I didn’t like the looks of them. And I hadn’t forgotten how much all of this had Charlotte’s signature. I wouldn’t have put it past her to stoop to any lower level to take what she wanted. With her, the bar was set exceptionally low.
More movement caught my attention and I stared hard at the woman who made an appearance as though merely thinking her name had conjured her into the picture. She stopped next to the men and dug into her purse for something. She kept her back to the group, but her mouth moved.
I moved in closer, sticking to the shadows, but staying as far out of sight as I was able to. It wasn’t going to be easy, but if they weren’t paying attention, I figured I would pull it off. Once I had gotten as close as I could without being caught, I pulled out my phone and snapped a couple of pictures.
It was the best I was able to do with the means available to me. I wanted to move closer to figure out what they were saying, but the group was clever to have all angles covered, and Charlotte had the ability to control her volume when she wanted to.
I returned to my hiding spot and turned around to see if the group was still collected, only to find Charlotte had started walking toward me. I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t afford to be caught now. So, I took off, shrinking away into the darkness, turning down an alley just before she bumped into me.
My mind spun. I had proof she was behind it all. And whatever it was Charlotte was up to, it most assuredly wasn’t good. And judging by the men who were standing next to Xander, a whole lot of trouble coming our way.
19
CASSIDY
First thing the following morning, I crawled out of bed and took a nice, long, hot shower. My mind was preoccupied with what I had planned to do, and I figured acting out my plan wasn’t going to be easy. Normally showers helped me to work out the kinks of any plan I came up with.
Of course, I would have to find a way to sneak around Steele, or somehow talk him into escorting me there.
He and the other two believed I wasn’t aware of what they were doing. I found their need to protect me endearing. In fact, I smiled every time I stopped to think about it. But they wouldn’t be able to do that forever. They weren’t going to be able to uproot their lives for my sake. And I was leaving for Denver soon. Not to mention I would never ask them to drop everything and come with me.
So, maybe spending time together might be nice. He could walk with me and maybe hold hands and…
I sucked in a breath and silently chided myself. What in the hell was I thinking? We weren’t a couple and would likely never be. No matter how much my heart and body gravitated toward them.
Wishful thinking, much less what my heart wanted, didn’t matter. Not so long as Xander was still hanging around and especially not with Charlotte. I needed to keep my focus. And the men were very good at taking that away from me.
After my shower, I continued to process everything that had happened over the course of the past few days, and I still wasn’t able to shake how close to Maxine’s reading everything was. She was my goal for the day.
Before leaving the bathroom, I dressed and did my hair and makeup. When I left the bathroom, I felt fresh and confident. I was going to need all of that I could muster for what I was about to do.
Steele’s eyes widened as he took me in. “Going somewhere?”
I nodded. “I have to go into town and talk to someone about something.”
“Very mysterious,” he said with a smirk. “Where to?”
I hesitated. It was the first time I didn’t feel so confident. “A palm reader I bumped into the other day.”
His eyebrows were raised into high arches. “I had no idea you were into such things.”
“I’m not,” I said, sounding defensive. “I meant what I said when I mentioned I bumped into her. She insisted on giving me a reading as a thank you for doing the decent thing and now everything is coming true… this is a lot to talk about. I want to go, so you can take me, or I can head there on my own. The choice is up to you, but I’m leaving now.”
“You want me to take you to a psychic?” he asked.
“Just trust me,” I said. “Okay?”
He shook his head. “All right. Let me grab my jacket.”
I rushed across the room to him and kissed him on the cheek before he could move an inch. “Thank you.”
He smiled, dazzling me with the brilliance of it. “Anytime.”
Minutes later, we approached the store. I started to head toward the door when Steele pulled me back to him. His green eyes bore into mine as he said, “If anything happens, I want you to be able to call me.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Take out your phone and put my number into it,” he said.