Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (4 page)

Stephen raised one eyebrow and smiled
. It was kind of sexy, in a roundabout sort of way.

Who am I kidding?
It was sexy in a
huge
way.

Excusing
myself, I spot Michael huffing and shaking his head. This day couldn’t get any worse.

S
itting at my desk to eat my sandwich, I used the mail as a welcome distraction. Sometimes I can overanalyse things too much. Michael didn’t like me and I had to deal with that.

Unfortunately for me, one of the witness
statements to that accident he enquired about earlier turned up. I sat and debated in my head for about five minutes over whether I should tell him or not. I didn’t want to see him again, see that look of disgust when he watched me. Sometimes it was really hard to take. On the other hand, I knew how important this case was, as it involved a child. I couldn’t think of my own personal situation right now.

Despite me not wanting to see him
, I rang down to the Station Officer and asked him to put a call out for PC Andrews to see me when he became available. A few seconds later, I hear his name being called and my heart skipped a few beats. He would be here to see me soon. I was kind of hoping and praying that he would be out of the station. At least then I could say I tried to call.

No such luck
. He was up five minutes later. “I’m a bit busy, so this has to be quick.” He seemed agitated about something.

“A witness statement turned up
. Look.” I handed him the statement and he took it, looking a little softer towards me.

He glanced
over it for a couple of minutes, then handed it back. “Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome,” I said
as he marched out the door.

The moment he
left, I let out a deep breath, and my heart started to calm a little—until Kali came back from her lunch.

“Don’t w
orry.” She placed her hand up to stop me from speaking. “I’m over it already. He’s an arsehole anyway. I’ve just bumped into someone at the local shop and he’s taking me for dinner on Saturday night. Stephen can go run and jump. You’re welcome to him.”

I still didn’t want her thinking it was a two-sided effort here.
“Kali, I don’t even want him. You know I didn’t encourage him to ask me all those questions. I left and he followed me. I couldn’t help that, either.” I hated myself for lying to her. I
did
like him, no matter how much I tried to deny it to myself.

“
It’s okay, Cassie. No need to explain to me.” She smiled and that’s when I realised we were okay.

“So
, who’s this guy you bumped into?”

Kali’s
face suddenly lit up. “Oh, my god, Cassie. He is hot. His name’s Cameron and he works as an Estate Agent just a few minutes’ walk from here. He’s got my number.”

We both erupted with laughter
, but our attention was soon back to work when our Executive Officer, Faith, looked over in our direction. She was a nice enough girl, but she could be a little hard-nosed at times.

**********

Once our day was finished, I said my goodbyes to everyone and headed on out. Unfortunately for me, Paul spied me and rushed over before I reached the door.

“Hey
, beautiful. Just wanted to know what you thought about this Saturday?”

I
tried to think of a quick solution. Luckily, one entered my head. “I can’t this Saturday, Paul. Sorry. I have other plans.”

He looked disappointed, but nodded
. “What about the Crime Investigation Division get-together on Friday night. Are you going to that?”

“Yes
. Kali and I planned to go together.” I thought I had better tell him that just in case he asked if he could take me. Then it would seem like a date, and I had to avoid that.

He smiled half-heartedly.
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

I felt bad turning Paul down
, but it wouldn’t be fair to him if I led him on. I had never felt like that towards him, and I knew I never would. He was a good guy, I knew that much, but that was where it ended.

I left with a nod
but, once outside, I was immediately set upon by some random stranger. “Hey, good looking. Whatcha got cooking?”

Oh
, jeez! Why would any man think that was a good pick-up line?

“Nothing.
” I tried to be as polite as possible. “I’m going home.”

I
made an attempt to turn, but he caught my arm. “Hey, pretty lady. Don’t go. I want to talk to you. What’s your name?”

Just when I
thought this day couldn’t get any worse, this lame, skinny arsehole with crooked teeth came crawling out of the woodwork.

I
n an effort to get away, I tried to pull my arm from him, but he just gripped it tighter. “Mister, whoever you are, I don’t want any trouble. I just want to go home.”

“Who said I wanted trouble?
I just want to talk to you.” He smiled widely, showing me his yellow teeth.

“But she doesn’t want to talk to
you
. Now, beat it before I arrest your arse, McClain.”

Just as he released
my grip, I looked up to see my rescuer. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Michael.

“Now
, hitting on lady so forcefully is not very nice, is it, McClain? Not only that, but you’re doing it right in front of the police station you’re supposed to attend bail to. That shit ain’t clever, is it?”

The man cowered like a scared puppy.
“Sorry, PC Andrews. It won’t happen again.” With a polite smile in my direction, he walked off.

“Are you okay?”
He sounded almost sympathetic.

“Yes
. Thank you for rescuing me. He was a bit full-on.” He laughed and it made me feel a little giddy. As per normal, though, it didn’t last very long. Before I knew it, the serious face was back again.

“I have to go.”
His tone was emphatic, ending any further conversation.

He stormed
off, leaving me, as always, in complete shock. I really didn’t understand his problem.

I stop
ped by the local supermarket on the way home so I could pick up a few bits and pieces for one of my elderly neighbours, Ms. Summers. She had very bad arthritis and, at times, she found it hard to walk about. It really annoyed her as she did like her walks.

She was in her e
ighties with white hair, which she always wore in a bun. She reminded me of a schoolmarm, and I certainly wouldn’t want to mess with her. She was very sweet, though.

We chatted when
I moved in, and I offered to bring her regular things from the shops so she didn’t have to get them herself. She didn’t want a fuss being made, but I really didn’t mind. I liked to help her.

Once in the shop, I
got to work on the list of items she gave me yesterday, gathering it all. With all her items collected, I used the rest of my time to gather a few bits and pieces for myself. Satisfied that I now had everything, I made my way home.

Outside
Ms. Summers’ house, I knocked on her door and, after a few seconds, she answered. “Cassie, dear. So nice to see you. Come in.”

I step
ped through and the smell of her old furniture hits me. It’s not a bad smell. It’s actually rather pleasant…in a strange way. My favourite item was her Grandfather clock because it made the most hypnotic sound. I sometimes found myself going into a deep trance listening to the
tick, tock
noise it made.

“I managed to get all the things you wanted
, Ms. Summers.” I smiled at her and took my seat, as always, by her table full of magazines and newspapers.

“Thank you
, dear, and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Dorothy?” she scolded. “Would you like some tea?”

Nodding
, I could feel my mouth watering at the thought. “Yes, please. That would be lovely.”

I stay
ed for a little while and listened attentively to her reminiscing about her husband, George. He died about five years ago, the day after their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Dorothy told me that he had pancreatic cancer and was suffering quite a bit in his last days. He was determined to see it through until after their anniversary, though. He didn’t want her alone on that day. He held strong, telling her how much he fell in love with her all those years ago, and that he still felt the same. By two o’clock the next morning, he was gone. Dorothy took comfort in the fact that he was no longer in any pain. She still missed him terribly. He was a major part of her life. He was her lover, companion, and best friend. It always tore me up every time she spoke about him.

At
home later that night, I found myself daydreaming about the love she shared. I had to wonder whether I would ever find someone as close to me as Ms. Summers was with her husband. Anyone would think that, with my gift, I would be able to see what was in store for myself. The problem was, it didn’t work like that for me. I could never tell my own future. But, the next day, I wish I could.

Chapter 3

The next morning, I went through my normal getting ready routine. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise it was frosty outside. As I came down my last step, I slipped and fell on some ice that had formed on the ground.

A young girl came
sprinting over to help me. She held her hand out and, instinctively, I took it without thinking.

I
really wish I hadn’t. What I saw was violent and disturbing. I was starting to wish I wore gloves.

“Thank you so much.
” I was desperately trying to recover from the vision as I frantically wiped off my coat.

“No problem at all.
I very nearly did the same thing this morning. It’s so bloody cold.”

She smiled
and the guilt washed over me. She was a pretty girl with auburn hair and dark green eyes. She was smaller in height than me, but had curves for which any woman would die.

“Well, I better be getting off to wo
rk.”

She turned
and I watched as she walked away. The pain in my gut grew worse the further I saw her walk. I couldn’t let her go. I couldn’t. I had to say something.

“Lisa-Marie
! I need to ask you something.”

She froze for a
second before turning. “How do you know my name?”

This was beyond stupid of me, but I couldn’t do it
to her. She was a lovely girl and didn’t deserve what I saw. She had very close family that loved her and they would be torn apart if anything happened to her.

“I know this is going to sound crazy, but please hear me out.
Please don’t go on the train to work this morning. Take the day off or find some other means, but please do not use the train.”

She looked
very confused and I couldn’t blame her. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I at times
, Lisa-Marie. I honestly don’t want to scare you or anything, but I would implore you to listen to me. I know it will muck your day up a little, but I assure you that it would be better for you not use that train.”

G
ripping my bag tighter, I felt a bitter wind hit my face. Lisa-Marie stood motionless, trying to weigh me up.
She probably thinks I’m some crazy stalky bitch. I just hope she listens to me in the end.
“I have to get going. I’m so sorry.”

I q
uicken my pace away from her, hoping that she would not come after me and start shouting. To my surprise, she just stood still and watched.

**********

I was glad to get to work because it was really cold outside. I saw Michael on my way in and he held the door open for me. “Thank you.” He just politely nodded. I wanted to say more, but my tongue was tied. It was too late anyway as I saw Stephen heading towards me.