Love, Cass Read online

  “This isn’t the way to the airport. We are getting further and further away in the wrong direction. Won’t that give them time to get there before we do?” she asked, full of concern.

  “Just making sure they aren’t following us. If they are, I want them headed the wrong way before we lose them.”

  “Why don’t we just use our head start and get out of here? Isn’t the jet ready?”

  “We aren’t taking the jet. Well, that jet anyway.”

  Surprise, and what was probably concern, had her hot and off guard. “What? Why not? We can be out of here faster! I left a note; he knows I’m leaving. It makes sense to take the jet.”

  “We aren’t running away and disappearing using his jet! We may as well text him directions!” It wasn’t like him to be so condescending, but it also wasn’t like her to be dense. She was quite the opposite actually. He chalked it up to raw nerves and fear. “He probably won’t even realize you are gone or see the note for a while yet, and by the time he does, we’ll be in the wind.”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Then my family jet! I can make a call; it wouldn’t take long…”

  “Lydia,” he interrupted, “we can’t use that for the same reason we can’t use his jet, our cell phones, credit cards, and so on. He can trace everything. Going into hiding means we disappear altogether, no bread crumbs for them to follow. We’re using a different jet, different airport all together. One that doesn’t exist as far as civilians are concerned. The less you know, right now, the safer you and Jax are.”

  Holding up her cell phone, she was quiet while she reconciled all that he just said. Hiding, secret airports, untraceable – that meant they really did have to disappear completely. Panic was returning, threatening to take hold again. How the hell was she supposed to live? No money, no resources, no connections. She had a son to feed and diaper – how would she do all of that with nothing?

  “Hey,” he soothed, grabbing her hand, the one still holding her cell phone, “it’s going to be okay. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to either of you, okay? Everything is taken care of; you just have to trust me.”

  For the first time all night, she smiled. It was weak, it wasn’t full of joy, but it was sincere. She believed him and trusted him. They were still alive, and it was thanks to him. A glimpse of the nice guy she had come to know was looking back at her and gave her an encouraging nod.

  “Where are we going from here then?” she asked, resting their hands on the center console between them.

  “New York first. We need to get Trinity.” He squeezed her hand to remind her he had this, they were safe, for now, and that he promised to protect them.

  She sat up straighter in her seat until she felt him squeeze, a silent reminder that she needed. “Why are we going to Trinity? I didn’t really call her; you said not to call her. Did I screw up. Is she okay? I need to call her – she has no clue.”

  “She’s fine. And you weren’t supposed to call her, nor will you. The less she knows, the safer she is. Esteban will use her as leverage to get to you if we don’t get to her first. She’s part of the plan, Lydee. He can’t reach her; my people are on it.” He used her nickname again, something he didn’t do often, and he wasn’t sure why he had been using it all night. He’d deal with that later – it was too personal and needed to stop.

  “What if she isn’t there?”

  “She is.” He answered.

  “How do you know?” Lydia didn’t like being out of the loop. She was usually the one holding the reigns, one hundred percent in charge. These half-assed, less you know, the better, bullshit answers were starting to irritate her.

  “I know,” he shot back, aware that he was pissing her off, but clearly, not giving two craps about it.

  In an ear-piercing silence, she wondered what he meant, how he knew, and considered it along with all that she did know so far. It didn’t take long at all for her to figure it out.

  “Oh, my God! You’re watching her,” she guessed, sliding as far to the right in her seat as possible in order to gain every inch of distance from him as she could. “How do I even know you’re safe? You were right there, watching those men die. I just got in a car with you, with my son no less, when you’re no better than those men! What have I done? How can I trust you?”

  He looked at her, saw the fear gripping her as the tears began to fall again. For some reason, her words hurt. He wasn’t trying to make friends with her, but he certainly didn’t want her to think he was like those men. He was anything but. He loathed what they were, what they did, and what they stood for.

  The only reason he could tolerate and live with what he was exposed to was the knowing – knowing that he was going to put an end to them. It literally made him sick knowing she may think of him in such a way – associated him with monsters – or that he could hurt her. He could never hurt her; she was the only reason he stayed to begin with. But he couldn’t tell her that.

  “You can trust me because I got you out of there before anyone else saw you. You can trust me because I got you out of the Police Station before they ID’d you and sold you out to those men. You can trust me because if Esteban figures this out, who I am, what I am…I’m dead, but not before he kills everyone I love first.”

  Relaxing in her seat, his words sunk in. He had as much to lose as she did, if not more. She could trust him; he was risking everything for her when he could have just sent her away, and Esteban would be none the wiser. But he stayed with her, ran with her. That had to mean something, but what?

  Silence, in that moment was as painful as the words she knew she delivered with a punch. Accusing him of being like Esteban and his people had to hurt, and for that, she felt badly. She would find a way to make it right when she knew what right was again.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…” she began.

  Jason cut her off before she could finish. He didn’t need apologies, just cooperation. “It’s fine.”

  Emotions were high; her world was turned upside down in a matter of hours. Outbursts were to be expected, she supposed, even if they didn’t help. Being in the absolute dark was making it hard to wrap her mind around the few details she had – she needed more – deserved more. Perhaps they would help her cope.

  “So…uh, Trinity.” She approached cautiously, hoping he would feed her something to make sense of everything. “Can you tell me why? Why we need to get to her and involve her? Doesn’t that put her in…danger?”

  “Trinity will become leverage if we don’t intervene. He will use your sister to get to you, just as he would Jax. It’s time to disappear, make him think you’re…”

  She wasn’t sure she wanted him to finish his thought, but she knew she needed him to. “Make him think what, Jason?”

  Hesitation stood between him and the truth. There was no easy way to deliver what she wanted to hear, and she had already been through so much. “You’re going to die, as far as he is concerned. He needs to think you’re dead, or he will come looking and won’t stop until he finds you, Jax, or Trinity.”

  “And you…” she finished, reminding him that he was now a bigger player in this than originally planned.

  “And me. It has to be this way, Lydee.”

  An unfamiliar pinch settled in his heart when she turned her head, leaning it against the window, and began to silently cry.

  CHAPTER 4

  The airport they landed in was much like the one they took off from. Small, single runway, one hangar, and heavily armed. It wasn’t made clear exactly where they were or who all the armed men and women were, but it was apparent that this was some sort of military or government facility, given the security and fact that both were in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

  Jason mentioned he worked for a part of the government that nobody had heard of or knew about – one that the government denied existed. That was exactly how both airport-like facilities appeared – non-existent.

  Lydia had asked where they were before boarding t
he plane, just as she had when it was time to unload. Each time, she got the answer that seemed to be the theme of the night – the less you know, the safer you are. They were quickly moved from plane to vehicle and on the road within minutes of landing. The fastest airport transaction she had ever experienced.

  As the city came into view, Lydia’s anxiety rocketed. She really needed her sister right now, but the guilt that went along with why crushed her. Trinity hadn’t asked for any of this – she never liked Esteban – even tried to talk Lydia out of marrying him. Now she was as deeply involved as Lydia, or was about to be.

  “She lives in the upper west side, but you probably already knew that,” Lydia offered, trying to rid them of the painful silence.

  “We’re going to Greenwich Village,” he replied.

  “Greenwich, when did she… How do you… Never mind, I don’t know why I bother asking. The less I know…” Defeated was exactly how she felt in the moment as her life was spiraling and a practical stranger knew more about her life and loved one’s than she did.

  “I put people on her the minute I came after you. They’ve been tailing her all night, making sure she’s safe. I know Esteban keeps tabs on her, so I got to her first.” He turned to her briefly, wishing he could be more forthcoming and give her what she wanted, or at least just make it easier for her. “She’s been, out tonight, so she’s probably not going to be excited to see us at this hour.”

  “Oh.” That was all Lydia could muster. While her sister was out on the town, living her life, enjoying it – Lydia was crashing murder parties, running for her life, all while unknowingly dragging her sister into her mess. Sister of the year.

  Despite New York traffic, even late at night, they managed to get to Trinity’s building rather quickly. Nerves were tense as they pulled into an underground parking garage reserved for the elite upper crust who lived in the building and could afford a parking fee equal to most people’s mortgage. It didn’t go unnoticed that Jason had a code and was able to get in without any trouble at all, nor was it a surprise to see a handful of men and women waiting for them near a row of several matching vehicles.

  A private elevator quickly took Jason and Lydia, with baby Jax in tow, to the penthouse suite at the top of the building where Trinity apparently lived these days. A man and woman, who Lydia had never seen or met but clearly knew Jason, accompanied them to Trinity’s, while a handful of others began to move things from car to car. She didn’t bother asking what they were doing, why they were doing it, and what all of the stuff was – she knew the answer – the less you know, the safer you are. It was a sign that things were about to get more chaotic perhaps.

  The fancy building and posh interior suggested the Prescott trust fund was being put to good use, and Trinity was wanting for absolutely nothing. Several long, heavy-handed knocks brought Trinity to the door, slightly hung over, half asleep, and very confused.

  “Lydee? Oh, my God, what are you doing here – what time is it?” She yawned, rubbing her eyes and looking around, trying to get her wits about her. “I don’t understand why you’re here. You’re here, right?”

  “Yes, Trin, I’m here…uh…we need to come in,” Lydia awkwardly replied. Her sister was standing there half-dressed and only half coherent – she was about to sober up quickly.

  “We?” she looked around the doorway and caught a glimpse of Jason holding the baby carrier, and her eyes went wide. Then the equally large man behind him and woman, who she wouldn’t want to be caught with in a dark alley, had her jaw on the ground. “What the…who the heck are they, Lyd?”

  “They’re with me; they’re safe…promise. Now can we come in? We need to talk.”

  “Oh! Yeah, sorry…still a little, you know…sleepy. Champagne and all that.” Trinity moved to the side to let everyone in and followed them to the living room.

  Jason gave quick instructions to the extra man and woman who were tagging along, and they disappeared down a long hallway toward the bedrooms.

  “Uh, excuse me? Where are they going?” It seemed sober was coming a lot faster than expected. “You don’t have permission to go down there. Lydia?”

  Jason set the baby carrier on the large nearby sofa, Lydia taking a seat next to it. He began to close blinds and curtains while checking the landline phone sitting near the entry they had just passed through.

  “Um, hello? Big guy? What are you doing? Do I need to call security?”

  Lydia felt bad for surprising her sister with such an intrusion, especially when she was slightly inebriated. “Trinity, I promise he’s okay. I need you to listen. Something happened tonight, or I guess…it’s morning now, so last night.”

  “Lyd, why are there strangers in my home, and why won’t the big one talk?”

  Jason turned to Trinity after making sure the place was secure and it was safe to talk. “They’re packing. They won’t be long, only grabbing the necessities.”

  “Uh, packing? They know that’s my stuff, right?” Trinity tossed a thumb down the hallway, indicating the two strangers in her room. “I mean I don’t mind lending her something if she needs a change of clothes, but I doubt I have anything that will fit the man…he needs a tent or something.”

  “They are packing for you. You’re leaving, tonight, with us.”

  “Whoa…whoa…come again? Leaving? Where exactly are we going? Lydia, are you in some sort of trouble?” Trinity walked closer to her sister, pulling the baby carrier closer to Lydia in a protective move.

  “Yeah, sis, I am. It’s bad, too. You were right, all along – you were right.” Lost to tears, Lydia couldn’t say another word. She was overwhelmed and exhausted.

  “You might want to sit down for this. Hate to rush a family reunion, but we don’t have much time.” It wasn’t like him to be curt, but time wasn’t on their side.

  “I’m fine standing…someone needs to start talking though. Wait, aren’t you the bodyguard, or driver or something?” Trinity went to Florida shortly after Jax was born and stayed with them for a few weeks. The champagne was wearing off, and things were coming into focus, or at least Jason was. She remembered him hanging around, accompanying them absolutely everywhere – he never spoke, just stood in the background.

  Lydia raised her head and delivered the punch. “Esteban killed a man – I saw him…kill a man, maybe two.”

  Trinity dropped to the couch next to her sister, in pure shock, and pulled her into an embrace. “I better sit down.”

  Jason carried the load for Lydia and began to explain while the man and woman from down the hall joined them, one with an overnight bag, one with a trash bag. There was no way to soften this kind of a blow, not in the least, so he delivered every hard fact in detail. It was important for Trinity to know the whole truth and to be afraid so she wouldn’t do anything stupid that could compromise their cover.

  Trying to be strong, Trinity’s response fell in a tearful voice. “Okay. We can deal with this, right? That’s why you’re here. Now, how do I fit into this. I’ll gladly go with you, but what is my part in all this?”

  “He’ll use you to get to Lydia. He already has men here watching you – they’ve been here for some time. You’re a threat to him, the one-person Lydia could and would turn to.”

  “Watching me? He’s insane,” Trinity said between angry gritted teeth.

  “He is, and that’s why we all need to get out of here before he realizes where Lydia went and we get made.”

  As painful as it was to say, Lydia had to say it in order to wrap her own mind around their new reality. “We have to run – hide – until it’s all over. Somewhere where he can’t find us.”

  “Okay, we can go anywhere – we have the means.” Trinity stood with confidence, ready to get her sister and nephew out of there and to safety, wherever that may be. She grabbed her cell phone, ready to dial. “I’ll have the jet ready in…”

  “Put the phone down. It’s not an option; he’ll find you. As long as you use your resources – phones, cred
it cards, even planes – he’ll find you.” Jason held his hand out, asking for the phone. “Yours, too, Lydia. You guys will get new phones and an entirely new identity. You cannot, under any circumstances, share the information with each other. It’s imperative that you don’t know where the other is…it’s too dangerous.”

  “Wait, we aren’t going together?” Trinity asked in a frenzy. “I’m not leaving her. We have to stay together!”

  “Here are your new identities,” he began, handing each a new wallet while the man and woman put both women’s purses in the large garbage bag, making it clear what that bag was intended for. “You have to forget this life, for now, or you’ll be found. He has endless resources. There is no room for error. Do you understand?”

  Trinity nodded as she dug deep for the strength she knew her sister needed her to have, or she wouldn’t leave in the way they were being told to. “Okay. Where are we going; how are we getting there?”

  Impressed with her response, Jason nodded. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, no nonsense and up for the challenge. It was going to make the transition easier, especially after he delivered the final blow that was going to shake Lydia to her core and drag her to rock bottom before the night was over.

  “You guys will be escorted by a driver until you…uh…sober up. Your vehicle will be followed until just outside your destination to make sure Esteban doesn’t pick up your trail. At that time, you will be debriefed, and you guys will be given your final destination and instruction along with emergency protocol and contacts.”

  “You guys? I thought we weren’t going together?” Trinity questioned.

  And here came the blow, “You and Lydia are not going together. You and Jax are, Trinity.”

  Lydia let out a loud painful sob that lead to hysterics, “What? Jax? She has to take Jax? I’m not leaving my baby! I’m not leaving him!”

  “Lydia, there isn’t an alternative here. You are the primary target, should the plan fail. As a key witness, we need to keep you moving and alive. If he gets wind that you are still alive and testifying against him…he’s coming hard. Jax is safer with Trinity. He won’t expect it, and they will be hard to find and heavily guarded. If Esteban makes a move their way, we’ll know long before he gets to them and can get them out of there. If he comes for you, Jax is a distraction. Your instinct will be to protect him.”