“Can they have lunch with us? I can help him find his shells when we get done eating.”
Casey started to shake her head.
“We’d like that, Cole. We’ll be inside in a little while.”
Cole grinned, carrying his pail to the house.
“Please don’t hurt him. If you want to… I can take him next door to the neighbor he likes to play with.” Casey blinked back tears. “I’ll do what you want, just please don’t hurt him.” Casey sobbed.
Max stood. “Shut up, Casey. Just shut the fuck up.” He jerked her to him, lifting her off her feet then kissing her as if he were starving for her.
Casey pulled back, gasping for breath.
“I don’t understand…”
Ice and the others stood.
The president of the Predators brushed the sand from his jeans. “You two need to talk. We’ll give you some privacy and keep Cole company.” Casey frowned worriedly. “You have my word, Casey. You and Cole are under the protection of the Predators. No one will touch you again.”
Casey relaxed in Max’s arms, feeling them tighten around her as the men left them alone.
“Why are you here, Max?”
His hand went to her hair, tilting her face up to his. “Because you’re mine. You’re coming back to Queen City with me.”
“No, we’re happy here, and I can’t go back to Queen City.” Casey tore herself away from Max.
He didn’t try to grab her back; instead, he shoved his hands into his jeans. “Because of Renee? Or me?”
“Max… I can’t go back.”
“Yes, you can, and you will. I’m not leaving you behind, Casey. From now on, we’re going to be together. You and Cole can move into my house.”
“I’m not going to move in with you!” Casey agitatedly paced back and forth. “You gave me to the Predators!” she cried in pain. “You never cared about me. You just wanted revenge for the club.” Brokenheartedly, she began crying. “You gave me away.”
“No, I didn’t. You can damn me for the intention, not the deed. Casey—I admit it—the mistake I made was not telling the brothers I had changed my mind. I was never going to let them have you. I meant to talk with Ice and set him straight, but I put it off. I kept reminding myself that you had used me.”
Max gave a bark of laughter. “After you were robbed, I didn’t even care about that. I was going to talk to you when I came back to the club that night and ask you to move in with me and then talk to Ice. I shouldn’t have let you leave after the brothers acted that way, but I was so mad. I needed to make sure the club understood that you are mine. When I tried to find you to explain, you were gone. You didn’t even tell me goodbye or give me a chance to explain.”
Casey guiltily lowered her eyes to the sand, digging her toes deeper.
“It was better I left, Max. I only had a few months left with you before you would have broken up with me, anyway. You may not have been the one who always broke up with your women, but I watched each time as you gradually cut them out of your life until you left them no choice except to move on.”
“You never gave me a chance, Casey. You never gave anyone a chance to help you, not me, Mugg, or your friends.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Casey turned to face the ocean, but Max turned her around so she couldn’t avoid his searching eyes.
“An old friend of Renee’s told me about Cole getting hurt when Mason and Renee were married. Some things she knew, others she guessed at from what little Renee told her. Did Mason hurt you?”
“No, Cole always protected me. He never let anyone hurt me.” Casey sank to the sand, crossing her arms over her knees.
Max crouched down next to her, his hand going to her jaw and lifting her face to his. “Roni told me that after Cole graduated and left Queen City, he got a job and was coming back for you as soon as he could get enough money for a place for you two. Then you two had the only lucky break in your fucking lives: your father was killed on a job on an oil rig, and his insurance policy went to you and Cole.”
“We were so excited. He drove down that weekend after the lawyer contacted us. I had my bags packed when Renee started yelling at me, trying to make me feel guilty for not giving her any money. I told her I would give her ten thousand, but she wasn’t happy with that. Mason wasn’t, either. He kept pressuring Mom not to let me go and Renee still had legal custody over me. Cole had already gotten a lawyer, stopping her from getting control of my money by proving Mason was violent with some pictures he had taken of Renee one time when she threatened to divorce Mason for beating her up. Cole hid the pictures so Mason couldn’t find them. He left me behind, but he managed to get a judge to sign guardianship over to him, and as soon as the judge signed the order, he drove back to Queen City for me.” Tears slid slowly down her cheeks as she remembered that day that had changed her and Cole’s lives forever. All their dreams and plans had been destroyed in an instant. Her mind went back to that day, reliving that time in her life more for herself than Max.
“Cole told me to get my suitcases. I only left him for a minute… when I came back, Mason had a steel pipe and had knocked Cole out. He kept hitting Cole’s head, and blood was everywhere.”
Max put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side, sensing Casey wanted no holes left in the information Roni had given him.
“I called nine one one, but it was too late. He almost killed Cole. He hit me with the pipe several times before the police arrived and arrested him. Then he lied and told the police that it was us who had attacked him, that he had only defended himself. Renee lied and backed him up. I hate her, Max. I really hate her.”
“I don’t blame you.” Max cleared his throat.
“Because Cole was so badly hurt, Renee was made his legal guardian as his next of kin. She thought that she could get all of his money, but Cole knew Renee too well. When he found out we had inherited the money, he placed his money into a closed account that gave me power of attorney in case something happened to him. When Renee found out, she wasn’t happy, and to make matters worse, the doctors wanted to turn Cole’s machines off. She was going to donate his organs.”
“Fuck!” Renee hadn’t told Roni that part, but Renee wouldn’t have wanted her friend to know she was a monster. The parts that showed her true colors had been carefully left out.
“I told her if she left the machines on, I wouldn’t say anything about Mason, and she could have my money, all of it. I didn’t care. All I wanted was Cole to keep breathing. She was satisfied with that for a while, but she and Mason managed to spend the money my father had left me in less than a year. Then Mason caught her cheating and left her a month later. The day he left was the second-best day in my life. The first was when Cole finally came out of his coma.
“I knew he would come out of it. He wouldn’t leave me. By then, I was eighteen and going to college. I found a nice rehabilitation home where he stayed. He had to relearn talking, walking, even feeding himself.
“She kept complaining about being broke, threatening to move him to a cheaper place even though she wasn’t paying for any of it. I paid for it out of the money he inherited, but she blackmailed me to leave him there until I started giving her money.”
Casey started to shake her head.
“We’d like that, Cole. We’ll be inside in a little while.”
Cole grinned, carrying his pail to the house.
“Please don’t hurt him. If you want to… I can take him next door to the neighbor he likes to play with.” Casey blinked back tears. “I’ll do what you want, just please don’t hurt him.” Casey sobbed.
Max stood. “Shut up, Casey. Just shut the fuck up.” He jerked her to him, lifting her off her feet then kissing her as if he were starving for her.
Casey pulled back, gasping for breath.
“I don’t understand…”
Ice and the others stood.
The president of the Predators brushed the sand from his jeans. “You two need to talk. We’ll give you some privacy and keep Cole company.” Casey frowned worriedly. “You have my word, Casey. You and Cole are under the protection of the Predators. No one will touch you again.”
Casey relaxed in Max’s arms, feeling them tighten around her as the men left them alone.
“Why are you here, Max?”
His hand went to her hair, tilting her face up to his. “Because you’re mine. You’re coming back to Queen City with me.”
“No, we’re happy here, and I can’t go back to Queen City.” Casey tore herself away from Max.
He didn’t try to grab her back; instead, he shoved his hands into his jeans. “Because of Renee? Or me?”
“Max… I can’t go back.”
“Yes, you can, and you will. I’m not leaving you behind, Casey. From now on, we’re going to be together. You and Cole can move into my house.”
“I’m not going to move in with you!” Casey agitatedly paced back and forth. “You gave me to the Predators!” she cried in pain. “You never cared about me. You just wanted revenge for the club.” Brokenheartedly, she began crying. “You gave me away.”
“No, I didn’t. You can damn me for the intention, not the deed. Casey—I admit it—the mistake I made was not telling the brothers I had changed my mind. I was never going to let them have you. I meant to talk with Ice and set him straight, but I put it off. I kept reminding myself that you had used me.”
Max gave a bark of laughter. “After you were robbed, I didn’t even care about that. I was going to talk to you when I came back to the club that night and ask you to move in with me and then talk to Ice. I shouldn’t have let you leave after the brothers acted that way, but I was so mad. I needed to make sure the club understood that you are mine. When I tried to find you to explain, you were gone. You didn’t even tell me goodbye or give me a chance to explain.”
Casey guiltily lowered her eyes to the sand, digging her toes deeper.
“It was better I left, Max. I only had a few months left with you before you would have broken up with me, anyway. You may not have been the one who always broke up with your women, but I watched each time as you gradually cut them out of your life until you left them no choice except to move on.”
“You never gave me a chance, Casey. You never gave anyone a chance to help you, not me, Mugg, or your friends.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Casey turned to face the ocean, but Max turned her around so she couldn’t avoid his searching eyes.
“An old friend of Renee’s told me about Cole getting hurt when Mason and Renee were married. Some things she knew, others she guessed at from what little Renee told her. Did Mason hurt you?”
“No, Cole always protected me. He never let anyone hurt me.” Casey sank to the sand, crossing her arms over her knees.
Max crouched down next to her, his hand going to her jaw and lifting her face to his. “Roni told me that after Cole graduated and left Queen City, he got a job and was coming back for you as soon as he could get enough money for a place for you two. Then you two had the only lucky break in your fucking lives: your father was killed on a job on an oil rig, and his insurance policy went to you and Cole.”
“We were so excited. He drove down that weekend after the lawyer contacted us. I had my bags packed when Renee started yelling at me, trying to make me feel guilty for not giving her any money. I told her I would give her ten thousand, but she wasn’t happy with that. Mason wasn’t, either. He kept pressuring Mom not to let me go and Renee still had legal custody over me. Cole had already gotten a lawyer, stopping her from getting control of my money by proving Mason was violent with some pictures he had taken of Renee one time when she threatened to divorce Mason for beating her up. Cole hid the pictures so Mason couldn’t find them. He left me behind, but he managed to get a judge to sign guardianship over to him, and as soon as the judge signed the order, he drove back to Queen City for me.” Tears slid slowly down her cheeks as she remembered that day that had changed her and Cole’s lives forever. All their dreams and plans had been destroyed in an instant. Her mind went back to that day, reliving that time in her life more for herself than Max.
“Cole told me to get my suitcases. I only left him for a minute… when I came back, Mason had a steel pipe and had knocked Cole out. He kept hitting Cole’s head, and blood was everywhere.”
Max put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side, sensing Casey wanted no holes left in the information Roni had given him.
“I called nine one one, but it was too late. He almost killed Cole. He hit me with the pipe several times before the police arrived and arrested him. Then he lied and told the police that it was us who had attacked him, that he had only defended himself. Renee lied and backed him up. I hate her, Max. I really hate her.”
“I don’t blame you.” Max cleared his throat.
“Because Cole was so badly hurt, Renee was made his legal guardian as his next of kin. She thought that she could get all of his money, but Cole knew Renee too well. When he found out we had inherited the money, he placed his money into a closed account that gave me power of attorney in case something happened to him. When Renee found out, she wasn’t happy, and to make matters worse, the doctors wanted to turn Cole’s machines off. She was going to donate his organs.”
“Fuck!” Renee hadn’t told Roni that part, but Renee wouldn’t have wanted her friend to know she was a monster. The parts that showed her true colors had been carefully left out.
“I told her if she left the machines on, I wouldn’t say anything about Mason, and she could have my money, all of it. I didn’t care. All I wanted was Cole to keep breathing. She was satisfied with that for a while, but she and Mason managed to spend the money my father had left me in less than a year. Then Mason caught her cheating and left her a month later. The day he left was the second-best day in my life. The first was when Cole finally came out of his coma.
“I knew he would come out of it. He wouldn’t leave me. By then, I was eighteen and going to college. I found a nice rehabilitation home where he stayed. He had to relearn talking, walking, even feeding himself.
“She kept complaining about being broke, threatening to move him to a cheaper place even though she wasn’t paying for any of it. I paid for it out of the money he inherited, but she blackmailed me to leave him there until I started giving her money.”
