| Secrets Chapter 16 |
| The alarm sounded at 6 pm and Casey reached out to turn it off. She lay supine staring at the ceiling and wishing that she could call in sick tonight. Forcing herself out of bed, she shuffled into the kitchen, poured a bowl of cereal and plopped down at the table. She wasn't sure which she dreaded more, another confrontation with Harvey or having to put up with Bastille and his cohorts. The thought of having to play up to him took her appetite. Casey emptied the bowl and placed it into the dishwasher before returning to the bedroom to get dressed. The black jeans were tighter than she liked and the black leather vest revealed more skin than she was comfortable with. "This should make the lecherous lowlife happy" she thought as she checked her image in the mirror. No way she felt like fussing with a complicated hairstyle tonight. She let it fall around her shoulders and put the finishing touches on her makeup. Casey picked up the pistol from the dresser, checked the ammunition in the clip and slipped it into her bag. It was difficult to hide a gun with these outfits but there was no way that she would be caught unarmed. It was important to be extra careful now that Mario Baptiste was having her followed. * The band was well into the third song when the SIU team arrived at the club. Ronnie took a seat at the bar to talk with Jen and have a cup of coffee. Antwon stopped near the stage to listen to the band and nodded to Casey when she noticed him. He turned to say something to Harvey but saw that he was settling in at their usual table. Harvey was in a strange mood tonight and Antwon figured that it had something to do with Cassandra. Twon: You alright, Harv? Harvey: Huh... yeah man. Did you get the ear pieces from Grant? Twon: Yeah...right here. Antwon watched as he adjusted the ear piece and asked for a sound check from Officer Grant. It wasn't like Harvey to act so nonchalant about an assignment. Harvey: What? Twon: "I can't help thinking that something's wrong. Maybe with you and Cassandra?" Harvey pretended not to hear him. "Uh Oh, trouble in paradise. You want to talk about it?" Harvey sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, man. It's a problem that only she and I can solve but since she doesn't want to talk to me..." Antwon could hear the disappointment in his partner's voice and wished he knew of some way to help. "Sorry Harv. I'm here if you want to talk." Harvey acknowledged him with a nod as he turned in his chair to watch Casey. Although he wasn't fond of the provocative outfits that Casey was wearing for this gig, he had to admit that she looked wonderful tonight. He loved to watch her work the crowd! There was just something special about the way she moved in time with the music, her hair swinging around her shoulders, those dark green eyes shining when she laughed. His heart was beating in time with Brooks' drumming as he watched her from the secluded table. "The woman has no idea what she does to me" he thought as he took a calming breath and fidgeted in the chair. Antwon snickered when he noticed how uncomfortable Harvey suddenly seemed. "Got a problem, Harv?" "Nothing an icy shower couldn't fix." Harvey returned as he shifted again in the chair trying to maintain his composure. * Joe Domingeuz and Rachel McCabe were set up in the surveillence truck outside of the club and noticed when Bastille's car pulled up to the front entrance. Joe watched as an unidentified man got out of the car and entered the building before calling Harvey. "He's one of Bastille's men, Harv. Keep an eye on him". The man approached Casey and asked to speak with her alone. "Mr. Bastille sends his regrets that he cannot be here tonight. He asked that I give you these flowers with his apologies and I am to tell you that he will be calling for you tomorrow night as planned." Casey took the flowers and tried to appear disappointed. "Please tell Mr. Bastille that I accept his apology" she told the associate before he excused himself and left the club. Casey breathed a sigh of relief before clicking on the transmitter. "Bastille can't make it tonight, guys. He was unavoidable detained. I can only hope that detained means that he's been arrested." The North Beach and SIU officers received her message and began to relax. Joe called Harvey and suggested that he and Antwon hang around the club for a while longer. "We'll stay put for a couple of more hours just in case he changes his mind." * Casey sat down at the bar to have a drink and talk with Jen. It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders knowing that Ramone Bastille would not be harrassing her tonight. The way that he looked at her was enough to make her skin crawl. She was technically still on duty but she ordered a glass of white wine anyway. She needed something a little stronger than club soda to calm her nerves. Casey hadn't felt this stressed out in quite a while and she wasn't sure if it was the job or her personal life that was causing it. Her mood lightened considerable when she noticed the woman who was staring at her from the opposite end of the bar. Casey: STEPHANIE!! I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see you! Where's Captain Nelson? Steph: "He's meeting with Captain Jameson and Captain Bridges. He wants to make sure everything is in order for tomorrow night." They sat down at the bar and Casey introduced Stephanie to Jen Tanner and ordered her friend a glass of wine. "Casey, this plan has me more than a little nervous." Casey: Yeah...me too. But it's something that I have to do. Steph: It's not written in stone that you HAVE to do this, you know. Casey smiled and replied, "The wheels are all in motion, Steph. It's too late to back out now." Antwon was about to take a sip of his drink but stopped when he saw Stephanie. "Whoa! Who is that gorgeous creature sitting with Cassandra?" Harvey glanced over to the bar but didn't recognize the woman. "I don't know. I've never seen her before." Antwon stood up and straightened his shirt and jacket. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out." "Good luck, buddy" Harvey remarked as he watched him walk away. "Hi Antwon. How's it going tonight?" Casey greeted him as he walked up to the bar to order another drink. She had a feeling that it wasn't just a drink that he was interested in. Antwon: Hey Cassandra. I thought that I would come over and say hello. Casey was amused at the way he and Steph were looking at each other. "Please, call me Casey. All my friends do. And speaking of friends...This is my partner, Inspector Stephanie Andrews. Steph, this is Inspector Antwon Babcock. He's with the SIU, the division that's helping us with this case." Stephanie reached to shake his hand: "It's nice to meet you, Antwon. Thanks for keeping an eye on my partner." Antwon: "No problem, but I believe that my partner is the one who has kept an eye on her tonight." Casey gave him a confused look and asked, "Why would he be watching me?" "I believe it had something to do with the way you were dancing earlier." Antwon replied with a chuckle. "Cassandra...uh, Casey... Harv feels really bad about what happened between the two of you." Casey: Wait a minute! He told you what happened? Antwon: NO, he didn't. But he did say that it was something that only the two of you could resolve. Stephanie: Come on Casey. Cut the man some slack. Go over there and talk to him. You know that you want to. Casey sighed and stood up from the bar stool. "I guess this is as good a time as any" * She slowly walked over to the table, sat down in the chair opposite him and waited for his reaction. Harvey crossed his arms and gave her a look of surprise. "You lost?" Casey smiled and glanced out at the crowd. "You could say that." The couple sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until she reached out to take his hand. "Harvey, we need to talk. Come with me." Harvey: Where are we going? Casey pulled him to his feet. "We need to some privacy." She led Harvey backstage to the dressing room and closed the door behind them. "Taking me hostage, are you?" he asked when she locked the door. "I don't want anyone to interupt..." her words were silenced by his lips against hers when she turned to find herself in his arms. He quickly tightened his embrace before she could protest. "Very sneaky, Leek. We came back here to talk, remember?" Even as she said the words, her arms slipped around his waist and pulled him closer. Harvey leaned his forehead against hers as he began his apology. "To say that I'm sorry doesn't seem to be enough. My only excuse is that I was jealous and worried about you. I acted like a jerk and I can't apologize enough for what I said. I can only hope that you will forgive me." This time Casey stretched up to kiss him. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you what was happening. I'm just glad that everything is in the open and after tomorrow night, this whole ordeal will be over. Then we can think about us...Harvey and Casey. Maybe we could spend some quality time together? You know...make up for lost time." "That's the best offer I've had in a long time." he told her before looking into her eyes. "So, you're not mad at me anymore?" She circled her arms around his neck as she whispered "I love you...how could I possibly stay mad at you." He smiled and then glanced at the couch. "Why don't we sit down and I'll show you just how sorry I am." Casey gave a nervous giggle as she pushed him back. "Before this goes any further, there is something that I have to tell you. I think that we both should sit down for this one." Harvey sat down on the couch and Casey sat on the table in front of him. She reached for his hands and held them tightly as she tried to find the right words. Casey: There are a few things that I need to add to my life story. First of all, I've been a cop for about 13 years. I've been with the Amarillo PD for the past seven years. I was widowed a few years ago when my husband, Cody, was killed during a bank robbery. He was a lieutenant on the force and we were married for three years. There's one more thing that you need to know and it's a shocker so brace yourself. Harvey...my name is Cassandra Cortez Reed. Evan was my brother. Harvey's eyes widened with surprise and he sat back against the couch, needing the support. He shook his head in disbelief and calmly replied "My partner, Evan Cortez, was your... brother?" Casey moved onto the couch with him and continued. "Harvey...don't be mad, please! I promise, I didn't know that you were his partner until today. I passed by your desk and noticed the photo of the two of you." Harvey finally found his voice after absorbing some of what she had said. "But, how...I was at the funeral. Why didn't I meet you then?" Casey: Baby, I was there but that day is nothing but a blur. I don't remember who I saw or spoke with. After the funeral, I spent the afternoon in Evan's old bedroom. I just wanted to be alone with my memories. Harvey: I stopped by to visit with your parents the next day. Were you there? Casey: "I was upstairs...asleep. I was having such a hard time accepting Evan's death and I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking that I could have prevented it somehow. I would sit up all night looking through the photo albums and crying. That morning I was sleeping so soundly, my parents didn't want to wake me." She reached out to turn his face to hers. "I wish that I had met you that day. Evan loved you like a brother and I appreciate everything that you did for him." Casey leaned over and placed her hands over his. "Harvey, I need to know...does this change the way you feel about me?" Harvey wiped away a stray tear and cleared his throat before he could answer. "I don't know, Cassandra. I really don't know." She sat silent for a moment and then slowly shook her head. "Things happened so fast for us...too fast, I guess. Maybe we should take some time to think things through before deciding if we should be together." She stood up and walked over to the door but waited before walking out. Without looking back, she told him, "I love you with all my heart, Harvey Leek." She walked out and closed the door behind her. Casey closed her eyes and leaned against the door knowing that it was the truth that had broken their hearts this time. "I'm sorry, Harvey." she whispered. * Harvey sat alone in the dressing room staring into space. He was feeling a combination of confussion, hurt, anger and love all at once. Should he be upset with Casey? Should he be upset with Evan? Or maybe he should be upset with himself for not understanding and telling her how he felt about her. At first, he had been hesitant to trust his feelings. How was it possible to fall in love so hard and so quickly? He felt like screaming as he ran his fingers through his hair and lay his head back against the couch. He needed a clear head to think but little things about Casey kept invading his thoughts. The way she whispered his name, the kisses that were more additive than any drug, the way she would softly laugh at his jokes and eyes that peered into his very soul. She was a warm, kind and caring woman who also happened to be Evan's sister. "I love her, buddy." he said aloud. "But, how can I shield her from the truth about that night in Las Vegas?" * * * |
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