Page 87 of Taking Care of the Target

Cassie couldn’t help but laugh, but since she was still freaking out about the group of Italian guys, it came out a bit hysterical sounding. “Well, guess I’ll just dodge to the drink station now, then. See ya!”

Abandoning all attempts to appear sane, she crouch-walked from post to post. When she reached the other side of the restaurant, she peeked over a booth at the group of men. She didn’t recognize any faces, but that didn’t give her much comfort.

Maybe I should just grab my backpack, run out the back door, and move again.Deanne had asked why she took her bulky backpack everywhere, and this was why. So if she had to, she could flee at a moment’s notice.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around, ready to employ her defense moves. Allie, the bouncy hostess said, “You’ve got a group at table ten.”

“Did they ask about the waitresses?”

Allie blinked at her, confusion crinkling her forehead even as she held her signature beauty-queen grin. “No, but I’m sure they want one. How else would they get their food?”

Cassie liked to think she defied blond stereotypes; Allie epitomized them. Deciding it would be much more effective to talk to someone with a little more going on upstairs, she walked along the edge of the dining area and found Deanne.

“Hey, I need a big favor,” Cassie said.

“Sure thing. Talk as I grab these refills?” Deanne lifted the two empty glasses she had in her hands, and Cassie followed her to the drink station.

“Can I swap table ten for one of your tables? If they start asking about the waitresses here, be really vague. And then come tell me right away.”

“You’re acting really weird.” Deanne tilted her head. “And you look scared.”

“It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in after work, but I just need to not go over there.”

Deanne put her hand on Cassie’s shoulder. “You know I’m your girl, whatever you need.”

Cassie hugged her, nearly spilling the freshly filled drinks in the process. When had she become a hugger? She wasn’t sure, but it made her realize just how attached she was to the people here. She still missed Vince with a consuming amount of longing, but she had a makeshift family, and she didn’t want to leave them.

More than anything, she didn’t want to put them in danger.

Unfortunately, all of Cassie’s tables were in the same vicinity as the possibly-sent-here-to-kill-her guys. She used trays to block her view, walked sideways, and tried to observe from afar when she could.

As she quickly passed the table she was doing her best to avoid, she thought she heard her name. Her real name. She quickened her pace and headed toward the kitchen.

“Hey, you. Wait a second,” a guy said, his Jersey accent so thick she could hardly wade through it.

Cassie froze. Run? Scream? Kick? Punch? No matter how much air she tried to suck in, her lungs refused to work.

A hand came down on her shoulder, and her panic screeched into three-alarm territory.

She whipped around and took a giant step back. Her pulse hammered through her head as she looked for a weapon. Not in his hands. His shirt was tight enough she didn’t think he could hide it. Unless he had it at his back…

“Where’s the bathroom in this joint?” he asked.

It took a moment for her to process the question and another before her mouth remembered how to work. “It’s back there, right around the corner.” For some reason, she broke out the Oklahoma twang extra heavy. “Just look for the gents sign.”

The man walked past her and hurried toward the restrooms. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down.Okay, now I’m sure I’m going crazy.

Just not sure enough to fully relax.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Vince stared at the computer screen in the library. This was his second attempt at digging into Kate Jones. He looked in Oklahoma and also did a search where the Culinary Institutes of America were located in California and Texas.

Every time he scanned through the results, he hoped he wouldn’t find Cassie, while hoping he would. It made no sense, but neither did his life right now. He was “hiding in plain sight,” running Rossi’s like nothing had ever changed, when everything had.

Agents McVee and Mancini kept telling him he’dhaveto go into the witness protection program right before they released his name and testimony to Carlo’s lawyer. He’d considered telling them to just let people come after him, because then he could slowly weed them out until Carlo didn’t have anyone to send.

Only if he failed, he couldn’t testify, and Carlo might get away with everything he’d done, and Cassie might never be safe.

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