CHAPTER TWENTY

 

Cassidy Gentry. 

There were times when I thought there was no one around who I had less in common with.

And then there were other times when I felt such an overpowering pull toward that girl I could barely keep myself in check. 

It wasn’t just her body that kept me up at night, though I certainly didn’t mind looking at it whenever I got the chance.  I kept thinking about how she’d come home to find me sitting at the kitchen table and fretting over Brecken’s math book.  The things she said meant so much more not only because they were kind but because they came from her.  Cassie didn’t have a reason to bullshit me.  She didn’t want anything in return.  She said whatever she felt in her heart.  And even though I would have given a lot to hear more about what was going on in her head I didn’t dare ask.

At least working my ass off at Scratch was a good way to redirect my thoughts away from Cassie.   

“Hey, man,” Deck Gentry said when he walked into the workshop and offered me a fist bump. 

“What do you think?” I asked, pointing to the collection of clothing, coffee mugs and other objects of various sizes that had been printed with the Scratch logo just this morning.  None of it was the cheap kind of quality that could be found on most online sites. 

He nodded approvingly.  “Good job.  Next week we’ll work on rearranging the lobby to create a gift shop space.  Already ordered the shelving.  And Cassie’s looking into getting the stock up on the website.” 

“Sounds good.  Oh, Cord said he wanted me to train with Freya for the rest of the afternoon unless you’ve got other plans for me.” 

“Nah, that’s fine.”  He leaned against the far wall and scrutinized me.  Deck still managed to pull off being one hell of a daunting guy.  I could understand why people went out of their way to please him.  “So you’re moving to the new place in a few days?”

“That’s right.  I’ll get the keys on Sunday.” 

“If you’re looking for some furniture, Jen just ordered a new bedroom set for Isabella so we’ll be unloading the old one.  It’s white but it could be painted any color you want for Brecken.  Jen even said she’d like to tackle the painting project herself.  That’s her new hobby, refinishing furniture.” 

It was impossible to miss the way Deck Gentry’s voice changed when he spoke the names of his wife and daughter.  So much pride and love. 

“Please thank her for me,” I said, genuinely touched that Deck’s pretty wife would go to any trouble for me.  “We’re not picky. Whatever color she decides on is fine.” 

Deck nodded and when his face grew serious I knew he was going to bring up Tristan so I braced myself. 

“I wish had some news for you,” he said.  “Anything at all.  Every turn has been a dead end where the kid’s concerned.” 

I swallowed.   “I haven’t had any luck either.  The fact that he probably doesn’t want to be found makes it tougher.  Thanks for staying the course though.  It means a lot to me.”     

Deck’s dark eyes were sympathetic.  “I’ll keep trying, Curtis.” 

“I know you will.  And I really appreciate it.”   

Deck said he needed to go find Cord to discuss some financial matters but first he wanted to tell me that he knew of a used furniture store that was going out of business and unloading its inventory for peanuts.  I thanked him for the tip and said I’d definitely check it out.  The apartment was unfurnished and I suspected my brother would want a place to sit when we moved in. 

Cassie wasn’t at her desk when I walked by on my way to go track down Freya.  It was always a little disappointing when I didn’t see her sitting there even though I rarely ever said anything to her aside from a generic, “Hey.”  At least that way she’d never suspect how much space she took up inside my head. 

After a few hours of observing Freya perform piercings on a variety of body parts I figured I ought to check with Cord and see if he needed me to stay late tonight.  Cassie was at her desk in the lobby, looking at a pocket mirror and applying lip gloss. 

“Hey,” I said, marveling over my conversational skills where this girl was concerned. 

She pushed the cap back onto her lip gloss and rubbed her lips together.  They were pink and shiny.  And fuck, I might go to hell for thinking this but I really wanted to know what they’d feel like sliding over my cock. 

“Hey,” she responded and smiled. 

“You have class tonight?” I asked, wondering why the question came out of my mouth when I already knew this wasn’t a day when she went to class. 

“No, only on Mondays and Wednesdays,” she said. 

“Right.”

“And today is Friday,” she explained.  She probably thought I had the IQ of a cantaloupe.  “Oh, that reminds me, Curtis, I have something for you.”  She jumped to her feet and shoved a neatly stapled packet of papers at me.  I wasn’t looking at the papers right away because my eyes were glued to the way her shirt neckline shifted, exposing the top inch of her left breast.  It was nothing by porn standards but that brief glimpse of soft skin drove me wild. 

Cassie looked at me funny.  “Aren’t you going to take it?”  She pushed the papers more insistently my way. 

I took the packet, surprised to see it was a collection of information about how to obtain a GED in the state of Arizona.  She must have really been paying attention when I mentioned that I’d never managed to graduate from high school.  

“There are online materials that help you study for the test,” she said.  “And you know my Uncle Chase?  He’s a high school teacher and I already asked him if he’d help you study.” 

“That’s really…nice of you,” I managed to say.  Of course Cassie did something nice.  Cassie herself was the grand duchess of niceness.  And someday she’d meet some guy who was bound to be equally as nice and they’d have a nice wedding and enjoy a whole lot of really nice sex.  I fucking hated him already. 

“Are you excited for the big move?” Cassie asked.  “You must be sick of sleeping on the couch.” 

“Actually it’s the most comfortable couch I’ve ever encountered.” 

She laughed.  “I guess it is above average. I’ve dozed off there enough times to be the judge.” 

“And soon you’ll be free to doze off there again.” 

Cassie’s smile lingered but she grew thoughtful. “It hasn’t been so bad, having you guys around.  I know my mom’s really hoping you’ll still let Brecken come stay with us once in a while.” 

“He’d like that.”  I folded the packet of papers and stuck it in my back pocket, noting the time was close to five o’clock.  “I’m grateful for the GED research. You must be heading out of here soon.”   

She nodded.  “Yeah. I’ve got a few errands to run and then I’m meeting a friend later.” 

“The same friend you were out with last week?” I asked and Cassie looked at me with some surprise.  A slight blush colored her cheeks.   

“A different one,” she admitted and for some reason a flash of jealousy overcame me. She glanced down at herself. “I thought about running home to change but I’m just going to stick with the casual look.” 

Aside from the newly applied lip gloss, Cassie wore little makeup. She apparently was going to remain in her v-neck shirt with a denim skirt that reached her knees.  Honestly, she looked freaking fantastic to my eyes but even I knew she wasn’t dressed like a girl heading out for the hottest date of the year.  And even if she was, who the hell was I to get bent out shape about it?  Cassie didn’t owe me a thing and she had a right to see any guy she pleased.

Although I had to admit that the idea of Cassie on the arm of some faceless fucker who’d inevitably pop a boner as he stared at her tits made me want to punch a brick wall. 

“Guess I’ll see you around,” I said because if I stuck around much longer while under the spell of Cassie’s luminous blue eyes I was bound to say something stupid.

Well, something even more stupid than “Guess I’ll see you around.”

Something like, “I’d give up two years of my life to put my mouth on your pussy right now.” 

Yeah, that was definitely not something I ought to say out loud.   

When I found Cord in his office he told me to clock out for the night.  I would have liked to talk to Deck again but he was already gone.  He had more than one business to run and so he left most of the management of Scratch to Cord. 

Back at the Gentry house, Brecken must have been waiting for me to show up because he ran out of the house as soon as he saw my car pull beside the curb. 

He was jumping around with a piece of paper in his hand.  “Read it and weep,” he said proudly. 

“I will if you stand still for a second.” 

Brecken held the paper up and I saw the circled red B in the top right corner.  “Holy shit, you got a B on a math test?” 

“Yes!” He beamed.  “I’m going to pass summer school.  I won’t have to repeat math next year.” 

“That’s great, kid.” I hugged him.  “I’m really proud of you.” 

Brecken was still grinning.  “Proud enough to take me to Pancake Buffet for dinner?”

“Sure.  Why not?” 

Saylor was working in her home office and Cord wasn’t home yet.  She told us to go on ahead and enjoy our dinner. 

“What about Cassie?” Brecken asked.  “Where’s she at?  I know that’s her favorite restaurant.” 

“Cassie has other plans,” I said and Brecken raised an eyebrow.  He smirked. 

“What?” I demanded, pushing the brim of his baseball cap over his eyes. 

He flicked the cap back up.  “Nothing. I’m starving so let’s go now.” 

Brecken had a hearty appetite these days.  He wolfed down two plates of pancakes and went back for thirds. 

“Take it easy,” I laughed.  “You keep going at that pace and you’re gonna turn into a pancake yourself.” 

“That’s the beauty of an all you can eat buffet,” he said, ignoring my advice and piling his plate high for the third time. 

The summer sky was darkening by the time I finally convinced Brecken that he’d consumed an adequate amount of carbs for the evening. 

It was in the parking lot outside of Pancake Buffet that something caught my eye. 

The two girls were walking about twenty yards ahead of us, holding onto each other and laughing as they clutched their phones.  They were young, probably high school age, and the one on the right looked very familiar.  I felt a little sick when I realized why. 

I’d last seen her hurriedly replacing her clothes in a shitty motel room after I’d walked in on a three way fuck fest between her, my brother and some other girl who wasn’t the friend currently laughing at her side. 

“Wait!” I shouted.

The girls turned around, startled looks on their faces.  I pulled Brecken along with me as I ran over, hoping I appeared less threatening in the company of a kid.  It probably wasn’t the best idea to chase down a pair of high school girls in the parking lot of Pancake Buffet but she was the first link to Tristan I’d come across.  I didn’t know his other friends, or even if he had any.  If there was any chance this girl knew something then I needed to talk to her. 

“I’ve got pepper spray,” the other girl warned, digging around in her handbag. 

I stopped a good ten feet away and held my hands out.  “I’m looking for my brother,” I said.  “Tristan Mulligan.  Do either of you happen to know where he might be?” 

The pepper spray chick stopped searching for her weapon and stared at me.  The other one, the one who’d been with Tristan, flushed with embarrassment.  Her cheeks pinked and she stared down at her flip-flops. She remembered where she’d seen me last. 

“I don’t know,” she mumbled.

“I think he skipped town,” the other girl said, nudging her friend.  “You were hooking up with him, Sam.  Didn’t he say he was leaving?” 

 Sam was still examining her toes.  I could imagine she wasn’t too excited to run into me again and I felt bad that she was uncomfortable but this was my only shot. 

“Sam?” I prodded.  “Please?  We’re very worried.  We need to make sure he’s okay.”   

“I miss him,” said Brecken and that’s when Sam looked up.  Her round-cheeked features softened when she saw Brecken’s anguish. 

“Yeah, he left,” she said.  “I can’t remember when exactly but it was probably a week ago.  He was crashing with this loser named Grady and then there was some trouble.  Tristan said that he wouldn’t be around for a while.” 

“This Grady,” I said, seizing on any information I could.  “Is he a kid, a high school student?”

“No, he’s old.  He’s like twenty-five,” Sam’s friend said.  “He can get you any kind of pill you want but he’s a disgusting dog, thinks every pair of boobs was put on this earth just for his entertainment.  This one time we were all partying down by the canal and-“

“I’m sorry,” I interrupted, not really caring to hear a long story about Grady’s lecherous misdeeds.  “You said there was trouble.  What kind of trouble?” 

“I don’t know,” Sam said.  “But I think it was bad.  Tristan, he seemed scared the last time I saw him.  Look, I knew you guys had this big fight and I told him to go to you but he said he couldn’t do that.” 

“He couldn’t do that,” I repeated.  “Why couldn’t he?” 

She shrugged.  “He didn’t say.” 

“And Grady?” I asked. “Where can I find him?” 

“The nearest gutter,” Sam’s friend said and then cackled at her own wit. 

“I haven’t seen Grady around either,” Sam told me.  “I don’t know where he went.” 

“I see.”  I turned all the information over in my mind. 

Tristan had been staying with this Grady piece of garbage.  Grady sounded like nothing more than a shitty dealer who prowled around high school kids but he likely had something to do with the trouble that drove Tristan out of town. 

There was no telling why Tristan hadn’t reached out if he was in some kind of danger.  Sure, we’d left the Empire Motel but he knew my cell phone number and he knew where I worked.  He might have still been pissed off at me for a variety of reasons but Sam had said that he couldn’t come to me.  Not that he didn’t want to.  That was a world of difference.  He might have been afraid.  Afraid that Brecken and I would get caught up in whatever he’d gotten himself into. 

“I’m sorry,” Sam said and she did look really sorry, nearly tearful.  “I really hope you find him.” 

Her friend whispered something in her ear and pulled her away.  

The ride back to the house was far more subdued than it had been earlier.  Brecken slumped in the passenger seat and stared out at the passing landscape with a grim expression. 

“Breck.”  I touched his arm.  “We’ll find him.” 

“You’ve been saying that for weeks now, Curtis.” 

“I still think it’s true.” 

My little brother shot me an accusatory glare.  “Do you really?  Or are you just saying that?”

I didn’t want to answer the question.  I didn’t even know how.

Saylor and Cord were watching a movie together when we got home.  Cord gave Brecken a high five and Saylor worriedly asked him if he was feeling okay.  Brecken just nodded and went to his room. 

“Teenagers,” Saylor said, smiling at me. “So it begins.” 

Brecken obviously wanted to be alone and I didn’t want to encroach on Saylor and Cord’s time together but Saylor insisted that I sit down and watch the end of The Matrix.  It might have been weird, hanging out with a middle aged married couple in their living room, but Saylor and Cord were such incredible people I couldn’t feel weird around them. 

After the movie was over they retreated to their bedroom and I went outside to call Deck and brief him on what I’d learned from Sam and her friend.  He agreed that it was helpful to have the name Grady to work with and said he’d start pressing his local contacts right away. 

Then I called someone else. 

Dietz wasn’t happy to hear from me. 

“The fuck you want again?” he grumbled, slurring his words.  He was from the old days, the Emblem Rioter days.  We used to get up to all kinds of shit together. He served time, eighteen months for mugging a woman at an ATM, and by the time he got out everyone had scattered.  He stuck around Emblem anyway and was never going to turn around and choose an honest life but right now I didn’t care because I needed him for something.   

“I already told you, nobody around here has seen that fucking kid,” muttered Dietz.  I heard a bottle open and the sound of greedy swallowing. 

“I need you to ask around again,” I said.  “I’ll make it worth your time.” 

Dietz snorted.  “You ain’t got shit these days, you dumb fucker.  I know that.” 

I clenched my fists.  He was lucky things were different now.  Otherwise I would have rolled down there to Emblem, ripped him right out of whatever cave he was hibernating in, and beat the warm piss right out of him. 

Dietz must have had a change of heart because a moment later he sighed.  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll keep listening.  But nothing’s gonna come of it.  You understand what I’m saying?” 

“Not really.” 

“Eh, you were always a dumb bastard, Mulligan.  Don’t know how you always got all the good pussy.” 

Dietz must have considered that a farewell because the call abruptly ended. 

My feelings weren’t hurt.  If I really cared what a douchebag like Dietz thought then I’d be exploring a whole new level of pathetic. 

The street was quiet.  I sat down on a wooden bench and listened to the sounds.  There were crickets and desert toads but no coyotes yelping like I remember hearing in Emblem at night when I was a kid.  All the homes here were neatly kept and all the families I’d seen looked happy and prosperous.  At the end of the street was the entrance to a neighborhood park and playground.  This must have been a nice place for Cassie and her sisters to grow up, safe and loved.  I’d had that too I guess, at least until my dad was murdered.  I couldn’t blame my mother for the way I went wild in my teen years.  But I blamed her very much for being so reckless and selfish that she hurt the boys’ chances.  If she’d made different choices then things wouldn’t be so rough for them.  Tristan wouldn’t be on the run somewhere with no resources and no one to protect him.  Brecken wouldn’t be shooting nervous glances my way every so often as if he was afraid I’d disappear on him too. 

I sighed and scrolled through the call history on my phone.  The numbers she called from were always international and never the same one twice, like she was moving around all the time or else trying to mask her location so I wouldn’t run to the authorities with whatever I knew. She must have chosen to say nothing for the same reason.  Or else she was too afraid to hear the truth.  The last three times the calls had come in I didn’t even answer them.  I could have screamed in her ear, called her a shitty mother and let her know her middle child, her little boy, was gone and I didn’t know how to find him.  Maybe that would have prompted her choke out some actual words. 

Then again, maybe not.

I was still staring at my phone when I heard a car come to a rolling stop in front of the house, right behind where my own car was parked. I figured it had to be Cassie because that’s where she always parked but I looked up and saw a silver Acura. Someone was pressed against the passenger side window, someone with blonde hair, a girl. 

She suddenly slumped down, almost sliding down out of sight. All I could see of her companion was that he was male. The car pulled away from the curb and drove quietly down the street, pausing at the end of the block and turning into the park down there.  

I stood up and stared at the red brake lights. A second later the brake lights cut out.  A chill crept up my spine as I squinted at the parked vehicle.  

Every dormant instinct for danger told me something bad, very bad, was going on in that car. 

And Cassie’s in there. 

I didn’t take the time to think. 

I jumped off the porch and broke into a full sprint.