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Ashton’s words are echoing in my head. Get Cassie her life back.
“We’re moving her now?” Ashton asks. I can see his mind already in motion.
“No, we are going to draw him out. He wants to play with me, then game on, asshole, but he better understand one thing,” I say, looking at the eyes that I never expected to see.
“I. Never. Lose!” I hiss, grinding my teeth in anger.
“We’re going to do what?” Ashton’s shock doesn’t deter me. “Are you sure it wasn’t you that had part of your brain taken out?”
“Nope. Better to catch him with the element of surprise. Bring him into our domain. He thinks we don’t know he’s here. Well, surprise. Come at me, prick.”
I straighten my shoulders, and I can see Ashton doing the same.
“Listen up. This is what’s happening!” This whole time we have been standing here our talking has been at the lowest level possible so no one can hear us. I want to shout, but it’s surprising how mad you can still sound while whispering.
I get through my quick instructions, that are of course somewhat in a code that Ashton understands so we aren’t giving anything away. No more words are needed. Ashton gives me the lift of his chin and turns away as he heads down the corridor to put everything in place. We are going to need Tate’s help, and that’s not something I ask lightly. I didn’t want anyone else involved, but I can’t do it without them.
I’m guessing while we are watching the security feeds in the hospital, so are they, which is why Ashton held the tablet cover over the top of the screen at an angle, so only I could see under the cover what was being played. We need them to think they are still pulling it over on us, and Ashton is right. Deep down I knew they were coming for her. The feeling in my body has been on high alert for a few weeks, even before we arrived in Chicago. Badger had even been in contact to check in, which told me the man with the weird senses knew something was coming even before we found out Cassie was sick. Stupidly I wrote it off as that, but I should have been more thorough. I let my fear of Cassie’s operation cloud my concentration.
I’ve never had trouble multitasking before, but this time I did, and it cost me. The thought of losing her on that operating table was all I could think of, but she is fighting danger from two sides, and I should have been too. I let them sneak under my radar, and if something happens because of that, I will never forgive myself.
Taking a deep breath, I let my shoulders fall down again and release the tense look, so Cassie won’t suspect something is wrong. Counting to ten, it’s time to go back in and face my wife. I will need to tell her but not just yet. We need her to stay calm, and hopefully it will all be over quickly. She already knows I have a small camera in the room, so my team always have the visual feed of her and can keep her safe. It’s a tiny camera and no one would know it’s there, but it’s my secret weapon in this attack. I will be able to see him and know when to move.
Not that I want to let him that close to her again, but it’s the best way of ending this. Now, to work out how to explain all this to Cassie when the time is right.
Pushing the door open to her room, the vision of my wife in front of me tells me why I’m doing this. I don’t care what happens to me, but my kids need their mom. She is listening to Bessy reading a story on speaker phone, while my wife’s head is lying back on her pillow with her eyes closed. I’m sure she is picturing her in her bedroom and following the words in the book with her finger, concentrating so hard to read the big words, and I can hear Asha helping her with them. This is my world, my family, and I’ll give everything to keep them safe. Even if it’s giving my life to make sure they can live theirs.
Deliberately clearing my throat to make a noise, I see her eyes slowly open, and she mouths the words to me, so not to interrupt Bessy. “Everything okay?”
I just nod to her with the best smile I can paint on my face. Her look is skeptical, but she lets it slide for the moment. When Bessy stops to turn a page, Cassie uses the opportunity to announce my arrival.
“Daddy is here too.”
“Daddy!” Bessy’s scream tells me she is excited to hear I’m here.
“Hi, princess, your reading is getting better.” Sitting down on the bed and taking Cassie’s hand, I draw it to my lips and kiss it just so I can taste her skin, needing to be close to her.
“I’ve been practicing with Uncle Kurt and Auntie Asha. They like to hear me reading.” Her words convey how proud she is of herself.
“I bet they do, princess. It’s time for Mommy and me to do some more holiday things now. We will call you later, okay?” She is used to this now. I can’t thank our friends enough for keeping her so busy that she hasn’t missed us too much.
“Okay, we are going to make some cookies now. I’ll save you some. Unless Uncle Kurt eats them all.” Hearing Asha laughing in the background, I know I have no chance of any cookies being left by the time I get home.
“Thanks, Bessy. Love you, princess.” I squeeze Cassie’s hand as she also tells our daughter she loves her and that we will be home soon. I don’t want to promise Bessy a specific day, because with everything about to go down, the last thing I want to do is lead them to our home and kids. If we need to, we will be bunkering down here or somewhere else until it’s over. I know my kids are safe where they are.
The call disconnects, and Cassie lets out a big yawn.
“You’re tired, why don’t you have another sleep?” I suggest, running my free hand through her hair and pushing the wispy bits off her face. We could have come here in disguise, but it would have been too difficult. Cassie wouldn’t be able to wear the wig in the operation, which she was lucky they only had to shave a small patch so it can be easily covered when needed. There is one thing that Cassie has guarded since running from her life with Jason and that is her long brown hair. I didn’t understand at first, but one night as we sat out on the deck when Bessy was first born, her little baby hands were wrapped in Cassie’s hair, and I asked her if it would be easier to just cut it short. After she bit my head off with her response, then came the explanation that her memory of her mother is with the same long brown hair. I could see the love in her eyes that she was missing, and then it all made sense. That was a little way she could keep the memory of her mother alive. The way she tells stories to the kids also holds the memory of her father close.
“No, I’m not resting. I’m sick of sleeping, Ghost. I just want to go home to my babies. They are going to forget what I look like.” The pout on her face would be cute if things weren’t so crazy here. If we were just on a holiday and she was missing her kids, I’d either distract her so she wasn’t thinking about them or would pack her up on the first plane and take her home. But things aren’t quite that easy, and this is far from some relaxing holiday at an island resort.
“Okay, your body, your choice.” I learned a long time ago not to push Cassie when it’s not needed. Pick your battles, as the saying goes.
“Exactly! Now tell me what Ashton’s visit was about, and don’t you dare tell me it was nothing. I saw it in his eyes when he opened the door, and you might think you can hide things from me, Ghost, but I can see straight through you. Your eyes aren’t soft anymore, they are in ‘battle mode.’ Your body is tense, and the adrenaline is oozing out of your pores in your skin, I can smell it. You are ready to go to war with someone, and I can feel it in my bones, that person you are fighting for is me.”
How can this woman nail my emotions every time? I can hide from the world, but it seems I can’t hide from my wife. I can’t sit here. Up and walking the room, I’m trying to untangle the words in my head. I wasn’t going to tell her yet, but she is going to see straight through me if I try to lie to her now. Then we’ll just end up fighting, which isn’t good for her recovery. But the shock of this is equally as bad, and I can’t do what I would normally do to calm her down after we fight. Make-up sex with Cassie is like dynamite exploding, and then the bliss of the post-orgasm glow. That’s off the table too, so once she starts getting wound up, there will be no pulling her back from that. There are times I love her stubbornness, but now is not one of them.
“Ghost, I’m waiting.” Her voice is soft but not gentle. There is determination behind it. She wants an answer, even if it’s not the one she wishes.
