AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cassie walked over to the couch where the presents she had just finished wrapping were stacked. Pulling out Max’s, Kyle’s and Callie’s from the pile, Cassie walked back to Callie and placed the presents in her friend’s arms. “Promisenot to open these until Christmas morning, ok?”
Callie raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
Cassie nodded solemnly. “Really.”
Callie smiled Cassie’s way. “Deal. I left your present at Jamal’s house when I dropped his and JJ’s off since I knew you were going over there this afternoon. Is that ok?”
“Perfect,” Cassie replied, kissing her friend on the cheek. “Now get going before you miss your flight.”
Cassie leaned over the apartment landing and waved to Max and Kyle, who were waiting in Kyle’s new pearl white Cadillac Escalade. Kyle honked the horn in acknowledgment. Giving her friend one last hug, Cassie couldn’t help but say, “Call me when you get there!”
Callie smiled as she carefully made her way down the stairs to the car. Max hopped out to help Callie with the presents and gave Cassie a wave. “Christmas won’t be the same without ya, kid!” he called.
Cassie blew him a kiss. “Love you, too, Max! Don’t meet too many hot Carolina women!”
Cassie laughed when his face and even his ears turned a bright shade of red. “Very funny, kid!” he called. “Be safe.”
Presents loaded, Callie and her dad hopped back in the car and with a honk Cassie’s way, pulled out of the parking lot. Cassie waved until she could no longer see their vehicle. She was very excited about spending Christmas with JJ and Jamal, but she sure was going to miss her adopted family.
Closing her apartment door, Cassie began gathering up JJ and Jamal’s presents and placing them in her laundry basket. Hearing a knock on her door, Cassie looked up at the clock on the wall behind her couch. Jamal told her he wouldn’t pick her up until after his practice was finished at two and it was only one. Still, Cassie wasn’t expecting anyone else during the day. Thinking it was Jamal knocking to take her to his house early, she flung the door open and stared into the face that had been a source of her nightmares ever since she moved to Oklahoma.
“What’s wrong, girl? Expecting someone else? It’s the holiday and I couldn’t wait to surprise you. Now come over here and give your daddy a hug.”
Untitled
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“Wha-what are you doing here? How’d you find me?” Cassie stammered, her heart beating a frantic rhythm in her chest.
“Well, now. I wasfineletting you run off into the great beyond before. Good riddance is what I said. Butthen,” he said, grabbing Cassie’s arm in a vise-grip and shoving her into her apartment, “Then I discovered that you stole one. Million. Dollars. From me. Money that was rightfully mine. And I’ve just come to collect.”
Cassie’s dad grabbed her other arm and shoved Cassie against the wall. “You think you’re smart enough to outrun me? You think you could hide fromme?!I’m the best damn police officer in the state of Alaska, you dumb, sorry piece of shit bitch! You’re just like your stupid ass momma. Now, if you don’t want to end up like her, you’ll give me my money. Where is it?”
Cassie tried to pull away but her dad just slammed her harder into the wall. “It’s not your money, it was mom’s,” Cassie said softly. “And she gave it to me.”
Cassie’s dad brought his hand back and Cassie braced herself for what she knew was coming. His hand collided with her cheek with a force that slammed her head even harder into the wall, sending a picture frame falling down on her head. Even though she hated it, Cassie felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
“You always were a tit bag,” he said meanacingly, looking right into her eyes. “Just. Like. Your. Mother.”
“I’ll get it for you. I’ll give you all I have left. Just leave me alone.”
“I don’t think that’s gonna happen,” he said, hitting her again. “You see, I’ve been doing my research. I know you’ve been in school at OU. I know you pay for this apartment. That means most of the money you ran off with four years ago is gone. But I have something even better planned.”
Cassie couldn’t hide the fear in her eyes. “Well? No words? No wondering what I’m up to?” he asked, putting his hand around her throat and squeezing, cutting off her airway. “Come on. You always were a fighter. Show me a little fight.”
He immediately released her and Cassie fell to the ground, gasping for air. She touched her cheek tenderly. It wasn’t broken, but she was going to have a purple face, that’s for sure. She could already feel her eye swelling shut. She looked up to see where her dad was pacing back and forth in her small living room.
“You see, I’ve always been a sports fan. And Ilovedwatching the Seattle Supersonics. They were my team. So imagine my surprise when Seattle was moved to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder. Imagine my even bigger surprise when one night, while I was in my favorite recliner, watching my favorite team, lo and behold, my favoritedaughterwas on the station, kissing one of the Thunder’s best players on the kiss cam. So then I got to thinking. Even if you did spend most of that money I’m rightfully owed, I’m willing to bet that he might be willing to cough up some money to keep you, well,safe.”
“I’ll give you everything I have,” she cried, feeling the tears streaming down her face. “Just leave him alone.”
“Now, see. I don’t think I can do that.”
“Please, just leave him alone. He has a daughter.”
“I wonder if she’s as big of a disappointment as you?”
Her father kicked her in the stomach, doubling Cassie over and she groaned in pain. “Please, just stop,” she cried.
