Gramps heard Cassidy before he saw her. The doors in the hallway were all shut, but he could hear her speaking as he approached what he believed was the schoolroom. Knowing Coke and others were watching, he reached for the knob and did what was expected of him—walked into the room as if he didn’t care that Cassidy might be in the middle of a lesson.
Six heads turned to stare at him as he entered. Five boys were sitting at desks, and Cassidy was standing at a chalkboard.
“School’s done for the day,” he announced.
The boys whooped for joy and immediately jumped up from their desks. Without a second glance at their teacher, they ran past Gramps and out into the hall.
“No, wait!” Cassidy called, but the boys ignored her.
She sighed and frowned at Gramps. “I wasn’t done with today’s lesson,” she scolded.
He walked up to her, ever aware of the cameras, and put his hand on her nape, pulling her into his body until they were plastered together from hips to chest. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m sorry, but things are happening fast, and I told Coke I’d like to spend the day with you. He had no problem with that.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the remaining boy stalked up to them. He kicked Gramps in the leg, hard. “Let go of her!” he growled.
Looking down at the boy, Gramps couldn’t help but grin. He would’ve known this was Cassidy’s son even if he wasn’t the only Hispanic boy in the class. He had Cassidy’s beautiful hazel eyes and facial features. His olive skin glowed with the kind of good health only a kid could have. He was skinny, probably too skinny for a kid his age. He was scowling up at Gramps, but the fear in his face was easy to see. He was brave, sticking up for his mom even if he was afraid of the consequences.
He wasn’t supposed to give a shit about children, but Gramps still couldn’t let Mario believe he was going to hurt his mother. Letting go of Cassidy, he crouched so he could look Mario in the eyes. He also kept his voice low so it wouldn’t be heard on the cameras. “I would no sooner hurt your mom than put a loaded gun to my own head and pull the trigger.”
It was a bit harsh, but he needed to get through to the boy, and he figured being overly blunt would accomplish that more quickly than if he was gentle.
“You grabbed her,” Mario accused.
“I did, but I didn’t hurt her,” Gramps told him.
Cassidy knelt down next to him and put her arm around her son, whispering, “He’s my friend, Mario. I trust him.”
Mario’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head at her words. “You do?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yes. And you can too. I swear it.”
Gramps wasn’t sure of the undercurrents flowing between mother and son, but it was obvious that Cassidy’s saying she trusted him meant far more than the simple words might suggest.
“Okay,” Mario said reluctantly, after a long pause.
It was clear to Gramps that he was going to have to prove himself to the young man, and he had no problem with that. What he’d seen and heard made him vow yet again to do whatever it took to get him and his mother to safety.
“What are you doing here?” Cassidy asked.
They were still crouching on the floor, but Gramps didn’t stand. He wanted Mario to hear the conversation.
“I’ve been given the green light to spend the day with you, without Lloyd following our every move,” Gramps told her.
It was almost comical how both Mario’s and Cassidy’s eyes widened in the same way.
“You have?” she asked.
“Yeah. I thought maybe you could give me a tour of the place . . . a very thorough tour, if you know what I mean. Then we can play things by ear after that.” Gramps wanted to take Cassidy off the mansion’s grounds, which meant leaving Mario behind. That didn’t sit well with him, but it was important she met the rest of Silverstone and truly understood that they were here to help.
“Oh, yeah . . . sounds good,” Cassidy said uncertainly. She stood, but before Gramps followed her lead, he turned to Mario.
“I’m going to want to touch your mom quite a bit today. I might hold her hand or put my arm around her shoulders. There’s a good possibility that I’m going to kiss her too. But at no time will I force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. I’m going to ask you to trust me, even when I haven’t proven that you can . . . yet. There are things happening that you won’t understand, and your mom will explain everything to you when it’s safe to do so. Will you trust me with your mother’s well-being?”
Gramps knew he was pushing hard, but he had little choice. He couldn’t spend the day fighting Mario while pretending to move his physical relationship forward with his mother. Coke, and everyone else, had to believe Cassidy had fallen under his spell and was sleeping in his bed tonight.
The intelligence was easy to see in Mario’s eyes. He didn’t trust him, but he trusted his mother. He looked from Gramps up to Cassidy, then back to him. “I know I’m just a kid, but if you do anything to hurt her, I’ll make you regret it.”
It was a bluff, since there was no way the kid could ever really hurt him, but Gramps nodded solemnly all the same. “I understand. And, Mario?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re a good man for looking after your mom.” Gramps wasn’t simply trying to butter him up. He could tell that the boy was doing all he could in a situation that was out of his control, all to try to help his mother.
“It’s not enough,” Mario whispered. For a second, Gramps thought he was going to cry, but Mario blinked back his tears and straightened his spine. “Just know I’ll be watching you guys, and if I think you’re hurting her at all, I’m gonna say somethin’.”
“Sounds like a deal,” Gramps said, then stood. He reached for Cassidy’s hand. “Ready?”
She had her lips pressed together tightly, as if trying to suppress an intense emotion. But she nodded and took hold of his hand. Mario grabbed her other hand, and the three of them walked out of the schoolroom together.
Chapter Four
“So this gate’s always locked?” Leo asked as he nonchalantly leaned against the outer wall that surrounded the back property of Michael Coke’s mansion.
“Yes. They all are,” Cassidy told him.
Then he surprised her by reaching out and grabbing her hand and pulling her toward him. She lost her balance and fell against his chest, letting out a small oof as she bounced off his chest.
“Easy,” Leo said, holding her hips against his own. To anyone watching, his move probably looked a bit aggressive. While he was holding her firmly, he wasn’t hurting her.
He’d done this kind of thing several times over the last two hours. Hauled her into his space as if he had every right. Cassidy didn’t complain. She knew what he was doing, making it very clear to anyone watching that he was in control. And she made sure not to protest in any way, shape, or form. If Michael wanted her to make his guest happy, she would do so.
Although she had to admit, it wasn’t a hardship. She liked Leo’s hands on her. She liked how he made her feel . . . safe and protected. She hadn’t felt that way in a very, very long time.