by Tee O'Fallon
Cassie looked at her watch. “I’ll come by before the show starts.” She might miss some of the fireworks but didn’t want the free samples to go to waste.
She waved good-bye and turned to see Mike had already polished off a significant portion of the ice cream. “Hey, save some for me.”
He licked chocolate syrup off the spoon and grinned. “Had a sudden craving. Couldn’t help myself.”
“Gee.” She cocked her head. “I wonder why that is.”
Mike smirked and handed her back the ice cream, which she ate as they strolled down the busy aisle. The strong breeze made all the tent canopies billow and whip. It also plastered Cassie’s shirt tighter to her body.
Several nice-looking men who frequented the Nest called out to her as they walked past. Mike draped his arm over her shoulder, a possessive gesture that warmed her heart. She waved to the men and heard Mike utter a discontented sound.
“What?”
“You know damn well what.” He narrowed his eyes. “Half the men in town are in love with you.”
Cassie tossed the empty ice cream bowl into a garbage can and turned her face to hide her smile. “No, they’re in love with my cooking.”
She followed his gaze to her chest, where her pink shirt molded to her breasts, making them look like twice the cup size she actually was. Next he angled his head to check out her backside and arched a dark brow. “Yeah. Must be your cooking.”
Cassie giggled in delight at Mike’s sarcasm, not to mention his obvious jealousy. Served him right. Every woman they’d passed since leaving the PBA tent had called out his name and waved to him, flirting and tittering like lovestruck teenage girls. Well, the man was gorgeous, after all.
“Cass, wait up!” Leo emerged from the crowd with Ginny a few steps behind. A broad smile lit his young face. “Hey, Chief.”
“Leo.” Mike nodded. “Ginny.”
Cassie tried not to stare at Ginny’s neck, but it was an impossible task. The younger woman’s neck was dotted with little red love bites. Mike dragged his hand over his face, no doubt to keep from laughing outright.
Jeez, like I should talk. Mike is just more careful about where he nibbles.
“Thanks for covering for me last night,” Leo said.
“My pleasure.” And it had been. Working late last night with Mike’s help had turned out pretty darned okeedokee after all. “I hope you two had a great time on your date.”
“We did.” Leo clasped Ginny’s hand. “I owe you. Bigtime.”
Cassie shook her head. “No, you don’t. But you could do me one favor, though.”
“Anything,” Leo said.
“Try some of the Creamery’s ice cream and tell me what you think. The owner’s giving us all the leftovers to take back to the Nest tonight. He wants Rose to try his product and consider carrying it on a regular basis.”
“Awesome. Free ice cream. And hey,” Leo said, his eyes brightening, “I could take it over to the Nest for you later. You know, to make up for last night.”
Cassie could see how much Leo wanted to repay her for not being around to help prep the food for the PBA table. “Sure. Why not?”
“Oh, wait.” Enthusiasm drained from his face. “I forgot. Ginny and I walked here. I don’t have a car with me.”
Cassie opened her mouth to tell Leo not to worry about it, when his eyes lit again.
“If I can borrow your Trail Blazer, I’ll drive the ice cream to the Nest and be back here before the fireworks are over. I could meet you at the PBA table to give you back your keys.”
“That works.” Cassie dug into her bag for the key, being careful to keep her gun out of sight. She might be authorized to carry it, but not without her NYPD shield also in her possession. That, she’d left in the drawer of the downstairs hallway. Another rule of undercover work—never carry your real ID.
When she found her keys, she handed them to Leo. “It’s got a remote start button on the key fob.” She showed Leo which button to press. “I’ve got the AC cranked high to cool things off before you even get in.”
“Great, thanks, Cass.” Leo pocketed the keys, waving as he and Ginny headed to the Creamery tent.
When they were out of earshot, Mike shoved his hands in his pockets. “Someone needs to have a serious talk with Leo. Ginny has so many hickies, it looks like she was attacked by an octopus.”
“Oh, lighten up.” Cassie hooked her hand in the crook of Mike’s elbow as they walked past the funnel cake stand. The heavenly scent of deep-fried batter was everywhere. “Weren’t you ever that young?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t need to leave my mark on every girl I dated.”
“Were there that many girls, Chief?” Cassie threw him a quasi-jealous look. “I’m guessing a guy like you was a chick magnet growing up.”
“Like you weren’t a magnet for every horny guy who laid eyes on you?”
She shook her head. “Not with three older brothers who beat the crap out of any guy they didn’t approve of. And they hardly approved of any. My oldest brother was the worst.” Even now, she and Gray never saw eye to eye over her choice of men.
Mike grimaced. “I’ll be sure to wear body armor when I meet your older brother.”
Cassie laughed. “Good idea.”
Mike guided her toward the ridge overlooking a large wooden platform. They stopped to watch the fireworks crew orchestrate what was supposedly the best pyrotechnics show in the county. A two-hundred-foot safety buffer on the surrounding lawn separated the crowd partying on picnic blankets and beach chairs. Laughter and music filled the air. Everyone was happy. She only hoped she’d still be happy after tonight. After she told Mike the truth.
“What’s bugging you?” he asked.
Once again, the tension she’d felt all day must have shown on her face. “When we get together later, I need to tell you some things about myself. It’s long overdue.” She touched her fingers to his hand at her waist. “You might not like what you hear.”
“Everyone has a past,” he said reassuringly. “There’s nothing you could tell me about yourself that would change things between us.”
A lump rose to her throat, and she swallowed. “I hope you’re right.”
“I have to go.” He lowered his head to kiss her. “We’ll talk later. After I get off duty and Leo brings your Trail Blazer back, I’ll follow you home.”
“Okay.” She blinked rapidly as her lids suddenly filled with tears.
He cupped her cheek, the rough pad of his thumb grazing her skin. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”
As he disappeared into the crowd of unfamiliar faces, Cassie couldn’t shake the feeling that he was walking away from her for good.
A steady breeze had picked up, whipping her hair in her face. Storms were coming, she could feel it as much in the air as in her gut.
It was the one in her gut that worried her most.
Chapter Fifteen
Cassie picked her way through the crowd to the top of the slope. From this vantage point she could easily spot anyone approaching.
Cop habits never die.
She sat and stretched her legs in front of her, searching the crowd below for a friendly face. Rose and Sue were nowhere to be seen. Ginny and Leo were probably picking up the ice cream to bring to the Nest as they’d promised. She’d be watching the fireworks alone. In a crowd of several thousand.
Police officers took up positions around the perimeter of the large rectangular fireworks platform. In the dim light, she could just make out Mike and Jimmy inside the roped-off area.
Movement to her left caught Cassie’s attention. About a hundred feet away a man stood, motionless. Something about his stance made her think he was watching her. He wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt with something written on the front she couldn’t read. Someone walked in front of him, so she couldn’t get a clear view of his face, but he was dark-skinned and had a—
Goatee.
The same general description my neighbors gave Gray
of the man looking for me after the hit order surfaced.
The chicken she’d eaten for lunch rolled in her stomach. Warning tentacles crept up her spine, the same way they had this morning when she’d been sure someone had been outside her house, and again in the parking lot.
Cassie jumped to her feet, but when she looked for the guy again, he was gone. Her mouth went dry.
Please, please, be a figment of my paranoia.
But she wasn’t paranoid, never had been. Instinct had always been one of her best weapons. Too many things were happening all at once.
Her picture in the newspaper.
The feeling of being watched, twice in one day.
Now this man.
Could be coincidence, but when someone was trying to kill you…
The park was filled with people. Innocent people.
I’ve waited too long.
Cassie grabbed her bag and took off for the parking lot. She zigzagged through the crowd, glancing continually over her shoulders, searching for a man with a goatee and a white T-shirt.
She’d made a mistake, gotten too comfortable playing chef, making new friends. And falling in love. How could she have let it happen right in the middle of all this?
A man suddenly stood and blocked her path. Cassie clenched her hands into fists.
Not the guy she’d seen.
She blew out a breath and skirted around him, nearly tumbling over his lawn chair. After mumbling a hasty apology she resumed course for the parking lot.
Don’t panic.
A quick trip to the house for Raven and some of her things, and she’d be gone. She could call Mike from the road and explain everything. Maybe when this was all over she could come back and—
An explosion blasted the air. The reverberation was so fierce Cassie felt it beneath her feet.
Flames shot from a vehicle on the grass adjacent to the parking lot. Pieces of glowing, burning debris spewed skyward before falling to the ground.
In the distance a woman screamed. Others around Cassie gasped.
She bolted down the slope, dodging onlookers who’d risen to their feet. Her handbag banged against her hip as she ran toward the accident.
Accident?
Cassie ran harder. Police sense warned her there was a chance whatever had happened wasn’t accidental.
She knocked several people aside as she sped past, jarring her shoulder against a heavyset man. A loud curse came to her ears. Below and to her right, she saw Mike charging at a dead run to the parking lot with Jimmy and the rest of his men not far behind. At the bottom of the slope, she tore across the paved lot and onto the grass.
A secondary explosion shook the ground.
Cassie kept running.
Sirens shrilled as the ambulance and fire truck she’d seen earlier made their way across the lot. The fire truck screeched to a stop ahead of her. Men shouted orders. Cassie sucked in air as she ran. Smells of burning fuel and oil nearly choked her. Black smoke flecked with glowing embers billowed against the raging flames.
Cassie raced between the rows and rows of cars. Gnawing fear grew inside her. The closer she got to the shooting flames, the worse it became.
She was on a direct path to her Trail Blazer.
Over the din of the sirens, she heard a woman sobbing and screaming. A horrible gut feeling wrenched her.
Not the Trail Blazer. That would mean—Leo! Ginny!
Cassie rounded the last car blocking her view and came to an abrupt stop, gasping for air. Terror ripped through her. She wrapped her arms around her waist and almost threw up.
A few feet in front of her, Mike knelt on the ground near Ginny, who was also on her knees, rocking back and forth. Lying between them was the bloody, prostrate form of a man.
Leo.
Night had set in and lighting was poor in the shadow of the parked cars. Only the car fire illuminated the scene, but there was no mistaking the blood trickling from a gash on Leo’s forehead. Or the front of Leo’s shirt—drenched in it.
He’s dead.
Cassie could barely breathe. She stared with her mouth open, gripping the strap of her bag in her fist.
Flames crackled and popped from the engine compartment of the Trail Blazer.
Mike pressed two fingers to Leo’s neck. “Leo!” he shouted. “Leo, can you hear me?”
Leo didn’t move, his body as pale and rigid as carved marble.
All those coincidences hadn’t been coincidences. The hit man was here—in Hopewell Springs.
The explosion had been meant for her.
She should be running for cover in case he was still out there, but all Cassie could think about was Leo. She couldn’t leave him. Her life meant nothing if someone died because of her. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from crying. Or screaming.
That should be me lying on the ground. Not a young man with his whole life ahead of him.
Ginny held Leo’s bloody hand to her chest and her cries became louder. Flecks of blood spotted the young woman’s pale face and arms, but no deep cuts. About twenty feet away, her SUV—or what was left of it—roared like an inferno. Heat and the smell of burning fuel rolled through the parking lot.
Drag marks in the grass indicated Mike must have pulled Leo farther away from the truck. She should do something to help, but her legs wouldn’t move.
My fault. Dear God, I should have told Mike sooner.
Cassie held her hand to her mouth. A small sob escaped her throat.
Mike looked up, and his brows drew together. He glanced at the smoking Trail Blazer, then back to her. Relief showed on his face, replaced by a questioning expression. Then conflict.
The play of emotions on his face split Cassie’s already aching heart in two. Mike was a cop with a cop’s finely tuned intuition. He was sending her a silent message that he knew something had been bothering her earlier—and now this.
He yanked off his shirt and pressed it to the wound on Leo’s abdomen. It had to be deep considering how quickly Mike’s shirt soaked with blood. A stream of blood trickled down Mike’s chest. Somehow he’d been hit by flying debris.
The secondary explosion.
He must have gotten hurt while dragging Leo and Ginny away from the Trail Blazer. Cassie’s stomach clenched at the realization Mike could have been killed, too.
Red and blue lights flashed from emergency crews pouring in. More sirens screamed in the distance. Firemen shouted as they dragged in hoses and opened them full blast on the burning SUV.
“Paramedics! Over here!” Mike yelled. To one of his officers, he shouted, “Get some lights.”
Leo groaned.
He’s not dead.
She took the few steps to reach Ginny and knelt beside her, wrapping her arm around the shaking girl’s shoulders. “He’ll be all right, Ginny. He has to be.”
Please, let that be true.
Mike stared at her over Leo’s wounded body. The once white polo shirt he pressed to Leo’s abdomen had become saturated with blood, turning the fabric bright red. Cassie squeezed her eyes shut for a second, partly to stem her tears and partly because she couldn’t take the budding accusation on Mike’s face.
He knows. He knows this was meant for me.
The lump in her throat was so big she almost couldn’t breathe.
Two uniformed paramedics materialized and immediately set to work. A fireman held a large heavy-duty flashlight over Leo so the medics could see what they were doing. Voices called over the handheld radios carried by all the emergency personnel rushing in. Amidst the chaos, one thing was clear. Leo was dying.
“Keep applying pressure to the wound, Chief.” One of the paramedics unbuckled a large plastic two-tiered medical kit and yanked out a BP cuff that he wrapped around Leo’s upper arm. The rubber ball made puffing sounds as the medic pumped up the cuff.
The other paramedic unlocked another case and tore open bags of sterile gauze and bandages that he quickly applied to the injuries on Leo’s abdomen and the gash on
his head. The shirt Mike had been using lay in a bloody heap beside them on the ground.
“BP ninety over sixty and dropping. Pulse one-ten and thready.” The paramedic pushed Leo’s eyelids open and flicked on a penlight. “Pupils are responsive. Respiration twenty-four. Start an IV, Ringer’s lactate. He’s going into shock.”
Leo’s body went lax. His eyelids fluttered.
The medic wrapped a tourniquet around Leo’s upper arm and tapped two fingers to feel for a vein, then inserted an IV needle.
“We have to get him to County. Fast.” The other medic taped a second clean bandage over the one covering Leo’s abdominal wound. “He’s losing a lot of blood. Looks like a piece of metal embedded in his gut. Internal injury likely.”
Ginny whimpered and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I d–don’t know what happened,” she cried. “All we did was start the engine. P–please, Leo, don’t die.”
It didn’t take a doctor to tell Cassie that Leo hadn’t been inside the SUV when it blew up, nor had Ginny. If they had been, they’d both be dead. Leo must have pressed the remote start button on the key fob when they’d still been outside the vehicle.
Paramedics placed an immobilizing Aspen collar around Leo’s neck and eased a backboard beneath him. He grunted, clearly in pain, and Ginny’s shoulders stiffened beneath Cassie’s arm.
Mike stood to help the other officers with crowd control as onlookers pressed closer. “Give us room to work here,” he shouted, extending his arms to push the crowd farther back. Blood continued trickling from his chest wound down the deep ridges of his abdomen.
She stayed with Ginny, comforting her as the paramedics continued to stabilize Leo before transporting him to the hospital. The girl’s body trembled and her breaths came in little sobs as she held fast to Leo’s hand. A third paramedic dabbed at the shallow abrasions on Ginny’s arms and face.
“Will he be all right?” Ginny looked up at her from teary, red-rimmed eyes.
“I hope so. God, I hope so.” Cassie stared at Leo’s bloody face contorted in pain, praying it was a positive sign he was conscious enough to feel anything at all. “The doctors will take good care of him. I promise you that.” Cassie stroked the girl’s hair, swallowing hard as she took in all the bloody bandages littering the grass.
