Burn It Up(31)

And one thing seemed goddamn certain, he thought as he stomped on his starter.

That cocksucker isn’t getting anywhere near them. Not while there’s still blood pumping through this body.





Chapter 10


Abilene woke slowly, unsure at first where she was.

That happened a lot at Three C. That had happened a lot during a rather dark period of her short life, as well, though now as she blinked blearily at the walls and windows, the room that came into focus was pleasant and familiar. The same couldn’t be said for some of the holes she’d come to in.

The guest room was dim—its two windows were west facing, and when she’d nodded off it had been from the heat of the dipping sun. Now it was dark, the sky nearly black, and just the one soft bulb in the reading lamp by the bed was on, casting the room in its weak glow. She sat up and eyed the clock on the dresser. Not even seven, thankfully. Dinner wasn’t usually until eight, and she liked to help when she could, setting the table at the very least—

A soft knock sounded at the door. She smoothed her hair, rose, and tiptoed over, expecting Christine or Miah. She was surprised to find Casey there instead. He was in his socks, his shoes and jacket presumably abandoned in the Churches’ front hall.

“Hey,” she whispered, letting him know Mercy was asleep. “Thought you were out until after supper.”

“Something came up, so I rushed back.”

She went cold in a beat, right down to her bare toes. “What?”

He came inside and shut the door quietly. “Your ex came after me.”

Her eyes made a frantic inventory of him, searching for scrapes or cuts or rips in his clothes. “Came after you?”

“Nothing violent. Here, sit down.” He nodded to the bed.

She sat cross-legged, facing him squarely, expecting him to sit as well. Instead he strode to the crib, bracing his hands on the rail and staring down at the baby.

“Casey, you’re scaring me.”

He straightened, turned. “Sorry.”

She patted the covers. “Sit.”

He took a seat at the bed’s edge, rubbing his thighs.

“Tell me.”

“He was waiting in the lot when I stopped by the bar, barely a half hour ago. He knew who I was—Vince’s brother, and your boss. He wanted to know where you and the baby were.”

She hugged herself, the room feeling cold and too dark.

“I didn’t tell him, of course. I said to call me when he cooled down and could talk like a reasonable person.”

“He was angry, then.”

“Very. He took the number and climbed in his truck and rode off, after we traded some words. I think he’ll call. I hope he will, at least. Though I won’t lie. Before, I thought getting the two of you together to hash shit out was the only sensible course of action. Now that I’ve met him . . .”

“He’s intimidating,” she offered. A trait she’d found both terrifying and reassuring, depending on who had most recently pissed James off.

“He’s more than that,” Casey said. “He’s intense in a way I don’t like one f*cking bit.”

She nodded to the baby, admonishing the swear. What a losing battle that was turning out to be.

“Sorry.”

“So you’ve changed your mind? You don’t think I should talk to him?”

“Man, I don’t even know.” He rubbed his face, worked his fingers through his beard, sighed. “On paper it’s the smart way to go. But I won’t lie, honey. He scares me. It scares me to imagine setting up some talk, and him hurting you or threatening you. But keeping you hidden’s no solution either. I dunno. I need some time to digest it all.”

“Sure.” She’d never seen him so rattled, and it worried her in turn. Casey was usually the picture of laid-back, always prepared to downplay any seriousness with a joke or trash-talking. She crawled across the bed to sit close. Instinct told her to touch him, to circle a palm on his back as she might do to Mercy when the baby was upset, but she kept both hands clasped safely in her lap. “Did he say anything else?” Anything about me, about my past?

“No.”

Inside, she heaved a sigh of relief. “He’s a real nasty piece of work,” she offered. “Sorry you had to run into him.”

“Better me than you. And better for all of us that we know he’s in town, and what he wants.”

True. Not knowing had been worse, in a way. But now having him only miles from her and the baby . . .

“I’m real sorry you’re even caught up in all this,” she said.

He met her eyes squarely, the mere look rousing goose bumps. “I was about to say the same to you. Don’t you be sorry at all. I’m not sorry for a second that you’re not out there by yourself, with nobody to help you.”

That alone had tears brewing. She blinked and a fat one fell to the covers. Casey offered a smile, but he had it wrong—she wasn’t crying from fear or stress or anything bad, really. It was gratitude that had her cheeks burning and her throat tight. Relief that, just as he’d said, she wasn’t in this by herself.

She knew what had to be done. She had to talk to James. If she refused, he’d get angry enough or desperate enough to punish her, perhaps tell Casey the truth about her. Moreover, she needed to break those old habits and be brave for a change. Running and hiding had always been her default, but that had to stop—now.