Page 19 of Coveting Catherine

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Leo exited the truck and stared at the structure in front of him. Kassie took every one of his ideas of a training center and turned it into a reality. Chase handed him the keys and motioned for him to follow.

“Where's PITA?” Leo questioned.

Chase smirked at his friend. “Are you ever going to stop calling her PITA?”

“She shot me in the ass, buddy. She earned the title.” Leo jiggled the key into the doorknob and opened the door to see his dream come to life.

Chase smiled as he let his friend take it all in. “Kassie drove to Seattle to see Catherine. She's avoided Kassie's calls since we returned. Samantha slammed the door in her face when Kassie stopped at Saint's. I'm concerned about Kassie going alone, but she insisted. She said she broke the best friend code. She came home from our honeymoon practically glowing, and relaxed. Within an hour of landing, she hasn’t stopped checking her phone at every ding. She’s taking it hard.”

“I have Shadow watching the house.” Leo glanced down at his phone as it began ringing. Ash's name flashed across the screen. He let it go to voicemail. “Now, show me everything PITA accomplished while we trekked through the desert. When we returned, she told me she had broken ground on the facility. I expected it to take months to finish.”

“Kassie will be here soon. She kept it a surprise since this resides on the opposite side of the mountain. Kassie and Joe finished everything last week, and she finally showed it to me. I'm instructed to give you the grand tour of all the boring stuff until she arrives. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.”

The two men chuckled as Chase took him through each room. A weight room, a full kitchen, a planning area, a conference room, and an indoor and outdoor gun range. A football field-sized plot of land sat off to the side with various partitions and giant lights. Chase flipped a switch and Leo's mouth dropped. PITA made them a practice facility for missions. What he thought resembled partitions acted as movable walls to create different scenarios. Going back inside, Chase took him downstairs underground to find a hallway with ten rooms with bunks. In the opposite direction, a game room, a giant TV screen, private showers, and a library. She even included an indoor pool and hot tub.

Leo shook his head. “I'm in awe.”

Chase gave him a manly pat on the shoulder as his phone dinged with a text. Glancing at his phone and smiling, Chase answered, “Kassie's waiting in the driveway. My wife has something she wants to show you.”

The men made their way out of the facility. Upon seeing Kassie, Leo stalked toward her and picked her up off the ground. He placed a loud kiss on her cheek. “PITA, you did good. This facility cost way more than you agreed to let me fund. We'll discuss this later.”

Kassie shook her head. Leo noted the paleness of her skin and tear tracks on her face. He frowned. He didn't need to ask how her visit with Catherine went. It was written all over her face.

“You don't owe me anything. Joe invested the Stanton funds. My family wasn't the only one hurt by James. I want your teams to rescue everyone he sold. Matthew agreed to head up the searches in Texas while you work on the mayor's activities here in Seattle. Victoria's men expressed some interest in helping, too. They're used to taking orders, and honestly, I think they miss shooting people. I want no part in it unless someone is injured. Chase and I agreed, this is your baby. We run the hospital, and we’ll coordinate with you if a veteran expresses an interest in what you do.”

Leo stood flabbergasted. They handed him his own training facility that rivaled the FBI's. “PITA…what can I say?”

“Say you’ll bring everyone home. Or as many as you can. Give them the life they deserve. Then all of this,” Kassie gestured with her hand toward the building, “will be worth every single penny.”

“I promise, the team and I will do our best,” Leo assured her.

“Now, can we go for a little drive?” Kassie smiled, yet it seemed forced.

Chase opened her door and helped Kassie slide into the front seat while Leo sat in the back of the extended cab. Chase started down the drive, and Kassie directed him to a gravel road. It wound its way around the mountain until a log cabin appeared. It sat kiddie corner on the piece of land. Leo guessed the lake on Kassie and Chase's property curled around and provided a beautiful medium-sized waterfall. A section of the screened-in back porch faced the scenic view with a good-sized backyard.

Kassie led the way up the steps and onto the porch. She turned the key and walked inside. Leo whistled as he scanned the polished floors, the state-of-the-art appliances, and the big-screen TV over the stone fireplace. The wall facing the backyard mimicked Chase's house with floor-to-ceiling glass to showcase the gorgeous waterfall.

“Wow, this is something,” Leo marveled.

“Do you like it?” Kassie asked as she opened the refrigerator door and took out two beers and water for herself. Handing the drinks to the men, she stood by the window and toyed with the cap on her water bottle as she awaited his answer.

“What's not to like? After a hard day at work, you can sit back and relax, watching this view alone. I didn't realize you and Chase wanted to move.”

“We're not.” Kassie replied.

Chase joined Kassie and pulled her into his arms. “We built this for you. It's yours for however long you want it. I can't give you the land as it belongs to the mountain. I ran across the plans in Chase's parent's cabin when Maddie and Joe moved in. At first, I thought it might be sketches of Chase's cabin. A week later, I followed Joe to oversee the facility. I decided to explore, found a worn path, and followed it. As soon as I discovered the waterfall, I knew the cabin belonged to you.”

“PITA…I don't even know what to say. You don't have to give me a house…” Leo's voice drifted as he instantly imagined Catherine and Melody here. A clubhouse would fit nicely in the tree to the left. He and Catherine could watch her and his friend’s kids play while they made dinner or sat on the deck. He pictured himself and Catherine making love in front of the fireplace with the waterfall as the backdrop.

“You need to remain close to your men. I'm not giving you a house. You earned this, Leo.” Kassie handed her water to Chase. “Because of you, I'm reunited with Maddie and Joe again. You gave me Chase when I needed help and forced me to see what I was missing. Leo, you saved me and Emma. We love you. You'll always have a home here for as long as you want. You're part of our family, and we want you close.”

Leo glanced at Chase. Chase smiled and nodded his head. The pride he felt for his wife showed in his eyes.

“It was Kassie's idea, and when she brought me here, I felt the same way. We started this together. It makes sense for you to stay on the mountain.” Chase walked toward him and dropped a set of keys in his hand.

“I’d say thank you, but it doesn't seem even near enough to express what I feel right now. Are you sure about this?” Leo stared at the keys in his hand.

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