Letting Go (17 page)

Casey studied her surroundings. All of the buildings were dark and some were even boarded up. She had no idea how long she’d been walking but she knew that if she didn’t get out of the elements soon she’d be in trouble. Her eyes scanned the opposite side of the street. A small church was nestled between two taller buildings. The small cross on top was dimly lit. Casey crossed the street and went to the door. It was unlocked.

The warmth slammed into her icy body the moment she stepped inside the building. Although not much to look at from the outside, the inside of the church was breathtaking. Hundreds of candles gave the small structure an enchanted look. Old wooden pews were rich in texture and color and stained glass windows lined each side of the room. Statues of various religious figures brought life to the chapel. Exhaustion claimed her as she made her way down the row of pews. She stopped near the front and stared at the Jesus statue that stared back at her. Religion had never played a role in her life so the peace that spread through her body at the sight of the simple statue surprised her. A sense of calm filled her as she sat down in one of the pews. She sat there for a long time and simply stared at the statue as if waiting for something. When she was too tired to keep her eyes open any longer, she lay down on the hard pew and closed her eyes. She would just rest for a few minutes and then she would find a phone and call Devlin.

As Casey heard her name being called out in the darkness, she waited for the feeling of hands closing around her arms in a brutal hold. Then she’d have to fight again and she was just too tired. She clamped her eyes shut and tried not to hear her name being repeated over and over. Why wouldn’t they all just leave her alone?

***

“Sir, you should probably give her a shake to wake her up,” announced the uniformed police officer to his left. When the man made a move to touch Casey Devlin gave him a dangerous look.

“No,” was all he said but the tone in his voice made the order clear to the officer. The man glanced at his female partner who shook her head doubtfully.

Devlin turned his attention back to Casey and called her name again. While his first instinct had been to touch her, he knew better. When he said her name again, he saw her flinch. When he had arrived only moments ago at the church, the priest who had found Casey had tried to warn him about her condition but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. As he had carefully moved her hair from the side of her face, he had seen that her right eye was twice its normal size and swollen shut. The massive, purple bruise spread over the entire eye and halfway down the cheek. Another bruise started at the lower part of her jawbone and dried blood clung to the right side of her mouth where her lower lip had been split open.

“Casey, honey, it’s time to wake up,” he said, his voice strained. If he could just get her to wake up then everything would be okay. He saw the fingers on her hand move and realized she was coming around. “Casey, it’s Devlin.”

Casey heard his voice coming louder now. No one was grabbing on to her arms and no one was shaking her. It was just his voice. She opened her eyes but saw only blackness. She blinked a couple of times and then tried to lift her head up. Pain slammed into her head and she thought she was going to black out. She heard her name again and tried to turn her head in that direction. The splitting pain hit her again.

“Devlin?” she asked, hoping his voice would tell her where he was.

“I’m here.” She felt fingertips touch one of her hands. It was then that she understood why she couldn’t find him. She’d fallen asleep on the uninjured part of her face so her good eye was pressed against the wood surface underneath her. That meant she was either blind in the other eye or it was swollen shut. Figuring it was the latter, she forced her legs off the pew and tried to sit up. She felt Devlin’s hands on her shoulders supporting her. For once, she was grateful for the contact because it kept her from passing out. She managed to focus her good eye and then found Devlin kneeling in front of her. Terror was written all over his features.

Devlin kept his hands on her shoulders until he was sure she wouldn’t fall over. “Honey, can you hear me?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she said softly. Her voice was laced with pain but it was strong. Devlin removed his hands from her shoulders and gently pushed the hair off her face and shoulders. It was then that he saw the bruise around her neck.

“Jesus Christ!”

Casey watched him grab the edge of the pew for support. The blood rushed out of his hand because of the tight grip he had on the wood. She realized she must look pretty bad and patiently waited until he had composed himself again. She felt the softness of wool beneath her fingers and realized someone had placed a blanket on her.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“Father Blakely found you.” Devlin motioned to the older man standing behind him. He was watching her with obvious concern.

“Thank you for the blanket,” she said absentmindedly as her gaze drifted to the two police officers standing beside him.

“Miss, can you tell us what happened?” asked the woman.

Casey had to think about it for a long time before everything suddenly came rushing back to her. Devlin recognized her sudden comprehension of what was going on and let out a relieved breath.

“Miss?”

Casey looked up at the officer and then glanced around her lap. “My purse,” she began as she realized it wasn’t there. She turned back to the officers. “My purse, I think someone took it.”

“You were mugged?” asked the man. He reached for his notepad.

“Yes.” She saw Devlin staring at her but his expression was blank.

“Did he do that to you?” questioned the man as he pointed to her face.

“Um, yes, we struggled…I didn’t want to lose my purse,” she finished lamely. Both officers gave her a look that said they thought she was a complete fool but as long as they didn’t question it, she didn’t care.

“Can you describe him?” asked the woman.

“It was dark – I really didn’t see anything. I walked for a little while and then I saw this church. I just wanted to rest for a minute before I called Devlin,” she added as she glanced at Devlin.

“Why did you leave the party?”

“I just needed some air and before I knew it I was lost.” Casey knew she sounded like a complete ninny but everyone seemed to be buying the story, except Devlin of course. She could tell he didn’t believe a word she was saying but he kept silent.

“Well, we’ve called for paramedics. They can take you over to St. Luke’s and get you checked out.”

Casey shook her head and tried to stand. Devlin’s arm went around her waist. His strength was the only thing that kept her on her feet. “No, I’m okay, really. I just want to go home.”

“Miss, you really should be checked out,” began the woman officer.

“I’m taking her home.” Devlin helped her take a couple of steps and then stopped. Before she could protest, he had carefully picked her up in his arms. As he walked past the priest, the old man nodded to her.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Go with God, my child,” he said softly. As Devlin carried her down the aisle, her eyes once again fell on the statue of Jesus. The statue’s warm gaze stayed with her even after Devlin had left the building.

Devlin’s limo was waiting outside the chapel, surrounded by several police cars. Standing anxiously next to one of them were Elliot and Caroline.

“Casey, darling, are you all right?” Caroline gushed as she moved to Devlin’s side.

“What happened?” asked a shocked Elliot as he placed a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulder. Devlin moved with lightning speed past them and had her in the car before their presence could even register in her addled brain.

Once inside the car, Casey had expected him to put her down but instead, he held her tightly in his lap, the good side of her face pressed against his chest. She was surprised by the action but too tired to argue with him about it. And truth be told, she was in too much pain to feel anything else anyway.

For the life of him, Devlin could not let her go. Her battered body seemed so small in his arms that he was afraid he might be doing her more harm than good but still, he couldn’t make himself release her. He was about to insist that they go to the hospital but then he felt the even rhythm of her breathing. She was asleep. As his eyes roamed over the injuries, he had to force the rage in him away so that his grip on her remained relaxed. Every conceivable emotion raced through his mind, making it impossible to think about the next step. So he just held her.

***

When Casey next opened her eyes, she was back at Devlin’s townhouse, tucked away in the warmth and safety of her bed. The room was dark but she quickly realized that it was light outside. Someone had drawn the curtains. She glanced at the clock which read 8 am. She pushed herself up on her elbows, ignoring the pain that ran rampant throughout her body. As she looked around the room with her good eye, she realized she wasn’t alone. Sitting in the armchair that was way too small for his large frame was Devlin.

Casey tried to smile when she heard his soft snore but the sharp stinging pain on her lower lip brought her up short. She pushed the blankets off and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Waiting for the bout of pain in her head to pass, Casey finally managed to get to her feet. She went to the windows and opened the curtains and then slowly made her way to the bathroom.

“What the hell are you doing out of bed?” His voice nearly caused her to lose her balance. Devlin was at her side instantly.

“You promised me you would never do that again,” she muttered, her hoarse voice grating like a frog’s.

“I’m sorry. But you need to stay in bed. Whatever you need, I can bring it to you,” he offered.

Casey was shocked by his appearance. He was still wearing his tuxedo even though he had removed the jacket and bow tie. His hair was standing up in all the wrong places and his normally clean-shaven face was already carrying a dark shadow of growth. But it was his eyes that said the most. Beyond the exhaustion and concern was something else – it looked eerily like defeat.

“You can’t bring me what I need right now,” she finally responded as she tried to take another step.

“Try me,” he said, cutting her off from her path.

She looked pointedly at the bed and then at the bathroom door just behind him. It took him a moment but then he got it.

“Oh,” he stammered as he moved out of her way. “Do you need any help in there?” he asked. She frowned at him. “I meant that I could get my mother to assist you.”

“I’m fine.” Her progress was slow but she finally managed to get herself into the bathroom. She closed the door and turned towards the toilet but stopped when she caught her reflection in the mirror. As bad as the injuries hurt, they looked ten times worse. One side of her face was almost entirely purple while the other side was completely normal. A startled laugh escaped her at the sight. She glanced at the T-shirt she was wearing. Someone had obviously removed her gown and put the shirt on in its place. She could only hope it was Devlin’s mother or Mrs. Potter. Of course, with the way she looked, she doubted anyone would be able to take their attention off her face long enough to even notice the rest of her.

***

Devlin paced outside the bathroom door. He stopped only to listen for any sound of distress but all he heard was the toilet flush and running water. When she opened the door, he was right there, ready to guide her back to bed. But she bypassed the bed and went to the bay window instead. He watched in horror as she proceeded to sit down in the window and stare outside.

“Casey, you should be in bed.”

“What happened to Isabel last night?” she asked.

Devlin grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bed and went to her. He placed the pillow behind her back and covered her with the blanket. “What do you mean?”

“She wasn’t here this morning. Where did she sleep?”

“In her room of course.” He secured the blanket and then leaned against the wall across from her. “Why? Has she been sneaking in here to sleep with you?” At her nod, he asked, “For how long?”

“Off and on since the first night. This past week it’s been every night.”

Devlin was surprised. “I sometimes found her in here in the mornings after her mom died. I had no idea she was still doing it. I’ll talk to her about it.”

“No, don’t. She just needs some time and it doesn’t bother me.” She fell silent and studied the snow that clung to the branches outside the window.

“Casey, we need to talk about last night.”

“What for? I told you what happened.”

“The hotel staff found your purse in the Gold Salon.”

She didn’t bother to look at him. “It’s over Devlin. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police?”

“Tell them what?” she asked wearily.

“The truth – what that son of a bitch did to you,” he exclaimed.

“Did you see him do it?” She turned to look at him as she asked the question.

“Of course not.”

“Did you see him follow me up there?”

“No.”

“Did you even know he was at the dinner?”

Devlin saw where this was going. “No,” he admitted. He dropped his eyes.

“Devlin, look at me.” At her request he lifted his eyes. “I’m not afraid of him. This,” she motioned to her face, “doesn’t scare me anymore. If anything, it makes me stronger.”

“Can you explain that to me?” he asked gently.

When she didn’t answer right away Devlin prepared to leave but stopped short when she spoke again. She was looking out the window again. “He was always the one with the power. Even the few times that I challenged him when I was a kid, he still won. He always managed to bring me to my knees somehow. But last night was different. He followed me only to frighten me into keeping my mouth shut. But I provoked him. I made him lose control. He may have been physically stronger but I was the one with the power last night and he knew it.” The conviction in her voice reverberated through him. She was right; she was stronger now. Logically, none of it made sense but in his heart he knew she had done what she needed to do.

“I was so scared when I couldn’t find you.”

Surprised, Casey turned her attention back to him. He had half-whispered the words as if not sure he should have made the admission. He hesitated for a moment and then quickly stepped up to her, dropped a kiss on the top of her head and then stepped back.