Chapter 50: Fifty

“Maisie, where are you.” Zach’s voice came through the instant the call went through.

"Tracking down some leads.” Maisie replied.

“Maisie, it could be dangerous...” Zach started.

“Yes, it could've but I will not sit down on my ass and wait for you to recover quicker just so that you can do the same thing I am doing,” Maisie snapped at Zach.

“If you won't sit on your ass, I swear that when I do see you. I will spank that ass.” Zach threatened as Maisie laughed.

“Is that supposed to discourage me?” Maisie asked as Zach growled.

“Where are you. Tell me so that I can come to get you.”

“Like I will do anything that stupid.” Maisie rolls her eyes at Zach even though she knew that he couldn't see her.

“I am serious.”

“So I am. I will call you when I am done.”

“Maisie " Zach warns.

“You are right, I will visit instead. Got to go. Bye, love ya.” Maisie said quickly without allowing Zach to utter a word in edgewise and then quickly hung up. She knew that Zach would be spitting furious, but she just hopes that he would have calmed down before she visits him later.

****

Zach let loose a string of curses when he realized that she has hung the call as soon as she finished talking without giving him a chance to talk her out of what she was about to do.

“I can't believe she is so stubborn.” Zach rages as his visitor let out a chuckle.

“Well, I can believe it. If the girl were docile, I would think that she was a fake girlfriend which you employed to make people think that you are over Vivi.”

Zach glared at his friend. “If I didn't know that you are usually like this, I would have taken offense to what you just said.”

“I should be the one taking offense in what you just said. What do you mean 'like this’?”

“I meant that you are usually without a filter. Do you argue with that description?” Zach asked with a raised eyebrow at Cassidy, silently daring him to contradict his statement.

Cassidy gave his best friend a glare of his own. He usually tried his best to avoid lying, that was one of the few rules he lived by and Zach knew that.

The last time he had visited his friend, Zach was in a coma and now he is awake and remembered what had happened to him, but Cassidy was having a hard time believing what Zach claims he remembered.

Jeffery had always been a little odd with darkness around him that seems so out of place with the character he portrays, and Cassidy was not okay with that, so he tried to figure it out by spying on Jeffery. He had thought that Jeffery was dark because of his sexual fantasies which were a little out of the norm, but he never suspected that they ran as deep and sinister as Zach just explained. He also knew that he could never tell Zach about what he had caught Jeffery doing as that will completely break him. The poor guy was already struggling with the fact that his stepbrother is capable of murder, Cassidy didn't want to add the depraved thoughts to it. Zach was already close to his breaking limit and he was sure that his girlfriend saw this that was why she went to look for evidence herself without any help.

“I am going to need a favor.” Zach said bringing Cassidy out of his thoughts.

Cassidy raised his eyebrow in silent inquiry unwilling to open his mouth just yet until he was through with wrestling the guilt he was feeling for keeping the information about Jeffery from Zach. When the guilt was firmly back in its cage, Cassidy will open his mouth to warn Zach about Jeffery.

Used to Cassidy's mood swings, Zach surged on without noticing anything weird “I need you to protect Maisie for me. I just know that she is in danger out there alone.” Zach said and when Cassidy scoffs, Zach continued.

“You don't know her as I do. Maisie is a trouble magnet.” Zach said and then mumbled under his breath. “I don't know how I know but I know that she always sees trouble where she is.”

Cassidy heard part of Zach mumbles but not enough to put everything together. “What was that?”

Zach released a small smile “nothing "

Cassidy looked at Zach. There was more going on that Zach was letting him know and he knew that Zach will not tell him yet, so he let the issue go for now.

“Fine, I will protect her, but you are going to have to introduce the two of us soon.”

“I know but not yet. When this whole issue is behind us then we can get together but before then. I don't want her to know who you are. It would make tailing her easier for you.”

Cassidy frowns as he realized what Zach meant by protecting his girlfriend. “You want me to stalk your girl?”

“Not stalking, protecting.” Zach corrected “And I can't protect her by side.” Cassidy questions.

“Come on Cass, we have already concluded that she is stubborn. You and I both know that there is no way she will allow you to follow her willingly especially when she knows that you are there. She is going to try to give you the slip and she might succeed.” Zach explained.

“So, you want me to shadow her without her knowledge.” Cassidy deducted.

“Exactly, she can't give the slip to someone she never knew was there. Although you are dense most times you make good use of that brain of yours when you want to"

“Was that an insult?” Cassidy asks his friend with a frightening look on his face which would have scared the hell out of anybody who didn't know him for long.

Unfortunately, his best friend had known him since kindergarten and so Zach was immune to the look. In fact, any time Cassidy put the look on his face to intimidate somebody and Zach is nearby, he always starts laughing because he knew that Cassidy was all bark and no bite.

When Zach started to chuckle silently, Cassidy let out an annoyed growl.

“I hate it when you always laugh," he grumbled.