Page 32 of Undoing

Eve raised a brow. “Jules pinged your phone here. You’re not answering calls or texts.”

Cass recalled seeing a text notification from Eve when they were taking Rebecca back but had forgotten to check it once she got to the waiting room.

“Sorry, I’ve been, uh, preoccupied. Was it important?”

Eve nodded. “I have news about this Buck McEnroe person.”

Cass’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Who?”

Eve glanced at Lainey, who was studying Cass intently. “Buck McEnroe,” she repeated. “The person Rebecca…”

“Oh!” Cass interrupted. “The dude that was a douchecanoe to Rebecca.” She shook her head. “I forgot all about him. It’s been… kinda crazy lately. Um, I guess since you tracked me down, you have info. But can it wait?”

“That depends,” Lainey said as she eyed Cass, noting the worry on her face. “Something’s wrong. Where is Rebecca?” Cass didn’t answer, but a quick look at the corridor leading to the surgical unit answered for her. “There’s something you should see, Cass. And then maybe you could tell us what’s going on.”

Lainey took the tablet from Eve, who was growing more concerned by the minute. Lainey turned the screen to Cass and pressed play.

“Here is the warehouse Rebecca went to,” Lainey explained. “In a second, you will see Rebecca pull up.” As promised, Rebecca’s car pulled into the vacant parking lot. She exited the car and walked up a couple of stairs to get to the door. Rebecca knocks, tries the doorknob, then shakes her head and returns to her car.

“As you can see,” Eve took over. “No one was there. In fact, no one has been there for more than five years. It’s abandoned. What happens next is what worries me.”

Lainey continued the video. Rebecca gets to her car and stops. Cass could see her sway a bit before getting in.

“She sits there for forty-five minutes, Cass. The camera is too far away to see if she’s on the phone or not, but according to Jules, it wasn’t with anyone named Buck McEnroe. He doesn’t exist. The company doesn’t exist. At least not the one Rebecca described. Now, what’s going on?”

Cass scrubbed her face, then ran her hands through her hair. Was this related to the tumor?

“Oh good!” Willamena walked into the waiting room with a strained smile. “You called in reinforcements. I’m sorry, Cass, I tried to get here earlier.” She kissed Cass on the cheek and greeted Eve and Lainey amicably. “But I’m glad you have someone with you. Is Ellie here?”

Cass’s brain took a moment to catch up. “Uh. Ellie is getting coffee. And…”

“And Eve and Lainey have no clue what’s going on,” Eve said stoically.

Lainey stepped between Eve and the others. “What Eve means is we just got here. We tracked down Cass to talk about another matter. However, it seems we’ve walked into something bigger. Did something happen to Rebecca?”

Willamena glanced at Cass apologetically. When Cass said nothing, Willamena took it as loyalty to Rebecca. She knew her niece. Having people know she was… impaired in any way dug into her confidence. A confidence she had spent years building after Samantha. However, Cass was now a part of Willamena’s family, and she could use the support. They both could.

“Rebecca is having surgery at this moment,” Willamena said finally. “To remove a brain tumor.”

“Oh my god.” Lainey reached for Cass’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. She’s going to be fine,” Cass said with conviction.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Eve asked angrily. “She’s our friend.”

“And she’s my wife.” Cass stood tall, using her height as an intimidation tactic. She would probably look back at this and laugh one day, remembering how she seriously thought she, Cass Giles, could intimidate Eve Sumptor. “Rebecca asked me not to say anything, and I will always do what she asks of me. I’m sure you understand that.”

Lainey felt Eve bristle behind her and turned to give her a look. That was all it took for Eve to stand down.

“Please forgive Eve. She gets a little… intense when she’s worried. Look, I get it. I didn’t want anyone to know what we were going through when Eve was being framed. But I am eternally grateful that you all were there for me. I don’t think I would have survived otherwise. Technically, you’re off the hook. You didn’t tell us. However, I think Rebecca would understand better than anyone that we’re family and need to lean on each other. So, you can stop with the aggressive posture. We know you’re tall and strong. Believe me, I’ve heard it many times during girls’ night.”

Cass blew out a breath, her shoulders slumping slightly. “I don’t know why everyone thinks Eve is the intimidating one.”

Eve couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what I’ve been saying!” She noticed Willamena watching the exchange closely. Always the shrink. Then again, Eve Sumptor was always Eve Sumptor. “I could have specialists here by the end of the day if needed. Who is Rebecca’s surgeon?”

“Dr. Lima,” Cass answered. Now, she wondered why they didn’t utilize Eve’s expansive resources. Of course, Cass trusted Hunter’s opinion, and that meant she trusted Lima.

“Alita,” Eve nodded. “You have one of the best, then.”

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