Page 57 of Gin & Jewels

“Yeah, I’ll go talk to her and get back to you.”

I hung up the phone and went inside the diner, coming face to face with my mother. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

I blew out a breath. “I want to, but that’s for Cass—Krystal to decide.”

“I didn’t raise you to lie to your mother.”

“No.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “You raised me to do what’s right.”

She narrowed her brown eyes. “If it’s the right thing, then why can’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s complicated.”

“Are you in danger?”

I shook my head. “No,I’mnot.”

Mom patted my cheek. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that you were born to protect people.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I took a step.

“But when whatever this is is over, you need to tell me everything.”

“I will.”

My gaze landed on Cassie as I walked out from the back. After everything she had been through, she was still smiling as she waited on a table. As though she could sense me, she turned her head and looked at me, and we smiled at the same time.

“… you’ll meet a woman who you’ll start to care about, and then before you know it, you’ll never want to go a day without her.”

Fuck.

I slid onto a stool at the counter and waited for Cassie to come to me. Was I falling for her? I could deny it all I wanted, but seeing her again—knowing she was alive—made my heart swell. I’d never had strong feelings for someone like I had for Cassie. Was it love? It was crazy to think that, especially since all I had done was kiss her, but I knew that if something were to happen to her, and she wasn’t in my life anymore, it would crush me.

“What did Seth say?” Cassie asked as she stood on the other side of the counter.

“Well, it’s complicated.”

“It is?”

I lowered my voice. “You need to turn him in for kidnapping you. He’ll get arrested—”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s my brother. It’s already bad enough that I’m willing to tell the cops he was part of the robbery, and I’m only doing that because I don’t want to go to jail.”

“Exactly, princess. You need to tell them everything, to tell them that you weren’t involved, and how he kidnapped you, and while he drove here, he sold the jewelry, and you had nothing to do with it.”

She stared at me for a beat. “Can I think about it?”

“What’s to think about? There’s no time to waste. Every moment that passes makes you look guiltier. I want to take you to the police station now and have you file the report. Then he can’t skip town, and you won’t be in any more danger.”

“He’s my brother, Brad.”

I reached out and grabbed her hand, rubbing her knuckles. “I know that, but do you think that he’d think twice before blaming you?”

She tilted her head to the side. “Honestly, no. He’s involved me in all of this.”