Cassie (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #3) (7 page)

Caleb blinked. He looked over at Cassie’s sleeping form. She leaned against the passenger side door, snoring softly. Even curled up in the awkward position, she retained her beauty. Dark hair, smooth skin, athletic curves.
Yeah, she’s hot
.

He tore his gaze away from her, and focused on the road. The weather had been really bad, and continued to drop snow and ice from the sky. Now was not the time to get distracted. Still, he couldn’t help but think on the night before last when the two of them had been together. He’d been with quite a few women in his life, but none of them were like her. None of them had made him feel such a need to be with them. None of them had affected him the way she had.
She’s a bounty, dammit!
Get your head on straight. Caleb tightened his grip on the steering wheel again. He found himself faced with a dilemma he’d never had before. He’d always made sure there was a distance between him and the target. A wall between his emotions, and what he was doing. Cassie had destroyed all of that with a single, unexplainable touch. She was electric, and she made him feel the same. He’d never experienced anything like it, or her for that matter. And now he was going to have to take her to face a possible life sentence—something he didn’t want to do, the more he thought about it.

“You’ve screwed this one up royally,” he chided himself. He glanced over at Cassie again. She looked so fragile, laying there. Not at all like the trash can wielding berserker he’d seen in the parking lot of that bar and grill.
What the hell was that about anyway?
She’d looked like something out of a videogame, and that creature...he shuddered.
I’ve got to get out of this mess
.

Cassie stirred with a moan. She yawned loudly, and stretched. “How long have I been out?”

“Almost two hours.”

She rubbed her eyes. “Where are we?”

“Still in Kansas,” Caleb answered. He didn’t really feel like getting into the details of their location with her. Not until he knew what he was going to do.

“Oh,” Cassie replied, and looked out the window.

A silence fell that usually wouldn’t have bothered Caleb, but Cassie wasn’t a usual mark. His discomfort only grew as the minutes ticked on, and eventually he couldn’t take it anymore. “You wanna tell me what the hell that thing was back there?”

She took a moment to answer, “I don’t know.”

He was somewhat relieved that she didn’t know, but also agitated that there was no answer to the question that had been plaguing him the last few hours. “Well, do you know why it was after you?”

“Not really,” she began. “But it said its master wanted me alive.”

“That thing could speak?!”

“Sorta, yeah.”

Caleb still couldn’t wrap his mind around the whole monster thing, and now it could talk. “So, it was a guy in a suit, right?”

Cassie gave him a deadpan look. “Right, a guy in a suit.”

“Look, I’m just trying to make sense of this whole thing.”

“You think this is easy for me?!” Cassie yelled. “I’ve got trouble enough in my life. Now this shit!” She threw her hands up. “Are you kidding me?”

“You’re the one with the freaky strength,” Caleb retorted. “I figured you knew something.”

Cassie crossed her arms. “This power didn’t come with a manual, ya know.”

“Well, you’re just a font of knowledge—”

“Screw you!” she interrupted. “At least I didn’t take advantage of you. Asshole!”

“No, you’re just a killer.” The words came out before he could stop them. He knew it was below the belt, but he was pissed, and scared.

Cassie clamped her mouth shut, and looked ahead.

Caleb sighed, “Look, I’m sorry.”

“Save it.”

She really knew how to make a person feel like an ass. Of course, it didn’t help that he was acting like one. “I mean it. I’m sorry.”

The awkward silence returned. This time Caleb just dealt with it, and focused on the road.

“I was just trying to push him off of me,” Cassie mumbled.

“What?”

“Mr. Carson. I was just trying to get him off of me,” she said. “I didn’t mean to kill him.”

Caleb had suspected as much. He read over the case, but it was good to hear it from her. The only part that had been giving him trouble was how the guy had actually died. His head had impacted against the wall a dozen feet from the floor, with enough force to crush his skull. Seeing Cassie in action the past few days had cleared that right up. “So, you don’t know why you can do what you do? I mean, you weren’t bit by a radioactive spider or anything?”

Cassie snorted, “No.”

“You sure?”

She rubbed her eyes. “It just happened. One minute I was on my back getting choked, the next I kicked him across the room. What difference does it make anyway? I thought I was only a paycheck to you...coming at me sideways like that. I have to admit I didn’t see the Taser coming.”

Caleb grimaced, “Not one of my finer moments.”

“Really?” Cassie stated dryly. “Could have fooled me.”

“I didn’t intend for us to… you know,” Caleb replied. “I don’t do that sort of thing. I thought... I don’t know what I thought. I lost control of myself, and my better judgment.”

Cassie looked out the window without a word.

Caleb shook his head. He’d compromised himself, her, and the job, with his actions. Now he didn’t know what to do.
Nice going, dumbass
. She could be lying of course, but the way she was acting seemed genuine. It was a tough decision between morals and money sometimes.

They rode in silence again until exit 184 came into view. It was another small town called Russell. Caleb got off the highway, and pulled into the nearest gas station. He leaned across Cassie, and did the only thing that he felt he could live with—he opened her door. “Go ahead. I won’t hunt you anymore.”

She sat there, looking out the door, but did nothing.

“I’m serious,” Caleb said. “Go.”

Cassie turned to look him in the eyes. Hers were red, and filled with tears. Two streams ran down either cheek. She must have been crying for some time, but hadn’t made a sound. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Something inside Caleb broke. It might have been his heart, or soul, or something. Whatever it was, he realized he couldn’t watch her suffer. “Hey, it’s going to be all right.” He reached out, and softly placed his hand on her shoulder.

She collapsed into him, and began to shake with the force of her sobs. “I’m so tired of running. I can’t take it anymore.”

Caleb stroked her long, dark hair, and wrapped an arm around her. It seemed as if she was made to fit by his side. Lavender filled his nostrils, as he breathed her in. She was so tiny and weak in that moment. He felt he had no choice, but to protect and comfort her. “Shhh, it’s okay.”

“How can it be?” she cried into his shoulder. “I’m a wanted criminal, and that
thing
is after me!”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Cassie pushed away from him. “God, I hate crying.” She wiped her eyes roughly. “And I hate being scared. It pisses me off.”

“Let’s get to Salina, Kansas, get some food, and come up with a plan,” Caleb suggested. “It’s another couple of hours away in this weather, and should give us some breathing room.”

Cassie nodded, and pulled the door shut.

Caleb gassed up, and they headed out. It took longer than two hours to get to Salina, but they arrived safe. “Got a preference on food?”

“Anything’s fine,” Cassie answered. “Well actually, if there’s an Italian place, that would be good.”

Caleb tapped on his GSP screen, and pulled up a place called Martinelli’s Little Italy. “Italian it is.” The place had street parking, which was pretty empty. Tire tracks from previous patrons were the only things that marked where the spots were since the lines were buried in snow. He checked to make sure his gun was in its holster under his jacket, and then hopped out. He opened the door to the restaurant for Cassie. They took a booth in the back, so he could see the entrance clearly.

The waitress brought them some menus. “What would you two like to drink?”

Caleb glanced up from the menu at Cassie. She appeared to have recovered from her breakdown, but was still a bit pale. “What’s your poison?”

“Unsweetened tea,” she said, “And Chicken Parmesan.”

He nodded, “I’ll have the same.”

“No messing around with you two.” The waitress smiled. “I’ll have that out as quick as I can.”

Cassie fidgeted with her coat for what seemed like an eternity, until she finally said, “It really was an accident you know. I didn’t mean to kill Mr. Carson, even though he was trying to rape me.”

“I believe you,” Caleb answered earnestly.

“It was the first time my super strength manifested,” she continued. “I don’t know if it was fear or anger, or something else that triggered it. I’ve tried to be really careful, and not hurt anyone else.”

“That must be pretty hard, especially when bounty hunters are coming at you.”

Cassie smiled, and it lit up the room. “Yeah, sometimes.”

“Well, I’m glad you took it easy on me,” Caleb said.

“I didn’t want to mess up your pretty face.” She turned bright red suddenly, and looked away.

“Amazing,” he replied. “I was thinking something similar when I tased you in the side, instead of your cheek.”

Cassie rolled her eyes, “What a charmer.”

“Nothing helps picking up women like a Taser.”

“Now that’s just wrong,” Cassie blurted, as she began to laugh. “And yet, I’m not surprised.”

He sighed, “I suppose I deserved that one. Again, my apologies.”

The waitress came out with their drinks. Cassie settled, and took a sip of her tea. She set the glass down. “I didn’t hold back with that monster at the restaurant. It didn’t seem to make a difference. If you hadn’t shown up...” Her gaze drifted down to her hands. They were bruised and swollen. Moisture welled in her eyes.

“It scared me too,” Caleb said. “Hell,
you
scared me when you broke the cuffs in the bathroom.”

She barked a laugh. “The look on your face was priceless. Looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

Caleb nodded, unable to deny her claim. “My jaw is still sore by the way. Not to mention the wild goose chase you sent me on.”

Cassie wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “How did you find me?”

“I have a tracking device on my car.”

“Ah, of course.”

The waitress returned with their dinner. “Can I get anything else for you two?”

“It looks great,” Caleb answered. “I think we have everything, thanks.”

Cassie dung into her food like a stray dog finding a freshly filled dumpster.

Caleb watched her for a minute, amazed. “I guess using your strength really takes a toll, huh?”

She nodded, but didn’t stop eating.

“So how strong are you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Cassie choked a bit on her food, as she laughed. “You worried?”

“Maybe. Mainly just curious though.”

“I’m not sure really. I used to lift logs at the lumber mill when no one was watching, just to see if I could do it. One time a truck rolled back on a guy, Fredric was his name. I lifted it off him. The others didn’t see me do it. They went looking for something to use as a lever, and asked me to stay with him. When they got back, I told them it just rolled off of him.”

“I’d say that’s pretty damn strong. Scary strong.” Caleb worked on his own Chicken Parmesan. “How do you control it?”

“Most of the time it’s not a problem,” Cassie replied. “It’s when I get mad or scared, when the trouble starts. I try to get away from people when it turns on.”

“So, you can’t ‘shut it off’ or anything?”

“Nope,” Cassie shook her head. “I used to try, but it never worked.”

“Well, that sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

“What about your family?” Caleb asked. “Isn’t there anyone you can go to for help? Maybe it’s a genetic thing?”

Cassie shook her head again. “I’ve never heard about anyone in the family having super strength. Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. I’m on my own. I have been ever since that day in woodshop. Actually, since before then. My family life wasn’t that great.”

Caleb always tried to do a thorough background check on the people he hunted. He wasn’t sure about her extended family, but he knew she was on the level about her parents. “You know about your mother’s passing then?”

Cassie nodded. “I kept tabs on her every-so-often.” She tried to laugh it off, but it sounded fake. “You know, I don’t think she even knew I was gone for that first week, after I took off for good. She was so out of it.”

“Surely the school would have called her,” Caleb replied.

Cassie smiled. This time it was genuine. “One of the benefits of being a troublemaker at school; they didn’t kick up much of a fuss when I skipped. One principal even waved goodbye when I ran off of campus.”