Page 11 of Protecting Gina

“Aw, you’re being nice.” Cass’s phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket. “Oh, it’s Angie. She wanted to say goodbye. Can I get some food with her?”

Wave nodded. “Sure. I’ll be here. Text if you need a ride or anything.”

Cass gave Wave a hug, then said goodbye before running to her room. Gina watched after her, thinking that Cass was very well put together for being so young. There’s no way she could have handled the load that Cass has at that age.

“Thank you for being so nice to her.”

Gina turned to Wave, a little confused by his statement. “It’s easy when it’s someone like Cass.”

Wave chuckled. “I’m much rougher around the edges than my sister.”

Gina's lips twisted up to the side. She wasn’t going to comment on how rough he was. He probably thought he was a tough guy or a badass, but the man had been a perfect gentleman. She was sure he was strong, but based on the people she met at her job or the men she ran into in town, he was very nice.

“So you might have information on my problems?”

Wave sobered. “I’m still waiting to hear back from my friend. But I did a few simple searches, and I found some stuff. It’s not enough to get him arrested, but it’s a start.”

Gina had no hope that anything could be done. Pete hadn’t done anything too awful so far. It was just the threat that worried her. She would manage this because that’s what she did. She managed things in her life, doing what had to be done, even if it meant she left the area and settled somewhere else.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Wave heard his sister leave, and he turned to Gina. Now they could talk openly about Gina’s situation. “So this guy, Pete. He owns the auto body shop in town.”

“Yes. I was walking past and saw something. I should have taken off, but there was this woman being beaten up. I yelled at them, and the woman was able to break away. She stumbled toward me and clung to me. We were able to get away in a taxi.”

“Was the taxi there before?”

She shook her head. “No, it was passing by.”

“That was lucky.”

“Or the woman had called the taxi. I don’t know. I was driven round the corner, so I didn’t go far with her before I got out. I have no idea what happened with that woman, but she didn’t give me anything like Pete thinks she did.”

“Do you have any idea who she was?”

Gina shook her head. “No, I’ve never seen her before.”

“And you haven’t seen her since?”

“No. Just Pete and his goons.”

“I’m sorry they are targeting you. I wonder what she got hold of.”

“It is something he wants to get back. I guess when they let me out of the taxi, Pete or one of his men followed me to the hospital. That’s why they know where I work. I need them to leave me alone. Otherwise I’ll lose my job.”

“So the bruises…has anyone from work asked about them?”

She reached up, grabbing her neck as her gaze slid away. “No.”

“What are you going to tell them if they ask?”

Her shoulder lifted. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry they beat you up. I don’t know what to tell you. You need to be careful, but you already know that.”

She nodded, as a faraway look crossed her face. “I’m being careful. I don’t know when they’ll stop hounding me. I fear that if they don’t stop, eventually they’ll figure out where I live.”

He didn’t have a solution for her. Soon enough, he would leave town. He was planning on heading home to California in two weeks or less. He figured that would give them plenty of time to go through everything and get the house ready to sell.