Page 51 of Free to Live
“Cass,” Holly yells to her sister over the noise. She’s holding a metal bucket in her arms. In fact, all of the Freemans are.
“Sorry! One more thing! If you see myself or any of my siblings around holding one of these buckets”—all the Freemans simultaneously lift up large metal pails—“and you feel like donating more to the Victims Assistance Fund, toss in some spare change, cash, whatever you have to give. They’ll be around the rest of the night holding them. Finally, my thanks to my brother-in-law Jake and his band for playing earlier and my brother-in-law Jared, who has been our DJ tonight. Let’s give it up to everyone who has had a hand in today’s events.”
Tajo Cruz’s “Dynamite” starts pounding through the speakers as all of the Freeman siblings jump off the stage holding their pails over their heads. I quickly move over to the DJ to shake his hand and mouth, “Thanks.” Jared shakes my hand before letting it go. I turn around and my body locks as I take in the scene.
Every person in Tide Pool is on their feet dancing and waving money in the air like it’s a flag of honor. The Freemans are dancing, plucking money out of their hands like it’s an Italian wedding dance before shaking it with them for a few seconds before moving on.
Helplessly, my eyes follow Holly through the crowd. She’s made her way about a third of the way around the room to a booth of women all wearing Hudson Investigation shirts. She’s giving them—and the place—quite a show as she’s jumped up on the table. There’s a line of people on the ground ready to dance with her. Her cameras are on the table behind her, so her hands are empty. But the pail at her feet is filling up. She’s laughing as she points at Corinna, who’s up on another table across the room filled with guys also wearing Hudson Investigation shirts, I notice.
A guy I don’t recognize comes up next to me. Quietly, he hands me an envelope. “Thank you for everything you do to keep my family safe. And tell my sister-in-law she’s amazing.” He smiles at me.
I squeeze the envelope in my hands. Tightly. “Which Freeman are you related to?”
“Technically? Just Cass. I’m Caleb’s brother, Ryan. Jared’s my husband.” He points at the DJ, who blows him a kiss. Then my scattered brain catches up with me. Caleb and Ryan Lockwood? The brothers who inherited Lockwood Industries? The largest transportation company in the Northeast? And he just handed me an envelope? “Do I even want to know what’s in this?” I ask, pitching my voice beneath the music.
“Only if you want to watch Cassidy lose her mind on the dance floor.” Ryan smiles. “I’m going to go hide with my husband for a while before I head out. I’m flying out later in the morning to try to broker a deal in Singapore. It was a pleasure to meet you, Officer. We were sorry to miss the last family dinner. Maybe we’ll see you at the next one.” He holds out his hand.
After I grip his firmly, Ryan starts to move away. I yell out his name. “Ryan?” He pauses. “Why?”
Taking a step back, he murmurs close to my ear, “If you knew what a comfort it is to know they’re all finally safe, you’d understand money is the least I can do.” Stepping away, he says louder, “Now, go put that check in a bucket, Officer. And enjoy their reaction when it’s opened. I certainly plan to.”
And he silently disappears behind the table where Jared’s sitting.
Jumping off the stage, I head directly toward Holly. I can’t explain why, but it’s her hands I want to put the check into. Shifting between the dancing bodies, I see Phil pulling dollars and tossing them into his bucket. Bypassing the line of men and women waiting to dance with her, I reach up and hand her the envelope. She stops moving and gives me a quizzical look. I nod at it. After using a nail to unseal it, her jaw drops. She grabs her cell out of her pocket and quickly takes a picture of the check. I scan the room to see all of the Freemans grab their phones. Corinna starts jumping up and down on her table. Phil grabs Jason and kisses him. Ali screams and leans over and kisses Em smack on the lips. Cassidy stands still in the middle of the dance floor for a moment, stunned, before she reaches into her pocket for the microphone.
“We’ve just had an anonymous benefactor who pushed the Victims Association Fund to over a quarter million dollars!” she ends on a scream. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
A quarter of a million dollars. My head spinning, I whirl around toward the DJ, but I can’t make out Ryan Lockwood’s features. I repeatedly swallow, but it doesn’t stop the tears burning in my eyes. It might be a business decision for him, but I know how much this money will touch the lives of real people. Snapping off a salute in his direction, I let out a massive yell with both fists in the air. In the middle of it, I’m swarmed by Brett, Mike, and Justin.
“Holy crap. Did that just happen?” Mike chokes out.
“I was handed the check. It sure as hell did.” I bang our foreheads together.
“What does this mean?” Justin yells.
“When it’s done? We can help everyone. No apologies. Not just right now, but for a while.” We’re standing right beneath a spotlight as we slap each other’s backs and revel in this miracle. Breaking apart, we grin. The room has gone electric. Suddenly, all of the bartenders behind the bar begin ringing all the bells. Spinning around, I wonder why before I burst out laughing.
Brett, Justin, and Mike do too.
Apparently, when the Freemans cut loose, they don’t care who’s watching. Each of the siblings are dancing on tables, celebrating with their significant others guarding them. Holly’s the only one who technically is alone, but I have no plans on moving. I yell to my friends, “Go! I’ve got her covered.” They all grin and take off to find someone to celebrate with.
The line to dance with Holly keeps growing when a behemoth of a man from Hudson Investigations saunters up. “I can cover her if you want to party, Officer.” He’s much older, but I have no doubt he could take down anyone in the room—let alone the planet—who messed with Holly Freeman. A smile breaks out across his face. “You deserve to cut loose.”
I shake my head. “I’m perfectly fine right where I am.”
Sharp blue eyes assess me before he reaches out a paw. “Charlie Henderson.”
“Joe Bianco.”
He bellows out a laugh. “I knew who you were before I walked in the door, son. Take care of our girl. Tap me in if you need assistance.”
I wait for half a heartbeat before I ask, “What branch were you, Mr. Henderson?”
He doesn’t hesitate in responding. “I was a SEAL, son. And make it Charlie. I have a suspicion we’ll be getting to know each other. Eventually.” Turning, he heads back across the room to the table of Hudson Investigation guys who are beneath Corinna.
A frigging SEAL. Jesus Christ. No wonder he was confident enough at his age to know he could protect Holly. Glancing up, I see she’s lost in the music. Her hands have wrapped themselves around her body as she spins around on her heeled boots. When she turns forward again, her hair fans out around her. I want to sink my hands into the strands to feel if it’s as thick as I imagine it is.
It must be the emotion flying through the air. I dismiss the thought as quickly as it comes into my brain. I had my chance at something permanent, and I lost it. But damn, tonight’s a night that helps obliterate some of my pain. I never want to let this feeling go.
