by Amber Lynn
At some point during the robbery, the security guard discharged his weapon and a bullet ricocheted into one of the bystander’s chest. Casey managed to be sitting in Jimmy’s car outside the bank, believing he was just making a normal withdrawal. He hadn’t taken anything in with him, so it was a surprise when he came out carrying a black duffle bag.
Being the idiotic criminal mastermind he was, the police caught up with him quickly, which left Casey in the very awkward position of testifying against her boyfriend. Something that turned straight into a soap opera when it was revealed in court that Casey wasn’t the only girl Jimmy had been dating, and in fact he had a miniature Jimmy on the way thanks to his other girlfriend. Evidently Jimmy not only wanted to prove himself to Casey, he needed extra money for his kid.
Casey had thought her life was pretty simple up until that day. She was seventeen, working her way towards being the class valedictorian, and then Jimmy happened. There were more people he could be pissed at for ending up behind bars – Casey would’ve personally suggested he looked in the mirror – but there was something in his eyes when he looked at her after being sentenced.
Their story wasn’t done yet, but she thought she had almost a full decade before she saw him again. Thinking back to what happened hurt her head, so she tried to focus back in on her father, and exactly what he’d told Dylan.
“Did he know you were potentially putting him in danger? Or did you expect him to just crush Jimmy with his bare hands if he showed up?”
“He honestly has no clue. I wanted someone big with you in case there were complications, and I did ask him to keep an eye on you, but I didn’t say anything about Jimmy or a specific threat. After I got the call, I made a few of my own and was told three days ago that he’d hopped in a car and was headed east. I don’t know that he’s coming here, but he’s not where he’s supposed to be.”
“Did you know how complicated things would be with your choice of bodyguard? My yelling clearly doesn’t scare him like it does most people.”
Casey wasn’t a hard person to track down, but she wanted to think that the country was big enough that Jimmy could be headed anywhere.
“I didn’t know, but I am pleasantly surprised by how well you two have gotten along tonight. I always think you’re beautiful, but the glow I saw tonight was different from anything else I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s all well in good, but I’d really like to know things, like when a guy I testified against gets out of prison. I need to go get Dylan up to speed, and find out if he still plans on staying at my place tonight.”
“Your place? Don’t you think you’d be a little more comfortable at his place? He’s a little big to try to cram into your tight space.”
Casey waved her hand at Holcomb as she made her way out the door. She’d grabbed her things and headed to the room Dylan had dressed in to grab his. The pit stop took three seconds and she was on her way.
“I was going to tell you this weekend, princess. I just wanted to get through today without adding another thing to worry about.”
It’d be hypocritical to be upset about that, but she tried to tell herself that his withholding the information was different than her not telling him about her upcoming surgery. She’d never been very good about lying to herself, so she bit her tongue and hurried to get back to Dylan.
“Well, I’m going to hope the tires aren’t related to him. It just feels like an act of jealousy, and Jimmy doesn’t have anything to be jealous about.”
“I agree, but maybe we should contact the police sooner rather than later just in case.”
“Goodnight again, guys. I promise I’m out of here this time.” Casey waved and smiled as she walked by the remaining three people standing around. It almost looked like they’d been frozen in place while Casey was out of the room.
“Is everything okay?” Julie sounded as confused as the trio looked.
“As far as I’m concerned, sure. He can fill you in about why I may be delusional.”
The smile remained on her face as she made her way outside. Holcomb didn’t stop following her along the way. She figured he wanted to check out the car. Dylan was busy doing that when she stepped outside.
“Have you found any clues to our perpetrator?”
Casey asked the question as she made her way to the passenger side of Dylan’s car. She didn’t want to spend any time looking in the dark for clues. Watching the video in the morning was all she needed.
“Just four flat tires. I’m really hoping Steph isn’t this crazy. I’ve known she’s been trying to get my attention, but this is a little above and beyond what I expected. Of course I didn’t expect her to kiss me either, so I can’t say I know where her head is at.”
“Let’s head to my place and I’ll share some new theories on the way. Dad, if you call the police tonight and they need to talk to me, you know where I’ll be. Like I said, this doesn’t feel like him to me, so I’m going to continue believing it’s someone who has a crush on Dylan.”
“Him?” Dylan questioned as he unlocked the doors.
Casey didn’t wait to continue the conversation where anyone could hear. She opened the door in front of her and slid down into the seat. She looked out the front window as her backside molded to the black leather seat beneath it. Her father looked like he had things he wanted to say, but Dylan moved quickly to join her.
“Who’s him?”
There were no moves to start the car, and Dylan seemed more than willing to sit there until he got a response to the question. Casey was tired of being stuck in her dress, and she assumed he wanted to get out of his tux.
“He is drama I’m sure neither one of us wanted in our life right now. Do you know where I live, or should I put the address into this cute little GPS deal you’ve got on the dash?” The car wasn’t on, so it was going to be a trick to enter in her address.
“You can just give me the address, but I’m more interested in why your dad is busy scanning the parking lot like a lion on the prowl.”
Even without the threat of danger, the look was a usual one for Holcomb. Casey didn’t think it was that big of an issue. She noticed keys tucked in Dylan’s hand closest to her, so she plucked them out of his hand and found the one she thought could get them on the road. After sticking the key in, she turned it to bring the engine to life.
“We can talk more about that on the way. Do you know how to get to County Line Road? I live just before it crosses over into county territory.”
“You don’t live in the city?”
Dylan was clearly shocked by the fact. Most people were when she mentioned it, not that she usually told people exactly where she lived, only that it was away from the bright lights of downtown.
“I do not. Do you know where to go?”
Dylan pulled out of his parking spot without giving an answer. Casey took one last look at her car as he did so. Rolling away from it made the damage a little less noticeable.
“I’m guessing you’re towards the farmland side and not the airport. Just hearing you say that you aren’t living in the city has given me a whole different perspective.”
“You’d be correct. I’ll tell you where to turn if you can get us heading that way. Since it will take us about twenty minutes, I’ll go ahead and explain the mysterious man who got brought up.”
Casey waited for him to say something, but he didn’t, expecting her to continue on her own. That was fine, because she knew he’d have all sorts of questions once she got going.
“Unbeknownst to either of us, my dad asked you to come with me tonight as my bodyguard. Evidently he thinks out of all the guys on the team, you have the meanest left hook. You’ve already noticed that he and I don’t like to make each other worry. He thought keeping the fact that someone I used to know got out of prison recently was an acceptable secret.”
That basically explained her father and the “him” questions. She’d already replayed a lot of the past in her mind, so she hoped exact detai
ls weren’t necessary.
“Do I want to know how you knew this guy or why he was in prison?”
Dylan’s hands were squeezed tightly around the steering wheel. Casey figured he was thinking the absolute worst, which made sense given her lack of details.
“He was my high school boyfriend and he robbed a bank. Other than the relationship and the fact that I was in the car outside while he robbed the bank, I didn’t have personal involvement as far as the reasons he got locked up.”
“But your dad is worried he may come pay you a visit?”
“My dad is worried about whether the oxygen I breathe in every day is pure enough. I haven’t seen or heard from Jimmy in ten years, so I doubt his first thought after getting out would be to look me up. It wasn’t like it went down around here. Dad was stationed out west when I was in high school.”
It was a lifetime ago, and Casey had spent all of her adult life on the east coast. There was no reason for her to go into hiding, so she’d lived a public life.
“Are you saying you don’t think it was him who messed with your car? There isn’t exactly any proof, but it looks like you were the target, and I’m trying to figure out who would’ve known that was your car.”
“I’m saying he’s had a lot of time to forget about me. Plus, he had another girlfriend and a kid to worry about. I can’t believe I was a top priority.”
“If you looked and were anything like what you are now, back then, I could see a guy spending an awful lot of time thinking about you in a place he didn’t get to see many women. I hope you know that this revelation means there’s no way I’m not sleeping on your couch tonight. If some creep is out there stalking you, I’m going to let him know he’s got a big obstacle in his way.”
“You wanted to ask to spend the night before we even saw the slashed tires, so don’t pretend this isn’t working out in your favor. Go ahead and turn here.”
There were no street lights lining the road back to her house, so Dylan gave her a skeptical look as he followed her instruction. Neither one of them said anything, as he tried to pay attention to where he was going. Using the term road was a little generous for the dirt path they were traversing.
Casey would’ve been worried about staying in her secluded home after the tire slashing, if her father hadn’t wired the whole property with security features. There were trip wires and cameras everywhere he could fit them.
As usual, her house kind of appeared out of nowhere. There was a hill leading up to it, and all of a sudden you saw the structure. Dylan didn’t show any signs of slowing down, so Casey had to intervene.
“That’s it,” she said, pointing in case he really didn’t see it.
He slowed down, but didn’t pull into the drive. Only her family members had been to the house, and they had been warned ahead of time, so it was interesting watching someone else see it for the first time.
“You live here?”
“Yup. Since you turned off the main road, everything we’ve driven through has been my property.”
Dylan pulled into the driveway and stopped the car, turning the key to shut off the engine. A giant flood light had triggered when the car entered the drive, making it easy for Casey to see his wide-eyed astonishment.
“Is it longer than it looks?”
“Nope.” Casey grabbed her stuff and got out. “Two-hundred square feet of compact living is what you’ve got in store for you tonight.”
“Does it even have a bed?”
Dylan got out and moved to help Casey carry things inside. She let him have his own clothes, which had sat in her lap during the drive with everything else she’d retrieved from the dressing rooms.
Casey took her keys and opened the three deadbolts on the front door along with the lock in the doorknob. Her dad had gone a little overboard, but Casey hadn’t gotten around to losing one or two of the deadbolts.
“It has a bed, so figuring out where you’ll be sleeping will be interesting.”
She flipped a light switch to reveal the full interior to her guest. All she wanted to do was change into pajamas and get some sleep. Dylan was at a loss for words, so that made her plans easier. As he marveled at her tiny home, she took her things up to her loft and changed. Getting out of the dress was a lot easier than getting in. She even managed to untie herself.
“What are you doing up there? That’s got to be the only place in this whole space that isn’t visible to someone down here.”
“I’m changing. If you want to do the same, there’s a bathroom on the other side of the ladder, which would technically be the most private space in the house.”
Casey heard a few curses, but it seemed like Dylan figured things out on his own. When she was out of her dress and into a pair of shorts and a tank top, she climbed back down the ladder. She should’ve just told him to come up when he was done, saving her a trip, but she needed to realistically look at the floor space.
She had a bench that worked as seating for her and doubled as a dining room table. There was absolutely no way he could sleep on it, and the empty floor space didn’t look long enough, or wide enough with her built-in shelving across from the bench.
“All the grand ideas of where you can sleep are out the window, unless outside works for you. I’ve got a queen up in the loft, so you’ll have to just stay on your own side of the bed. I’m heading back up and hope to be asleep by the time you join me, so if you have any questions, save them until morning.”
It wasn’t like he couldn’t figure out where the fridge was if he was hungry or thirsty and he already knew where the bathroom was. Casey curled up on her usual side of the bed and decided sleeping would erase all the chaos of her day.
Chapter Thirteen
Dylan had had better nights of sleep. The company next to him was ideal and the bed wasn’t all that bad for comfort. The only pain he had was from banging his head as he’d climbed up the ladder to the small loft. His anxiety stemmed from trying to solve all of Casey’s problems.
He wasn’t stupid enough to think she’d accept his help, but there were some things she needed to realize fast if she was having surgery in less than a week. Climbing up a ladder to get to the only sleeping surface in her house had to be something she’d overlooked. There was no way she was going to be able to lift her arms up to do that.
“Did you sleep at all?”
Dylan had been mindlessly playing with Casey’s hair as he tried to work out the best way to tell her she needed to stay with him. He had no problem with the small house she liked to call home; it was really cute and interesting to see how everything had its place. It just wasn’t practical for the situation.
“I did, probably more than I would have if we’d gone our separate ways last night. You either slept pretty well or are a master of pretending you are.”
“There’s something about this bed that always makes sleeping easy for me. So, did you do any looking around while I was asleep?”
Casey stretched and rolled over on her back. Other than touching her hair, Dylan had been careful about putting his hands anywhere near her. Rolling over caused the side of her body to curl right into his. Great news for him, other than the fact that her hip rested on a little friend he had every morning.
“There’s not much to look at, but I feel I know you a little better just from being in the space. I already knew you were a no frills kind of girl, beautiful ball gown notwithstanding. Seeing how economic and smartly this place is put together drove that home. I take it you had a hand in building it.”
“I had two hands in building it, since I did it all myself. Dad will say he helped because he did all the security, but the house itself was my doing. I suppose he may have also helped hold things up while I used the drill, and the electrical and plumbing were done by professionals. I can use tools just fine, but there are certain necessities that I wanted to make sure were done right.”
Dylan shouldn’t have been shocked, even after only knowing Casey for a day, but he was surpr
ised. It looked like a doll’s house, but a very large one that most people would use a contractor to build.
“I have a feeling you have all sorts of secrets I’m going to love learning. Do you mind if I run downstairs and take care of my morning friend, which you’ve be gracious enough not to mention.”
There was zero chance she didn’t feel it, but she hadn’t moved away or opted to check it out. They just lay there comfortably next to each other.
“I was gauging exactly how long it was in reference to my hip. You aren’t small.”
There probably wasn’t a man alive who didn’t enjoy hearing that. Dylan was aware things were a little larger than normal, and for some people that could be an issue.
“Is that a problem?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Since my cancer and a potential ex-boyfriend lurking around wasn’t enough to scare you away, does not being able to have babies do the trick?”
It wasn’t the first conversation he envisioned them having in the morning, but Casey seemed to need to try everything she could to scare him away. The more he learned about her, the more he understood why she didn’t want a man interrupting the life she’d built for herself.
“Nope. I’m perfectly fine adopting if we ever decide we want children.”
“You obviously have taken too many pucks to the head. Go downstairs and use the bathroom. While you’re at it, get dressed. It’s after eight, so we should go figure out what’s going on with my car.”
Casey couldn’t physically push him out of bed, since there wasn’t anywhere to go, but she got him up and moving. He was in nothing but a pair of underwear, so he made a show of stretching as much as he could in the tight space. The ceiling gave him about an inch of space overhead if he stood in the peak, making his attempt pretty pathetic.
“Yes, I see how glorious you look. You don’t see me parading around in my bra and underwear for you to get compliments, so hurry up and get on with it.”
