“My name was on your arrest record since I posted your bond. Daddy reached out to me a couple of weeks ago and I told him how much fun you had making that video. And then this morning he calls me up again and asks me if I’m interested in seeing you again. The information didn’t cost me a thing – hell, I’m surprised the son of a bitch didn’t offer to pay my way up here.” Mateo let out a laugh as he ran his fingers over her hair. “You’re even more beautiful now,” he murmured as his eyes traveled up and down her frame.
A cold silence fell across the room as he stared at her for a long time before finally moving away from her. He went around the counter and found what he was looking for. As he yanked the telephone cord out of the wall, he said, “Where’s my little friend Jonas?”
“He left this morning.”
“Don’t lie to me Casey. You were never good at it.”
“I’m not lying. We figured you’d be on to us so I sent him on ahead of me. I was just leaving instructions for my replacement,” she said as she indicated the clipboard on the floor.
“Where is he headed?”
“I’m not sure.” Her answer was received with a resounding smack across her cheek.
“Where?” screamed Mateo.
“Miami – we were supposed to meet at the bus station in Miami on Friday. The information’s on there.” She motioned to the clipboard and when Mateo reached for it she kicked him hard in the groin and ran for the main door.
***
Devlin fidgeted behind the wheel of the rental car as he made his way down the open highway. He still hadn’t been able to figure out what he was going to say to Casey when he saw her but whatever it was, he realized it would never be enough. She had risked everything to keep him out of prison and it had worked. He had blamed her for keeping her secret to protect herself but he had been wrong about her once again. She had been protecting everyone around her including her own son. By ensuring Isabel’s future, she had jeopardized her own life as well as Jonas’s and had exposed the existence of her son to the two people that she feared most.
Devlin had spent countless hours berating himself for not recognizing the possibility that Casey had been sexually abused. He’d even had the gall to lecture her on knowing nothing about being a parent even though she had made the ultimate sacrifice in giving up her son so that he could have a better life. If it took every cent in his bank account, he would make sure that Elliot and Caroline would never get their hands on Casey’s child. He only hoped that she would accept his help.
His thoughts drifted back to the morning after they’d made love. It had felt so right to wake up with her in his arms. He’d always enjoyed sex but when he had watched Casey come apart in his arms that first time it became something else entirely. His physical need had been unlike anything he had ever experienced but when he’d been inside her and she’d clung to him it was like something that he hadn’t known had been missing was returned to him. He wasn’t even sure when he had started falling in love with her but knew the moment he had joined his body with hers that he wouldn’t be able to give her up. Even after that terrible video and stunning admission he had agonized over letting her go. Knowing what she had been through had cut him to the bone and the fact that she had kept it from him had killed something inside him but even as he had walked away from her he knew he would find his way back to her someday. But he had also known his future was up in the air since he had already made the decision to hide Isabel the second he left that courtroom. It had taken only twenty minutes to get his parents and the children on a flight out of the country. It had been a backup plan that he had hoped he wouldn’t need but was glad he had planned for.
He’d been processed out of the system just a few hours ago and had already made arrangements for his parents to start the long journey home. But he wanted, no, needed Casey there when he watched both his children step off that plane.
Devlin finally reached the shelter’s driveway and pulled in and came to a stop. Devlin got out of the car and made his way to the front door. He ignored the closed sign in the window and opened the door. The shelter was surprisingly quiet. The buzzer indicated his presence as he moved into the room and then went in back to check the other rooms. When he found no one, he left the shelter and made his way to the house.
As he neared the porch stairs, he glanced over his shoulders to the paddock. He didn’t see the horse anywhere in the paddock. He was about to step on the first porch stair when he remembered the horse’s dedication to Casey. If she was in the house, the horse would have been standing in the corner of the paddock, his eyes on the front door. Devlin turned around and made his way towards the barn. When he entered the dark building, he saw what he was looking for. The door to the horse’s stall was open.
“Casey?” he called as he walked down the short aisle. He didn’t hear a response, only the horse’s soft snort. “Casey, it’s Devlin,” he called again. When he reached the door of the stall, he saw her legs. The horse’s big head was blocking the rest of her body though. “Casey?” As the horse turned to look at him, Devlin was finally able to make out Casey’s form. She was slouched against the stall wall, her head off to one side. Assuming she was asleep, Devlin took a step into the stall but stopped when he saw that the half door on the other side of the stall had been kicked off its hinges.
Icy fear gripped him as he shouted her name and rushed into the stall. The horse, who had been standing so protectively over her, moved back several steps as if sensing Devlin was there to help. When Devlin reached her side, he saw the blood. The lower part of her shirt was stained bright red and a pool of blood had gathered next to her in the straw. “Oh God,” he yelled in shock. “Casey, can you hear me?” He saw her head move slightly. Reaching into his pocket he fumbled for his cell phone and dialed 911. He pressed his free hand over the wound as he shouted into the phone, “I need an ambulance at the Ashland Animal Shelter off route 13. I’m not sure - it looks like she’s been stabbed. Hurry!” He threw the phone away, ripped off his coat, covered her with it and picked her up in his arms.
Devlin raced out of the stall. “Come on Casey, talk to me!” He didn’t even notice as the large horse followed him out of the stall and into the front yard. As he made his way towards his car, he saw Jonas running towards him. Behind him was Peter Caulfield. As they neared him, Devlin dropped to the ground.
“What happened?” yelled Jonas as he reached their side. When he saw Devlin peel back the coat to expose the bloodied shirt, Jonas cried, “Oh Jesus, Casey! Casey, can you hear me?”
“Jonas, cradle her head. We have to stop the bleeding.” Jonas didn’t move. “Jonas, now!” Devlin shouted. The boy scurried to her head and carefully pulled it up into the comfort of his lap.
Peter fell to his knees on her other side and immediately pulled off his light jacket. “Did you call the paramedics?” he asked.
“They’re on the way,” Devlin said as he ripped her shirt open to expose the gaping wound in her stomach. Peter pressed the jacket over the bleeding wound. Devlin took Casey’s hand and leaned over her.
“Casey, open your eyes honey. It’s Devlin.”
Her eyes flickered briefly and then she let out a strangled cough. A spurt of blood trickled down her mouth as she managed to force her eyes open. “Devlin?”
“Yeah, honey, it’s me. I’m here. Jonas and your dad are here too,” he said gently. She looked above her head and saw Jonas looking down at her, tears streaming down his face.
“Hey girl,” Jonas managed to choke out.
“Hi.” Her eyes turned to find Peter’s. “You’re here,” was all she managed.
“Of course. I couldn’t let my girl run off without a fight now could I?” he said gently as he ran his free hand down her face.
“But how?”
“Jonas here thought you could use your old dad’s advice.”
Casey looked up at Jonas and smiled. “You told him?”
“I was going to but he already knew. Meet the myste
ry sender of the newspaper article.” She smiled and Jonas leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“Did Mateo do this?” Jonas asked her.
She nodded but the effort cost her. She coughed up another round of blood before she managed to say, “Elliot told him where we were. I tried to get away but I only made it to the barn.” She paused as she coughed up more blood.
“He had a knife. Jack…Jack kicked the door down and went after him. I think he got him because Mateo dropped the knife and took off. Devlin, is Jack okay?”
“He’s fine honey, he’s right here.”
She nodded her head. “Senator-”
“Dad,” Peter corrected.
She smiled and closed her eyes as tears slipped down her face. Her voice became more strained as she said, “Dad, would you keep an eye on Jonas for me? Make sure he goes to art school, okay?” Jonas sobbed as Peter squeezed her hand and nodded.
“I will sweetheart, I promise.”
Casey turned to Devlin. “Devlin, please don’t let them get my son,” she whispered.
Devlin choked back a sob as he shook his head violently. “I won’t Casey. I swear I won’t. But you have to hang on, okay because you’re gonna be fine.”
“I love you Devlin. I’m so sorry I lied…”
“Shhhh” Devlin whispered ignored the blood on her lips and kissed her. As he spoke his mouth hovered just inches above hers. “I love you too and it’s all going to be okay. Isabel is safe and we’re all going to be a family…even that damn dog” he choked out. She tried to laugh but ended up spitting up more blood instead.
“I can hear the sirens” Peter said quickly. Devlin nodded but never took his eyes off her even when she couldn’t keep them open any longer.
“Casey, please don’t do this. Casey!”
She heard his pleading but was helpless to avoid the darkness that finally claimed her.
Epilogue
Devlin studied the horse from the window of his office. The animal was pacing back and forth in the small paddock next to the barn that he’d had constructed. He was glad the horse hadn’t suffered any more damage to his legs but Jack hadn’t settled into his new home as easily as Devlin had hoped. His house in the Hampton’s hadn’t really been designed for horses but he’d made sure that the barn that was built was state of the art and workers were busy working on the fencing that would give the horse more space to roam the property. He felt Sampson lean hard against his leg and he automatically dropped a hand onto the big dog’s head and wondered when he’d become such a softy. He heard footsteps behind him but he didn’t turn his eyes away from Jack and his incessant pacing.
“He misses the donkeys, doesn’t he?”
Arms slipped around his waist from behind. He covered her hands with one of his.
“Yep, I told you he would. Judy and Dot.” When she came around to face him he framed her face with her hands and kissed her. She immediately opened for him and lifted up on her toes to bring her body in closer contact with his.
“I love you Casey.”
“I love you so much Devlin.” He held her against him for a long time. He’d been so close to losing this…losing her. Her heart had stopped once in the ambulance and once again in the Flight for Life helicopter that had transported her to a hospital that could deal with the extensive damage that had been done. He, Jonas and Peter had waited for hours in the waiting room as she was operated on and as each hour went by while she was on life support he felt a piece of him die. He’d been too immobilized with fear to leave her side but Peter had been a busy man in the time she was admitted to the ICU. Mateo had been arrested within an hour of the attack after he sought help for a broken arm at a hospital south of Ashland. After the charges had been filed in Wisconsin for attempted murder he was extradited to Chicago where he was charged with the murder of Jonas’ friend Carrie.
But Peter was just getting started and was able to discover that Elliot and Caroline Dane had tracked Casey to Chicago using her fingerprints. As a child Casey had been part of a community project to fingerprint kids so that in the event of an abduction they could be identified. Elliot used a contact in the FBI to run her prints against the prints in various police departments throughout the country and a hit had come back for her arrest in Chicago. The Danes had contacted Mateo when his name came up on Casey’s booking form as the man who posted bond. They’d sat on the information until they needed it to discredit Casey in court and then later to silence her for good. Peter used his own powerful connections to have Elliot and Caroline arrested for solicitation of murder. Elliot was also charged with multiple counts of rape and would never see the outside of a prison cell again. Caroline had tried for a plea deal in which she would testify against her husband but Peter made sure that was nixed too. By the time Casey had awoken from a medically induced coma a week after the attack, all three of her tormenters were sitting in jail cells awaiting trial.
“Where are the kids?” Devlin asked her.
She snuggled against him for a moment and then drew back. “They’re helping your parents make a cake for Jonas’ going away party.” A sad smile drifted across her mouth.
“We’re going to visit him a lot, okay? Paris isn’t that long of a flight when you have your own plane and besides…that’s where we met, remember?” Casey laughed when she remembered the story they had told at the hospital dinner.
“We have to leave soon if we want to get to the airport in time to meet my father and Rena’s flight.”
“B right there. Gotta make a call first though.” When she looked at him questioningly he gave her a quick kiss and reached for his cell phone.
“I have to figure out how to get those damn donkeys here.”
The End
Letting Go Page 22
