Jodie Bailey - Freefall

Cassy’s breath caught. He could see it in the way she froze, her spine rigid.

“It is you, isn’t it? You’re the new DPO. That’s why they hit your house.”

She didn’t move.

He’d hoped it wasn’t her, that yesterday had been a crazy, twisted coincidence. “Something must have happened. Something to force their hand. And I believe it’s that shipping container disappearing. It’s probably loaded.” Shane took a deep breath. “I know this sounds like some made-up story. And if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t believe me either. But I’ve never lied to you, Cassy. I might have treated you horribly and left you on your own, but I never lied to you.”

She stood with her back to him, staring at the street.

A group of kids raced by on bicycles. Their laughing shouts floated up the driveway and into the garage. Outside the door, life went on as normal. Inside, where he waited, everything twisted and jumbled like malfunctioning parachute lines. And there stood Cassy, her feet half in the normal world outside and half in the dysfunction in the garage.

“If this is true, why didn’t you just call in the Criminal Investigation Division? Or call the police yesterday? Why break into my house?” She didn’t look at him, but her back was as unbending as a rifle barrel.

“See it from my point of view. You think CID is going to drop everything because some scared informant coincidentally mentioned my ex-wife’s job? They’d call me crazy and show me the door. Either that or they’d lock me up and label me a stalker. Like I said, we sent the initial information up the chain of command, but nothing ever happened. They didn’t buy it then, why would they buy it now? That’s why I had to check it out for myself. I need more.”

A warm breeze whispered through the tops of the pine trees, but the garage remained silent as Cassy continued to stare straight ahead. She drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know. This is all too incredible. It can’t be real.”

The words slammed into Shane’s chest, and he dropped his arms to his sides. “What?”

Cassy didn’t look at him. “How do I know this isn’t some crazy, PTSD-induced fantasy you’ve cooked up? It sounds like something you might have seen in some action movie or read in one of those thrillers you were always so interested in. So...I don’t know.”

“Cassy.” He took a step toward her, more desperate than he’d ever felt in his life. He wasn’t asking her to take him back—would never ask her to take him back—but he needed her to trust him and let him help her get to the bottom of this business before she got hurt. He reached for her. “Let me help you.”

She whirled on him, fury blazing from her eyes with such heat that it forced him to take a step back. “Who says I need help? You didn’t want to help me before. Why on earth would you think I’d turn to you now? The only reason I didn’t call the cops last night is because I know it would cost you your security clearance if you got arrested.”

And the psych eval they’d put him through probably wouldn’t help matters. “I appreciate the thought.” It came out laced with more sarcasm than he’d intended, so he pushed forward before she could erupt. “The car. Come on, you can’t tell me—”

She shoved her palm a bare inch from his face. “Stop. I told you. Anderson’s car went sky high because he knows nothing about where to install a nitrous bottle.”

“And I’m telling you I saw somebody light it.”

“You blow any sort of credibility you have every time you say stuff like that.”

“Stop it, Cassy.” Shane looped his thumb and index finger around her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face. “You can play the denial game all you want, and we can rehash it until World War III breaks out, but it’s never going to change the facts.”

She jerked her arm from his light grasp. “Please just stop with the—” Her voice raised, then plummeted to a whisper, her gaze dropping to his hand, still extended toward her. “You’re right. I just...wanted it to be simple.”

“Can’t fault you for that.”

With a short shake of her head, she sank against the front of her Trailblazer and stared up at his face, her gaze digging into his. “You’re telling the truth?” Her voice betrayed her. She was giving in.

Shane swallowed hard, his gut telling him he was looking at his last shot to convince her she needed his help. “A hundred percent.”

Cassy drew the corner of her lip into her mouth. It felt like the whole earth stilled when she exhaled. “Okay. What do we do now?”

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