Cassie (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #3) (4 page)

“Fight all you want, you little bitch,” Mr. Carson panted into her ear. His warm breath moistening her neck. “But no calling for help.” His grip tightened on the belt.

Spots clouded Cassie’s vision, as she continued to struggle in vain.
This can’t be happening,
kept repeating in her mind. Hadn’t enough bad things happened to her? What had she done to deserve being shit on by the universe so much? What the hell was the point of going on? She started to blackout, her resistance waning.

Mr. Carson leaned back, unzipping his polyester slacks. “Hell, if this goes right, you might even pass my class.” The sound of his pants hitting the floor was so soft, Cassie could barely hear them. His hands rummaged at her waistline, until he was able to pull her leggings and underwear down. “Oh yeah. I like it shaved. Now you relax, this is gonna be good for—”

The rest of what he was saying burned up in a fiery surge of rage that suddenly raced through Cassie’s veins. In that second, her mind cleared, and strength returned to her fatigued limbs. With a grunt of anger, she pulled her knees up to her chest, and kicked at Mr. Carson with all of her might.

The belt tore from her neck, and Mr. Carson gurgled out a cry of agony, as he flew over thirty feet across the room to smash against the cinderblock wall. He fell to the ground in a heap, leaving a circular bloodstain, where his head had made impact a dozen feet from the floor...

Cassie jolted awake with a gasp, escaping the nightmare.
Jesus I hate that,
she thought while blinking the sleep and grogginess away. To this day she could still see the shock in Mr. Carson’s dead eyes. He’d always thought of her as a victim. Things had changed on that day. The recurring flashbacks of the terrible incident always made her feel sick to her stomach. She tried to rub her belly, but found her hands were restrained behind her back.
What the hell?
She craned her neck around to see handcuffs on her wrists.
Shit
. Not the first time she’d ended up in cuffs, but the how and why evaded her at the moment.
Where the hell am I?

She glanced around to find she was laying in the back seat of a car. The interior was black, and made from some kind of tough fabric; though not the softest of seats, they were better than a lot of the places she’d slept on. The low, constant hum and vibration of an engine, told her that the car was moving. A wire netting stretched between her and the front seats. She struggled to sit up, and caught a glimpse of the driver once she righted herself.

His blonde hair was short in the back and longer on the top. Not a skater cut or emo. It had a choppy feel to it, but with a bit of styling. A pair of stormy blue eyes glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

Son-of-a-bitch!
The previous night came flooding back. “You tased me you piece of shit!”

“Sorry about that,” Caleb said. “I saw how you fought last night, and didn’t want to take any chances.”

“You tased me after we had sex!” she continued. “Who does that?!”

He glanced again through the mirror, but was at a loss for words.

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re not ‘that big of an asshole,’ right?” She could feel her anger start to rise. “I mean, it’s not every day I get taken advantage of by some prick!”

“Look, I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Caleb finally responded. “There was something...strange going on. I never get involved with clients.”

Cassie couldn’t argue with the first part; she’d felt it too. She could still feel the memory of that glorious tingling, but that was no excuse. “You’re an asshole!”

He actually had the nerve to look guilty. “I... you’re right.” He sighed. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m taking you back to Canada.”

Shit! I knew it! No, I should have known it
. He was a damn bounty hunter. She would have felt more humiliated if her anger wasn’t hogging up all the space.
How could I have been so stupid?!
She’d let her guard down. That moment of weakness after being attacked, had opened her up. The fear of facing the trials of her situation alone softened her to his offer of companionship, and the heavenly feel of his touch.

Stop it!
Cassie shook her head, banishing the images of the previous night. In all truth, having sexual relations with a man had been a difficult hurdle for her after the whole thing with Mr. Carson. But after five years on the run, she’d been able to get over most of that pain and fear. Even so, the events of last night had thrown her for another loop. The pleasure, the betrayal...
What a sick twist of shit. I’m swearing off men. I’m swearing off people
. Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away.
I’m not going to give him the satisfaction
. She glared at Caleb through the rearview mirror. “Oh pretty boy, what a mistake you’ve made.”

“Maybe so, but at least I haven’t killed anybody.”

That stung. “How dare you judge me! You don’t know what happened!”

“Neither does anyone else,” Caleb retorted. “You ran. That’s got guilt written all over it.”

“He tried to...” Cassie hesitated, realizing the futility of her attempt in justifying herself to a bounty hunter. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“If he tried to rape you it does,” Caleb answered. “You shouldn’t have run.”

“I was a seventeen-year-old troublemaker, who’d killed her English teacher. How was I supposed see any outcome other than spending the rest of my life in prison?”

That shut him up.

Take that you arrogant ass,
she thought, somewhat satisfied. She leaned back, taking a breath to calm herself. She was going to need a plan to get out of this mess, and thoughts distorted by anger wouldn’t help. Her “plan B” to pack up and leave town had been foiled, so for now, she’d have to play it by the seat of her pants. Fortunately for her, Canada was a long drive. An opportunity would present itself sooner or later.

Several hours went by in silence. The mountainous scenery was still in view and the sun was pretty high in the sky. Cassie guessed it was early afternoon, so lunch had to be on the agenda in the near future. Not to mention she was going to have to pee within the next half hour, or there was going to be an accident. “You got a bathroom in this thing?”

“I’m gonna have to stop for gas soon,” Caleb announced over his shoulder. “You can go then, and we can eat. Hope you like fast food.”

“My favorite,” Cassie smiled.
Opportunity
.

A few miles down the road, they pulled into a roadside truck stop. It wasn’t the most rundown joint, though Cassie had seen better. There was only one diesel parked under the oversized awning. But there were several SUV’s and cars, that were either being filled up with gas, or parked in front of the restaurant portion of the filling station.

Caleb stopped at pump number four, and turned around to look at Cassie. “Can you hold it long enough for me to fill up?”

“So kind of you to ask,” Cassie answered with a wry grin. “I think I’ll manage.”

He gave her a quick nod, and hopped out of the car.

Jerk
. Cassie tore her gaze off of his tight jeans, and scanned the parking lot again. A few more cars pulled in as one left. Most of the people inside the station were just grabbing quick snacks or paying for gas, but there were several couples and families actually eating lunch. She already had an idea of how this was going to go down, but that didn’t make her any less nervous.

The car door opened, and Caleb leaned in. “You ready?”

“What about these?” Cassie twisted, so that her handcuffed wrists were visible. “I might have a little trouble getting my pants down with my hands behind my back.”

“Not a problem,” Caleb replied.

A horrible thought came to Cassie. “You’re not going in there with me?!”

He gave her a flat look. “Just get out of the car.”

Cassie frowned, but scooted across the seat, and stepped out. She glared at Caleb. “I really don’t like you.”

“Gee,” he said with mock surprise. “I’ve never heard that one before.” He spun her around. “Don’t run. I don’t wanna tase you again.”

The jingle of keys touched Cassie’s ears, as Caleb unlocked her cuffs. His hand brushed hers in the process, and that warm, sensual tingling, raced up her arms.

“Dammit!” Caleb yanked his hand away. “What the hell is that?”

“I wish I knew.” Cassie turned around. She could have knocked him out right there, but the blasted tingling made her hesitate.

“You feel it too?”

“Look,” Cassie stated, ignoring his question. “I really need to pee, so could we get on with it?”

Caleb grimaced, and then slapped the handcuffs around her wrists, this time with her arms in front of her. “Take this.” He pulled a sweatshirt from the front seat, and handed it to her. “Cover your hands with it.”

“Why should I make this any easier for you?”

“You wanna pee right?” he asked, with a heated look.

Cassie took the sweatshirt. “Fine.”

“Remember, I’ll tase you if I have to.”

“Oh, I’m well aware,” she replied, subconsciously rubbing her side. “Lead the way tough guy.”

Caleb smiled. “Ladies first.” He took hold of her arm and urged her forward. They walked across the parking lot, his hand never leaving her arm. Just as they approached the entrance he said, “First the restroom, then we grab some food. After that we’re out of here.”

“You’re the boss.”

The smell from the deep-fryer was nothing short of heaven, as they walked in. Cassie’s stomach growled, but she continued walking to the back. She counted eight people, not including the two attendants, and the cook. Four of them sat together in a booth, while an older couple ate their lunch a few seats over. The remaining two were scoping out drinks on the other side of the store, and would probably be gone before she came out of the restroom.
I can work with this
.

Caleb pushed the door open to the ladies’ room, and shoved Cassie in. He followed her, locking the door behind him. He took the sweatshirt from her and said, “Make this quick.”

“Okay,” Cassie replied dryly. He’d already seen her naked, so pulling her pants down in front of him wasn’t a big deal, but still...

He actually had the decency to turn his head, as she squatted on the toilet, not realizing his false gallantry would only work in her favor.

She focused on all the bad shit that had happened in her life, as she sat peeing. The night her dad died came to the forefront. Her mother had been calling him non-stop, he’d missed dinner, and Dad never missed dinner. He wasn’t late for much of anything in fact. Mom had flipped out, when the cops showed up to tell us that he’d been killed while somebody was trying to rob him. She screamed and cried all the way to the police station. The pristine white tile of the waiting area, and the sad looks of the passersby, were the only things she could remember of the station. The rest was just buried under the avalanche of bad that had followed.

The familiar heat of anger rose in her, and the power came right along with it. She glanced up at her escort to make sure he was still practicing good manners. He stood, staring at a place on the wall in front of him, but was assuredly focusing his peripheral vision on her. She twisted around to flush, and when the toilet rumbled with rushing water, she snapped her cuffs apart. The movement was subtle, so as not to draw Caleb’s attention to what she’d done. As Cassie turned back around, she kept her hands together to maintain the subterfuge of being restrained. She tugged her pants over her hips, and squeezed by Caleb to the sink. As she washed her hands, she commented over her shoulder. “You know, I don’t think I want to go back to Canada.”

He snorted, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing that isn’t your decision.”

Cassie smiled at him through the mirror. “Oh, really?” The look on his face when she held up her freed hands was priceless.

He went for his Taser.

Before he could reach it, she whipped around, and caught him square in the jaw with an opened hand slap.

The force of the blow spun him around in a neat little pirouette. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

She smirked. Caleb was not a small man, and to have handled him like a ragdoll tickled her to no end. A sudden pulse of fear banished her humor however. She knelt down to check that he was still breathing, and that she hadn’t broken his neck. The familiar warm, sensual tingle, crept up her arm when she ran her fingers along the back of his neck. He appeared to be okay.

A wave of relief rolled over her. She had managed to not kill anyone since that day in woodshop class, and preferred to keep it that way. She pulled her hand away from Caleb’s neck, breaking the flow of pleasure that ebbed from the contact.
What the hell is that about anyway?
She pressed two fingers to his cheek, and once again the current of pleasure surged through her, threatening to derail her plans of escape.

Enough, girl!
Cassie yanked her hand away.
I’ve got to get the hell out of here
. She rummaged through Caleb’s pockets, careful not to touch any exposed skin. She fished out the keys to the Mustang and her cuffs, and then his wallet. Once free of her authority bracelets, she stuffed the money from Caleb’s wallet into her pocket. Before making her exit, she leaned down to brush the hair out of his face. He was so hot.
Why did you have to be a bounty hunter?
She grinned and whispered, “It’s a good thing I enjoyed myself last night, otherwise I might have used my fist.”