Dead Running Page 10

  I blinked several times. “Why do you care who I date?”

  He folded brawny arms across his wide chest. I studied the dragon encompassing his left forearm and took long breaths to remind myself this was not the man for me. “You’re a beautiful girl, Cassidy. Please don’t get mixed up with someone who’s not worthy of you.”

  My eyes narrowed at the compliment diffused by a warning. “And who would be worthy of me?” I took a step closer and poked him in the chest. “You?”

  His face drooped. “No, not me.” He did a quarter-turn. “Please just trust me and stay away from him,” he whispered, looking back at me with tortured brown eyes.

  Why not him? My gut ached. Why did I want a man who obviously wasn’t interested? But I couldn’t give up on Jesse that easily. I pushed a bit harder. “Why would I stay away from him when you’ve given me no good reason?” Please tell me you want me for yourself. I hoped my eyes conveyed the message I didn't dare verbalize.

  Jesse twirled a curl of my hair between his fingers. Gently, he brushed it back from my face. His fingers caressed my cheek. “I can’t give you a reason, but I wish you’d trust me.”

  His arms were covered with tattoos. His sculpted face had a decidedly rough edge to it. The only thing that looked trustworthy about this man? His eyes. “That’s all you’ve got?”

  Jesse sighed. He dropped his hand. I leaned towards him, wishing for another touch. “Please be careful,” he said, before walking away.

  I studied his broad back until he disappeared around the aisle, wondering what he had against Damon. Damon was new to the area and traveled for work. He claimed not many people even knew him. Was Jesse just being jealous or was there truly something about Damon that deserved the warning? The jealousy card made me angry. Jesse had opportunities to ask me out, but always walked away. I shivered, trying to decide what unsettled me morehis touch or his warning.

  * * *

  Damon glanced up from his menu. “How’d your run go this morning?”

  “Fine.” I didn’t elaborate on my nine-minute per mile pace or tell him I’d spent the entire twelve miles checking the horizon for Muscle Man. By the time I finished the run my head pounded so hard I had to take a nap and Excedrin to combat it. Focusing on Chili’s menu, I debated whether to order fajitas or quesadillas.

  I looked up. Damon stared at me. Had he been watching me the entire time? Something about that stare was unnerving. Jesse’s warning flashed in my head before I could shoo it away.

  “Bet you missed running with me,” he said.

  I smiled. “No, I miss Joe and Trevor.”

  “They’re loads of fun, but I’d rather be with you.” His grin turned down. “Why won’t you run with me? I just like being with you.”

  I pumped my eyebrows. “I’ve heard that one before.”

  “I’m not concerned about pace on distance runs.”

  I toyed with the straw in my water glass then took a short drink. “You would be if you saw what my pace really is.” Damon wasn’t dangerous; he was more concerned about running and being with me than anything else. Jesse must just be jealous. A thrill shot through me. Could I make Jesse jealous enough to touch me again?

  Damon reached across the table and covered my hand with his. “As competitive as you are, I think you’d keep up.”

  I exhaled slowly. “Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, I’m not a masochist?”

  Releasing my hand, Damon straightened. “What does that mean?”

  “Maybe I don’t want to kill myself trying to keep up with you and worrying about slowing you down.”

  His mouth formed an O. “I thought you were going to qualify for Boston.”

  I searched for the appropriate response that wouldn’t ruin my free dinner.

  “He actually exists.”

  I heard the voice behind me, but didn’t want to believe it could really be him. Pivoting slowly, I confirmed it. “Hey, Jared.” My brother looked so much like my dad: dark-blond hair, hazel eyes, fair skin, and lanky build. I’d loved my dad so much the similarities almost convinced me to forgive Jared for being such a punk. I gave my sister-in-law a smile. “You look pretty, El.”

  Raquel beamed back at me, twirling a beautiful wrap between her fingers, her stomach outlined by a fitted, black shirt. “It’s the pregnancy glow.”

  Damon stood and smiled at Raquel. “There is nothing more attractive than a woman expecting a baby.”

  She blushed and grinned. “Well, thank you.”

  Jared grunted. “Oh, great, a kiss-up.”

  Tilting her head towards my brother, Raquel said, “Damon, this is my husband, Jared.”

  Jared shook Damon’s hand begrudgingly. “Nice to meet you.” He released his hand and glared at me. “You’re dating a smooth talker.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be such a jerk-wad, big brother.”

  Damon clapped Jared on the shoulder. “You’ve got a beautiful wife and sister. That should be a compliment to you.”

  Jared grinned. “Seriously. I must be doing something right.”

  “Join us?” Damon gestured towards the two empty seats.

  Raquel glanced at me, communicating with eyes and eyebrows. I nodded my head that it was okay, though I dreaded what my brother might reveal. Farewell to another goodnight kiss.

  Jared pulled out a chair for Raquel. “Thanks. I’d love the chance to get to know the man that Cassie can’t stop talking about.”

  I whirled to confront Raquel. “I haven’t said one word to Jared about Damon.”

  She elevated her shoulders. “You tell me everything at your own risk. You know I can’t keep anything from him.”

  Jared pulled her to him and kissed her quickly. “That’s right. My wife loves me too much to not share the juicy Cassie gossip.”

  Leaning back in my chair, I folded my arms across my chest and sent my flowing sweater off one shoulder. I straightened it and said, “You two must have awfully boring conversations because there rarely is any ‘Cassie gossip.’”

  Jared clucked his tongue. “Keep telling yourself that.” He swiped my menu. “I might as well look at this since I know you’re getting a salad.”

  I wrenched the menu from his hands. “For your information, I am planning to order the quesadillas.”

  Jared gasped like a woman and put his fingers to his lips. “Don’t do it, sis. All that cheese. It’ll never come off your waistline.”

  I shoved the menu back at him. “Shut up and figure out what you want before the waitress comes. I’m hungry.”

  Jared winked at Raquel and studied his menu. Damon offered his menu to Raquel, leaned close to me, and whispered, “I suddenly understand where the sarcasm comes from.”

  My lower lip protruded. “I don’t act like him.” I pointed at my oblivious brother, discussing the Chili’s menu with his wife.

  Damon’s lips brushed my ear, making it extremely hard to take the offense I deserved. “You are much more attractive.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Putting aside your superior beauty, you can definitely tell you’re siblings.”

  I pulled back, grateful to see the waitress approaching. This dinner was not turning out anything like I’d hoped.

  Jared did everything in his power to embarrass me in front of Damon. I don’t know why I was surprised; he’d been perfecting his scare-away-Cassie’s-dates tactics since high school. I thought when the food arrived he would stop, but it seemed he was just warming up. “The whole family is so glad Cassie turned out. I mean, you should’ve seen her at twelve. Nana almost disowned her.”

  “Jared,” I warned. “I’ll tell Nana you were the one who set her shed on fire.”

  “She had braces, a headgear, glasses, and then my mom permed her hair.” He whistled, ignoring my warning and swirling his hands around his head to demonstrate how big my hair had been. “Scary. At least she looked good as a witch on Halloween.”

  Damon covered my hand with his. “Well, it a
ll worked out well.” He winked and I felt a bit better.

  “Then there was the time she climbed on top of the school dressed in a bunny suit and”

  “Jared,” I yelled, drawing stares from everyone seated close to us. “Well, at least I didn’t blow up the post office box with a dry ice bomb.”

  Damon’s eyebrows shot up. He stared at me. “Dry ice bomb? And what were you going to do in the bunny suit?”

  I squirmed, my flesh matching the inside of a watermelon.

  Jared just laughed. “That was a good bomb, wasn’t it?”

  “Do you want me to shut him up?” Raquel asked me.

  “El, I know he loves you.” I rolled my eyes at my brother. “But I don’t think anybody can shut him up.”

  Jared stared at Raquel with that fawnlike admiration I’ve always envied. Just once, I’d like a man to look at me like that. “Was I being rude to Cassie?”

  The way Jared asked just reaffirmed what my brother was trying to accomplish; he didn’t want to hurt me, he just wanted to scare away Damon. I just wish I understood why he acted like this. I was 25 years old. Overprotective was getting old.

  “Yes, my love. Shut up and eat.”

  He grinned, kissed her, and dove into his steak fajitas. I sighed with relief and tried to enjoy my quesadillas.

  We were almost through eating when Jared dropped the worst bombshell of the night. “So, Damon, what do you think of Cassie’s idea?”

  Damon set his fork down and eyed my brother. “What idea is that?”

  “Getting back into personal training.” Jared smiled at me. “Tell him about it, sis.”

  I ducked my head, pushing around a piece of lettuce with the tip of my fork. “I, um, want to start using my degree again.” I took a deep breath and tilted my chin. The warm look in Damon’s eyes encouraged me. “I’ve worked out a lease agreement with a local gym to train clients in small groups so I can charge them less and still give individual attention. I’ll combine cardiovascular and strength training for an intense, effective workout. So many women are afraid of lifting weights, I think it could be amazing.”

  The way Damon studied me was better than the way Jared looked at Raquel. It was like Ghirardelli’s compared to Hershey’s.

  “What do you think?” I whispered.

  Damon nodded. “I think you’re amazing. It’s brilliant. So many women could benefit from strength training but you’re right about them begin afraid or maybe wanting to lift but not having enough knowledge or the money to hire a personal trainer.” He grinned. “I love it, Cassie. Let me know how I can help.”

  I grinned back at him. He loved my idea. Any uneasiness Jesse’s warning had created was pushed aside, I could easily let myself fall for Damon. “You already have,” I said.

  * * *

  Al squinted against the bright sunlight. “Where are they supposed to be?”

  Terry pointed. “There’s some caves down there where they were waiting for the transfer.”

  They scrambled down the dirt path and bustled into the quiet cave. Al resented being sent on a reconnaissance mission when they should be finding a way to get the video to Nathan Christensen. His contact, who had delivered the original pictures of Cassidy, had disappeared. If Al couldn’t get the video into Nathan’s hands, his plan to kill the man would fail. Whoever else was competing on this job would get to Nathan or Nathan’s family first. Two million dollars, gone. But no one said no to Ramirez when asked to run an “errand.”

  What in the world was going on? This place should be oozing with Ramirez’s men and slaves ready to be transported. Why hadn’t they reported in this morning?

  The light from outside barely penetrated the opening. Al stumbled over a box and came face to face with a Spanish worker. Al shook the man. “Wake up. What’s going on here?”

  The man didn’t respond. It was then Al felt the stickiness on his hands. He peered through the gloom at a deep cut in the man’s throat and the blood staining his shirt.

  “Aagh!” Al jumped away. “He’s dead.” He snatched the flashlight from the man’s belt and switched on the light. The dim beam cut across the cave. Supplies. Piles of severed ropes. Dead men. Not a slave in sight. He glanced back at Terry. “See if any of them are alive.”

  Terry nodded and started poking at the man closest to him. A groaning rasp tore Al to the right. He grabbed a worker struggling for breath through the slice in his throat. “What happened?” Al demanded.

  “They . . . got us,” the man rasped out.

  “Who?”

  “The big,” he gurgled and spit blood before continuing, “black one and . . . the Doc.”

  Al dropped the flashlight, lifted the man into his arms, and picked his way out of the cave. Terry caught up as they reached sunshine and left the reek of death in the darkness.

  “Doc,” Al muttered.

  Terry slammed his fist into his palm. “We’ve got to get him.”

  Al could only nod. The man had to be stopped.

  Week Five

  Damon stood next to me at the starting line. He cocked his head to the side and glanced down. “Just pace yourself. Don’t go out there and kill yourself at the first. Stay with a group you’re comfortable with until you’re ready to up your pace a bit. This isn’t about winning, it’s about forcing yourself to run at a faster pace than you normally would and getting used to the excitement of racing.”

  “Okay, oh glorious Race Coach.”

  Damon smirked at me. “Okay, my little smart-aleck.”

  Ooh. He’d referred to me as his. Happy morning to Cassidy.

  Raquel finally convinced me that running a few local races this summer would help prepare me for the marathon. Because of my first and only race experience, I was a bit leery. But I’m willing to try anything that will help me make it through this marathon. At least she let me out of my promise to run in Princess Leia braids.

  A tall, exotic-looking woman appeared a few runners away. She caught my gaze then turned to her friend. “That’s the girl who tried to sell the entry into St. George.”

  I sucked in a quick breath. Her again. Race Organizer Lady. I ducked behind Damon. Several seconds passed without Race Lady coming to scream at me. I peeked around Damon’s chest. She gave me a glare then started marching in place and chatting with her friend. At least she didn’t have a megaphone strapped onto her running shorts.

  Damon peered down at me. “You okay?”

  I flung my head from side to side and shook my shoulders. “Just stretching. Getting warm, you know?”

  He laughed. “Uh-huh.”

  “So I take it you’re not staying by my side during this race?” Not that I really wanted him to. I had no desire to prove to him once again how pathetic I was. I kept praying I could cross the distance without passing out. We didn’t need a replay of the canyon run two weeks ago.

  Damon pulled one of his legs behind him for a quad stretch, looking over the smattering of racers. “Um, I wasn’t planning on it. Do you want me to stay by you?”

  “Absolutely not. I don’t think you could keep up with me.”

  He grinned and switched legs. “That’s what I like about you.”

  “The only thing?” I asked, licking my lips so they would glisten.

  “Oh, no, there’s a long, long list.” He leaned closer. How did he smell so good this early in the morning?

  “Hello, Damon,” a syrupy voice came from his right.

  Damon straightened and turned. I silently cursed whoever had interrupted us.

  “Hi, Elizabeth. How are you?” he asked.

  Hot Redhead. I cursed not only her, but her ancestors and her descendants. I hope none of her descendants are shared with Damon. My stomach turned. That was a sickening thought.

  “Fabulous,” she said. “I’m so excited about this race. Are you all ready to go?”

  “We’re ready,” he said, giving me a smile and a quick squeeze of the hand. “Looks like a great morning for a race.”

  We�
�re. I loved that Damon gave my nemesis plenty of reasons to be jealous.

  “Any race is great if you’re in it,” Elizabeth said.

  Hot Redhead hadn’t looked my direction, apparently we aren’t on speaking terms. Not that I missed out on any stimulating conversation.

  I stuck out my tongue and shimmied my head. “Blah, blah, blah,” I muttered.

  Damon tossed me a grin. I felt a tap on my elbow. Who was going to interrupt us now? Rolling my eyes, I turned to face . . .

  “Jesse?” I tried to straighten my eyeballs and gave him my loveliest smile.

  “Good morning, Cassidy.”

  “How’s you?” I tripped over my own tongue. How’s you?

  “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.” He glanced over my shoulder, his smile faltering as he met Damon’s gaze.

  His formal speech contradicted with the image that screamed, “Don’t bring this one home to Dad.” Luckily for me I didn’t have a dad to worry about. But there was Nana. And the fact that I was dating Damon, who was currently crowding into my space. Why couldn’t Elizabeth distract him when I needed her to? I couldn’t drag my eyes from Jesse’s tanned face.

  A race organizer ladydifferent one from last race and minus the megaphone, thank heavensmoved to the front of the group of runners and started yelling. I forced myself to ignore Damon and Jesse, tuned out the race lady and pumped myself up. Singing my Rocky theme song, I knew I was ready for this race. Well, at least I was more ready than I had been for the Health Days Race. My stomach kart-wheeled and I felt the sudden urge to go to the bathroom.

  Concentrate, Cassie. I glanced over at Hot Redhead. She looked directly at me and tilted her head towards Damon. He’s mine, she mouthed.

  I rolled my eyes. The woman not only had the rear-end of a teenager but the mentality. I shouldn’t get pulled into her little games, but . . . “Keep dreaming,” I said aloud.

  Damon looked down at me. “Dreaming about what?”

  “You.” I winked obnoxiously.

  Damon grinned.

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

  Jesse’s mouth tightened.

  I reddened.

  A shot rang out. Runners surged around me. I looked on in surprise as Damon, Elizabeth, and Jesse sailed away in a flurry of legs and pumping arms. Forcing my feet into action, I took up a desperate pursuit. I didn’t need to play games, but I still wasn’t going to allow Hot Redhead solitary access to my man.