Hiding Away (Anchored Hearts #1.5) (2 page)

C
hapter Two

~ JANE ~

Surprisingly the next couple weeks passed and I’d heard nothing from Derek.  I had a hard time relaxing, but began believing that I had won, that I was free.  Though, things were getting crazy with my own family.  My cousin, James, had been involved in a shooting at his bar the week I headed home.  He was later arrested, wrongly, and then released.  He was taking me to lunch to catch up as I had yet to see him since being home.  James was more like a big brother to me than a cousin, especially since my own brother Jason had died.

Strolling into
Duke’s
I looked around cautiously for James.  I saw his towering appearance stand from the back of the restaurant as he waved.  Walking over I couldn’t suppress the grin that overcame me as tears threatened to fall from my eyes.  James was the only person I felt safe exposing my true feelings to, and it’d been that way since we were kids.  He never judged me and was always willing to listen.  Growing up, he was my ‘Lord Protector’.  I laughed remembering the nickname his mom gave him.  Jason would tease me relentlessly while James was always sticking up for me.  I hadn’t seen him since I moved away.  He trapped me into a big bear hug when I reached him. 

“Jane, it’s been too long.  You’re a sight for sore eyes, cuz.”  He set me back down and smiled brightly at me.  I could only imagine the affect his smile had on other women.

We sat down and began catching up.  The waitress was quite annoyed with us since we sent her away at least two times before placing our order for drinks, and it was even longer before we ordered lunch.  She was clearly clueless as to who she waited on.  James had quite the reputation around town and never left a bad tip, even if the service was terrible. 

James asked about Derek and I lied as best I could.  I told him it just hadn’t worked out.  James seemed skeptical, but he didn’t press the issue.  He in turn spilled the nasty details about the shooting and kept going back to a girl named Cassidy.  His eyes lit up when he said her name.

“James, who’s the girl?”

He actually blushed.  “Caught that did ya?”  He took a long drink of his water, emptying it before he disclosed any more.  “I can’t explain it Jane.  I’m so drawn to her, but after everything that happened.  I just don’t know how to pursue her now.”

I started giggling as he looked at me quizzically.  “I’ve never seen you like this.  And God damn if I’m not ecstatic that it’s not Melissa Westin having this effect on you!”

We both laughed at that, knowing he was a horrible playboy, and knowing Melissa had been trying for years to make James her own.  We all grew up together and Melissa had always been on my ‘shit’ list, and I didn’t foresee that changing anytime soon.  

“So, Cassidy, right?”
   He nodded.  “I’m not sure what to tell you.  You said her brother’s a cop and with you being arrested; it’s definitely delicate territory.  Did you two ever exchange numbers?”

“No, she wasn’t
available
.  She was dating someone else when all this happened.”  My jaw dropped.  James wasn’t one to pursue someone who wasn’t available.  “I know.  It wasn’t serious.  I had my opening right when the shooting happened.”

“Shit.  James I don’t know what to tell you.  I know you have ways of getting in touch with her if you wanted.  If I think of anything else I’ll let you know.”

“I know I do, I just don’t want her to get the wrong idea.”

“You’re sure she was into you too?”

“Umm, yes, I’m sure.”  He smirked and I smiled back.  “So, how long are you planning to live at home?”  He didn’t hesitate to change the subject.

I blew the air out of my mouth and sighed.  “I don’t know.  It’s kind of nice not having to scrub toilets and cook for myself.  Why do you ask?”  I wasn’t sure why he was asking, but answered sarcastically.

“I’m fully moved into the hotel and need to sell the townhouse or find a tenant.”  He waggled his brows at me smiling.

James wanted me to be his tenant.  Another lifetime ago, before Derek, I would’ve jumped at his offer.  Now, the last thing I wanted was to live alone.  “James, I mean I’d love to, but I’m just not prepared for that.  Mom would have a coronary if I moved out after just getting home.”  I lied through my teeth and hoped he bought it.

“Jane, come on.  Aunt Bev will be fine with you moving out.  And you haven’t even seen the place.  You moved before I bought it.  And with all the updates I made to the place, it’s practically been gutted and redone.  You’ll love it.”

“I know you mean well, I just can’t.  Please let it go.”  I tried to control the snap in my tone and pleaded with him with my eyes.

He scrutinized me with his eyes and finally shrugged his shoulders.  “Fine, but you’ll regret it.”  He winked at me before changing the subject.

~<>~<><>~

September

The rest of the summer, what was left of it, had passed uneventfully.  James and I continued spending a lot of time together when he wasn’t out of town.  Mom was on my case to find a job or to join her charity committees.  I needed to start looking for work because I’d be damned if I was going to get finagled into joining the charities she was on.  Not because I wasn’t charitable, but because I couldn’t stand the
type
of women that ran the committees.  I’d spent enough time moping around, waiting for Derek to show himself, that I was being overly cautious about making any other changes.  

Walking into the kitchen to grab some lunch, I saw mom was meeting with someone.  I tried to sneak out before she saw me, but she spotted me.

“Jane, come here.  I want you to meet Cassidy.”

A light bulb went on in my brain when I heard her name.  Hadn’t James said that the girl from the bar’s name was Cassidy?  What are the odds?  I walked over to her as she smiled brightly.  She had big blue eyes and long red hair that draped down her
back.  She was beautiful and not my cousin’s standard waif-like ditzy model type.  I liked her immediately!  

I outstretched my hand to her, “Hi, I’m Jane.” 
Mentally chastising myself for not having my phone on me because I wanted to sneak a pic of Cassidy to send to James.

“Nice to meet you, Jane.
  Your mom has told me so much about you.”  I groaned and Cassidy smiled and assured me it was all good.

“Jane, really, can’t a mother sing her daughter’s praises?”

“Yeah, yeah Mom.  What are you two up to?”

Mom explained that Cassidy was the event planner this year for the annual masquerade mom always threw.  This was all just way too convenient.  Now I really did need to talk to James ASAP.  I joined in the conversation for a while before I faked an upset stomach and ran to my room to find my cell.

I wasn’t waiting long for him to answer his phone.  “Hey Jane, what’s up?”

“Is your Cassidy a tall curvy red head with piercing blue eyes?”  I was smirking when I heard his sharp intake of breath.

“Jane?  What’s going on?”  His tone was one of concern and I couldn’t drag this out any longer, even though I wanted to.

“She’s the event planner, I’m assuming from B & C, planning mom’s annual masquerade this year.  She’s here at the house with mom now.”

James was silent for so long I had to ask if he was still there.  “Yeah, I’m here.”  He sounded somber.

“What’s wrong?  This is your opportunity!  The fates are calling you to her.”  I was exaggerating my enthusiasm and he started laughing.

“This certainly makes things easier for me.  I wonder what the odds are that she’s planning the hospital auction too.  I need to get in touch with dad to see who he’s been dealing with at B & C.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t know she worked at B & C?  I don’t believe that for one second.”  James was way too resourceful.  My guess was he knew more about Cassidy than she did!

“I know she works there; I just didn’t realize she was that far up the chain.  If your mom has her planning the masquerade she must be higher up than I thought.  Thanks for the information Jane.  I have to run.”

“Anytime.”

“Mums the word.  I’ll be in touch.  Later.”  He disconnected the call before I agreed, but he knew I’d keep my word.

C
hapter Three

~ CALVIN ~

After another long and boring shift I was walking in the door as Cassidy was walking out.  She gave me a smile and a wave as she jumped in her car and headed to work.  She’d been living with me for a few months now, since the shooting.  We’d converted my workout room into a room for her, until she found a place of her own. 

It was a boring night, nothing too exciting happening.  My partner, Frank, and I were parked on a side street, in the bar district, observing the activity.  It was after one in the morning and my cell phone rang.  When I looked at the screen, my sister’s face popped up.

“Cassidy, what’s up?  You’re calling awfully late.”

“This is
Renee, I’m a nurse down at County.  Your sister has been involved in a shooting.”

“What?  Is she ok?”  I turned to my partner and said, “Frank, start heading toward County.” 

“She’s uninjured, but asked that we give you a call to take her home.”

“Ok, I’m on my way.”

What the hell was going on?  Was she just at the wrong place at the wrong time?  She was probably out with Holly, the two of them were peas in a pod and practically inseparable.  Frank turned on the sirens and we made it to county in just a few minutes.

I rushed into the ER and found someone to direct me to where Cassidy was.  When I found her she was on a couch, huddled in the corner with her knees to her chest.  She was all alone, and that killed me and concerned me all at once.  Where were Holly and this guy Dan she was dating?  As I approached her I saw that her clothes were stained with blood.  My stomach flipped violently as a feeling of trepidation washed over me.

I crouched down in front of her, “Cass, are you ok?”

She looked up to me, but her eyes were hollow.  Placing my hands on her legs, to reassure her I was there, I was aware of her trembling as she started mumbling.  “She’s gone, Cal.  They killed her.”

I had a feeling I knew who she was referring too, but I didn’t want to believe it.  I always had a soft spot for Holly, but never anything more than brotherly concern.  She’d been a great friend to my sister.  “Who’s gone, Cass?”

“Holly!”  She began sobbing uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms around me.  There was nothing left to do but to scoop her up and take her home.

The days that followed were horrible for Cassidy and I both.  We buried Holly and Sam and thanks to an anonymous donation, all the costs were covered.  Neither Holly nor Sam had family so the donation was a welcome blessing.  The owner of the bar was arrested and when I found out who he was, I was furious.  A well-known local playboy owned the bar, and he was released and all charges dropped just as quickly as he was arrested. 

Cass managed to pick up the pieces the best she could, though Dan didn’t make it any easier.  She tried visiting him at the hospital and he shut her out.  Once I ran his record, I was infuriated.  He had a record full of misdemeanors and had a reputation around the precinct.  He never would’ve been dating my sister had I known.  Dan vanished, apparently going to rehab, and when she didn’t hear anything more from him, I was ecstatic about that.

Cass had moved into my place, at my insistence, and went back to work after only a week off.  She was making a name for herself and I was proud of her.  We spent a lot of time together since the shooting, and it was nice getting reacquainted with my baby sister.  We hadn’t spent nearly enough time together before all this happened, if we had, maybe it never would have happened.  I was just thankful that she was still here.

I was glad to have her close to me so I could keep an eye on her.  But the time had come to have a discussion about getting a bigger place or her finding a place of her own.  I wasn’t quite sure how to bridge this topic with her.  I didn’t want her feeling like I wanted her gone.

After stripping off my uniform I walked to the bathroom in just my boxer briefs.  I turned on the shower and waited for the hot water to flow.  I looked around the small bathroom and while it was still tidy, it was now overflowing with my sisters shit.  My condoms replaced by tampons and my razors were in short supply since she started using them.  I decided then and there that Cass and I had to figure out this living situation ASAP.  We both deserved more than what we had. 

As the water flowed over me I rested my arm on the wall and placed my head against my arm.  I took a mental note that I needed to get laid as my cock stood at attention, mocking me.  I couldn’t even recall how long it’d been; only knowing it was before the shooting.  I turned the water to cold, but it didn’t have the desired effect.  Returning the water to hot, I grabbed, squeezed and stroked him until he convulsed into sleep.  I stumbled out of the shower, threw on some clean underwear and passed out in bed.

~<>~<>~<>~

I hung up the phone after ordering pizza as Cass walked in the door that night.  Ordering pizza had become our usual routine for Friday nights.  I cracked open a Mike’s Hard Strawberry Lemonade for her and a beer for myself.  She dropped her purse on the counter and took the drink.

After she pulled the bottle from her mouth she asked, “How was your day?”

“You know me; super exciting as I slept the day away.”

“You’re off tonight right?”

I nodded at her and told her dinner was on its way.

“So something interesting happened today at one of my meetings with a client.”  My eyes encouraged her on.  “Mrs. Whitford got a phone call during our meeting.  When her call ended she told me she has a townhouse a few miles from here that needs a tenant.  I had told her that I was starting to look for places and she offered up the townhouse.”

This was a relief, she wanted to move out.  I was so pleased that she came to this decision on her own.  “That’s great.  Have you seen the place?”

“Mrs. Whitford told me to call her anytime and she’d give me the code for the keybox.  I was thinking about heading over there tomorrow and I’d love it if you could come with me.”

“You still have the appointment with
Stix at Heller’s Ink tomorrow?” 

“Yes.  I figured we could go to the townhouse beforehand.”

“Ok.  Sounds good.  Have you narrowed down your choices?”

“Yup.
  I’m getting the Phoenix Holly drew that I found in her notebook.  You?”

“I think I’ll just have him touch up the color on my latest piece on my back.  Did you decide where you want it?”  I was covered in tattoos, but it wasn’t evident when I wore my uniform.

“My ribcage.”

I cringed and she smiled saying, “I know it’s going to hurt like a mother, but it’s worth it.”