Dead Running (34 page)

“When my dad sold himself to Ramirez a few years ago he wanted me with him. I refused so he,” he coughed and looked down, “he blackmailed me.”

Blackmailed? By his own father? I wanted to ask how he’d blackmailed him but Jesse kept talking, probably so I wouldn’t ask.

“He wants me to work with him but obviously my commitment level is in question so my assignments are gruntwork, usually moving shipments of slaves.” He scowled. “I do all I can to make it easier for them and protect them from the worst of the slavers.”

“You have to be a part of it?”

He studied the red mud on my shoes. “I’ve found a way I can help. The slavers all think I’m one of them.” He opened his hands. “Most people looking at me would believe it too. After a few drinks they tell me about other shipments, other hiding and exchange spots for the slaves. I have to be careful what information I share with the FBI. If the children I am working with get rescued and I don’t get arrested or killed, nobody would believe my cover.” He studied me. “I also have access to some of my dad and Ramirez’s conversations because I’ve figured out some of my dad’s passwords. This morning I found some communication about Damon. I hurried here as fast as I could.”
 

My brain spun as I processed all he was telling me. “You didn’t know who Damon was?”

His eyes widened. “You think if I would’ve known I would’ve let him anywhere near you? I’ve never met him or Ramirez and the FBI claimed he was clean.”

“Then why did you keep warning me about him?”

“I wish I could say I had some kind of intuition.” Jesse ducked his head. “But the truth was I didn’t like seeing you with anyone else.”

I grinned. “Answers like that will probably win my trust faster than anything.”

Jesse chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that. You told me you’d trust me when I took you on a real date. How does next weekend sound?”

My insides warmed. I didn’t care what my dad thought. I’d give anything to have this man in my life for a long, long time. “Why wait?”

Jesse opened his arms. I fell into them. “You’re all I’ve thought about, Cassidy,” he whispered against my cheek.

I rotated my face to his, kissing him for several wonderful moments before a familiar throat clearing pulled us apart. “We might have to start that real dating thing after I convince Daddy-o,” I whispered.

Jesse sighed. He glanced at my father then turned back to me with a grim smile. “That’s going to take some doing.”

One look at my dad’s face told me it would take a miracle.

*
         
*
         
*

Monday morning I paced the hospital hallway with baby Thor in arms. Jared refused to discuss names without Raquel, so I dubbed the cute little man Thor. I bounced the baby to sleep, my legs still feeling the after-effects of the marathon. After the initial questioning had settled down, Jesse had talked the FBI and my dad into letting me finish the marathon. He ran by my side through the last five miles. I had a pathetic time of 5:35:41 but I’d finished, and spending an hour chatting with Jesse had been the best part of the whole experience.

I gazed down at my nephew’s knob of a nose, soft cheeks, and distinctive rosebud lips. His eyes were, of course, closed. He slept too much, but besides that Thor was perfect. I was smitten.

The little guy had done amazing, only staying on oxygen for a few hours after his birth. He was all checked out and ready to go home. If only Thor’s momma would recover and come with us.

“Can I take Baby Thor in to see his mom before we go home?” I asked the nurse at the ICU counter after she buzzed all of us in.

The petite blonde wrinkled her nose. “Thor?”

“It’s just temporary,” I said, but my feelings were injured. What was wrong with Thor?

She gestured toward Raquel’s room. “Just for a few minutes.”

I pointed at Dad, Jared, and Tate. “Can we all go in?”

She nodded. “Keep it short.”

The boys followed me into Raquel’s room. Tate was strangely muted when he visited his mom in the hospital. I could sense how much it hurt him to see her like this.

I hugged the baby closer. “Hey, El. I’ve got a really cool reason for you to get better.” I pivoted so she could see his cute face if she opened her eyes.

She mumbled something incoherent.

“I named the little guy Thor and it’s going to stick if you don’t snap out of this head injury and change it.” I leaned close, whispering in her ear. “Come on, El. Thor needs a Momma hug and a Momma kiss and you definitely need to see how cute he is.”

Her eyes remained closed. Her breathing soft and slow. Not even a mutter. I kept close, hoping to see some change. I didn’t realize I was squishing the little dude until he let out a wail.

“Oh, crap. Sorry, Thor.” I straightened. The plug had fallen out. I retrieved it from the blanket, reinserted, and started to bounce. Thor spit the pacifier back at me and hollered his frustration.

“Auntie,” Tate reprimanded. “Don’t hurt my bro.”

“Sorry, Tater.” I bounced and sang and looked to Dad and Jared for help, but they weren’t paying attention to my distress. They both focused on Raquel. I turned in that direction. But the voice came before I made eye contact, “Cassie, is that . . . my baby?”

“El!” I screamed.

The baby screamed louder.

Jared attacked Raquel first, followed closely by Tate and my dad. After seconds of impatient charity, I gave the screaming baby to my dad and got my own hug.

Jared elevated her bed and Dad gently laid the baby on her chest. Raquel cuddled him against her chest, kissing, cooing, and soothing. He calmed immediately. Tate crowded into her other side, beaming.

“Hey,” I said. “Thor wouldn’t do that for me.”

Everyone laughed.

Raquel kissed Tate’s cheek again, but couldn’t take her eyes from the baby. “Thor?”

Jared couldn’t take his hands from his wife. He stroked her cheek. “It’s just a Cassie-name. We’ll think of one together.”

Raquel smiled. “He’s beautiful.”

Everyone murmured their agreement. Even the crowd of nurses in the doorway seemed reluctant to break up the reunion.

“How about Nathan?” Raquel said.

Jared grinned. “Tate and Nate. I like it.”

I glanced at my dad. He was smiling and wiping at tears.

I sighed. “Can I at least call him Thor?”

Raquel shook her head. “Only when I can’t hear you.”

My dad put his arm around me. “Don’t you like the name Nathan?”

“Well, with two of you around, it might get confusing.”

His smile fled. “Well, who knows how much longer I’ll be around.”

I jerked from his hug. “Really, Dad.”

“I fly back to Mexico in a few days.”

We all protested, but Dad stood firm. Finally, he said, “But I don’t see any reason why Cassidy couldn’t come visit me soon. I can help you get started volunteering in the
safe
areas.”

My eyes widened. I’d decided I was going to help the children with or without his blessing but it really meant a lot that he was supportive of me. Now if I could just get him to approve of Jesse.

*
         
*
         
*

My dad rushed off to meet with the FBI, again. Damon and Muscle Man were in custody but not talking. The FBI hoped the little bit of information Jesse had about his dad’s whereabouts and some background research on Terry and the other dead guy might turn something up.

I left Jared and Raquel with their cute boys and slowly meandered the hospital halls. A large hand covered my elbow. “Glad to see you home safe,” a deep voice murmured.

I whirled into Jesse’s inviting chest. Placing my hands on his pecs to give me some distance didn’t help. It was all I could do to not squeeze the well-formed muscles. “I’ve missed you.”

Jesse grinned. “Any luck on convincing your father that you need me in your life?”

I swallowed, my stomach churning. “He doesn’t want me near you.”

He inhaled sharply. “And what do you think?”

I bit my lip. “He may as well have sentenced me to life in my room.” I turned away from his grin. I gnawed harder on my lip. Jesse had answered some of my questions about his dad and his involvement in anti-trafficking while we finished the marathon on Saturday, but there was one question I’d been too scared to ask. My palms were wet but I forced myself to be brave. “Who assigned you to watch out for me?”

“Nobody.” He stared into my eyes. “I intercepted the information that you would be at the Health Days Race and several of Ramirez’s men were going to try to use you to get to your dad.” He shrugged. “It made me mad so I decided to interfere. But then once I met you . . .” He pressed his lips together. “Sorry, but I couldn’t stay away.”

I had to hide a smile. “You always showed up just when I needed you.”

“Most of my work as a physician is nine to five like yours so I could keep a close eye on you morning and night when I was in town.”

My insides warmed at the thought of him watching over me. “So how do I know that you really like me?”

“Oh, I like you.” Jesse smiled, his cheek crinkled irresistibly. I wanted to reach up and caress his cheek. “You’re going to have to learn to trust that I’m telling you the truth about that and everything else.”

I knew my dad didn’t want me talking to Jesse, let alone learning how to trust him. But how could I help myself? I wanted to feel his arms around me, learn the history behind each tattoo, know exactly why he ticked the way he did. “I guess now you’ll be fulfilling your promise to spend every minute by my side. You’ve got a lot of work to earn my trust.”

Jesse threw back his head and laughed, but when his eyes met mine they were much too serious. “Oh, Cassidy. You are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Nobody can make me laugh the way you do.”

I grinned, liking the way this was heading. I reached out my hand. He took it.

“Which means I’m concerned enough about your safety I wouldn’t dare spend every minute with you,” Jesse said.

I jerked my hand away. “That was so
not
the way you should’ve finished that statement.”

Jesse shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stand the thought of what could happen if my dad finds out how much I care about you.”

Cold and warmth instantly enveloped me. The thought of seeing Nick Panetti covered me with chilly dread while Jesse saying how much he cared was like a warm blanket.

Jesse took my hand again and tugged me down the hall. “Come on.”

“Where do you think I’m going with you?” I glanced over my shoulder, checking for my dad. I felt like a teenager sneaking away with the leader of the motorcycle gang.

“To the cafeteria. Maybe if I buy you a donut you’ll forgive me next time I have to disappear.”

“I’ll forgive you when you stop disappearing.”

Jesse pulled our clasped hands towards him and brushed his lips over my fingers. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he tenderly kissed me. I clung to him, committing to memory each movement of his lips, the feel of him against me. He released my mouth, running a hand down the side of my face. “For
you
,” he said, “I might have to make an exception.”

“I don’t know what kind of exception you’re talking about,” I hadn’t stopped tingling from his kiss, “but if you keep looking at me like that, kissing me like that, and making me want you that bad, you’d better either start dating me or stay far away from me.”

Jesse laughed with his entire body. “Maybe when I can talk some sense into your dad and guarantee that dating me won’t threaten your life.”

“Sounds like we’ve got a long road ahead of us.”

He smiled. “For you, it’ll be worth it.” He inclined his head. “Let’s go buy you that donut.”

We sauntered towards the cafeteria. I clung to his hand. I didn’t even like donuts, but it might be the only chance I had to be with this man. And to watch him grin at me like that? I’d eat a dozen.

- THE END-