“Fine. One with fewer worries than you’ve had so far.”
“Me too,” Cassidy told him. A minute or two went by without either of them saying anything. Then she asked, “How exactly did you get me out of there? Eagle’s description wasn’t big on details.”
“After Coke was dead, I put you over my shoulder and simply walked out,” Leo told her.
“And Lloyd or Martin or any of the other guys didn’t stop you?”
“No. I made Coke inform his security staff that you now belonged to me and I could do with you what I wanted. They simply watched as I left.”
Cassidy smiled at that, but then her smile faded. “Do you think they know about Coke yet?”
“Probably.”
“They’re going to be furious.”
“Yup.”
“They’re going to want to kill you, Leo.”
“They might want to, but they’ll have to find me first.”
Cassidy picked her head up and looked at him worriedly.
“Not gonna happen, Cass. G doesn’t exist. The FBI’s cover story is ironclad. They can trace me to Dallas, but I’m obviously not there. No one knows who I am, and there’s no way they can track me to Indy.”
“What about your fingerprints?”
“They can try to use them to find me, but I’ve got enough connections that they won’t lead anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t be able to handle it if years down the line they tracked you down and you or any of your friends got hurt on account of me,” she admitted.
“I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty that it won’t happen, but the FBI does a damn good job of covering their tracks. And honestly, the power vacuum Coke’s death will create is going to take a long while to dissipate. Lloyd and his buddies might not even have jobs when the dust settles, and it’ll take money to try to find me, not to mention to get to the States. You and Mario are safe. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure of that. Oh, and Bull called Skylar earlier, and she’s going to get in touch with her friend at her old apartment complex to see about getting you and Mario a place to live. And don’t be surprised if by the time we get there it’s stocked with food and basic necessities for you and your son.”
Cassidy frowned. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Although for the record, the offer to stay with me still stands.”
As good as that idea sounded, Cassidy didn’t want to be anyone’s charity case. She’d made some dumb decisions in her life, and she felt a need to stand on her own two feet for once. To prove to herself that she wasn’t a complete idiot and that she could do what it took to be a good mother to Mario.
You can do that and still live with Leo, her inner voice argued, but Cassidy ignored it.
“Thanks, but I think I need to be on my own for now.”
Leo nodded.
“Thank you for what you did to get us out,” she told him seriously. “You were probably a lot gentler with that needle than Coke would’ve been. And for buying me from him. And just . . . for everything.”
“I hope you never remember what happened,” Leo told her.
Cassidy shrugged. “If I do, I’m not going to change my mind about being grateful to you.”
They stared at each other for a long moment before Cassidy rested her head back on his shoulder. “How much longer is the flight?”
“No clue.”
“You have to be tired,” she remarked.
“I am. And I’m fucking drunk, which I hate,” he grumbled.
Cassidy smiled. She couldn’t help it. He sounded a lot like Mario when he whined about something. “Maybe we could both nap a bit before we land,” she suggested.
“Yeah, maybe.”
Cassidy started to climb off his lap, but Leo’s arms tightened around her. “Stay,” he ordered softly. “Thinking about how close I came to losing you makes me crazy. All it would’ve taken is one wrong word, one wrong move, and we might not be sitting here right now.”
“But I am. We are. You did it, Leo. You outsmarted all of them. I always knew you should’ve been the valedictorian of your class.”
He chortled and leaned his head back on the headrest behind him. Cassidy took that as her cue to close her own eyes. She didn’t feel great, was still a bit muddleheaded from the drug in her system. She turned into Leo and relaxed. Truly relaxed for the first time in what seemed like years. She and Mario were finally safe.
Gramps tightened his hold on the woman in his arms and sighed deeply. He’d heard her wake up and talk to Mario. Had heard her talking to Eagle, but had been too chicken to go to her. To see for himself that she was all right. He wasn’t sorry for what he’d done as far as buying her from Coke and playing drinking games with the man, but he couldn’t forget the anguish he’d seen in her eyes as he’d injected her with the flunitrazepam.
He was grateful she couldn’t remember what had happened, but he knew he’d never forget it. He was going to replay it over and over. Cassidy had been through more shit than anyone should have to suffer, and he hated knowing that even if only for a short period of time, he’d added to the shit piled on her shoulders.
He wasn’t surprised she’d come to him on the plane. That she’d forgiven him for something she couldn’t even remember. But he’d still do whatever he could to make it up to her.
Gramps hadn’t really understood his friends’ infatuation with their wives. He’d thought they’d all moved too fast, but he hadn’t said anything because it had been their choice.
But now, holding Cassidy as she slept against him, he finally got it. He’d regretted letting his age keep him from asking her out in high school. He’d regretted even more not letting her know he was still interested years later. Then she’d gotten married, and he’d regretted letting her slip through his fingers. He’d let his job and the fact that she was still living in El Paso stand in his way. So many regrets.
But it seemed as if the universe was giving him a second chance. There were too many coincidences leading to their meeting back up for it to be merely a fluke. He’d play things by ear, help her get settled in an apartment, but he’d make sure she knew he wanted her. Wanted to date her. Wanted a relationship. No matter how long it might take to convince her he was serious, he’d wait. She was worth it.
Cassidy shifted against him, and Gramps again tightened his hold. He closed his eyes and sent up a prayer, thanking God for keeping her and Mario safe for him. He might be slow on the uptake, but he wasn’t an idiot. Cassidy and her son were his now. His to protect. His to care for. His to love. It might take a while for them to completely trust him and come to love him back, but he’d give them whatever time they needed. They were worth it.
Lloyd Robinson stared down at his boss in disbelief. He didn’t have to check his pulse to see if he was alive. It was more than obvious Michael Coke was dead.
“Fuck,” he swore. This was not good. Life as he knew it was about to change, and not for the better. He’d had a cushy life as the head of Coke’s security team, but blame for his death was going to fall directly on Lloyd’s shoulders.