“It’s gonna feel weird not to have you around,” she said hesitantly.
Gramps’s heart melted. “I’m gonna be around,” he said gruffly. “As much as you want me to be. Just because we’re back in the States doesn’t mean that’s it between us. I like you, Cass. I wouldn’t have suggested you come back to Indy if I didn’t want to continue to get to know you.”
The relief in her eyes was instant, and a balm to his soul. Taking a chance, Gramps stepped toward her and put his hand behind her neck. He pulled her close and hugged her tightly against his chest. He loved how she immediately wrapped her own arms around him and squeezed him back. She felt good against him.
Knowing his plan to give her space was going to be shot to hell if he stayed much longer, he pulled back. But he couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing her forehead. “I’ll get you and Mario phones while I’m out and about today.”
“Leo, no—it’s too much.”
Gramps merely shook his head. “It’s not. You both need to be able to stay in touch with each other at a moment’s notice. I think it’ll take a while until you guys feel safe, and being able to just shoot off a text will help. Not to mention, you’ll have access to me and the rest of the guys, and Skylar, Taylor, and Molly too. And I’m sure you want to contact your parents.”
“Why are you being so dang nice?” Cassidy tried to joke, even as her eyes teared up.
“Because you deserve it. Because Mario deserves it. Because there’s something about you that makes me long for what I couldn’t have when I was eighteen, and I’ve regretted not doing something about it for almost thirty years. I’m not going to fuck up a second chance. Have a good day. If you need me, Tiana has my number. Don’t hesitate to have her call if you need anything. I’ll see you later.”
Ignoring the way her eyes widened, Gramps forced himself to let go of her and head out of the apartment.
Gramps walked toward his dark-blue Nissan Frontier. The guys gave him shit about it, saying it wasn’t a pickup or an SUV, just some weird mishmash of both, but he loved it. He had room for passengers, and he could haul shit in the small bed if he needed to. Before pulling out of the lot, Gramps looked into the rearview mirror.
Cass and Mario’s apartment was on the second floor of the complex, on the far end of the row. Tiana was next to them, then Skylar’s old apartment—where a single mother now lived—then Maria’s place. They were safe.
Why he had a pit in his stomach, Gramps didn’t know, but he couldn’t linger if Cass wanted space. He had to let them fly free. Finally be who they were meant to be, without fear of anyone forcing them to sell drugs—or trying to sell them. This was their new life, and he’d make sure they enjoyed every second of it.
Cassidy stood by the closed door after Leo left, feeling overwhelmed. She’d wanted to beg him to stay, but he had a life to get back to. She needed to be strong, though it was hard when she felt anything but.
“He’s a good man,” Tiana said from behind her.
Cassidy did her best to get herself together before she turned. “He is,” she agreed.
“Skylar told me that you guys have known each other for a long time.”
“Yeah. He was a senior when I was a freshman in high school.”
“Let me guess, you had a crush on him back then,” Tiana said with a smirk.
“Well, yeah, but I think everyone did.”
“This isn’t my business, but y’all should know, I’m the nosy neighbor. I get in everyone’s business, so you should probably get used to it. From where I’m standin’, the man is seriously into you.”
Cassidy knew she was blushing, but she forced herself not to do a little happy dance right there in the foyer of her new apartment. She shook her head. “It’s just that we’ve spent a few intense days together.”
Tiana quirked her lips and shook her head. “Nope. That’s not it. I saw Skylar’s relationship with Bull progress from zero to full speed within a very short period of time. I saw the way he looked at Sky, as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from her. I had a feeling if he could’ve thrown her over his shoulder and carried her out of here, he would’ve. I see the same look in Gramps’s eyes.”
Cassidy licked her lips. “It’s different with us. He feels guilty because of what happened to me. About what he had to do.” She didn’t know why she was protesting so much. Probably because if she believed her new neighbor and friend, she’d be even more devastated if it became clear Leo was just being the kind man he was.
“I don’t know nothin’ ’bout what happened, but trust me when I say he doesn’t look at you like a man who just wants to be friends looks at a woman,” Tiana said. Then she linked her arm with Cassidy’s and pulled her back toward the kitchen. “But enough about that. We’ve got a lot of work to get done to get this place set up how you want it before he’ll be back. You can decide how you want to set up your cabinets, Mario can unpack all his new stuff, and we need to get to know each other better. You’re from El Paso? That’s what Skylar said.”
Cassidy let herself be steered back into the kitchen, deciding it was good to have someone to chat with. She hadn’t trusted anyone in so long, it felt almost weird to talk about where she grew up and about her past.
For the first time in years, she was looking forward to the future. She had a lot to figure out—getting a job, finding a school for Mario, health insurance, learning her way around her new city—but instead of feeling overwhelmed and scared about it all, she was excited. Cassidy seemed to have more friends after only a day here in Indianapolis than she’d had living in El Paso, which was crazy since she’d grown up there.
But Alfred had slowly alienated her from everyone she used to hang out with. She hadn’t realized it, too busy trying to be a good wife and not rock the boat. By the time she’d had Mario, the only people she’d spoken to on a regular basis had been her husband and her parents . . . and even then, she’d only spoken to her mom and dad once a month or so.
Now she had Tiana and the other women in the complex. Skylar, Taylor, and Molly had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome in her new home and to get her what she needed to start over. And, of course, there were Leo and his friends.
She had no idea what the future might hold, but she couldn’t help but think this was where she was supposed to be.
Smiling, Cassidy reached for a bag and began to unpack.
Chapter Nine
“Relax,” Leo said as he pulled through a security gate when they arrived at Silverstone Towing.
But Cassidy couldn’t relax. The heavy security reminded her a bit too much of the prison she’d just broken out of.
Leo pulled his truck into a space behind the foreboding building and shut off the engine. He unclicked his seat belt and turned so he could see Mario in the back seat and Cassidy at the same time.
“We’ve got a lot of security here at Silverstone Towing because of the part of town we’re in. Crime has gone down in the six or so years since we started, but the tow trucks are very expensive. And we want our employees to feel absolutely safe while they’re here. This is the main building—no one gets in without knowing the code to the door or being let in by someone who does. Silverstone is open twenty-four hours a day, and we don’t want anyone thinking they might be able to break in at three o’clock in the morning or anything.