Leo just felt sick. From his position on the sofa, he watched Cassie out of the corner of his eye. She had retreated to her perch on the hearth after the meal. The box with her travel chessboard was in front of her, but she wasn’t playing. She held a black knight in her hand, turning the piece over and over between her fingers.
As Anton and Bruce reenacted the bus stop battle scene, Leo kept seeing the moment when Cassie snuck around the jeep and ambushed the Soviet driver. She could have died. He could have lost her, just the way he lost Jim. The thought made him want to break things.
Nonna clapped her hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Jim’s name must join the wall of Not Forgotten,” she declared, picking up a tray with shot glasses and a bottle of grappa. “Outside, everyone.”
“Come on, brother.” Dal clasped Leo’s forearm and pried him off the couch. He thumped Leo on the shoulder. “You did good today.”
Leo just nodded. He followed everyone outside. The moon was out, shining brilliantly above Pole Mountain.
They had started a shrine in memory of friends and loved ones they’d lost in this war. It was nothing more than a carving of names on the back wall of the cabin, but it had become a sacred space. Above the names were the words Not Forgotten.
Anton turned on a lantern as they filed into the clearing, the light illuminating the carved names. Their father’s was among the list, along with two of Anton’s varsity football friends.
Tate handed a knife to Leo. “You do the honors, man. Jim would want it that way.” There was a wild edge to Tate’s eyes, like he balanced on a knife’s edge.
Mouth dry, Leo took the knife. Jim was a hero. He deserved to be celebrated for that. Even if Leo didn’t feel worthy of honoring him.
He was tall enough to reach the open space beneath the names. His friends and family members stood in a loose semi-circle around him, silent as he carved James Craig into the wood.
When he was done, Nonna passed around the shot glasses. Leo held up his glass and forced himself to speak.
“To Jim,” he said hoarsely.
“To Jim,” everyone echoed.
After that, everyone who had known Jim went around the circle and shared a story.
“I’ll never forget the first time I saw Jim make a Craig fireball,” Anton said. “He used a bottle of vodka he’d stolen from a hotel mini bar. I was in junior high. Leo took me to a post-game party when he was a sophomore. I almost pissed myself when Jim sprayed the vodka out of his mouth and lit it on fire.”
Laughter went around the circle. Nonna poured a second round of grappa. Leo downed his shot, feeling the burn all the way down his esophagus.
Tate stepped forward. “Jim said something to me before we rode out this morning. He said, ‘Tate, we have to stop these guys. It doesn’t matter what we have to do so long as the job gets done.’ ” Tate paused a moment to knuckle his eyes. When he looked up, rage and grief painted every line of his face. “We need to remember that. The Russian bastards need to die no matter what.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Nonna poured another round of shots.
Leo retreated into the shadows, unable to find his voice. Grief and guilt threatened to choke him.
He was going to have to tell Mr. and Mrs. Craig what had happened to their son. He was going to have to look them in the eye and tell them he’d gotten Jim killed. The thought almost made him empty his stomach onto the pine needles at his feet.
Finally, it was over. Leo turned his back on the others as they filed out of the clearing. He needed some time alone.
Jennifer’s voice reached his ears. “Stay here. Make sure he’s okay.”
Her words ignited his temper. He spun around, ready to snap her head off.
But Jennifer was gone. Everyone was gone.
Everyone, except for Cassie. She stood beneath the carved names, her eyes wide with sadness.
Leo’s eyes strayed to the words: Not Forgotten.
And then the names below those words:
Giuseppe Cecchino
Adam McCarthy
Lars Guerra
James Craig
Jennifer’s words floated through his mind: We could all be dead tomorrow.
Seeing Cassie beneath that string of names was too much for Leo. In her dark clothes, she was like an exclamation mark at the end of a really fucked-up joke. He couldn’t take it. Why the hell had he been wasting the precious time they had together?
He strode across the clearing and didn’t stop until he was a mere inch away from her. She was flat against the wall. He pressed his hands against the wood on either side of her. His breath came a little too hard and a little too fast as he looked her straight in the eye.
“I like you, Cassie. I like you a lot.”
She stopped breathing. Leo was too consumed with his own emotions to take stock of what this might mean.
He plowed on. “If things were normal, I’d take you to the movies or ask you out to dinner. You know that little Italian restaurant in downtown Bastopol? I think you’d like it. Actually, no, I wouldn’t take you there. The last time I went there, the waiter was a dick to my dad. What about the beach? I could take you to the beach. We could have a picnic and spend the afternoon there. Would you go to the beach with me?”
She swallowed, her eyes huge. “I’d love to go to the beach with you, Leo, but ...”
That last word nearly sent him into a tail slide. Had he been misreading things between them? He’d been certain she liked him as much as he liked her.
“But, what?” he asked, more roughly than he meant to.
“What about my sister?”
Oh. Apparently, Cassie hadn’t been the recipient of the same ambush as Leo. Damn Jennifer. She was pissing him off on a daily basis.
He did his best to keep his voice level when he answered. “Jennifer said she’d stab me in the heart with one of her stilettos if I hurt you.”
He saw the moment when his words lodged in Cassie’s brain. It shouldn’t have been possible for her eyes to grow any wider, but they did.
“Cassie Miola,” he said huskily, “will you go to the beach with me when this fucking Russian shit show is over?”
She nodded. “Yes. Of course. I’d go anywhere with you, Leo.”
He crushed her up against the wall and kissed her.
He’d daydreamed about this moment. He’d imagined tenderness, affection, and even passion.
The kiss wasn’t any of those things. It was raw, deep, and desperate. His hands were everywhere at once, moving under her shirt. He pushed his tongue into her mouth. She tasted so goddamn good.
He pulled out her ponytail scrunchy and crumpled her soft hair in his hands. He’d been wanting to touch her hair for days. She melded against him as he sucked on her neck and bit at her ear. His erection was so hard he thought the fly on his jeans might snap open.
Leo forced himself to stop before he lost complete control. Based on the conversations they’d had over the chessboard, he didn’t think Cassie had ever had a boyfriend before. He didn’t want her first time to be in the dirt on the backside of his family cabin. She deserved better.
It took every shred of willpower to hold himself back. Emotions raged within him. He wanted her so badly. He wanted to escape this shitty war and be with her. In an effort to control himself, he pressed his forehead against her shoulder. He clenched her black knight pendant in one fist.
Grief forced its way up. It was like a speeding freight train in his chest. He could hardly breathe.
Cassie pulled him into her. She covered his cheek and neck with kisses as he cried. He held onto her as though his life depended on it.
He wasn’t sure how long she supported him. Five minutes, maybe. It felt like five hours. When he finally lifted his face to look at her, she kissed his nose. He saw understanding in her eyes as she caressed his neck with her fingertips.
He smoothed curls back from her face, loving the fact that he could look her straight in the eye without bending over.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He liked being able to tell her exactly what he thought about her. “And smart. I like how smart you are. I like everything about you, Cassie.”
A radiant smile lit her face. “I like everything about you, too.” She leaned in and kissed him.
This was the kiss he’d dreamed about. Soft and tender and full of passion. He could die right now and be happy.
When they finally broke apart, Leo saw something new in her eyes. It was the future shining out at him, so bright and brilliant and took his breath away.
No one had ever looked at him the way she was looking at him right now. There had been plenty of girls over the years who had flirted with him, but not a single one of them was like Cassie.
“Do you—?” He swallowed to wet his dry throat. “Do you want to look at the stars with me? I know a good lookout spot. It’s not the beach, but—”
“Yes.” Cassie threaded her fingers through his. “Yes, I’d love to look at the stars with you.”
He drew her close and kissed the top of her head. As he led her away to the overlook where they could see the stars, he felt a little less broken because of her.
Chapter 23
Breakfast
LEO WOKE UP THE NEXT morning with a splitting headache. As his eyes cracked open, his first thought was that maybe those last two shots of grappa before bed had been a bad idea. His second thought was that those two shots had been the only thing that kept him from barging into the girls’ bunk room last night for one last kiss from Cassie.
His third thought was that he had to go see Mr. and Mrs. Craig today.
The duty was like a boulder on his back. Still, it had to be done. The mission had been his idea. Jim had followed him into battle. It was Leo’s responsibility to bear the news of his death. He would see this through.
He dragged himself to the breakfast table. Cassie was already there, pouring syrup over a pancake. This sight of her made his morning a little less shitty. He beelined in her direction and sat down next to her.
“Good morning,” he said.
She gave him a bright smile. “Hi, Leo, how are—”
He took her face between her hands and kissed her on the mouth.
You could have heard a pin drop.
Leo didn’t give a fuck. He could be dead by tomorrow. Shit, he could be dead by the end of today. He wanted everyone to know how he felt about Cassie.
Most importantly, he wanted Cassie to know how he felt. She was important to him. He wanted her to know last night hadn’t just been a fit of grief.
When he pulled away, her face was bright red. Leo barely noticed. He couldn’t see much past her radiant smile. She snaked her arms around his waist and quickly hugged him before turning back to her pancake. He put an arm around her shoulders and stared down anyone and everyone gawking at them.
He wasn’t sure who looked more shocked. Anton and Bruce, or Amanda and Stephenson. All four of their jaws were on the table.
Of everyone in the cabin, only Dal and Lena looked like they got it. Oh, and Jennifer. She looked smug. Damn her. She’d known before he could admit it to himself.
Nonna was the first to break the silence. “Leo, I expect you to behave like a gentleman under this roof. Your parents didn’t raise you to manhandle a young lady at the breakfast table.”
His parents hadn’t taught him to lead his friends into battle against Russian invaders, either. But all he said was, “It won’t happen again, Nonna.”
He did not remove his arm from Cassie’s shoulders. Somewhere in the last thirty seconds, she had leaned into his side. He liked her there. He ignored his grandmother’s disapproving look and helped himself to four pancakes. He didn’t plan to ever let go of Cassie, no matter how many disapproving looks he got from his grandmother.
Talk resumed as everyone recovered from their shock. Amanda threw pointed looks in Cassie’s direction, trying to ask a dozen questions with various facial expressions. Cassie just blushed and ate her pancakes.
Toward the end of the meal, Leo caught Tate’s eye. “I’m going to see your parents,” he said. A strong cup of coffee was doing a fair job of combating his headache. “Are you coming with me?”
Tate froze like a deer in headlights. Leo wasn’t sure if it was the grappa hangover or the grief that made his eyes red.
“Today?” Tate looked down at his plate.
Nonna smacked him on the back of his head. “Tate Craig, you will go see your parents today.”
Tate shifted in his chair. It was obvious he didn’t want to go. Leo didn’t blame him. He didn’t want to go, either.
Sometimes, you had to do stuff you didn’t want to do. Life was shitty like that.
“Alright,” Tate said. “Let’s go.”
Leo turned to Cassie. “I have to go. Chess game when I get back?”
Her eyes were shining when she looked at him. “Yeah.”
He kissed her cheek. “See you in a few hours.” He looked at Tate. “Grab your rifle. Let’s go.”
Jennifer rose from the table. “I’m going. Someone should be there for Mrs. Craig.”
Leo was not in the mood to argue with her. He couldn’t imagine why she wanted to go. Mrs. Craig would have Tate and her husband. No one else was stupid enough to volunteer for this mission.
“Fine. Whatever,” he said to her. “Grab a gun.” With one last look at Cassie, he strode from the cabin.
Chapter 24
Bases
CASSIE STOOD ON THE porch, watching as Leo, Jennifer, and Tate rode away down Pole Mountain on the horses. She’d barely slept at all last night. Her brain was still looping on all the kisses they’d shared beneath the stars. She could still hardly believe it had happened. Leo Cecchino had kissed her. Called her beautiful. Her.
I like everything about you, Cassie.
Amanda was on her in less than five seconds flat.
“You and Leo Cecchino?” she hissed. “When did that happen? Why didn’t you tell me? When—”
“Oh, my God.” Stephenson bustled out of the cabin. “Cassie Miola, you’ve been holding back from us.”
“I wasn’t hiding anything,” Cassie said quickly. “I just thought he liked playing chess. I thought ...” She had thought a guy like Leo could never be into her. That’s what her mother would have told her.
Maybe her mom’s view of the world was skewed. This had never occurred to Cassie before. Just because her mom thought being a tall woman was a detriment didn’t mean everyone else felt the same way. Why had it taken Cassie so long to figure this out?
“You thought the crush was one sided,” Amanda said.
“Yeah. I mean, he’s Leo, you know?”
“The quarterback and the chess geek.” Stephenson let loose a wistful sigh. “It’s the stuff movies are made of.”
“And he was crushing on you the whole time.” Amanda let out an equally wistful sigh. “It’s so romantic.” She turned sharp eyes on Cassie. “I want to know everything. Did you let him get to second base?”
Stephenson smacked her on the shoulder. “We’re talking about Leo here, Amanda. Of course Cassie let him get to second base. Maybe even third. She’s not an idiot.” His eyes narrowed as Cassie blushed. “Home base?”
Amanda’s jaw fell open. “Home base?” she squealed.
Cassie thought she might die of embarassment. The worst part was that she didn’t even know what all the different bases meant. It’s not like they covered that stuff in sex ed.
“Guys, we just watched the stars,” she said.
Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. They had stargazed for a few minutes. Well, at least sixty seconds.
The majority of the time had been spent making out. And while she had zero experience with a guy before last night—her prom kiss with Stephenson did not count—she knew what an erection was. (That, at least, had been covered in sex ed.) Leo had been hard the entire time she’d straddled his lap. If she’d had any doubts about his attraction to her, that lump in his pants had er
ased them.
“Liar.” Stephenson pointed at her neck. “You have a hickey.”
Cassie smacked her hand over her neck as though slapping a mosquito. Did she really have a hickey? She hadn’t through to check. Leo had spent quite a bit of time sucking on her neck.
“There’s one on that side, too!” Amanda hissed. She pointed an accusing finger.
Cassie slapped a hand over the other side of her neck. She struggled to find words under the penetrating gazes of her friends.
“Enough gossiping.” Nonna bustled out onto the deck. “Amanda, Lena and Dal need you. They’re going out to make another broadcast. People need to know what happened in Hillsberg yesterday. Cassie and Stephenson, I need you two to organize the supplies downstairs. Bruce and Anton are going to check out some neighboring farms. If they’re uninhabited, they’ll be bringing back supplies. We need to make sure there’s room.”
Cassie had never, ever been so relieved to have a homework assignment. “Okay, Nonna.” She bustled away down the steps.
Stephenson joined her in the storage room under the cabin. He still walked with a slight limp due to the bandage over his missing toe, though this steps were surprisingly spry this morning.
“Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook, Cassie Miola,” he said.
She gave him her best glare, even though she wanted to shrivel from embarassment. “No.”
“Yes.”
“It’s private, Jeff.” She used his first name to drive home the point.
He tilted his head at her. “Fine. Be like that. Jerk.”
“Yep, that’s me. I’m a jerk.” Cassie practically dove into a box full of dried beans and lentils.
“I just have to point out one thing.” Stephenson planted himself in front of her, hands on his hips.
Zommunist Invasion | Book 2 | Snipers Page 13
