The Undercover Playboy (Captured by Love Book 3) (19 page)

“Unbelievable,” David murmured. “If it weren’t for Cassie calling Gavin as soon as Bronwyn sped off from your house, we might not have made it here on time.”

“I know,” he whispered, his throat closing. “I need to see her now, Dave.”

“Of course. Let’s go.”

They
stepped out of the house just as the police cars with the two perps were about to drive away.

“Wait,” Carter called out. He opened the passenger door of the car where Vera was and leaned close to Vera’s face. “You overestimated yourself by underestimating Cassie, Vera.” Then he shut the door and gestured for the witches to be led away.

*****

C
arter was grateful at the sight of his house. He
was home. And still breathing.

He stepped out of David’s car just as Gavin was hurrying out.

“Glad you’re alive, bro,” his best friend said, hugging him tight.

“Yup. And not a bullet in me,” he quipped.

Gavin chuckled. “Tell me what happened.”

He gave Gavin the condensed version.

“Hell, bro. Glad Dave and the guys got there when they did.”

“I know,” he said. “Where’s Cassie?”

“Inside.”

He walked into his house and air gushed out of his lungs when he saw Cassie sitting on his sofa, being interviewed by a police officer.

“Hi,” he choked, emotions threatening to overcome him.

“Hi,” she responded. “I’m almost done with this interview. I’ll talk to you after.”

“Okay,” he said with a frown. He wanted nothing more than to take Cassie in his arms and kiss her senseless. But something
in her demeanour made him hesitate.

“Carter,” David called. “I have some news.”

Reluctantly, he went to David, trying not to be bothered by the coolness of Cassie’s response to his homecoming. Perhaps she was still in some sort of shock. This kind of event didn’t happen every day.

“Apparently, Bronwyn’s talking,” David said. “She’s claiming that everything was Vera’s idea, and that she was
just too scared to go against Vera’s instructions.”

“Thank God for that,” he said. “It’ll be easier for me to clear my name against whatever false evidence they’ve stacked up against me.”

David patted his shoulder. “Now that we know to look for signs of tampering, they’ll be easier to uncover. You won’t have a scratch on you.”

He nodded, looking back at Cassie. He hoped his heart would escape
further cuts too.

The officer interviewing Cassie stood up and thanked her. Great. Now he could have his girlfriend to himself. He went to her.

Cassie gave him a smile, crossing her arms as if she were cold. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said.

“And are you?” he asked, grasping her arms and rubbing them.

“Shaken but fine. Bronwyn’s been arrested?”

“Yes,” he said, frowning. Cassie seemed calm,
but she obviously had her walls up. Was this her way of dealing with a traumatic event? “I’m sorry that you had to go through all that.”

She inhaled deeply. “Do you work on cases like this all the time?”

“Not
all
the time,” he said with a chuckle. “Sometimes my days are extremely boring, like when I have to do surveillance and sit in a car for hours on end. Or do paperwork.”

She smiled. “So
how many times has your life been threatened? Or those of your loved ones?”

His chest ached. They were having a conversation like two distant friends, and he didn’t like it. But he didn’t want to push Cassie after what she’d been through.

“I haven’t counted,” he answered. “But most of the time they’re empty threats. Cases like this are few and far between, knock on wood.”

She nodded. “I guess
I don’t have a job anymore. I wonder if I have to formally resign.”

He sighed. “We don’t know yet what will happen to the gallery. But I’m sure no one will be surprised if you never turn up there again.”

“Yeah. Well, I should go. I might see if Gavin would give me a lift.”

“No, babe. Stay here.”

Cassie shook her head. “Thanks. But I’d rather go home.”

He stared at her with concern. “Cass,
you know that everything I said earlier was done under duress, right?”

“Yes. I know you were threatened. I have to admit that for a while there, I believed what you were saying. But deep inside I knew you weren’t that kind of person.”

“Carter?” David called. “Do you want to run through everything with me tonight?”

No. He wanted to be alone with Cassie.

“You should talk to David now,” Cassie
encouraged. “While everything’s fresh in your mind.”

“Cass...”

“Goodnight, Carter,” she said with a hand on his arm, then walked away.

His chest compressed. Why did that feel like goodbye?

“Hey, you okay?” David asked softly.

He shook his head.

“You know that my Abby took a long while to get used to being with a cop, right?” David said. “We broke up a few times before we decided we couldn’t
live without each other. I’m sure tonight was a shock for Cassie.”

Carter rubbed his face. Some women couldn’t handle the stress of being a cop’s wife or girlfriend. They couldn’t stand not knowing if their men would come back home to them safe and sound at the end of the day.

Had Cassie decided this was too much for her?

“
You sure you’re gonna be okay to be by yourself in your apartment tonight?”

Cassie smiled at Gavin. “Yes, thank you. And thanks again for rushing to our aid tonight, Gavin.”

“No, thank
you
, Cassie,” Gavin said, taking his eyes off the road to glance at her. “You saved Carter’s life.”

“How close a call was it?” She was afraid to know the answer, but couldn’t help but ask.

“Apparently, they were about to take Carter to another location so...” Gavin paused, his emotions evident.

“So... what?” she whispered.

“So they could kill him and say that he committed suicide.”

Cassie gasped, tears rushing to her eyes.

“Dave and the guys got there just in time, Cassie. Thanks to you.”

She shivered, and said a prayer of thanks. “So who was Bronwyn working with?” she asked.

“It’s just the two of them, as far as the police know at this point. But with Bronwyn willing to sing, maybe she’ll give up more names of other people they’ve used in the past.”

“So who’s this other person?”

“Pardon?”

“The person who was holding Carter hostage while Bronwyn was with me.”

Gavin gazed at her questioningly. “Vera.”

“What?” she asked in utter disbelief.

“Didn’t you know, Cassie?”

“I thought... I thought Vera had been threatened too.”

“No. She was the mastermind, by the looks of it.”

“So she and Carter are not together?”

Gavin shot her an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me, Cassie? No way! And not because Vera’s a crook—we all didn’t know that until today—but because Carter’s ridiculously in love with you. Why would he be with someone else?”

“But Carter said—” She
covered her mouth, her mind recalling Carter’s study. The picture of her and Carter had been there, but she hadn’t seen a single one of Carter and Vera’s. And she’d thought Carter had printed their photo to make Vera jealous...

“Gavin, could we please turn around and head back to Carter’s?”

*****

“
It looks like David’s still there,” Cassie murmured, disappointed.

“They’re probably almost finished,”
Gavin said. “Just go in.”

She got out of Gavin’s car and walked to the door. She rang the bell.

“Cassie,” David said in surprise. “I was just about to go.” David moved aside to let her in, then said goodbye and closed the door behind him.

Cassie stood still, staring at Carter, who was looking at her as if he couldn’t believe she was there.

“Honey,” she said with a sob.

Then Carter was rushing
to her, and she was in his arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked, holding her tight and kissing her hair.

Oh, how could she have doubted him? “I should be asking you that.”

“I’m good. Now that you’re here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, baby?” Carter asked, holding her face in his hands.

“For believing what you said about you and Vera.”

He frowned. “You mean you thought Vera and I were really lovers?”

She nodded. “I thought that Bronwyn had threatened to hurt both you and Vera. I didn’t realise they were working together.”

Carter stared at her. “So when you gave Bronwyn the wrong file and called Gavin, you were still thinking that I lied about being in love with you?”

She sniffed and nodded again. “All that occurred to me was that you couldn’t possibly be a murderer.”

“What about our picture
in my study?”

“I thought you’d printed it off to make Vera jealous.”

“Cassie,” Carter said, his expression displaying his hurt. “How could you believe that after you’ve seen our photo?”

“Because that’s what you told me,” she said in a small voice.

“I also told you I was going to kill your family if you didn’t follow my instructions, and you didn’t believe
that
.”

“Well, it hit me how unbelievable
that was.”

“But me saying that I love someone else, and that I just used you, and that I’m having a baby with another woman, are
believable
?”

She sniffed.

“And what about all those times that I made love to you and told you I loved you? Weren’t those
believable
?”

Well, now that he put it that way... “I’m sorry. It was just that you kissed her so convincingly.”

“She was threatening to shoot
you.”

“She was?” she asked, eyes widening.

Carter sighed, nodding solemnly.

“Did she have a gun pointed at me?”

Carter hesitated before nodding again.

“So you broke my heart to save my life?”

Carter smiled without cheer, his eyes misting. “My heart was just as broken, sweetheart. I was dying inside. I thought I’d be gone, and that you’d only remember me as a revolting man who used you. It
was a physical pain I never want to experience ever again.”

“Oh, Carter,” she whispered, putting her arms around him and squeezing him tight, wanting to meld herself with him to ease both their hurt. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you, baby. Only you. Please never doubt that again.”

“Okay,” she said simply, sincerely, and kissed him with all the passion she could muster.

*****

“
Morning.”

Cassie smiled at the handsome face leaning down over her. “Morning,” she answered. “What time is it?”

“Eight. I have to go to work now, but I didn’t want to leave without waking you up.”

She placed a palm on his face. “I’m glad you did.”

“I’ve called Tash, Lexie and Erin. They’re coming here. They’re taking the day off so they could be with you today. I tried to call Jade too, but I didn’t
realise she’s still on her honeymoon.”

“Oh, Carter,” she said, sitting up and hugging him. “I’m okay, but I’m so glad they’re coming. Thank you.”

“I wish I could spend the day with you too. But I’m keen to make sure the proper paperwork is done and procedures are followed so Vera and Bronwyn stay behind bars.”

She nodded, although if she had the choice, she’d keep him by her side. “Are you
okay, honey? Last night was...”

“It was hell,” he said with a wry smile. “But I’m fine. Can you stay here again tonight?”

She smiled. “Yes. I’ll make us a nice dinner then. What time are you coming home?”

“No later than seven. Earlier if I don’t get held up by something urgent or unexpected.”

“Okay.”

“And can you stay again tomorrow night?”

“I’d love to.”

“And the night after?”

She chuckled.
“How many nights do you want me to stay?”

“Indefinitely.”

She stared at him.

Carter caressed her face. “Cassie, I saw a gun pointed at your head last night. And for a few hours, I honestly thought I’d be dead before the night ended. You might think I’m going too fast, but the way I’m feeling right now, I want nothing more than to come home to you, hold you close every night and wake up next
to you in the mornings. Move in with me, Cass.”

She took a deep ragged breath, his words resonating with her. “Okay.”

The grin that Carter gave her was breathtaking. He leaned down to kiss her. When they parted, they were both panting.

“I better go before you tempt me further,” he said gruffly.

Oh, did he have to go? “Please take care, Carter.”
Please.

“I will, babe. I love you.”

“I love
you, too.”

Cassie watched Carter leave the bedroom, fear and worry for him sitting in her gut like a lump of concrete. But if she wanted to be with this man, she’d have to learn to live with those undesirable feelings.

C
arter couldn’t help the dismayed look on his face when he entered the popular Sydney bar with an attractive brunette wearing an indecently short dress hanging on his arm. What on earth were Lucas, Rick and Brad doing here? Hadn’t Cassie said that these three were joining her and her best friends for dinner tonight so they could do some catching up with Lucas and Jade who’d just
come back from their honeymoon?

“Everything alright, Carter?” Tilly asked.

“Sure,” he said, smiling at the woman who could lead him to the leader of the syndicate that brought young women from Third World countries to Australia, promising them work, only to confiscate their passports and force them into prostitution.

“Are they friends of yours?” Tilly asked, eyeing his buddies with interest.

Carter was about to deny it when Lucas happened to look their way, and waved to him with surprised delight.

“Oh, shall we go meet them?” Tilly said, taking his hand and walking over to the guys.

He wasn’t surprised at Tilly’s eagerness. From the information they’d gathered so far, Tilly was a newly employed and enthusiastic “seducer” for the forced-prostitution syndicate. Since he’d indicated
to Tilly that he was into orgies with girls who didn’t object to his kind of kink, Tilly probably hoped that his buddies were like him. Apparently, people like Tilly got paid incredibly well for every new client they introduced to the business.