We pulled up out back of the casino and he put the vehicle into park. “I’m hoping you’ll overhear something crucial to our investigation. It’s all I can ask. So far you’re the closest I’ve been able to get inside. Keep your eyes and ears open. I’d hate for someone like you to end up like the last tenants.”

“If anyone’s going to get me killed it’s you.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re already on the road to killing yourself. You’re putting those drugs into your body. There’s no telling when you’ll get a bad batch and take your last breath. I often ask myself why people do them. What’s so great about the high that keeps you coming back for more? It leaves you unhealthy and broke. It causes strain in relationships. It makes you a zombie, walking around not giving a shit about anything.”

“You don’t know anything about me. I’m not an addict.”

I swear he almost smiled when I said it. “That’s what they all say. You have an opportunity here to rethink what you’ve been doing with your life. Don’t be a statistic. Clean yourself up and start over. Give yourself a second to realize what you’ve gotten yourself into before it’s too late.”

I appreciated him for wanting to be a government official assigned to such a messed up city, but he wasn’t my friend and I refused to allow him to tell me what I was doing wrong. “I can handle my own life. If you’ll excuse me I need to get going.”

He grabbed my arm before I was able to climb out of the vehicle. “Cassie, I will be in touch. This isn’t over. If you cross me, I’ll make sure you’re charged.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. I’m not asking you to get involved. Just tell me if you hear anything. Stay out of trouble. Oh, and lastly, get off the drugs. I’ll be watching you, don’t forget it.”

Chapter 12

Cassie

Nervous couldn’t begin to explain how I felt when I called Brant to come and pick me up from work. When I saw his vehicle pull up I worried he’d see right through me. Instead the smile on his face remained, as if he had no clue where I’d been and what I’d promised to someone else. “I can’t wait until you see what I made for dinner. I know you’re probably tired, but if you could stay up with me tonight I’d love it.”

“I’ll do whatever you ask, Brant. You know that.”

“Good. After a talk with Rocky earlier I think things are about to happen for us. He says everything is set, and within the next couple of weeks we’ll be making the switch.”

“What does he do with the old ones?”

“I don’t know. I never asked. He’s so sensitive about people prying. I just do what he says to stay on his good side.”

“If I were him I’d burn them. Wouldn’t one lost device be enough evidence to convict him if it were ever discovered?” I realized I was asking questions that may seem too inquisitive, but as Brant’s girlfriend I had every right to appear worried. Whether I was asking for myself or Agent Campbell, I still needed an answer. I wanted to know how involved we’d become.

“I’m sure he has a way of wiping the information clean before they’re destroyed. You never know what kind of devices the authorities have nowadays. I saw on a show they could recover erased hard drives. No one is safe anymore. If you want to live the lifestyle of a criminal you need to be one step ahead of the authorities at all times. It’s a good thing I got in with Rocky. All the security shit is his deal. My job is simple.”

I pretended to be amused and content. “I’m glad of that. It still makes me nervous. I wish we could walk away, Brant. Living here hasn’t been great for me. I’m tired of struggling. I need to get clean and be focused again, or else I’m afraid we’re never going to get out of here. I miss my family, and I know I agreed to let them go, but it’s not fair. Why should I have to choose? They know we’re together and they can’t stop us.”

We pulled up at the house and I noticed a car parked in the driveway. “Is someone else here? I thought you said we had the house to ourselves?”

“Come on. You’ll see.”

After the day I’d had, I wasn’t in the mood for surprises. All I wanted to do was take a long shower and figure out how to kick my habit before I lost control and landed in jail. I had a feeling the agent was going to keep his word. He’d be watching me.

If I slipped up for a second it could cost me my freedom.

When I walked inside and saw a familiar face I wanted to cry. My sister Cammie wrapped her arms around me and held for a few seconds. “It’s good to see you, sis.”

Next to her stood my cousin Christian. I hugged her next and pulled away to address Brant. “You did this?”

“I knew how lonely you’ve been, baby. I thought maybe if they visited you’d feel better. Not everyone is against us.”

I could have said something smart, like divulged information to them I knew he hadn’t. It was obvious they wouldn’t have visited if they knew what Brant was involved in. “We’re just glad you two are doing so well. This house is amazing. He told us you’ve been working at a casino. Is the money good? Do you make a lot in tips?” Christian asked.

“It’s okay money. Enough about me though, how did you get out of school?”

“I had exams. I’ve got some downtime, and when I went to Kentucky to visit Chris told me what was going on. I can’t believe Mom and Dad didn’t call me.”

“They probably thought I’d come home. It got ugly. I said things to them I regret. Mom has to be devastated.”

“They’ll get over it. Parents always do,” Chris added.

“How long can you stay?” I asked.

“They’re leaving on Sunday,” Brant interrupted.

Right away I felt cheated. They had to leave before Rocky came home and discovered our visitors. I wanted to be happy about the surprise, but for some reason my mind kept going back to all the things I didn’t know about my boyfriend. I wouldn’t be able to get to the bottom of it while we had visitors, and as much as I wanted them there with me, I kind of needed to be alone with Brant so I could drill him for answers. Brant walked up and kissed me on the cheek before heading into the kitchen. I finally dropped my purse on a table and gave all my attention to my family. “I can’t believe you’re really here. I miss everyone so much. How is everyone? Is Josh staying out of trouble? Did Callie get a dress for the Christmas ball? Is she still going with that guy she liked? Are Jax and Amber still mad at me for not being around to babysit?”

Cammie took my hand and sat down beside me. She looked in the direction of the kitchen before speaking in a whisper. “We’ll talk about that later. What’s going on, Cass? You look terrible. Tell us the truth. Are you in some kind of trouble? Is it drugs?”

I’d fallen flat on my face with guilt. They’d all told me being with Brant was a terrible decision, yet I’d gone and done it anyway. My rebellion had led me down a road I didn’t know if I could get back from. I was already thinking about my next score, even though in my heart I wanted to be able to stop. Being in a bad place and seeing the look on their faces made it all real for me. I couldn’t continue down this path. “I’m doing the best I can,” I admitted. “It hasn’t been easy for me.”

Chris sat on the opposite side of me and rubbed my back. “We’re here now. We came because we think you need to come home.”

They couldn’t understand how much I’d thought about it; the idea of being around our family again. At the moment the possibility was unreachable. I was involved in a situation I couldn’t avoid. Running away would only get me in worse trouble. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t leave Brant,” I lied. The truth was, his secrets were making me question our relationship. Whether he was lying to protect me, or just because he was avoiding the truth wasn’t acceptable. I needed an honest relationship. I needed someone to protect me from the evils of the world, not persuade me to bask in them. I had to start thinking outside the box. It was important to straighten out my life; repair my wrongdoings, and make things right again. Then maybe, after some time, I’d be able to go home again.