One Summer Evening - One Summer Evening Part 55
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One Summer Evening Part 55

"I expect it is."

She told him in a halting voice about the evening she had come home andfound Tyler sitting on Lester's leg, holding a gun. She also told himabout Lester's threat to take Tyler from her.

"That sorry bastard," Austin said.

"I'd like to get my hands around his neck."

"It's not your fight, Austin. I thought I made that clear."

He didn't respond, because he knew it would piss her off and part them,something he didn't want to happen.

"Are you leaving again, Cass?"

She peered at him, her eyes wide and haunted, which made him want tograb her again and kiss her until that look went away.

"I don't know. I don't trust Lester, and I'm definitely afraid of himand his cronies. But on the otheade of that coin is Tyler. My concernfor his well ying is equal to my distrust and loathing of Lester."

"You feel another transition will dama j^ler psychologically?" t^^"Exactly."

"So stay and fight. You're older, wiser and stronger. And you have yourfamily, who don't want to lose you again." You have me, too, he wantedto add, but didn't, feeling such a bold claim would shatter the delicatetruce between them.

"How can you say that about Mother and Daddy, especially Daddy? He'smade it plain whose side he's on."

"Not if it means losing you."

"I don't know. Daddy's so steeped in his religious beliefs that itcolors his sound judgment."

"I know that. Still, I have to think that, if push comes to shove, he'llback you. Besides, Lester's walking a thin line. If he so much asbreathes wrong, they'll have his ass back in the pen."

"Then he'll just have someone else break the law for him."

"That's why you need me. And that's why I'm willing and able. Doesn'tthat count for something?" Dammit, he hadn't meant to say that. Thewords had just slipped past his lips like they'd been greased.

"Tonight must never happen again, Austin." Cassie paused, and he heard her sigh.

"You know that, don't you?"

He didn't know any such thing, but he wasn't going to say that, either, and have her bolt like the frightened, fragile creature she was.

Wrong, he corrected himself silently. She wasn't fragile. She might look it and feel it, but she had a will of iron and more grit than any woman he'd ever known. In fact, he didn't think he knew another woman who would have had the courage to take her child, leave everything and everyone she loved behind, and start a new life with strangers.

"Austin?" "I heard what you said, Cassie."

"Do you agree?"

"Do you want me to lie?"

"No."

"If I tell you how I feel, you won't be happy."

"I'm not happy now," she said in a small voice.

Austin sighed, his guts twisting.

"I don't want us to stop seeing each other."

"It's not your call." Her tone was cold as she pulled away, got out of

bed and, bending over, reached for her clothes.

Austin's gaze froze on her backside and the delectable crease in her buttocks, feeling himself hardening again. Shit!

"Why are you fighting what's between us?" he asked.

She turned and faced him, her face devoid of expression.

"I don't owe you any explanation other than the one I've already given.

Please, just take me home."

Angrily, Austin got out of the bed that still smelled of their loving.

"Gladly," he said though gritted teeth.

Twenty-Six (to Oo how's it going?"

Lester made a face, then turned his back on the group's leader, Grant

Hoople, and walked into the kitchen, where he opened the refrigerator and helped himself to a beer. After unscrewing the top, he took a long draw on the cold suds.

"Feel better now?"

Several other members of the group chuckled at the sarcasm in Hoople's voice as his eyes tracked Lester. Lester couldn't have cared less. Hell,

it was damn hot, and he was thirsty. He'd been taking target practice atthe militia's camp in the woods in this stifling heat. There wasn't adry stitch on him.

"Yep, sure do," Lester said, grabbing another beer before saunteringback into the small living room of Hoople's unpretentious frame house,located in a quiet neighborhood in Lafayette.

Over the years, little had changed here, except the members could nolonger gather as a group in these cramped quarters. The decision makers,including himself, were the only ones allowed. "So how are you faringwith your assignment?" Hoople asked.

Lester shrugged.

"Fair to middlin'."

Hoople's large lips thinned.

"Which translates into not worth a shit."

"You pretty much nailed it," Lester mumbled in a dark tone, sitting andchugging down half of the second beer.

"So your ex isn't cooperating, huh?" Hoople scoffed.

"If you're going to convince her of your born- again status, your actingskills are going to have to improve."

"I know, and I'm working on them," Lester said, having added a cuttingedge to his tone, feeling all eyes on him. He changed positions asthough oh the hot seat, feeling damned uncomfortable.

Following his incarceration, where he'd been told what to do everywaking moment, Lester had sworn he wouldn't take orders again. But hehad no choice, since it had been the group's money that had bribed thejudge i to bring him back from prison and place him on parole.

His dumb parents and their stupid lawyer didn't have a clue as to whathad gone on behind closed doors. But Lester did, and that was why he hadto tread lightly. Grant Hoople was one mean son of a bitch. Anyhow,Lester wanted to do what was right, wanted to contribute to the cause hebelieved in and would die defending if he had to.

"How are you working on it?" Hoople pressed. "Details, man. I wantdetails."

"For starters, I'm using my old man and hers to put the screws to her."

"But it's not working, or you wouldn't look like you're headed back tothe cell block."

"I admit it's slow going. She's a much tougher nut to crack thanbefore."

"Oh, I think that little lady's always had balls, which means you gottafind another way of yanking 'em. Your son would be my suggestion."

Suddenly sweat gushed out of every pore on Lester. Granted, he wanted toyank Cassie back in line, teach her that a woman's place was beside her man.

But that had to be done with finesse. He hadn't told Hoople or anyoneelse that he'd given up his rights to the child. To do so now wouldseverely hamper his power and perhaps put him in danger. Thinking thathe still had legal rights to the brat was their ace in the hole.

"You're right about Tyler" Lester finally said in a cautious voice, "butthat's going to be tough. She poisoned him against me."

"Well, you'll just have to find an antidote for that poison. That boyneeds to see you as a hero."

"What if she takes him and hauls ass again?" Lester asked. He wasn'tabout to admit that the possibility kept him awake at night, thoughcertain members had been taking turns watching her to make sure thatdidn't happen.

Still, Lester didn't trust Cassie to stay or his cronies to watch hercarefully enough. He would like nothing better than to knock her acrossthe room and just take the boy. Of course, he couldn't do anything thatradical, the first reason being that he would end up back in the pen.

Other reasons were money and Austin McGuire. The group needed more readycash to buy additional weapons, and Lester knew Cassie's family stillhad plenty of the green stuff.

McGuire, however, was another matter altogether. He was getting tooclose to Cassie and Tyler to suit him, besides sticking his nose whereit didn't belong.

But dammit, that was another puddle of quicksand that could suck himunder.

The Reverend thought McGuire could walk on water. And Lester couldn'tafford to offend James, who was his biggest ally.

"Stop stalling, Sullivan," Hoople demanded.

"We need a solid plan.

Now."

"Damn, cut me some slack, okay? I told you, I don't have one yet."

"Come up with one," Hoople barked.

"And that's an order."

She never got her cappuccino.

Cassie almost laughed out loud hysterically, at such an absurd thought,only she didn't. Nothing about that evening was the least bit humorous.Whenever the details came to mind, in vibrant color, no less, she feltsick and confused.

It had been two weeks since she and Austin had made hot, passionate lovelike two people who had the freedom and the right to indulge themselves.

Hotel business in Baton Rouge and Shreveport had taken Austin out of town, a blessing in disguise. But all blessings come to an end. He was

back.

According to her son, Austin had stopped by the church, and when his papa couldn't get away to take him home, Austin had volunteered. On the way, they had stopped for a sundae. Once they had gotten to the house, Austin had played several computer games with Tyler .

"Austin's cool, Mom," Tyler had told her over and over last evening.

"He whipped my butt" -- "Tyler you know better than to use that word,"

she had responded in a sharper tone than she'd intended. However, her

life was splintering in too many different directions. She had to regain control.

"Sorry, Mom," Tyler said, giving her a strange look. "Why don't you like