Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) (2 page)

“Gross,” Ann muttered without looking up.

“I kind of miss some of those guys,” Cassie said. She’d spent the better part of six months with the group of jurors; many she’d really come to care for.

“You think this guy’s eighteen?” Zoe asked, her voice sounding hopeful.

“Our waiter? Yeah.”

Zoe’s face lit up. “You know, I’ve been wanting to date a younger guy. And this one is cute.”

“Eighteen is way too young,” Cassie said. “Even for me and I’m younger than you.”

“Only by a year,” Zoe said. “And he could be nineteen. Or even a young-looking twenty. Anyway, he’s been hitting on
you
this whole time, so
he
must not think he’s too young.”

Cassie pulled in a genuine gasp. “He has not.”

“Leave it to the youngster to hit on Snow White. The only one too sweet and innocent to even notice.”

“Whatever.” Cassie shook her head in disbelief. “I’m not sweet or innocent and I don’t look like Snow White.”

“You look exactly like her.” Zoe turned to Ann for back-up. “Doesn’t she look like Snow White?”

“Totally. Only with longer hair and a lower voice, thank heavens.”

“Before I forget,” Zoe said, “my mother is already talking about Easter. I know it’s still over a month away, but she wanted me to tell you you’re invited to come.”

“You’re invited to my place too,” Ann said.

Zoe planted one hand firmly on the table. “No way. It’s my turn. I can’t do another Easter egg hunt in the Seattle drizzle without you there to keep me sane. Besides, who will appreciate my sarcasm?” When Cassie stayed quiet, Zoe added, “There will be tons of food….”

Ann clamped her book shut, holding her place with one finger. “But my mom cooks better.”

Cassie glanced at both girls. She was beginning to feel like a charity case.

Zoe gave Ann a feigned glare. “Well we hire a caterer. What’s better than that?”

Silence owned the table while Cassie thought of something that sounded much better than both offers. A family of her own. A place to go for the holidays that included more familiar nieces and nephews, perhaps her own children too. A spark of resentment flared up as she considered Griffin and his extended absence. A spark that seemed to die out as she sipped on her cold drink. The way it always did.

“Hey, Ann,” Zoe whispered from across the table. “What about our waiter. Don’t you think he’s good-looking?”

“Not really,” Ann muttered.

“You haven’t even looked at him yet,” Zoe protested.

“I can tell by the voice,” Ann said. She was back in her novel already. “I like it low, smooth, and sexy, like Cowboy Conner’s voice.” She licked her lips, eyes raking over the page as if there were visuals included.

“Give me that thing.” Cassie reached across the table.

A frown crinkled Ann’s face as she held firm to the book.

“Come on. I’m not going to hurt it,” Cassie said. “I just want to see what all the fuss is about.”

Reluctantly, her friend handed over the battered book. A man’s bare chest took up the entire cover, save the cowboy hat and lasso dangling in the corner. Cassie fanned its yellowed pages, the soft edges tickling her thumb. It smelled like a library – the initial whiff of something bitter, followed by the scent lingering in every book there – dusty, sweet, and full of possibilities. “How many times have you read this?”

Ann’s shrug told her it’d been too many times to count.

“What is it about this one you like so much?”

Ann smiled like she’d just walked into her favorite clothing store. “Everything about Conner is perfect. And he’s a real cowboy who works on an actual ranch. Not the wannabes on all the stupid dating sites.”

Cassie bit at her lip, nodding toward the view out the large bay window. Deep clouds of grey hovered close to the nearly colorless water. “We’re in Seattle, Ann. Probably aren’t a whole lot of ranches in the city.”

Ann threw her head back dramatically. “I know, I know. Don’t remind me.”

“I can’t get into the whole cowboy thing,” Cassie said.

Ann’s eyes got wide and pleading. “Cass, you’ve managed to find good traits in the likes of Nancy The Nag. You’ve got to see what I mean about the rough and tough, totally masculine yet sensitive-when-he-needs-to-be cowboy.”

“I’d take a cowboy,” Zoe said. “If he looked anything like
him
.” She angled her head toward newspaper guy. “Seems like he agrees with our waiter though. Only has eyes for Snow White.”

Cassie straightened in her seat, stunned by the confirmation. It wasn’t just in her head; this guy was looking at her. She leaned onto the round table, brought her voice to a whisper. “I’m actually kind of freaked out by that guy,” she said. “There’s something familiar about him, I swear. It’s like…” And then it hit her. Cold and hard like a rod of ice through her chest. “The case,” she breathed. “He looks like one of them.”

“One of the Lawson brothers?” Ann hissed.

Cassie leaned further onto the table. “Shhh. I don’t want him to hear.”

Zoe glanced over again and gasped. “Holy… He does look like one of those guys.”

A rash of unwanted images flashed through Cassie’s mind. Mangled bodies atop bloodied sheets. A crimson-stained axe wrapped in plastic. The man who’d been put behind bars for life thanks to her and the rest of the jury. And the faces of the others awaiting trials of their own.

Cassie could feel his eyes on her, infusing her body with a frigid dose of dread. A wordless threat she knew all too well could be carried out to a brutal degree.

She gripped the edge of the table, head feeling fuzzy and light. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

Both Zoe and Ann’s eyes grew wide. And just before Cassie could question what they’d seen, a large hand clamped over her shoulder.

CHAPTER THREE

“Cassie Lovell?” The voice was deep, strong, and coated with an accent that made it clear he wasn’t the man who’d been eyeing her from behind the newspaper.

A dark wallet flapped open near her shoulder. A gold badge caught glints of the light dangling above them before the wallet snapped shut.

“Detective Gonzalez, here. I need you to come with me.”

Cassie stiffened. “What for?” She moved to peek over at the guy who’d been watching her.

He was gone.

The waiter came up behind them with the drinks but their new visitor didn’t budge.

“Don’t go,” Zoe said. “I’m calling 911 to check this guy out.”

“Two of your fellow jurors were found dead within the last hour,” the detective said. “We’ve got to move fast.”

Cassie’s thoughts scattered like shards from a breaking bowl of crystal. Each bit sharp and dangerous. “Which two?” But she was already coming to a stand. She knew the guy who’d been watching her was one of the Lawson brothers. And if he was anything like the one on trial, she needed protection.

Zoe stood with a phone to her ear, listing a detailed description of the detective while holding one finger out to stay them. Ann stood up to stop her as well.

“Do you ladies see that officer at the door?” the detective asked.

Cassie spun around. A tall policeman dressed in blue stood by the register. He nodded at her.

“And the other officers out that window?”

Two patrol cars were nudged up to the curb alongside the restaurant.

“One of those cars is for me and Miss Lovell. The other is for the two of you. We leave now.” With that, the detective opened the badge-carting wallet, pulled out four crisp twenties and set them on the table. “Will this cover it?”

The waiter stood there with his tray full of drinks. “Uh. Yeah,” he stammered,

But they were already leaving. Zoe had closed her flip-phone. Even she looked scared. Zoe The Fearless, stunned into silence.

As Cassie followed the detective into the squad car, she heard Zoe ask the officer for identification. A breath later they were driving down the street. She looked over her shoulder to see what looked like Ann trying to convince Miss Fearless to get into the car.

“What are you going to do with my friends?” she asked.

The detective slid a dark pair of shades over his eyes. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“On how desperate these guys are. We don’t think they’ll resort to those related to the jurors, but because your friends were with you, we thought we’d better escort them away from the dangerous situation.”

“Where’d that guy go? Was he a Lawson brother?”

A pucker formed at his brow. “Yes. He’s a relative, anyway. We had an undercover officer at the back entrance but he slid past him. We don’t really have enough to arrest that one yet, to be honest. But with everything going on, we would have come up with something.” He shook his head and glared out the window. “Is that the overdue library book you owe so much money on?”

His question was so random, Cassie wasn’t sure he was talking to her. “What?”

Without turning to look at her, he said, “The book in your hand. Is that the one you owe so much money for?”

Cassie hadn’t realized it, but she was clinging tight to Ann’s romance novel. “Umm. No. This isn’t mine. It’s my friend’s.” She sighed as a question occurred to her. “Where are we going?”

Her prompt seemed to remind the man of something. He nodded and reached into his thin leather coat, retrieving a folded stack. “We’re putting you in something similar to a witness protection program.”

“But I’m not a witness.”

“Right. But we’ve got two more Lawson brothers awaiting trial as we speak. The Lawsons have a tight group of extended family involved. This type of mafia relies on intimidation. If they can wipe out an entire jury – one that had the gall to put their own blood away – they’ll likely make fair trials impossible with all the publicity.” He clicked a pen and handed it to her, along with the stapled sheets.

“We don’t have the funds or resources to provide twenty-four-seven protection from a U.S. Marshall,” he continued, “but we do have a number of safe homes. Retired Marshalls or trusted acquaintances capable and willing to house those in need.”

Numbly, Cassie scanned over the print on the page. Skimming over parts to see where it was she’d be going.

“I Just need you to sign a few lines, showing that you’ll cooperate and not do anything to jeopardize the safety of yourself or those harboring you.”

“Oh. I wouldn’t.” She skimmed the document further. A red X waited next to a blank line at the bottom of the page. She signed there and flipped it over. Another X stood out among the black text. After scribbling her name once more, Cassie scanned over the final page.

“This doesn’t say where I’m going.”

“I’ll tell you once we’re en route.”

The officer behind the wheel veered onto the interstate.

“Wait,” she said, a beat of panic thrumming through her. “Aren’t we going to my apartment?”

“Too risky. The guy had to have followed you from work to the restaurant. No doubt he knows where you live too.” Gonzalez gave the stack of paper a flick. “By signing this, you’ve given my team permission to retrieve your property. Mainly clothing and personal items. Your things will be shipped to our final destination. Probably arrive before we do.”

“But I have cats. Two of them.”

“We know. They’ll be fine. Your guardian has agreed to allow pets.”

“What about my parents? Are they in danger?”

He gave her a sideways glance. “They have plans to come back to the U.S. anytime soon?”

“No. I just wondered…” She let the sentence die.

“Your parents are in Guam. I think they’ll be safe there. From the Lawson brothers, anyway.” He’d muttered the last part.

Another face came to mind, and Cassie felt guilty she hadn’t thought of him sooner. “And Griffin?” Heck, Gonzalez  knew about her overdue library book; he was bound to know about her boyfriend, even if it was a long-distance relationship.

“Again. Out of the country,” he said. “Should be fine. Mind if I ask you a question, though?”

Cassie shook her head. “Go ahead.”

“Why is it that the people closest to you live so far away?” He’d removed his sunglasses, eyes looking deep and perplexed. Cassie tried for just a moment to place his age. He acted young. Moved like he was too. But the small wrinkles around his mouth and eyes gave him away. The guy was probably in his late forties. Maybe a young-looking fifty.

It took her only a moment to recall his question. “My parents have done volunteer work out of the country for years. In fact, it’s how they met. Even while my mom was pregnant with me she was digging wells and building schools. I was born in Rwanda. Did you know that?”

The detective nodded, though his eyes told her he was holding something back. A faulty dam ready to snap.

“What?” she urged, wondering what the near stranger could be thinking.

He replaced his glasses and turned back to the window. “Nothing. I just don’t understand how anyone makes a long-distance relationship work.”

Cassie’s heart was a hot, pounding mess, torn in several directions all at once. She wouldn’t say it aloud, but Cassie was considering ending her relationship with Griffin. In her purse, she’d stashed a letter received from her boyfriend just the day before. A letter that she hadn’t yet opened.

Cassie wasn’t sure what it might contain – words of his continued love, or an acknowledgement that the relationship wasn’t much of a relationship at all. Either way, Cassie planned to come to her own decision about things before she opened it.

While forcing a slow breath through barely parted lips, she told herself things would be okay one way or another. At least the people she cared for would be safe.

Still, she had no idea where she was going, or how long she’d be. And who was this guardian Gonzalez had referred to? What kind of person allowed some stranger and her cats into their home at a moment’s notice? She couldn’t begin to imagine what the days lying ahead might be like.

Mindlessly, she thumbed through the pages of the book in her hand. And as she sucked in a deep, calming breath, inhaling the familiar scent, Cassie wondered if her journey would be more bitter than sweet. One thing was certain – her near future was like the book in one way – it was entirely unknown to her and filled with possibilities.