Just Let Me Love You (Judge Me Not #3)(29)

“He left,” Cassie replies flatly. “He got in my car and took off.”

Fully dressed now, she leans back into the cushions and flings her hand out to add emphasis to the “took off” portion of her remark.

I sit down next to Cassie.

“Where did he go?” I ask. “And please tell me he wasn’t as f*cked up as you are right now when he got behind the wheel of that car.”

“He drank a little,” Cassie admits. “But he didn’t take any of the pills. He said he needed to be thinking straight.”

Despite her own less-than-coherent state, Cassie has yet to divulge where my brother has gone.

The girl is stalling, so, again, I ask, “Where exactly did Will go, Cassie?”

Cassie twirls a lock of flaxen hair around her index finger. Studying it, she says softly, “He went to take care of Paul.”

And that is when I lose it.

Turning to this far-too-nonchalant girl, I grind out, “What the f*ck does that mean? Where is my brother? And what the hell is he up to now?”

My tone is harsh, and Cassie winces. But she also wisely answers.

“We found out where Paul has been staying,” she says quietly. “Well, I found out. He called here. Paul, that is. He said he needed to talk to my mom. I knew it was a farce, though. I knew he was calling to talk to me.”

“What’d you say to him?” I ask.

“I talked to him for a while. And then I had an idea, a plan to trap him. I tricked him into thinking I wanted to meet up with him.” She shudders. “Anyway, my ploy worked. He told me where he’s been staying.

“And that’s where Will is now,” I finish for her.

“Yes, that’s where Will is heading. But Paul thinks I’m driving out to meet him. That’s why Will had to use my car. He doesn’t want to tip Paul off since he has to get close enough to—”

“Are you f*cking crazy?” I yell, cutting her off.

Cassie scoots away and cowers to Kay.

That does nothing to deter me as I continue, unabated, “Why would you let my brother go meet up with that f*cking animal? You do realize you could get him in serious trouble, right?”

I am livid. I know Will makes his own decisions, but I can’t help but feel Cassie is primarily at fault. This girl fosters Will’s protective side, but she also takes advantage of it.

“Why didn’t you just call the police?” Kay softly asks Cassie.

Kay is far calmer than I.

“If you knew where Paul was,” she continues, “why didn’t you call and tell the authorities? There’s a restraining order out on Paul. The police could have taken him in.”

“We could call them now,” Cassie offers.

“Too little, too late,” I mutter.

“Why?” Cassie asks.

“You just sent my brother to Paul’s place with a f*cking gun in his possession. Do you want the police to show up and arrest Will?”

I’m riled, still, and Kay shoots me a look indicating I should calm the f*ck down.

“Chase,” she mutters, “please.”

“I want Paul gone,” Cassie whimpers. “That’s all.”

“You want Paul gone,” I echo, shaking my head. “And my brother is supposed to be the one to get rid of him for you, huh? That’s just great.”

There’s so much more I long to say. Things like: what about my brother’s safety and well-being? Would you have him ruin his entire life for you?

But the answer to all my questions is clear in Cassie’s actions. She may claim she loves Will, but she doesn’t know what love is. If she did, she wouldn’t put Will in this kind of jeopardy.

With Kay’s influence, I finally manage to calm down. She and I eventually obtain the information we need from Cassie. We learn Paul has been staying in a trailer out on a road aptly named Vulture Mine Road.

“I know the area,” I mumble under my breath.

And I do, quite well. Ironically, Vulture Mine Road is not far from where Will and I have been hanging all week with the bike. That whole area is nothing but hardcore desert, pure wilderness, a good hiding place for the likes of Paul.

Before Kay and I leave to go retrieve Will, Cassie tells Kay she’s feeling sick. “Can you help me to the bathroom?” she asks meekly.

“Of course,” Kay replies.

She gives me a look, and I shrug. “It’ll just be a few extra minutes,” she whispers.

“Sure, okay.”

With Kay and Cassie out of the living room, I decide to do a little cleaning up. Truth is, I have to do something, or I’ll f*cking crack.

I start by dumping all the alcohol down the kitchen sink. Then I work on the rest of the junk. The pill bottle—some kind of pain medication—appears empty, so I throw it away, along with the condom wrapper.

Sighing, I try to look on the bright side. At least Will’s been safe with Cassie.

Still, if she were to get pregnant… Jesus. I can’t even fathom such a thought.

When Kay returns to the living room, alone, I ask her, “Where’s Cassie?”

“She’s lying down in her room.”

“Maybe you should stay here with her,” I suggest.

If at all possible, my preference would be for Kay to remain here. I’d like to keep her as far from danger as possible.