Cassandra’s POVThere was no one else in the room so I rushed over to Stella. She had a gag in her mouth but her eyes flew open when she saw me. Relief flooded over me. She looked tired and her hair was a mess, but other than that, she looked okay.I removed the gag from her mouth.“Cassandra!” she said, shocked. “What are you doing here? No. You shouldn’t be here. Please, go before you get hurt.” Her face was frantic.“Your kidnapper called me and told me to come. Of course I came.”“Are you here all by yourself?” she asked, aghast.I thought about Cameron. Was there any chance he’d been able to follow us? I highly doubted it.“I had to come alone,” I told her. “And I’m not leaving you,” I said firmly to Stella. Then I bent down and untied her legs and her arms behind her back. She rubbed her wrists. She had nasty rope burns from being tied up and I could tell it hurt.“Are you okay?” I asked, helping her stand.“Yeah. I think so. Just thirsty. And hungry. Where are we?”“I have no id
Cassandra’s POVEllie smiled at us both smugly.“Ellie?” Stella gasped. But I wasn’t surprised. I’d suspected that Ellie behind this right from the start. She’d gone missing after she was bailed out of jail. I knew how much she hated me and her hatred was too deep for her to just let things go. Jordyn had been trying to track her down, but I’d had a sinking suspicion that she was just waiting to make her next move.As soon as I received the text message informing me that Stella had been kidnapped, Ellie was the first person I thought of. I didn’t say anything to Cameron about my suspicions. I didn’t see the point. Instead, I’d called Jordyn as soon as I got in my car to meet the kidnappers.I told him about the text messages.“You think Ellie is behind this?” he’d asked, his voice tight.“I do,” I confessed to him as I drove through the streets. I told him I was on my way to meet Stella’s kidnappers. He got angry and told me that was too dangerous. I defended my decision. Stella was my
Cassandra’s POVI stared at the picture of a younger Ellie.“I don’t understand,” I told her, glancing back and forth from Ellie to the picture.“It’s all you fault,” she said in a huff, snatching back the picture and stuffing it back into her purse.“Um, you’re going to have to give a little more to go on,” Stella said. She was as confused as I was. I failed to see what Ellie’s parents had to do with any of this. Just as I failed to see how I had anything to do with her parents.“They died because of you,” Ellie seethed at me. “They never stood a chance in jail. My mother wasn’t that type of person. She was kind and sweet. They only lasted a few weeks before they were both murdered. My mother died in her cell from dehydration and my father was stabbed to death with a fork in the dining room.”“Oh,” I replied, not really sure what to make of this. I had no idea that both of Ellie’s parents had been killed. Hell, I didn’t even know her parents had gone to jail. Is that where Ellie got h
Dillon’s POVThere was a loud knock on my door. Cameron looked up from his phone with a quizzical look. We were at my house, in my kitchen, studying the pictures that Cassandra had forwarded us from her phone.Cameron had tried to tail Cassandra’s kidnappers, but they’d lost him pretty easily. He was furious at himself when he called me back for losing them, but I assured him that he’d done his best. I told him to come to my house so we could go over everything that had happened and come up with a plan.The person knocked again.“Who the hell could that be?” Cameron asked.“It’s Jordyn,” I told him. Cameron lifted an eyebrow.“You can’t be serious,” he told me. “Why is he here?”I sighed deeply. Yes, Jordyn wasn’t my favorite person in the world. But Cassandra and Stella were in trouble. So I decided to put aside our differences so we could focus on finding them.“I called him,” Dillon said. “I think he can help. And honestly, don’t we need all the help we can get right now?”Cameron t
Dillon’s POV“It’s not far from here,” Jordyn said, showing us the location on his map. “It’s an abandoned warehouse.” Then he paused and inhaled a sharp breath. “Oh my God,” he said.“What is it?” Cameron and I both asked at the same time.“That’s Ellie’s sweater. Right there. In the picture. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”He pointed to a sweater on the ground near the chair in the picture.“How do you know?” I asked. I mean, it looked like any other sweater to me.“I gave her that sweater for her birthday,” Jordyn told us. “I ordered it from France. She had gemstones added to the cuffs, right there.” He pointed again.My heart sank. I’d had a feeling Ellie was behind this.“This is fucking unbelievable,” Jordyn sighed. “Why would Ellie kidnap Stella?” he mused out loud.“To draw Cassandra in.” It was Cameron who said it.“Shit. I think you’re right. I have no idea how she kidnapped Stella, but I think she’s using her as bait,” Jordyn replied.“I think so too,” I added. “The
Cassandra’s POV“Ellie, you can’t possibly blame my family for your parents’ death,” I said. Ellie was pacing around the small room, a menacing look in her eye. Stella was standing beside me, clutching my wrist.“Of course I do,” she said. “Who else is there to blame?”“I’m very sorry that that happened to you,” I told her. “But I don’t see what I can do…”“Shut up,” Ellie snapped. “I know what you’re going to say, you righteous bitch. You’re going to yammer on about how kidnapping you won’t make up for my parents’ death.”I snapped my mouth shut. That was exactly what I was going to see. An uneasiness washed over me. What were Ellie’s intentions, really? What was she planning on doing to us?“You’re going to tell me that two wrongs don’t make a right,” Ellie scoffed. She stopped pacing and faced us, a maniacal smile on her face. “But I think they do,” she said, her smile spreading wide across her face. “I believe in ‘an eye for an eye.’ That’s why I brought you here.”“Cassandra,” Ste
Cassandra’s POV “Dillon!” I cried out. His face scanned the room, his eyes wild. Jordyn and Cameron both appeared behind him. “Cassandra,” he said, taking a step. But I stopped him. “Watch out. She has a gun,” I hollered. I had no idea how the men had found us. Cameron had tried to tail the black car, but it had lost him. I’d never been so relieved to see any one in my whole life though. However, my relief was short-lived. It quickly gave way to fear. “No,” I said, shaking my hand. “Get out of here. All of you!” I didn’t want them here. Ellie had a gun and she had completely lost her mind. I was terrified that seeing Jordyn, Cameron, and Dillon would set her off and she’d start firing at us. The men all whipped their heads towards Ellie. She was in the corner of the room, a shocked look on her face. “What the fuck?” she said. “How did you find us?” “That picture you sent of Stella bound t
Cassandra’s POV“I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “If you planned it all out, then how did I end up in the right car?”“That’s what I’ve always wondered,” Ellie said, her jaw tight.I searched my mind, trying to remember that night, and slowly, the memories came back to me.Yes, I had been at the bar that night. I remembered because when I woke up the next morning to watch the news, Ellie’s car accident was the top story. Woman runs a red light. I could still see the headlines.I remembered it now because I’d thought, at the time: ‘I drove right down the same street as her accident, only ten minutes before her.’Ellie had blown right through a red light, t-boning an on-coming car and smashing into a cement wall. It was because her brakes had failed, I realized now.But as I’d sat there, watching the news story, my heart had hurt for her. Car accidents had always scared me and I hated hearing about them. The people that she’d t-boned had been okay. Ellie was not though, tha
Cassandra’s POVWhat?!I felt like I’d just been punched in the stomach. Surely, I hadn’t heard her right. She’d just said that she was….Dillon’s ex-wife?But that wasn’t possible. Dillon had never been married.I looked to Cameron, confusion all over my face. Cameron shrugged, and pressed his lips together.“Sorry, Cass. I should have told you. I just…I didn’t feel like it was my story to tell. You know?”I shook my head at Cameron. Yes! You should have told me! That’s what I yelled in my head, but I was desperate to keep my composure, which meant keeping my mouth shut.Stella apparently didn’t feel the need to do the same though.“What…the actual…fuck?” she asked, approaching us. “Did you just say…” She pointed and flicked her finger back and forth between us all… “I must have heard you wrong. Because I thought you just said that you’re Dillon’s ex-wife.”Leave it to Stella to be blunt as hell.“I did,” Laura sighed. She rubbed her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry you had to find ou
Cassandra’s POVDillon received the blood he needed, and our prayers were answered. The doctor came out to the waiting room some time in the middle of the night to deliver the good news. Stella was asleep, her head on Cameron’s lap. Cameron was flipping through a magazine on women's health (it was all that they had). I was chewing my nails right down to the flesh. I leapt to my feet when I saw the doctor.“Good news,” the doctor said, smiling. “The transfusion worked. I’m happy to say that Dillon has stabilized and he’s in the clear now.”“Is he awake?” I asked, practically pouncing on the doctor.“Yes. He woke up from his coma about a half hour ago…”“Can I see him?” I asked, cutting off the doctor. He shook his head.“I know you’re eager to see your husband, but I’m afraid he needs to rest right now,” the doctor told us.“Where’s Laura?” Cameron asked, as Stella continued to sleep. I couldn’t help but notice that Cameron kept affectionately petting her head, stroking her hair with hi
Cassandra’s POVI’d never seen that woman before in my life. I was surprised to see her hugging Cameron. Stella and Jordyn were nowhere to be found. Perhaps they were still in the waiting room?As I approached, I got a good look at her. She was dressed well, in a cashmere two piece suit, with a white silk shirt underneath. She looked profession, well put together. She had gorgeous, black, silky hair that was long and straight. As I got closer, she glanced over at me. She had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.She was roughly the same age as me, I figured, give or take a year. She was stunning, in a classic beauty sort of way. She looked like someone who belonged in a penthouse on Park Avenue in New York. She was elegant, right down to her suede Louis Vuitton’s pumps and French manicured nails.Clearly, Cameron knew who she was. They both had concern etched on their faces as they talked. But when Cameron saw me approaching, his expression shifted to a more intense look of worry.“Cassandra
Cassandra’s POVI entered Dillon’s room and my heart sunk. He was hooked up to even more machines than before, and his face was paler than I’d ever seen it. The machine beside him beeped rhythmically, showing his heart beat.But his eyes were closed.It killed me to see him like this, in a coma. I went to his bedside and took his hand in mine.The doctor had said that I should talk to him. What was I supposed to say? Tears brimmed in my eyes as I looked at his lifeless face. Cameron said he’d found a match for Dillon, but he was vague about who that was. I didn’t push the issue. As far as I was concerned, it was a miracle. Apparently this person was on her way. Dillon’s condition was critical though. The doctor told us that, at any moment, his organs could start shutting down.I stroked his hand with my thumb, thinking about what to say to him. Then a little voice inside my head told me to just speak from my heart.So that’s what I did. “Dillon,” I said softly. “I don’t know if yo
Cassandra’s POV“Isn’t good?” I asked. I felt faint. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. “What does that mean?”“Dillon needs blood,” the doctor said. “Without it, there’s a high chance that his organs will shut down again. We’re doing everything we can for him. But without more blood, there’s really nothing we can do.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How was this possible? Dillon needed blood. There had to be blood, somewhere. There had to be someone with Dillon’s blood type.“We’re going to keep calling around. Unfortunately, because the blood is so rare, we often don’t get a lot of it from donors. So in the meantime, if any of you know someone with his blood type, then please. Reach out. I’m afraid the situation is quite dire.”With that, the doctor patted me on the arm and walked away.I watched him walk away, stunned. If we know anyone? How the hell were we supposed to know anyone with Dillon’s rare blood? Wasn’t that their job? This was a hospital for
Cassandra’s POVAgain, we found ourselves waiting. Again, we found ourselves tense with worry. Again, Stella stuffed her mouth with sugary snacks. And again, my thoughts turned to the worst case scenario.The doctor had told us nothing. There was no news, no updates. We were stuck in a holding pattern that felt like it went on forever. At one point, I felt like I would break. I honestly didn’t know how much more of this I could take.I’d been there, with him, in the room. He’d been smiling. A little groggy, yes, and talking nonsense about being my husband, but he had seemed…well. Hadn’t he?What had happened? One moment he’d been sleeping and the next? He’d been convulsing.He was in surgery. Again. That was all we knew.And again, all we could do was wait.I don’t know how long it was before Dr. Forter came back. I’d lost all sense of time. Hell, I didn’t even know what day it was anymore. Our time in the warehouse, with Ellie and her stupid pictures felt like a lifetime ago. Had it r
Cassandra’s POVShit.I was worried that Dillon was going to correct the nurse. And if he did, they might kick me out of here. So I gave Dillon a look that said, follow along. Although, he was pretty out of it so I wasn’t sure if would pick up what I was laying down.“He’s so brave, isn’t he? My husband.” I enunciated the last word, hoping Dillon would catch on. “Cameron and Stella are here, too,” I said. “But they can’t see you yet since they’re not family.” Again, I enunciated the last word.“Husband,” Dillon sighed contentedly. “I like the sounds of that.”“There, there,” I told him, hoping he wouldn’t say anything else. The nurse was nice and quick, thankfully. She just took a few vitals and jotted some things down.“All done,” she smiled. “He does need to rest though. So not too long of a visit, okay?” “Of course,” I said.When she was gone, I explained to Dillon that I was pretending to be his wife so they’d let me see him.“We don’t have to pretend,” he said, his voice stil
Cassandra’s POVI waited with breath held for Dr. Forter to tell me about Dillon. Cameron and Stella appeared behind him and came to join me.“He’s out of surgery,” the doctor said. “We were able to extract the bullet cleanly. Thankfully, it didn’t hit any major organs. He’s stable, for now. But he’s lost a lot of blood so we’re monitoring him closely.”His words were like heaven to my ears.“Stable?” I asked. “That’s good, right?”“It is,” the doctor smiled. “He’s not completely out of the woods yet, so to speak. But it looks very promising at the moment. It’s a good thing he got here when he did.”“Can I see him?” I asked. I felt an enormous weight lifting off my chest. I’d feared the worst, we all had. I’d been terrified that the doctor was going to come and tell us that Dillon hadn’t made it. But now that he was stable, my mind immediately turned to thoughts of seeing him.“You can, yes. But not quite yet. He’s still waking up from surgery.”“I want to see him too,” Cameron quipped
Cassandra’s POVWe did our best to pass the time but it felt like the clock was moving backwards. Jordyn went to get us some food, and when he came back, we couldn’t help but chuckle. He dumped an armload of vending machine crap onto the table.“What did you do?” Cameron asked, “Rob every vending machine in the hospital?”“I didn’t know what anyone wanted,” he told us, suddenly sheepish at the mass amounts of chips, chocolates, and candies he’d purchased.“Thank you,” I told him. I knew it was his way of helping. None of us knew what to do, really, as we waited there in that room. Jordyn was at least trying to feed us.Stella reached for some chips and tore open the bag.“Cassandra? What’s your poison?” Cameron asked me. I was sitting, my knees nervously bouncing up and down. “Chocolate? Gummies?”I shook my head. “I’m not hungry,” I told them. Food was the last thing on my mind. Dillon had been in surgery for over two hours now. Several other people waiting had been called away, one b