of Fire.” Cassy ticks them off on her fingers.
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t even born when those movies released.” Scarlet sits back. “So they don’t count. I’m sticking with the aliens.”
“Is she comparing us to aliens?” Ryder asks.
“Affirmative.” I reply and turn my head to smile.
When we arrive, I wait until the other vehicles are empty and have moved out before I give the instruction for my men to prepare for Cassy to exit.
“Scarlet, when the door opens, I want you to step out and go with Ryder.”
“Like he’s my date?” She wiggles her brows.
I blink. “No. Like he’ll protect you if someone with a gun tries to shoot you,” I say darkly.
“Right.” She nods, the cheekiness falling away.
Finally.
“Do what they say,” Cassy says softly to her friend. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s you he’s after.” Scarlet looks at me. “Keep her alive.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod. “Turkey two on the move.”
Her mouth falls open as I grin. Before Scarlet can reply, the door opens and I nod at her to move. With a low growl, she climbs out and I hear Ryder giving her instructions.
“Mean.” Cassy laughs, and I take her hand.
She stills.
“Follow my every order. Don’t do anything stupid and if I say run or drop or—”
“Josh.” She gently tugs her hand from mine. “I know how this works. I have more protection than the president tonight.”
Not true, but my head bobs anyway.
Fuck, the need to pull her into my arms and tell the driver to get the hell away from here is so all-encompassing.
This is a bad idea. The hairs on the back of my neck have been prickling all day.
“Cass.” The nickname falls from my lips as her eyes lift to mine. “You look beautiful.”
Her expression softens and disappointment fills her green globes.
“Thank you,” she says, then the corner of her lips tip up slightly. “You look extremely hot in a suit.”
I can’t help it; the smile takes over my face.
“You know we can all hear you, right?” Ryder's voice fills my earpiece.
I do, and I don’t fucking care.
“Ready?” I ask Cassy and she nods.
“In position,” Aidan says.
He has been on location for hours, making sure everything was on track for her arrival.
“Ready,” I tell Aidan and he opens the door.
I climb out and reach in for Cassy’s hand. She takes it and seamlessly steps in between Aidan and me like a pro. We walk her into the lobby and head in the direction of the ballroom where the Salon of the Year Award is being presented.
“Your team is inside, already seated,” I tell her.
She nods because she knows this. We went over it three times. Once with the entire team.
“Okay,” she replies as we keep walking.
Reaching the doors, one of the Dufort security team— a.k.a. Barrett Security—opens it and Aidan goes first.
Then Cassy.
Then I follow.
When the door closes behind us, I let Aidan guide her to the table and stand back.
It takes her five steps to notice I’m no longer there.
She turns and I hear Aidan coax her to the table.
My eyes do not leave her for a second. The rest of my team are watching the room, but mine will remain on her all evening.
When Cassy sits, she shuffles, turns, and her gaze finds mine. My chest stirs, tightening with a need so unfamiliar it almost takes my breath away. I might be constantly aroused around this woman, but this is so much more.
Tomorrow we will talk.
I can’t keep ignoring this.
“That was too easy,” Aidan says from a few yards away.
“He may not know about the event,” I remind him.
After the bomb sweep and cameras came up clear yesterday and again today, I am starting to wonder if Isaac has a different plan.
This might be too complicated for him.
Which was exactly what I’d hoped for.
Aidan spoke to the marshals, and we’ve learned a woman was found dead in Las Vegas. The details are so fucking sordid I haven’t told Cassy.
He slit her throat while, what appears to be, during or after sex, and then stole her winnings. The footage of her at the table with a man who could be Miller, only moments before, links them.
Then he was seen coming in and out of a jewelry store where they’ve confirmed he had purchased a diamond ring.
Seriously, this guy is unhinged.
I fucking hope he turns up this week—not tonight—so I can tell the asshole that she’s mine and introduce him to my fist. And the end of my weapon.
She’s mine?
Jesus.
Is that where this is headed? Fuck, I’m not sure I can. Not after Finn.
The lights dim, and the MC walks on stage.