racing to work. When I got in, I only had Hadley here, but there hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary happening.”
“You, in bed by eight?” I tease, a chuckle vibrating my chest. Gen has always been a party girl. She opened the shop a few years ago when her folks died, but other than that, she’s always enjoyed her drink, her late nights, and company for the evening who she then discards as soon as the sun rises.
“Shockingly,” she says with a smile. “If I see anything off, I’ll give you a call, Cass. Thanks for checking up on me.”
“No problem.” I turn to walk out of the shop, but Gen calls to me, stopping me before I reach the door.
“How is Kalyn doing?”
I didn’t think they were friends or even liked each other. Most girls in town don’t get along with Gen. But her concern is welcome. “She’s doing better. It’s not easy for her to be here with her folks in LA.”
“I meant…” Gen shakes her head. “How is she doing with the drugs?”
Sighing, I shrug. “One day at a time, I guess,” I tell her. There’s nothing more I can say. It’s not something that you can just get over. Even though the pain killers I took earlier have done their job, it’s not the same for Kaly. “But I’m with her, so she’s not alone.”
“She’s lucky to have you, Cass.”
“I know.” I wink when she laughs out loud. “See you around.” When I step out into the rain that’s started pelting down, I find Harris on his phone. I gesture for him to slip into the passenger seat of my car to get out of the rain while I slide into the driver’s side.
“Okay. That’s good news. Thank you for letting me know,” he says into the speaker, and I find relief washing through me. It must be Manny being locked up tight; that’s good news because I can’t imagine anything else fitting into that category right now.
I pull out my phone and tap out a message to Finn to let him know Gen is fine. They’ve been fairly close over the years, so I know he’ll be worried. By the time I slip my phone back into my pocket, Harris has hung up his call.
“They got Manny at the pier,” he tells me. “Looks like he’s been docked down there for a few weeks. They’ve found a few girls stowed away.”
“Do I want to know more about that?” I ask, my fingers curling around the steering wheel as anger takes hold of me.
“No.”
“Paulo?”
“Also taken in. He’s singing like a choir bird now that he’s got the threat of real jail time. I doubt he’ll be out any time soon, even if he does give the feds anything.”
Nodding, I start the engine. “I’ll see you tonight for a debrief. Even though Manny is behind bars, I don’t want to let down our guard. Also, can you get someone on Kalyn’s folks in California?”
“I’ve already done that,” he tells me. “Finn mentioned you’ll need that done. I have to contact him to make sure we’re good to go. All the clubs have been shut down, including the studio, which means her mom will be returning to Thorne Haven. The dad, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with his treatment before we can make any decisions.”
“Sounds good,” I tell him before he exits the vehicle and leaves me alone to think on the past few hours. It feels like Kalyn and I haven’t had time to really get reacquainted, but it’s time I changed that.
35
Kalyn
By the time Cassian returns, I’m out of my mind with worry. But the moment he walks into the room, he doesn’t speak; he makes a beeline for me. A predator about to devour its prey. I’m on the bed, so it’s not difficult for him to pounce.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he growls as his mouth captures mine before I can ask what happened. He nestles himself between my thighs, his hardness pressing against me, sending heat coursing through my veins.
“W-what happened?” I mumble in between his assault on my lips.
“Manny and Paulo are behind bars,” he informs me as if he’s talking about the weather. “Can we not talk about this right now?” he asks before I can ask anything more. His hands are on me, tugging at the tee I found earlier in his closet. I love wearing his clothes; it makes me feel closer to him.
“Cassian—”
“I always thought