Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #7)(38)



“Yeah,” I managed to say while sitting up. “I get it.”

“What do you like to eat for breakfast? I usually make a shake and run five miles, but we’ve got plenty of food here.”

I felt hungry for a brief moment until everything from the night before came back to me. “I don’t want anything.”

“You need to eat. I know your stomach is empty. Do you want pancakes? I’m good at making them.”

In that instant I lost it. Pancakes. It was like a silent trigger in my brain. Pancakes reminded me of home and being safe; everything I wasn’t at the moment. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually such a cry baby.” I covered my face with my hands for a second. “I can’t believe this is happening. When did my life start falling apart? I thought we were meant to be together. I thought we could prove everyone wrong,” I explained to Logan, while my sobs became uncontrolled again. “I’m sorry. I know you can’t begin to understand. You think I was crazy for loving him?”



Logan ran his hardworking hand over my wet cheek. “Life isn’t simple. You’re not the only person who has felt like they’ve lost everything, Cassie. You can beat this. You can heal, all it takes is time.”

There was no use trying to hide my pain from him. He’d made it obvious he’d never let me out of his sight. I knew it was for my own good. He was there to help me, not make it worse. I just wondered if his support would be enough, or if I was a lost cause; a sinking ship without life jackets. Maybe I wasn’t meant to have a future. I didn’t feel like I deserved one, not after what I’d done. “I know you mean well. It’s just hard to imagine getting over something like this.”

He stood and walked into the kitchen while still speaking. “It takes a ton of time. How do you like your coffee?”

“Extra cream and sugar if you have it.”

“Figures,” he responded.

While I heard him stirring my cup, I got up and made my way down the hall to the bathroom. When I saw my reflection in the mirror I thought I was mistaken. I didn’t know the person staring back at me. What had I done to my body? Who had I become?

It was a hard, brutal truth.





Chapter 20


Logan


Sometimes it was hard separating my personal life from work, especially when they meshed together. Cassie was a perfect example. My job was to protect her, but it was my personal choice to allow her to stay in my home until she could get on her feet. I didn’t do this for every woman who came into my life with troubles, but I knew she had nowhere else to go. I’d done a thorough background check on her when she moved in with Mr. James. It was important when we knew everything we could about the people he was associated with.

I was surprised to discover she was a good girl, who came from a small town with deep roots. There wasn’t much about her. She’d been fingerprinted when she was a kid, probably on a school trip to the police department. She’d never been convicted of a crime. She’d gotten her license when she was sixteen, but hadn’t received a speeding ticket. Hell, I even checked out her parents to make certain they had no connection to Mr. James. I was surprised when I mapped out her residence. They owned hundreds of acres of land. I wondered what a girl like her was doing in Las Vegas with a bunch of criminals. I suppose that’s why I knew she would be the perfect in. She was too much of a good girl to revert to a life of crime. I waited until the opportunity was right and picked her up for possession. In all honesty, it broke my heart to see she was using. It boggled my mind how a person from a good background could ruin their life so easily.

I’d hoped by keeping an eye on her she’d get clean and eventually go home where she belonged. Unfortunately, fate had other ways of interfering. Now I was stuck being the person she hated more than anyone else in the world. Even with her staying under my roof, I feared she’d never trust me.

After waking up to find her still cuffed to my coffee table, I knew I had to prove I was one of the good guys. The girl was hurting. She was struggling, both to come off the drugs, and also emotionally deal with the loss of her boyfriend. I was no miracle worker, but I knew what she’d need.

The first thing I did was free her from the restraints. They weren’t necessary. I’d gotten word in the middle of the night that Tammy Larsen had been detained. They found her at a bar she frequented, usually to pick up men she would take home. I swear the woman was a walking sex addict.

Anyway, it didn’t take her long to start spilling about Rocky and how his operation was run. She gave us names, and once we obtained the right warrants, we’d spend the next week making sure everyone involved was charged. Tammy would probably have a minimum sentence, but she’d have to do time, even if it was reduced to a couple years. She’d been a big part of the business, and for that she was going to be held responsible.

For the time being, Cassie would remain under my watch. I’d make sure she stayed under the radar, and prepare her for when the time came to testify. That was probably going to be the tricky part. With the amount of crime in Vegas, even the biggest criminals had to wait their turn to be tried. I hoped she’d be able to stay content for as long as we needed her to. It was important she remain the witness in Brant’s murder, because if James somehow found a loophole in his trial, we’d still have him for that.

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