Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #7)(9)

I had to admit, the place was roomy, and having the upstairs to ourselves made me feel a little better. I didn’t want to take a dip in the pool yet, but maybe in time I’d feel better about being around the couple. My first impression was that they were hiding something, or up to worse. I didn’t do well with shady people, but since I knew they were going to be our ticket to freedom, I had to get along with them, against my better judgment.

Since this was the only way Brant and I could be together, I couldn’t complain. He was doing his best to provide for us. Once he started making money we’d be able to get a place of our own. I had to be patient. Good things came to those who waited.





Chapter 4


Cassie


Uncomfortable. It’s what I felt from the first moment I stepped foot on to the property. Something told me things weren’t going to be as spectacular as I’d imagined in my head. Though important to keep my opinions to myself, I preferred to hide out in my bedroom to avoid from being around Rocky and his ridiculously flirtatious girlfriend. In fact, for the first twenty-four hours I stayed in bed crying. It was partly because I missed my family already, but mostly because I feared I’d made a terrible decision.

It didn’t help when Brant preferred to be entertained by our new housemates instead of staying in the room with me. I didn’t blame him. He was trying to keep the peace for the sake of his new job. He’d never been the kind of guy to sit still, so sleeping the day away wasn’t an option.

That first night he came into the room inebriated. He smelled of strong liquor and his hair was dripping wet. Wearing only his shorts, I watched as he kicked them off his legs. My first inclination was that he’d gotten a shower, but it smelled like chlorine. “Where were you?”

He was shivering as he climbed under the covers with me. “I was just chilling with Tam. She’s going to take us out tomorrow night for dinner, then Rocky and I are going to get things in order for our first gig.”

“Gig?” I wanted to ask him about being around Tammy, but was too curious about the job. “It sounds like you’re in a show.”

He gave me that look – the one where I wasn’t suppose to question him. “Listen to me, Cass. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make us money.”

“It’s illegal isn’t it?”

He shrugged. “It’s not if no one knows it ever happened. Here’s the thing though. After talking to Tam tonight, I think it’s best if you’re a part of the operation. We’ve got the potential to make a killing, but we need a distraction. As much as I’d like to say she fits the bill, we need someone who can blend in undetected.”

“Undetected?” I sat straight up with worry. “I’m not getting involved in a crime, Brant.”

He ran his fingers over my lips. “Shh, it’s going to be okay. All you have to do is play a couple slots and be friendly. You don’t have to touch anyone or commit a crime. I promise.”

“This makes no sense at all.”

He rolled over and turned off the light on the bedside table. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. I’m beat.”

I remained sitting up in the dark room. I should have known this was a bad idea. “You knew all along you’d be doing something illegal, didn’t you?”

“We have different values, Cass. Do you want to have a place of our own someday?”

“I don’t want to hurt people to get it.”

“You won’t. I said I’d protect you, and I meant it.”

“This is wrong. It’s exactly why my parents wanted me to stop seeing you. I’m not going to be a part of this. I won’t!”

“You said you’d do anything for us to be together. I just need some time, baby. I know it’s not an ideal job, but with a little bit of time I’ll find something else. It’s temporary, so we can stay together. Please. Give me a chance. Let me do what needs to be done until I can figure something else out.”

I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t hearing me. He never would. “Fine, but I’m not okay with this. I don’t want to help you.”

“I get it. That’s why I admire you so much. You always assume I can be a better person. You have to believe it’s what I want too. This main score will give us the cash we need to be on our own. In the meantime we’ll have to do little jobs to have some cash. We don’t have to stay in this city. We can move wherever you want, even if it’s back to the country somewhere. We need a head start. You know it. Without support from our families this is the only way. Please, Cass. Just give me a month. Let me do what I need to, and then we’ll figure it out.”

Even though I hated the idea, I knew we were in a tough situation. Like many times before, Brant had kept the truth from me because he knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Now I didn’t have a choice. I could call my parents and have them pick me up, knowing they’d been right all along, or I could wait this out, until I could figure out another way for us to make end’s meet. “One month, Brant. That’s it though. I won’t let you lead us down a path we can’t be proud of.”

“You have my word, baby. We’ll get what we need and get out.”

My mind went back to his wet hair, especially since I needed to change the subject. “Were you in the pool?”