Born to Die

by Winter Austin

  Nic passed the driveway leading to her home. “You’ve got three minutes until you’re home. I need to get back to Liam.”

  “Fine. Boyce was under the strong belief that the robbers and Officer Wallis’s murderers were one and the same. And he was thinking the same thing when the Clydes were murdered.”

  “How many robbed the bank?”

  “Two. It was believed there were two involved in every robbery and the murders.”

  “Which leads us back to why you and Jolie think it’s Ian and someone else.”

  “I think it’s Kendra Clyde.”

  “Oh, boy, this should be good. Why?”

  Cassy winced. This was the part she hadn’t quite figured out, and she didn’t want to sound like an idiot. “It’s a hunch. I just haven’t put my finger on why.”

  Pulling into Cassy’s drive, Nic brought the Jeep to a stop and squinted through the windshield. “Who is that?”

  Cassy mimicked her sister, getting a read on the plates of the red two-door sedan parked in her drive. The tags were Tennessee plates, and a magnetic advertisement on the bumper looked to be from a rental agency. “I have no idea.”

  The front door opened, and her visitor stepped outside.

  “Oh, hell, no,” Nic breathed.

  Fumbling with the door handle, Cassy finally managed to get it open and tumbled out of the Jeep.

  “Do you need me to be bouncer?” Nic called out.

  “You’re pregnant, and hell, no. Go home.” She swung the door shut and hurried up the walkway. “What … How’d …?”

  Boyce abandoned his post and met her halfway. He drove his fingers through her hair, cradling the back of her head as his mouth sought hers. His kiss was possessive and desperate all at once. Cassy grabbed a fistful of his dress shirt, returning the kiss with the same fervor.

  Abruptly ending the greeting, Boyce rested his forehead against hers. “Thank the heavens you’re unharmed.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Liza, except she was vague on the details.” He caressed her cheek, staring into her eyes. “I’ve never been more ... ”

  Cassy kissed him again, drawing away the pain in her chest. He’d kept his word. She wanted to sob at the thought.

  Boyce pulled away, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and escorted her into her home. Once the door was closed, she was back in his embrace. She never wanted to be out of it again.

  • • •

  Boyce made love to Cassy slowly and passionately, taking care not to wear her down after her ordeal. She was wrapped around him, her head nestled in the crook of his neck with her lips tickling the underside of his jaw. His fingertips danced over her shoulder and down her arm. A shudder coursed through her body, and she nestled closer to him.

  “You came back,” she whispered.

  His fingers made a return trip up her arm. “I promised you I would.”

  “What about Memphis?”

  “What about them?”

  She shifted to prop up her body on her elbow. “It was only two days ago. Aren’t you going to have to go back?”

  Reaching up, he tucked her crazy hair behind her ear. “After my vacation is up, I will, but for now, I’m all yours.”

  “Vacation? You’re on vacation?”

  “For the next two weeks.”

  Her gaze flicked to his chest, where she made circles on his skin with her fingernail, paying special attention to the burn scars on his shoulder. “Then what?”

  He watched her for a moment, then placed his finger under her chin, and tilted her head back. “Then we go from there. I don’t want to think or worry about what happens in two weeks. Right now, I want to know how you ended up in an icy river fighting for your life.”

  Shaking her head, she disengaged from his arms and left the bed. He sat up, watching her as she carefully slipped on her discarded clothing.

  “Cassy?”

  Instead of reacting in anger as she had in the past, she paused as she was about to put on her shirt without a bra. “When you showed up a week ago, I told you I couldn’t handle being hurt or lied to again.” She pulled the shirt down to her waist and continued to grip the hem. “Every time we have this conversation, you’re evasive, and I’m tired of it.” She moved to leave the bedroom.

  “Cassandra.” He hadn’t meant to bark her name.

  She whipped around, pointing a finger at him. “No, not even. Don’t you dare try to flip this on its head and make it about me.”

  “That’s not ... ” Boyce groaned and bailed out of the bed. “You want this conversation, then we’re having it now.” He grabbed up his clothing from the floor.

  “About damn time.”

  Leaving his shirt unbuttoned, he met her heated gaze. Trepidation sent a ripple effect through his body. He’d never outwardly admitted to anyone he cared about who he was, his past, or why he’d turned into the man he was. Keeping the secret of his mother and his background had been a weight that put a stranglehold on his voice. Even now, with Cassy standing there waiting for him to make the first move, he was at a loss for words.

  As usual, she misconstrued his hesitation for evasion. “Screw this. You’re just going to pull the same crap as before and leave me without answers.” She stormed out of the room.

  Shirttails flapping, he chased her down, grabbing the back of her sweatshirt when she breached the living room. “You don’t get to walk away from me.”

  Turning, she tried to jerk free, but he held fast. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

  “For once, put your stubborn Rivers nature aside and really look at me. Stop projecting your sister and be Cassy.”

  Gradually, her muscles lost their tension, her features going lax as she studied him. Boyce did his best to be open, forcing back the urge to shut down and withdraw his true self from her. It was difficult to resist after having done it most of his life.

  “Who is Ruby Jean Gladstone?” she blurted.

  The question threw him. He’d been careful in removing all ties to her, except for what the FBI knew. He’d convinced himself he wasn’t truly vulnerable. Yet Cassy had managed to find the gaps in his personal security.

  She trembled; she was about to make another attempt to free herself. He reached out with his free hand, took hold of her shoulder, and drew her closer, leaving his hand on her shoulder.

  “She’s my mother.”

  Licking her lips, she heaved a weary sigh. “That wasn’t so hard.”

  “Actually, it was gut-wrenching. I’ve kept her buried as much as I could for decades.”

  “Why?”

  “Do I honestly have to explain, or are you still testing me?”

  An eyebrow rose. “Both.”

  Releasing his hold, he slipped past her and walked into the kitchen. He was fully aware of Cassy following him. He headed right for her wine rack and removed a dust-covered Merlot.

  “This conversation requires alcohol.”

  While he removed the cork and poured two glasses, she settled on a barstool at the island counter. He handed her a glass and took a long pull on his before setting the stemware on the counter and topping it back up.

  “Where do I start?”

  “As Nic always says, start from the top.”

  Boyce chuckled, saluted her absent sister with his glass, and then took another drink. “Beginning … I was the bastard child of a woman who loathed me but needed me. Ruby Jean was hardened by her circumstances and turned that into opportunity. I have no idea who her parents were and if there are any relatives out there. My father is a pawn she used against me whenever I refused to comply with her schemes. I don’t think she even knows who he is for certain.”

  “My God, and I thought Nic had it bad with Pop.”

  “At least she had your mother to love her. I was subjected to any and all … well, the best word to describe them is manwhores. Each one a step up the ladder until she married Gladstone, who I heard mysteriously died of a heart attack when he was healthy as a
horse.”

  “They think she killed him?”

  “Left her the queen of his empire. It’s what she’d always wanted. But no one could prove anything. And the people under her thumb are loyal. I was her only disappointment. I never conformed to her molding … Hell, I disgraced her by becoming an FBI agent, which had always been my goal.”

  “It explains why you’re always bowing to the Bureau’s commands,” Cassy muttered behind her glass.

  “Many things drive me, but, yes, she was a catalyst for my choices over the years. Sadly, it also drove me to push away people who got too close to me. I found the job an easy way to put a wedge between us.”

  “Yet that doesn’t explain why you kept your mother a secret from me. I highly doubt you were keeping that hidden from the Bureau.”

  Boyce snorted. “Like they would have let me if I dared try. The case against her was what dragged me back to Memphis.” Leaning over the counter, he reached for Cassy’s hand and clasped it. “Mother is a ruthless bitch. Her only happiness is seeing others suffer or expanding her empire of drugs, fraud, or whatever the fait du jour is. And she has a special soft spot for wanting to ruin my life. If she learned about you in any way, she’d make it her mission to see you dead and make damn sure I was there to see it happen.”

  Cassy swallowed, clenching his fingers. “Criminy, that’s … horrible.”

  He couldn’t help the snicker at her word choice. “Sorry, but I’ve never heard you use ‘criminy’ before. Where did you pick it up?”

  “Uh, I think Xavier.” Her eyes widened when he smiled. “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s … endearing to hear it come from you.”

  She shook his hand. “Okay, detour is over, we’re back on track. If your mom is the reason Memphis called you back, why aren’t you still there?”

  Staring at their joined hands, he ran his thumb over her knuckles. This felt so right. Together, sharing, talking, things he’d avoided each time he’d been with her over the years. There was no animosity or untapped sexual tension hanging between them. He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “I don’t know. There’s too much … baggage to unpack to be able to answer that.”

  “Boyce, I want you to understand one thing.” She drew his hand up until both of their arms were steepled in the middle of the counter. “I’m not fragile. Never have been. I’m the daughter of a hardened marine, the sister of a deadly marine sniper, and a cop who’s lived through something that would have turned a normal person into an emotional puddle. If your mother wants to cross that line and use me against you, I say let her try.”

  He shook his head. “Sweet pea, she’s not one to underestimate. I’ve seen her break mentally tough men, hardened criminals. I know you’re strong … you’ve faced horrible situations ... ”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m botching this all up. I’ve done what I can to protect us, but just promise me if she does come after you, you won’t engage her on your own. Please.”

  “She’s only a woman. I think you’re making this bigger than it really is; you still see her through the eyes of a younger Boyce. Change your way of thinking.”

  Easier said than done. He brought Cassy’s hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’ve told you everything that is legal for me to discuss. Since we’re on the topic of revealing our darkest secrets, what is it that you and your sister are hiding? I get the sense it has something to do with what happened to you with The Priest.”

  She paled. “It’s not PTSD, as far as I can tell, it’s just a … fear of being in the timber. Every time I go in, it gets a little better.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why hide it?”

  “I don’t know. Too much of a Rivers to tell others.”

  “Okay.” That would be funny if it weren’t the truth. And Cassy had done her time in counseling like all LEOS in life-threatening situations, so the two facts added up to the woman in front of him. With that out of the way, it was back to the subject at hand. “Now, I want an answer as to why you were out in the middle of nowhere with your dispatcher and ended up in the river.”

  “Doing my duty and following a lead, which was tracking Jolie Murdoch to a place where she’d received a call from her missing brother. I have an idea who’s been robbing the local businesses, but I’m trying to figure out why Wallis and the Clydes were murdered. It’s what Nic and I were discussing when she brought me home.”

  Disengaging their hands, he pushed away from the counter. “I think we need food if we’re going to work this out.”

  “I thought you weren’t allowed to finish this case. You’re supposed to be on vacation.”

  “And I thought your sister was retired.”

  “Trivial matters.” Cassy vacated the barstool. “Get to cooking, I’m starving. I’m going to take a shower.”

  “Now that’s not fair. Leaving me out here to slave away while you’re all naked and wet.”

  She flipped him the bird as she sauntered to the bathroom.

  “Nic does not become you, sweet pea.”

  “She’s still my sister,” she said from the bathroom doorway. She gave him a wink and disappeared inside.

  He turned to the kitchen sink and leaned over it, staring out the window. Cassy dug too close to home when it came to his fears of Mother. For so long he’d based his life on how to bring about her demise, and with that coming to a very near end, he was floundering. On the drive back to Iowa he’d had plenty of time to think over his actions and his future. Ulrich’s parting offer was tempting. That old desire to move beyond his past, to eradicate the ugly reputation Mother had planted, still had a stranglehold on his thinking. The newness of letting go and staying with Cassy scared the hell out of him.

  He peered over his shoulder at the bathroom, where the sound of running water drifted out. Cassy was pacified by his answers, but for how long? Eventually he was going to slip up, and she would figure out he’d been holding back. Again.

  He had two weeks to figure this out. Boyce bowed his head, wincing at the ache in his chest. God help him if this all blew up in his face.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Wearing a pair of faded jeans and an oversized sweater, Cassy emerged from her bedroom to the sound of her landline ringing and the wonderful aroma of seared beef and roasted potatoes. Like some celebrity chef, Boyce hovered near the stove with a glass of wine in one hand, a metal spatula in the other, and a half apron tied around his waist. He glowered at her catcall.

  “Answer your phone,” he grumbled and drank from the wine glass.

  Cassy grabbed up the cordless—caller ID said it was from dispatch—and headed straight for the stove. “Rivers.”

  “Hey, it’s Jennings. Sheriff wanted me to alert you that we found Murdoch’s stolen vehicle.”

  With a fork she’d snagged from the silverware drawer, Cassy speared a potato wedge dripping with butter and parsley on the stoneware dish. “Where?” She danced away from Boyce’s grasp and shoved the hot potato wedge in her mouth.

  “Would you believe at the old, abandoned Amish farm?”

  Hissing from both the burns in her mouth and the news, Cassy choked down the half-chewed potato. “Cripes. She was right. Is there any sign of Ian having been there?”

  “Not from what we can tell. No one knows how the previous occupants left the place when they abandoned it, and it’s hard to tell if someone was staying there or for how long. There’s a lot of furniture in the house, and it looks like it’s been used as party central by teenagers. Beer cans and trash everywhere.”

  “Jennings, tell the sheriff I’m coming out to take a look.”

  “Uh, Rivers, he said you might say that and you’re not to come anywhere near the place. This is just a courtesy call to update you.”

  She slapped the fork down on the counter. Her actions earned a scowl from Boyce and his sudden attention. “Then why bother calling me at all? This is crap, Jennings, and you know it.�
�

  “Orders.” Jennings cleared his throat and then in a lower voice said, “If I were you, I’d head over to the Murdochs’. Eli has been calling the station, kicking up a stink about what happened to his daughter and saying Hamilton hasn’t done jack squat about the Clydes’ murders. Sheriff doesn’t have the time to deal with him.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Later, Jennings.” She set the cordless on the counter.

  “What was that all about?” Boyce asked as he set a loaded plate in front of her.

  “The guys found Jolie’s stolen car, and Jennings was nice enough to update me.” Taking up her discarded fork, she speared two potato wedges. “I hate to do this to such a great meal, but we need to devour it and go.”

  Bracing his hands against the counter’s edge, he leaned forward. “There’s no need to rush.”

  “Yeah, there is, if we want to head off Eli Murdoch before he becomes a complete nuisance to Hamilton. Believe me, he will.”

  “And why were you tasked with this duty? Weren’t you just in an accident that sent you into the river?”

  Mmmm, this rib eye was perfectly seasoned. Damn the department for making her hurry through this meal. “I was planning on going over there anyway once Jolie went home, and Hamilton knows it. Jolie spilled the beans on the family’s dirty little secret, and I mean to pin Eli down.”

  • • •

  This time when Eli Murdoch opened his door, he greeted her with a curt “What are you doing here?”

  “And a Merry Christmas to you, too.” She crossed her arms. “I came to talk with you and your family, Eli. I’d rather do it here than the station.”

  “We have nothing to say to you, Deputy Rivers.” He moved to close the door.

  Moving quickly, she stuck her heavy work boot between the door and the jamb. From behind, movement whispered past her, and an open wallet was thrust into the gap.

  “Mr. Murdoch, I’d advise you to allow us entry into your home, or I make a call to my partner.”

  Cassy tamped down her grin at Boyce’s bold move.

  “What the hell?” Eli flung the door open wide. “You brought a Fed to my home, Deputy?”

  “Actually, this is the second time he’s been to your home. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, let us in.”