Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 137176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“Your mother chose to have you instead of continuing the treatment,” I offered.
Cass nodded and then fell silent for a while. It was all I could do not to reach across the table and offer my hand so that he’d have something, someone to cling to while he relived the past.
Another ugly chuckle fell from his lips as he shook his head slowly back and forth. His eyes were down but I doubted he was really seeing anything. “The doctors told her that they were certain they could get her into remission if they continued the treatments. Even if she hadn’t been able to live a long life, she could have had years left. Instead, she chose to have the baby who’d been fathered by a piece-of-shit man who hadn’t deserved her. She could have divorced him and moved on with her life. Started a new family with someone she loved and who loved her back.”
“She did have a family, Cass. Someone she loved and who loved her back,” I said pointedly as I kept my eyes on him.
Cass’s mental withdrawal was like watching the ocean tide being pulled back out to sea.
“Yeah,” he said unevenly. “Um, listen, can we pick this up tomorrow? It’s been a long day.”
Cass didn’t give me a chance to respond. He was up and moving toward the open door. I assumed he was going to close it but instead, he walked through it and put his hand on the knob so he could close it behind him. He paused long enough to say, “I’m just going to check the perimeter. If you want to lock the door, go for it, but I’ve got a key for the front door. I suppose you can try barring the doors—”
“Go, Cass,” I said quietly. I didn’t like how much it hurt to see him like this. Waffling back and forth between using sarcasm to pretend he was unaffected from our talk and exposing slivers of pain that he probably hadn’t wanted me to see.
Cass left the kitchen, closing the door behind him. It was nearly dark out, so the fact that he seemed comfortable walking around in the dark meant he likely knew the area well. The cabin, as rustic as it was, probably belonged to his family. Unfortunately, none of that information would do me any good since I had no way of reaching someone from the outside world.
Hell, who would I even reach?
If what Cass was saying about Sully being involved in all this turned out to be true, then my big brother wouldn’t take action because he never acted without thinking. He’d been like that my entire life. Cool, calm, unfazed… always armed with a plan and the determination to follow that plan to the letter.
I sighed as I looked at all the file folders in front of me. It would take countless hours to sift through them all. Part of me was eager to get started so I could finally know what had happened the night of my shooting.
In detail.
I climbed to my feet and headed for the refrigerator. It hit me as I was reaching to open the fridge that I was excited to go through all those files so I could find out what had happened, not because I was determined to prove Cass had hurt me and killed all those people. No, I wanted the truth, whatever it might be.
God, when had I started to see Cass as a suspect and not the convicted killer he was? Why the hell was I thinking about what kind of food was in the cabin and not trying to find a way to escape or, at least, defend myself? Why did I feel… comfortable?
I glanced over my shoulder at the files.
I felt comfortable because I was. If Cass had wanted me dead, he could have taken my life several times over since he’d been released. He’d saved my life instead. Letting Jenna’s stalker shoot me would have been the perfect way to get me out of the picture and still keep his nose clean because it would have been impossible to pin my death on him.
My thoughts shifted to the previous night’s events. I had gotten my feelings hurt by Cass’s rejection after he’d kissed me in his motel room. I’d been desperate to escape the shame and humiliation, but instead of dealing with it, I’d gone running to Tank’s. The first thing I’d done after reaching Tank’s had been to start downing cheap scotch as fast as I could so I’d be able to withstand what I knew was going to happen to me… what I was going to allow to happen.
Cass had stepped in there too. He’d had absolutely no reason to intervene in that alley. Yes, I’d taken his car, but Tank had taken the keys, so Cass would have easily been able to get them back if that was all he’d wanted.