Cold Spite (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #5)

Chapter 57

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

C as stood in the doorway of Delilah’s parents’ home feeling like a damned fool. He rang the doorbell and turned and gave a thumbs up to the guys as they watched from the SUV. Delilah’s truck was parked on the next block. Unless she slipped out the back, he should be able to catch a ride back to Quantico with her.

Hopper and Hersh both grinned at him manically from the front seats. This must be what it felt like to have parents who dropped you off on your first date. The guys gave him the thumbs up back and pulled away.

The door opened, and all of Cas’s worst nightmares were realized, but at least there were no witnesses. He’d expected Delilah’s mother but why would this part of his day be any easier than the rest?

Stephen Quinn’s eyes crinkled in angry confusion. “Why are you here? I told you to leave Delilah alone. I told you what will happen if you don’t. I’ll make sure you never get into the Hostage Rescue Team.” The guy looked haggard and old now, wearing plaid pajama pants, a white T-shirt, and a thick cardigan. The creases around his eyes and mouth were much deeper than they’d been the last time Cas had seen him. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, young man.”

The old man tried to push the door closed, but Cas heard Delilah’s voice from inside, so he wedged his boot into the gap.

He wasn’t leaving without her. Not this time.

“Daddy, what did you do?” She caught her father’s arm and tried to open the door.

“Let me go! Who are you? Esme! Esme! Who’s this person in our house?”

Delilah was wearing the long blonde wig, but the look in her brown eyes was stricken.

She pulled Cas inside, shutting the door firmly behind him.

“Sorry, I…”

She ignored him and followed her father into the living room.

Cas followed reluctantly.

She carefully pulled off the blonde wig and let her rich chocolate hair tumble. “Dad.”

She moved so she stood to one side of her father’s recliner.

“Daddy, what did you do?”

Stephen Quinn was arguing with his wife who was trying to make the man sit back down. “Delilah! Delilah.” He grabbed her in a bear hug. “Darling girl. When did you get home?”

He looked so delighted. It hurt to watch.

“Just now.” The words were throaty as if she were trying to rein in her emotions. “How are you feeling today?”

“Good. Good.” He leaned closer. “Except your mother is trying to poison me with the number of pills she makes me swallow every day.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “Makes my brain foggy, and I can’t remember the things I need to.”

“Mom isn’t trying to poison you, Dad.”

“What would you know? You’re never here.”

Delilah looked shocked by the sudden mood swing.

“Stephen Anthony Quinn,” Delilah’s mother cut in sharply. “One of these days someone is going to believe you about me poisoning you, and they’ll lock me up in prison with all the criminals—is that what you want? What do you think will happen to you then? What do you think will happen?” The woman sounded fraught and exhausted and angry.

Cas could only imagine the anguish of losing someone you loved, incrementally, one memory at a time, even though they stood right in front of your eyes.

At first, Stephen’s expression remained angry but it quickly crumpled, and he grabbed his wife’s hand and sat back down on his recliner. “Don’t leave me, Esme. You’re the only one who matters. You’re the only one who cares. Please don’t leave me.”

Esme crouched beside her shaking husband.

“I’m not going anywhere, you old goat. But tell me this, did you interfere with Delilah’s personal life?”

His mouth frowned, and he turned away from his wife. “That’s classified.”

Esme Quinn rolled her eyes.

Cas didn’t know if this was the right thing to do or not, but he held out his hand. “Assistant Director Quinn, it is an honor to meet you, sir. My name is Operator Casta Demarco.”

Stephen straightened his spine and his eyes brightened. He shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.” The grip tightened and the eyes crinkled in confusion. “Have we met before?”

Delilah’s eyes were growing bigger and bigger.

Cas’s mouth went dry. It felt important not to lie. “Yes, sir. Once. I was a lowly Special Agent at the time. It was a long time ago.”

Stephen nodded and suddenly looked incredibly tired. “I remember.”

He obviously did not . “Why don’t you rest for a minute, sir? I’ll fetch you a glass of water from the kitchen.”

Esme nodded her thanks and Cas left the room. Delilah followed him.

A moment later, they both stood in the kitchen and stared at one another.

“He threatened you.” Her voice wobbled.

“I wanted to join HRT.” He shrugged. “You know that. It was my dream for years. Your father threatened to take that away from me, but…” Cas closed his eyes. “But I already told you why we really broke up. It wasn’t all on him… He was a convenient excuse I told myself at the time.”

Delilah touched his face. “I don’t believe you. Not anymore.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “HRT was your dream, and he had no right to threaten you that way. His actions also stole your dreams of belonging to a loving family, and I’ll never forgive him for that. You have to know I would have cut all ties with him to be with you if you’d only told me. You know I would have. And he wouldn’t have gone through with his threats after I spoke to him.”

He opened his eyes. “You love your parents, Delilah. I knew that from the way you spoke about them. The love. The pride. I couldn’t take that from you. I would never destroy your family.”

Family was everything.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head against his heart, and he held her tight. “I love you, Cas Demarco. I would have chosen you, and he would have come to love you too. He became very overprotective after my brother died, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry people have treated you so badly. They didn’t know you or they’d have seen the true nature of your worth. They’d see the character of a man who’d willingly sacrifice himself rather than hurt others.”

“I’m not a saint, Delilah.” But her words warmed him and gave him hope. She loved him. That was enough.

“I want what we once had back again. It’s not too late, is it?” She swiped away a tear. “Unless I’m arrested for murder.”

He pulled back, both warmed and horrified. “You’re joking?”

She grimaced. “Not really. Greg Trainer seems to consider me a viable suspect.”

Cas ground his teeth together. “I should have punched him in the face earlier, that mother?—”

He cut himself off as Delilah’s mom entered the kitchen.

“I gave him one of his pills, so he’ll sleep a little. Maybe he’s right about me poisoning him because the only time I get any real rest is when he’s sleeping. God knows I get to feel guilty about everything else, I may as well feel bad about that too.”

She smiled through her tears and then held out her hand to shake his. “Esme Quinn. Delilah’s terrible mother and Stephen’s horrible wife.”

“Mom,” Delilah chastised softly.

“Casta Demarco, ma’am. People call me Cas. Pleasure to meet you.”

Esme didn’t let go of his hand, and her grip was too firm to pull away from gracefully. “I remember Delilah talking about you a couple of times, years ago, and then she stopped talking about you and she became sad. Is my husband the reason my daughter became so sad?”

Cas shook his head. “You can’t blame your husband. It was my fault.”

“Not true.” Delilah took his other hand in hers. “But the fact we broke up isn’t the only reason I was miserable. I miscarried, Mom, and had to have an emergency hysterectomy.”

“When?” Her mother dropped his hand and picked up her daughter’s.

“Five years ago.”

Tears were bright in the woman’s eyes. “And you never told me?”

“I never told anyone.” She shot a look at him. “Only Val.”

“Oh, Delilah. I’m so sorry.” Her mother shook her head. “And I’m so sorry you didn’t feel able to come to me. I would have been there for you, I promise.”

“I know you would. I was unable to talk about it for a long time. And I didn’t want to quash your hopes of having grandchildren.”

Esme waved that away. “There are other ways to have kids if you decide you want them. And right now, I have enough to deal with.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Listen to me complain when I’m not the one with some maniac after them or a horrible disease eating away at my faculties. I’m truly a horrible person.”

Delilah hugged her mother. “You’re not. And you need to be able to vent. It doesn’t change how much you love him. Daddy was difficult even on his best day, but he loved you dearly exactly the way you are.”

“Yes, well, we are a long way away from his best days I’m afraid, and it’s only going to get worse.”

The two women embraced, and Cas felt awkward and went to take a step back. “I’ll wait outside.”

Delilah reached out and grabbed his arm. Esme wrapped her arm around him and suddenly he was part of a group hug. It was the closest he’d come to being part of an extended family since he’d been that little kid kicked out of the foster family because an adult had abused him.

Fuck if he didn’t want to cry. He managed to hold it together, grateful beyond measure and at the same time terrified it was all going to go wrong again, and being alone would be worse this time. A thousand times worse.