Redemption (27 page)

“What did she ask you?”

“She wanted to know if her parents would be okay without her.”

Bastion blew out a long breath. “From what I’ve seen of her, that question doesn’t surprise me. So, in what way was she changed? Is she still mortal?”

“Yes, still completely mortal...however, with a little something extra mixed in. When I say that Cassidy is the peace of God, I mean it quite literally,” Luscid paused as though considering whether or not he should continue. “Before she was sent back, Mel touched her.”

Melchisadek, chief angel and keeper of the peace of God, had flashed beside Cassidy, placed his hand upon her, and transferred a fragment of his essence, transforming her into the Maker’s walking, talking, breathing embodiment of peace. Standing, Luscid plucked his sword from the place he’d stuck it into the grass and walked to the large glass doors so he could see Cassidy clearly.

“I understand perfectly,” Bastion said.

And he did. As the Sandals, Cassidy had the ability to dig in, stand and fight when necessary. Her added spark of power from Mel would enable her to literally march in and take prisoners away from the enemy. If she utilized this part of herself, the demons would not be able to stand against her. Like the apostles of Scripture, she had a divinely given gift for the miraculous. Put her together with the rest of the Circle, and they would be a virtually unstoppable force, protecting one another and those they loved. Bastion knew why Luscid was so insistent that this information be kept from Lucifer and his lackeys. It made Cassidy infinitely more dangerous to him.

“Does she know?” Bastion asked.

Luscid turned from the window and focused on the darkness of the yard, scanning, extending his senses to see if danger was near. “She doesn’t,” he answered slowly. “Naturally, it has always created in her a desire to rescue those who need saving, however, I’ve managed to take care of any problem before it ever got to the point of needing to tell her.” A cool, calculating smile spread across his face, then abruptly vanished. “The Maker’s reasons for bestowing this gift upon her are His own. I can only say that He knew she would need it one day, and I believe that day is swiftly approaching. I
will
tell her.”

“I don’t think it was wise to have withheld the information from her in the first place.” Bastion mumbled and shook his head.

“All at the appointed time,” Luscid said calmly. “And speaking of withholding information...when are you going to reveal yourself?”

His expression was accusatory.
Easy to point fingers at me, my friend.
It seemed to say.

Bastion turned away from him, primarily because Luscid was right. He needed to speak to Bryan. He contained the Breastplate, and he was destined to guard and protect the hearts of those in the Circle. The wind picked up, and the scent of snow hung on the air. Its howl promised that this would not be a gentle, fluffy dusting but a no-holds-barred, all-out blizzard. It was as though nature herself knew what was coming and was trying to say that she was really, really pissed off.

W
hile Bryan drove back to the hotel he thought through the events of the night. He turned the radio up and inhaled deeply as he listened to the lyrics of the song. He could’ve written it.

“I hate being away from you

While you wait for me to come back to you

Can’t fight fate, We’re sleeping alone...”

Sleeping alone. He shook his head and sighed.

Something changed, and it had everything to do with the way he’d felt drawn into her past, into her emotions. He didn’t understand it, and frankly, it frightened him a bit. Questions buzzed in his brain.

What was he supposed to do with this newfound knowledge?

Cassidy hadn’t shared any of it with him, so did he even have a right to know?

And most importantly...

How could he find a way to speed up time so he could be with her again?

He put the Jeep in park, climbed out, and slammed the door. As he stormed toward the hotel, muttering curses under his breath, he knew that it would be a long time before he was able to find any sleep. Just a day ago, he would’ve headed straight for the bar, drowned his frustrations in as much alcohol as he could consume, fall into the abyss, and let the oblivion overtake him. Not this time, though. Cassidy did not dwell in the abyss. She would not be found in the oblivion. And Bryan wanted to be wherever she was.

He cursed again. He was going to have to deal with this while sober. And Bryan hadn’t done serious-while-sober in a long time.

He tossed his coat onto the chair near the window and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward, his head in his hands. It was going to be a long night. He allowed his mind to wander.

Tomorrow he’d go with Cassidy to her fitting. He smiled at the thought. Then he’d walk through the church, get a sense of what would be needed to achieve Carrie’s list of desired photos. Bryan grimaced. Carrie was always very particular, and her list was quite extensive. After that, he could be with Cassidy. Maybe he’d take her skating again. The way she came alive on the ice, the expression of joy and freedom and delight on her face...he’d give anything to keep it there. He nodded to himself. They’d go skating.

Suddenly tired, he reclined against the pillows, arms folded behind his head. Bryan closed his eyes, Cassidy’s image instantly before him. As he drifted off to sleep, a smile spread across his face, and the last word he thought before slumber overtook him was her name.

 

The alarm clock ripped her from the dream. Cassidy woke, kicking and screaming...figuratively, anyway. Mostly, she was just irritated that whatever fantasy her mind had created was interrupted by the arrival of the morning. She frowned, banged her hand on the alarm clock to silence it, and pulled the covers over her head.

Miranda would be waiting for her at the store. A full morning with the woman who tore out Bryan’s heart, stomped on it, and left it bleeding while she sauntered away with her perfect love.

Okay, even Cassidy knew that was a bit too harsh. Still, she felt overprotective of Bryan right now - of him and his fragile heart. She blew out loudly and swung her feet over the side of the bed. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable. She’d have to see Miranda.

She stuffed her feet into her slippers and trudged toward the kitchen for anything with caffeine. There was no way she’d stop at Starbucks and chance seeing Miranda’s sister there. She knew she hadn’t made any friends with her. Cassidy smirked as she recalled the look on Lainey’s face when she and Bryan left. A small chuckle escaped her lips.

Carrie was already up, dressed, and nearly finished with her own breakfast. She looked perfectly beautiful, as always. Cassidy narrowed her eyes and smoothed her own sleep-worn-sticking-out-at-odd-angles hair.

“Good morning,” Carrie said, not looking up from her notepad. She was busy checking things off yet another list.

Cassidy grunted. “Morning. What are you doing up?”

“Habit.” Carrie shrugged. She looked up at her cousin and grinned. “Rough night?”

“My night was fine.” Cassidy reached for a mug and filled it with steaming coffee and a ton of sugar to mask the taste. Even though she hated the stuff, she knew she desperately needed the caffeine. She closed her eyes with satisfaction at the first sip.

“Spent it with Bryan?”

Satisfaction stolen. Frustration found.

“Yes,” Cassidy began. “He took me to this place called Cornerstone. It was fun.” She shrugged casually and returned to her coffee.

Carrie slid her pad and pen forward and propped herself up on one elbow. She took a deep breath. “Uh-huh. Bryan’s good at fun, always was.”

“Listen, he’s good for more than just fun. He’s smart and talented and caring and-”

“Whoa, I get the point,” Carrie replied.

Cassidy grumbled. “I have to get ready. Miranda’s meeting me at the store. Big training session.”

“Yeah, have fun with that,” Carrie called from behind her. “You
might
want to leave Bryan out of any conversation, though!”

Cassidy rolled her eyes and closed the bathroom door.

 

An hour and a half later, she was pushing open the door to Pages. Miranda stood at the counter, looking at her watch. This was not a good sign. Cassidy knew she wasn’t late, but the fact that Miranda seemed to be waiting for her...and impatiently...well, nothing good could come of this.

How many times in the past few days had she thought that?

“Miranda, hi,” Cassidy called cheerfully.

“Hello, Cassidy,” Miranda said, her tone flat. Venomous. She flipped her perfect hair over one shoulder and placed one perfectly manicured hand on her hip. “Ready for this?”

Sure. Just feed me to the lions and get on with it.

“Yep. Tell me what I need to know.”

She sighed. “Well,” Miranda clicked her tongue against her teeth, “I’ll handle the register for now. Let’s just familiarize you with the layout of the store. Then you can get started with some shelving.”

Shelving. Fabulous.

Cassidy nodded and followed Miranda on a tour of Pages. While she talked about how she and Carrie had started the store, what their goals for it were, what a typical day was like, Cassidy’s mind drifted to Bryan. She thought about how fantastic he’d looked the night before. How wonderful he’d made her feel. How amazing it had been to be in his arms.

Miranda was staring at her. “Did you hear me?”

“Um, no?” Cassidy blushed. “I’m sorry, my mind must’ve wandered. I’m a little tired this morning.”

Green eyes narrowed and Miranda scowled. “I bet.”

She turned to continue the tour, but Cassidy stopped her. She didn’t like the tone with which Miranda had said that. She didn’t like the insinuation. Right now, she really didn’t like Miranda.

“Wait just a second. Did I do something to you in the whole single day that I’ve actually seen you since being here?”

Miranda pursed her lips and then frowned. “You really want to have this conversation here?”

“What conversation, Miranda?” Cassidy asked, annoyed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Bryan.” The word was like a bullet aimed at Cassidy’s heart. “Who do you think you are messing with him?”

Cassidy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Miranda didn’t want him, but apparently no one else was allowed to want him, either.

“Oh, that’s rich!” She almost squealed. “
I’m
the one messing with him? I know all about last summer,
Miranda
. If anyone messed with him, it was
you.
And for the record, whatever is or is not going on between Bryan and me is none of
your
business.”

“That’s where you’re very wrong.”

“Funny, I thought you were already involved with someone. Derek, right? Listen, I’m here to do a job. Just tell me what to do and keep my private life out of it.”

Miranda raised one brow and pointed to a stack of books on a cart. “Shelve those,” she said curtly. And then she stormed off.