Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #7)(13)
I turned to Brant, waiting for him to take up for me. I could tell he didn’t exactly want to speak his opinion, so I nudged him. “Look, man, she didn’t know. We still scored, so let’s give her a pass on the bullshit threats. She won’t do it again.”
Rocky ran his hand through his thick, greasy looking hair. “It better not. There’s plenty of other people I could have given this job to. If she f*cks it up again, you’re both out of here.”
They said a few other things, but I didn’t stick around to hear them. I was too upset. After rushing into the bedroom, I flopped on the bed and began to bawl. When the door creaked open I knew it was Brant. I didn’t budge.
His voice was stern, causing me to spin around and face him. “What were you thinking? You could have blown this for us, Cass.”
“Don’t start on me, and don’t you dare let them call me those things. I’m not a bitch, and I’m certainly not a f*cking whore.”
He waved his hands around. “Calm down and hear me out. You can’t make the decisions yourself. This isn’t our score. We only get a cut. These people aren’t the kind you want to piss off.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh give me a break. It’s not like they murder people. They’re petty thieves, Brant.”
His grimace was serious. “Baby, listen to me…”
I had to interrupt, because in that moment I knew he was keeping something from me. “Whoa. I’m not staying here.” I whispered so they wouldn’t hear. “You’ve got me staying here with murderers?”
“No, but I wouldn’t put it past them to start. Look, when Rocky tells you something just listen. Don’t argue or go against him. Three hundred bucks means nothing to him. While you were busy doing something on your own, we managed to score a grand and a gold watch. Do what you’re told, Cassie. It keeps you safe. Now I’m not sure he’ll trust us.”
I shoved him away from me. “I hate you for this. I never should have agreed to run away with you. You’re going to get us killed, and for what, a few lousy dollars?”
“Today was a test, which you failed by the way. The scores will be bigger. My buddy made a lot of money when he came here last year. We just need to stick around until we have what we need.”
“I don’t like this at all. You understand this is wrong, right? You get we’re risking our lives to make a few bucks?”
He ran his hands on my shoulders. “Cass, it’s a couple of months. We’re not going to die. Let’s do what we need to and stick to our plan. It’s for our future. Don’t you want that?”
I shrugged. “Honestly, right now I don’t know what I want.”
He leaned forward, placing his lips against my forehead. “I need you to trust me. Then I need you to get changed. We’re going out to scope a new target tonight. Wear a dress. I hear it’s a party.”
“I’m not going out tonight, especially with them.” Was he crazy? I didn’t want to be anywhere near either of them.
“You’re coming. They’ll know something is up if you don’t. I’ve already had to jump through hoops to calm them down. Can’t you pretend to be grateful?”
“Grateful? Do you hear yourself?” Every second I was getting more furious. “I can’t believe you got us into this shit, Brant. I should have known.”
“Cass, please. Don’t you love me?”
“This has nothing to do with love, you idiot! These people are f*cking crazy. I’m afraid for my safety. You expect me to live under the same roof as them, and go out in public as if nothing is wrong? Are you delusional?”
It took a lot for Brant to get angry, but when he did, he was out of control. I watched his phone fly across the room and hit the wall. It smashed into several pieces on the floor. He screamed at the top of his lungs. “FUCK! You’re ruining everything. Why don’t you just call your daddy and go home. It’s obvious you don’t want to be with me, Cass.”
Figuring it was best to calm him down, I rushed behind him and held my arms around the front of his body. “Don’t say that. It’s not true. I’m here with you now. I’m just scared.”
He turned and forced me to look into his bloodshot eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear. Please trust me. I’ll keep you safe, or I’ll die trying.”
I smiled, well at least tried to. “Ok. I’ll do what you want, but when this is over, we’re out of here. I mean it, Brant.”
Later, when I finally got into the shower, I let the water fall over me. To be honest, I wasn’t in any shape to party. I felt horrible for stealing, guilty for playing that man a fool, and angry I’d been able to pull it off so easily. Before I got in over my head I needed to find a way out. The problem was figuring out how to do it.
Chapter 6
Cassie
The party – that’s what they were calling it. I would have used another term. Half naked people were scattered around the first dark lit room we stepped foot in.
Even before going inside, I knew it wasn’t going to be that enticing. The building, and old warehouse looking structure, hadn’t been kept up. Parts of the exterior were cracking, and the paint had mostly chipped off. We could hear the music as we pulled into the crowded parking lot, and before entering got our hands stamped like it was a secret club. I think I had high hopes that’s what it was. A rave would have been fun at least. Maybe, in some ways it was private, per se. According to Tammy only few people knew it existed. She’d insisted I wear a tight black dress and high heels, and now I understood why. The few people fully clothed left nothing to the imagination. This was indeed a swingers club.