They arrived at the van, and O’Halloran’s phone rang.
“What? Yeah? Well, shit? All right, I’ll be there in about twenty.” O’Halloran hung up and turned to the armed driver of the van. “This guard will be accompanying Trent to Logan. I have to go interrogate a suspect that was just apprehended.”
Danny saw the prison guard gape and start to protest. “I can’t go to Logan, Detective. I’m supposed to take my girlfriend to a Halloween party.”
“Sorry, man. Looks like you get overtime today. Someone needs to accompany Trent to Logan, and I just got called back to central. Just sit back, and enjoy the drive. I’ll call Logan and let them know the change. Oh, and I will let them know about Trent’s victim violation.” He gave Danny a serene smile. “I am sure they will want to deal with that first thing when he arrives at his new home.”
The guard relented. “Okay, I could use the OT anyway. My girlfriend wants to go to Vegas.”
“See there. Look at this like a bonus. A little babysitting job that you get paid for. So get him in manacles and ready to travel.”
O’Halloran smirked at Danny. “I’ll come see you in a few weeks when you get out of the hole, Trent.”
* * * *
Cassie whirled around in front of the mirror with a laugh. Her Halloween costume was going to knock her boys out of their socks. She had chosen a stewardess costume at the Halloween store in Tampa, and she loved how sexy it made her feel. Of course, the last month with her guys made her feel sexy and loved all the time. They went to movies, played bingo, cooked, talked, biked from the park to the historic district, and of course, made love. Whether she was with one of them or both of them, they made her feel beautiful and sexy.
She couldn’t ever remember being this happy. From the gossip at Becca’s shop, Cassie had heard that Amelia had high-tailed it back to Dallas. Her father was not happy about her abrupt departure. By the scowls that Zach and Chase had received from him in the diner, Ambrose Winters blamed them. He was a prominent man in town and could make trouble for Zach and Chase’s construction business, but they had been adamant that Cassie’s feelings were more important than business.
“Your Halloween costume is going to knock Zach and Chase on their asses,” Jillian said.
“Do really think so? I feel so sexy in it.”
“You look sexy in it,” Rebecca said as she adjusted the nurse’s cap on her head. She was dressed as a naughty nurse. Jillian rounded out the trio with her schoolgirl costume with its plaid skirt, white blouse, knee socks, patent leather shoes, and pigtails.
“My brothers are going to have a heart attack when they see you, Jillian. You look to die for in that schoolgirl costume. Hell, we all look to die for.” Rebecca laughed as she grabbed her camera and started snapping pictures of the three of them in their costumes.
Jillian frowned at Rebecca. “I am not trying to get Ryan and Jackson’s attention. I told you that I don’t do relationships.”
“And I told you that you haven’t seen my brothers when they are determined…and believe me, they are very determined that you give them a chance. They are nice guys, Jillian. And they really, really like you.”
“I like them, too, Rebecca. They seem like great guys. But tonight, I just want to have fun, okay? No trying to fix me up with your brothers. Deal?”
“Deal. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try, or I won’t try on another night.” Rebecca smirked.
Jillian grabbed her telephone and moved in front of the other two girls. “I want to send a picture of you two to my brother in Chicago. He’s a doctor, and he’s going to love your nurse outfit, Rebecca.”
Jillian snapped a picture of Cassie and Rebecca and quickly sent the picture to her brother in Chicago.
“I didn’t know you had a brother. He’s really a doctor?”
“Yeah, he’s some big deal surgeon in Chicago. He’s older than me and has been married for several years to a great guy. Travis is a lawyer.”
“All the good ones are taken. Is he as good-looking as you are?”
“Mark is much better looking than I am. He looks a lot like my mother while I look more like our dad. His husband is even hotter than he is.”
Jillian’s phone suddenly vibrated and started playing a dance tune from the eighties. “Look! A reply from Mark already! He says he loves the picture, especially the sexy nurse. What’s her name?”
“He so did not say that!” Rebecca turned a faint shade of pink.
“You can see for yourself, Rebecca. He thinks you look hot. He also asked how you’re doing, Cassie. I’ve been telling him about you, Zach, and Chase.”
Cassie groaned. “I can’t believe you’ve been telling your brother that I’m dating two men. How incredibly embarrassing. He must think I’m a total slut.”
“No, he just thinks you’re one lucky woman. Both he and Travis think that’s pretty hot, you doing two guys.”
“I am not doing two guys, Jillian. I am in a relationship with two guys. Don’t make it sound cheap.”
“Tomato, tomahto. Either way, Cass, there are two men in your bed.”
Cassie decided to change the subject. “Rebecca, tell us more about the limestone quarries.”
“Limestone has been mined for years in Florida. The party is going to be held at the old limestone quarry just north of town. Haven’t you guys biked out there yet?”
“No, we haven’t biked that far yet.”
“Well it’s really beautiful there with the lake and all. It’s a great place to have the Halloween party. We don’t have to worry about how much noise we make. Ryan will show up just to make sure that nobody’s driving drunk. But other than that you can’t get into much trouble at the quarries. Well, I guess except for the lake.”
“What do you mean by trouble at the lake?” Jillian knitted her brow in question.
“The lake area is beautiful, but it can be dangerous if you’re not familiar with the area,” Rebecca replied with a shrug.
“How so?” Jillian asked.
“One side of the lake has a twenty-foot drop from the road. It was left there when they finished the mining, and no one has ever gone back to do anything about it. There really isn’t a reason to since all the locals know to be careful around that curve of road.”
Cassie and Jillian both laughed, and Jillian said, “Well, just make sure that we know where that curve of road is so we don’t fall into the lake.”
Cassie heard a truck in the driveway and realized the boys had finally arrived.
“The boys are here. We better grab our stuff and get out there. You know how impatient they are.”
* * * *
The prison van headed south on I-55. Danny knew they were less than an hour from Logan, and he felt helpless to stop what was happening. It was almost dusk, and soon they would be arriving at the prison where the state of Illinois expected him to live for the next four and a half years. Danny couldn’t fathom being away from Cassandra for that long. He would never live through it.
He glanced across the seat to the guard accompanying him to Logan. Danny had never liked him all that much in the county lockup, but at least the dumb fuck hadn’t remembered to put the manacles on him. Consequently, Danny was able to stretch his legs out and be comfortable. Well, as comfortable as he could be with his wrists in handcuffs that were locked to the door next to him. Maybe this guard was dumb enough to unlock his cuffs.
“So you were supposed to go to a Halloween party tonight, huh?”
The guard looked up, vaguely surprised that Danny had spoken. He hadn’t spoken the entire trip so far. “Yeah, she was pretty pissed. You know how women can be.”
“Yeah, I do. That’s why I am here, you know.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed at Danny. “I heard different, Trent. Heard you beat up that woman and killed her dog. I like dogs.”
Danny smiled his most charming smile. He knew it worked most of the time with women and this guard was almost as stupid as a woman.
&nb
sp; “It was all a misunderstanding. She likes it rough, ya know? Some chicks dig getting slapped around a little.”
The guard looked like he might believe him and was about to reply when the van swerved and began to bump and roll, knocking him out of his seat and slamming him against the door. Fuck! Danny looked out the front and saw that a huge deer was running off into the woods. The driver must have swerved to avoid hitting it. Finally, the van came to a stop, upside down. The guard moaned and blinked several times as he opened his eyes. Blood rolled down his forehead and into his eyes. Danny saw confusion on the guard’s face and knew he had his chance.
“Help me, man. I think my arm is broken. It got twisted in the cuffs when we rolled over.”
The guard shook his head a little to clear it and moved forward to check the driver, who was slumped over the steering wheel. His eyes went wide, and Danny saw fear. Fear—even better.
“Shit. He’s dead, I think. I can’t feel a pulse. Oh God!”
“Please, man. My arm hurts so bad. It must be busted from the cuffs. Don’t let me die like that guy.” Danny moaned a few times and closed his eyes as if in pain. He didn’t need to pretend too much as his ribs hurt like a son of a bitch. But his ribs weren’t in handcuffs. First things first.
“Yeah, hold on. Let me get you unlocked. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“Yeah, I think I hurt my back and ribs, too, but mostly my arm. Please, hurry!” Danny moaned again as the guard quickly unlocked the cuffs.
“I’ll just get on the radio and call for help.”
Danny stood up as much as he could in the cramped space and kicked the guard in the head as hard as he could. The guard stumbled back and groaned.
“Sorry, man. Can’t let you call anyone. And thanks for forgetting to put manacles on me. It’s going to make this so much easier.”
Danny punched and kicked the guard until he was unconscious. Knowing he only had moments before help arrived, he quickly swapped clothes with the guard and handcuffed him to the door as Danny had been only five minutes before. He grabbed the guard’s wallet and gun and headed out into the ever darkening night. He and Cassandra would be together forever.
Chapter 12
The party was in full swing when the group arrived. Pumpkin lanterns were strung everywhere, casting an orange glow beneath the trees. Spiderwebs were strung from tree to tree, and fake blood dripped down tree trunks. Skeletons and ghosts were hung from branches and blew in the wind. To top it all off, there were several fog machines sending rolls of billowing mist at the partygoers’ feet. It all added up to a very festive scene.
Chase nodded to the townsfolk as they moved through the crowd. Cassie had loved his pirate costume and said he looked very rakish, and he was glad to see that his costume was one of the more conservative at the party. There were pirates, harem girls, football players, vampires, and what looked like an Imperial Stormtrooper. Even Zach, who hated parties, seemed to be enjoying himself in his cowboy costume. If they had known that Cassie was dressing up as a stewardess, they would’ve dressed up as airline pilots, but she had insisted on keeping it a secret until tonight. She sure did look sexy, and Chase was wondering how long they would have to stay at the party before they could get her home and into their bed.
He and Zach thought about Cassie all the time, even when they were working. They couldn’t seem to get enough of her. They liked the way she was so funny and so smart, and she seemed to make everything better without even trying. He had always thought that letting a woman into his life would mean giving up something. But with Cassie, she added to his life instead. Since meeting her, they had certainly found lots in common. They all three liked being outdoors and going for bike rides. Cassie liked cooking at home and watching movies, and he and Zach found that just doing these simple things with her were special. Some nights, Cassie had papers to grade, and he and Zach would play pool while she finished her schoolwork. All three of them would then curl up in the big master bedroom often to make love and sometimes just sleep. Even when they just slept, he was more content than he had ever been just to hold Cassie all night long. He loved the life they were building together. Rebecca’s soft voice interrupted his daydreaming.
“Jackson, about time you got here. I was worried you weren’t coming.”
Chase saw Jackson Parks heading toward them in a Ghostbusters costume and a big grin. Jackson loved Halloween and had dragged Ryan, Zach, and himself out every year since they were kids. Of course, when they were kids they soaped windows and hung toilet paper from trees. Then as teenagers, they had taken their dates out onto the spooky, deserted roads hoping to do a little “parking” with the girls. “No way, little sister. I wouldn’t miss the Halloween party for anything. You know I have spiderwebs in my blood.”
Chase saw Jackson give Jillian that once-over and gulp at her schoolgirl costume. Yep, Jack and Ryan were really gone over Jillian. She was a nice girl but seemed to be giving them a run for their money. He wasn’t sure that Jackson had ever been turned down by a woman in his life. He might be getting ready to find out what it was like.
Jackson turned to Jillian. “Care to dance, Jillian?”
Jillian turned a bright red and seemed to have trouble breathing. Ah yes, Jillian liked them, too. Why was she fighting it?
“Well, I…um…don’t dance much…”
Jackson grinned and took the advantage. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, sweetheart.” Jackson led Jillian into the dance area as the DJ started playing a slow tune. Chase smiled at Jackson’s guts. He had to admire a man who wouldn’t take maybe for an answer.
Chase turned to Cassie. “How about you and I taking a turn?”
Cassie turned her head a little as if to say, “What about Rebecca?” and luckily Zach caught on quickly.
“How about you and me, Becca? We’ll show them who the best dancer is in the Harper family.”
* * * *
Cassie was having a great time at the party. She had danced with Chase and Zach all evening and even with Jackson Parks. Everyone made sure that she, Jillian, and Rebecca had a great time. Jillian seemed to be warming up a little to Jack, and Rebecca had turned the heads of several young men.
As she circled the dance floor with Chase, Cassie closed her eyes and breathed in his warm, masculine scent. She snuggled closer to his muscular chest and felt his arms tighten around her.
“What are you thinking about, Cassie? You have a very evil little smile on your face.” Cassie felt Chase’s chest rumble with laughter.
Cassie looked up into Chase’s handsome face. She wondered if she would ever get over how handsome he was.
“Well, evil thoughts to go with my evil smile, Chase. Isn’t Halloween a night to have evil thoughts?”
“Hmmm…I would hate for Zach and I to have to punish you for those evil thoughts.” Chase waggled his eyebrows and grinned.
“Punishment?” Cassie felt her cream flood her pussy at the thought of a punishment from her men. It was hardly real punishment. It was more like pleasurement. Was that even a word? It should be with these two.
“Yes, Cassie, punishment. Zach and I don’t want to have to spank your cute little bottom and keep you from coming for a couple of hours. But if we have to, we will.” He sighed an exaggerated sigh.
Cassie batted her eyelashes playfully at him. “You wouldn’t keep me from coming that long, Chase. You couldn’t stand it. Zach could, but not you. You are too sweet.”
“Is that a challenge? Because a Harper man never backs down from a challenge, sweetheart.”
Before Cassie could answer, Zach came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. “I think it might be time to go home and play a little trick and treat.”
“Don’t you mean trick or treat, Zach?”
“No, ma’am. I want all tricks and all treats.” Zach grinned and bit her ear a little playfully.
The mention of treats made Cassie feel a little hungry, and she was just about to suggest a trip to the buffet table when she he
ard Zach call out to someone.
“Hey, Ryan! What kind costume is that?”
Cassie turned to see Ryan Parks walking toward them in his sheriff uniform.
“I’m dressed up as law enforcement, Zach. Not that anyone would listen to me tonight anyway.”
“Don’t tell me you got stuck working tonight?”
“Yeah, one of my deputies called in sick. But, I’m just as glad that I was on duty tonight anyway.”
Jillian, Jackson, and Becca must have spied Ryan’s arrival. The seven of them congregated away from the music where they could talk more easily.
Ryan slapped his little brother on the back and then gave his sister a hug. Jackson grinned.
“I’ve been wondering where you were, bro. I had to dance with the pretty lady all by myself tonight.”
Ryan looked at Jillian and smiled a regretful smile. “Well, duty called, bro. But I actually need to talk to Cassie. It’s important.”
Cassie looked into Ryan’s eyes and saw they were guarded as if he was trying not to show any emotion. A sick feeling started in her stomach. She had seen that look in an officer’s eyes before. Right before they told her something she didn’t want to hear, to be exact.
“Sheriff, I don’t think I want to hear what you have to tell me.”
“I wish I wasn’t here, too, Cassie. But I’m afraid I have some very bad news.”
Valentine, Laura - Plenty to Come [Plenty, FL] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11
