He shot straight up on the sofa.“What happened?Is she okay?”
“She’s fine.But she and Bristol were both hauled into the Sheriff’s Office for questioning.”
“About what?”
“Possession of illicit street drugs.”
“What?”
“Apparently someone called in a tip about a drug deal going down between Cassie and another person in the Albertson’s parking lot just outside of Crimson Point.Deputy pulled her over on the highway and found drugs in her trunk.”
“He planted them.”Someone had orchestrated it.Cassie was innocent.And it couldn’t be mere coincidence that this had happened so soon after the shooting.
“Not him, but someone did.”
“You’re sure it wasn’t the cop?”
“Yeah.Sheriff Buchanan saw the body cam footage.The drugs were already in the trunk when the deputy found them.”
“Did they charge her?”
“Not yet, but only because Buchanan got involved personally.Cassie and Bristol were both released half an hour ago, but charges could still be applied.The cops are trying to sort it all out, and we’re doing what we can on our end, including accessing security cam footage from around the grocery store lot.I’m just leaving the station now.Thought you should know what happened, since you’re the closest to her.”
Not nearly as close as he wanted to be.And once again, Cassie hadn’t reached out to him in a crisis.Although to be fair, she must have been busy coordinating with CPS and lawyers.
Thank God Ryder and the sheriff had both stepped in, or she might be behind bars right now.“Thanks for letting me know.Anything I can do?”
“Check up on her for me.She’s either at her place or Bristol’s.”
“I’ll head out now.Thanks for letting me know.”He ended the call, shot off a text to her, and was out the door two minutes later.Because, of course, she didn’t respond, and he wasn’t going to sit around waiting to find out whether she eventually would.
This whole situation was unreal.Complete bullshit.Cassie had been framed.
Maybe Becca hadn’t been the intended target the other day.Maybe it had been Cassie all along.Although he didn’t have a clue why anyone would come after her.
Cassie still hadn’t responded to his message by the time he arrived at her house twelve minutes later.TJ’s vehicle was parked beside hers in the driveway.
He strode to the front door, battling to get a collar around his frustration, and knocked with a bit more force than was necessary.TJ opened it moments later.“Hey, man.”
Tristan was still getting to know the former undercover DEA agent.TJ was now working for CPS on a contract basis, but it was rumored they were going to make it permanent.“I heard what happened.They okay?”
“Yeah.Come on in.”He stepped back.
Cassie and Bristol were at the kitchen table.They stopped talking when he walked in.
“Hi.Guess you heard the news?”Cassie said.She didn’t seem that surprised to see him, but at least she wasn’t mad that he’d just shown up.
He nodded, raw emotion pumping through him.He wanted to walk over there, pull her out of the chair, and hug her, didn’t care that Bristol and TJ would see.“Ryder called.”
The pause that followed was loaded with unspoken tension.
“Well, we’d better get going,” Bristol said.She got up, threw him a look that clearly saidgood luckon the way by.
“Cass, let us know if you need anything,” TJ said from the entry.
“I will.Thanks.”
The front door closed behind Bristol and TJ moments later, leaving him and Cassie alone.In the sudden quiet, he heard an old clock ticking somewhere in the background.
