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 POVPing.A message came through on my husband’s phone. ‘Hey baby. Hope this gets you nice and hard. Can’t wait to see you tonight. Meet at my new place? 1215 Sherbrook Drive. Xoxo’.What?The message was quickly followed by a picture.It was a woman in a skimpy red lace bra. The bra was so sheer you could see her nipples. She had red lipstick, her face in a sexy pout.I recognized the woman. It was…Ellie.My husband’s first love.But how was this possible? Ellie had been in a horrific car accident many years ago. A head-on collision with a semi-truck. She’d been lucky to survive, but the accident had left her in a coma. She was a vegetable, kept alive by machines, unable to talk or move.Jordyn had been devastated. His heart belonged to Ellie; she was his first love. His only love. He had visited her for a long time after the accident, even though she couldn’t communicate.I’d known how much he loved Ellie, but I thought that after several years of marriage, he’d grow to
Cassandra’s POVClink. I heard the ring drop to the ground as I turned and walked away.I hopped into my car and pulled away, without even so much as a glance back.He wanted to cheat on me? Fine. He could have sex with whomever he wanted. I was done! I’d call Cameron to come and pick me up, and I’d go home. Back to the estate. Back where I belonged. I rolled down the windows and cranked up the radio. Relief flooded through me. I felt like a weight had been lifted – a Jordyn-sized weight. The wind blew through my hair and I felt free, really free.Back at the apartment, I hauled out my suitcases and a few things. I didn’t need to take everything; I could replace most of my clothes. Then I called my brother.“Hey, Cameron. It’s me. Come pick me up? I finally left Jordyn.”“Say no more. I’m on my way.”I waited for my brother in the foyer. He pulled up in a hot, red Lamborghini. He got out and rushed towards me, scooping me up into a crushing bear hug.“I can’t breathe,” I mumbled in
Jordyn’s POVThe ring clattered to the ground. I stared at it for a beat, then I bent down to scoop it up. She was playing games again – Cassandra. I casually slid the ring back into my pocket.Divorce?Yeah right. How many times had she mentioned divorce? Five? Eight? Fourteen?I’d lost count.It was a ploy. Something Cassandra did when she wanted more attention. It was a childish scheme and I was tired of it. Which is why I didn’t take her threat seriously.I knew Cassandra. She didn’t mean it.“Are you okay?” Ellie asked, her eyes flooded with concern.“Just a bit rattled,” I told her. “I didn’t know Cassandra knew about us. I was shocked to see her.”“Me too,” she said, sidling up to me. I inhaled her perfume. Vanilla and rosewood, the same perfume she’d worn before the accident. I loved it. “I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?” she asked with a pout.Damn, she was so cute when she pouted like that. I ran my thumb along her lower lip.“Of course not,” I told her. “You’re perfec
Cassandra’s POV “Thanks Dillon.” I sighed.“Never mind, ready to enjoy your traveling?” Dillon smiled and winked at me.“Yeah, but I gotta call Stella first.” I took the calling card out and threw it in the bin and got a new one. I then called Stella on Facetime.“I’ll be gone for about a month,” I told Stella. Stella was my best friend, one of the only people I’d been able to count on through everything. I trusted her with my life, so it only made sense that I trusted her with my company. Then I gave her the rundown on all the business affairs of Hot House Flower. I’d only be gone a month, so I only told her what she needed to know. Stella had a degree in fashion, just like me. Although my degree was in design and hers was in fashion marketing. But still, I knew she was the right person to look after my company while I traveled to clear my head.“Don’t worry, Cass, I got you,” she told me, giving me a flying kiss. “Just go and heal. And when you get back, we’ll celebrate you dumpin
Cassandra’s POV“Come on,” Cameron said, tugging my hand. We saw Jordyn’s figure approaching us. He just have followed us into the parkade.“Can you…just go ahead without me? To the car? I won’t be long, I promise.”Cameron studied my face. He was wary to leave me alone with Jordyn. But I wanted to handle this situation on my own. He finally relented.“Okay. But not too long. And I’ll be right over there if you need me.”“I know,” I smiled.Cameron walked away just as Jordyn approached. The parkade was well lit, and the harsh fluorescent lights shone down on Jordyn’s distraught face.“Look, we need to talk,” he said.“I agree. I assume you’ve had your lawyer look over the divorce papers,” I said.“I know you cheated on me.”Umm. What? He just ignored my comment and went straight to his own accusations. This was SO typical.“Excuse me?” I said, aghast. “Don’t even try to hide it,” he told me, his voice firm.I blinked, staring at him in disbelief.HE was the one who cheated, not me!
Cassandra’s POVI eyed myself critically in my floor-length mirror. After a long, drawn out deliberation, this was the dress I’d chosen. A calf-length, A-line dress of emerald green silk. It cut into a halter style at the top and plunged dramatically in the back.I nodded approvingly at my reflection. The dress was, of course, one of my own designs. It was the perfect choice for the Talks and T***s banquet.It hadn’t taken me long to decide. By the time Stella and I had finished our bagels and lox, the decision was made. I would attend.Jordyn could be damned for all I cared. I wasn’t going to let him prevent me from attending this banquet. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Stella had agreed whole-heartedly, and we’d spent the past week ensuring that I chose the perfect dress.If I was going to run into Jordyn, I might as well look hot as hell, right?Ping.It was a text from Stella.“Good luck! Knock ‘em dead.” Heart emoji, dancing girl emoji, four-leaf clover emoji.An
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 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 POVI drove to the assigned place, my hands gripped firmly on the steering wheel. I told myself over and over to just stay calm, that I could do this. Part of me couldn’t believe that this was really happening. I was on my way to meet kidnappers. It felt so surreal.I was aware that Cameron was tailing me, but he was doing a good job of keeping his distance. I only saw him once or twice in the rear view mirror.The address brought me to a docking area right by the water. It was isolated. I saw the two men in black waiting by a shipping container. It looked like a scene out of a movie.Oh god, was that where Stella was? Inside a shipping container? Was she hurt? Was she okay?I pulled up close, my heart pounding in my chest.“Get out,” one of the men ordered.I did as he said, assuming he was going to bring me inside the container. But just then, a car pulled out from behind the container.The windows were tinted so I couldn’t see who was driving.“Get in,” one of the men sa
Dillon’s POV “How about the Lighthouse Bar and Grill? I think that’s a pretty romantic spot. It overlooks the water?”I nodded. I’d called up my friend, Sam, the doctor who had seen Cassandra, to ask for restaurant recommendations. He was a real foodie so he knew all the best places in town. Plus, he also knew Cassandra so I figured he might have some insight into a great place to take her.“I’ve never been there but it has good reviews,” I told him.“Or, if you want to go super classy and high-end, there’s always ‘Le Fromage’. How does Cassandra feel about French food?”I smiled to myself, remembering a night together recently when I made her French onion soup. She’d told me she loved it. Apparently, the cuisine was one of the reasons she liked going to Paris.“She’d really like that,” I told him. “Sold!”I thanked him and then hung up, turning my attention to tracking down the number for Le Fromage so I could make a reservation.But then I paused. Was the restaurant good enough? I n
Cassandra’s POV “What’s the address?” Cam asked as I stared at my phone in utter disbelief. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. Who would kidnap Stella? And why?“You can’t come,” I said, looking up at him, my eyes wide with shock.“What do you mean I can’t come?” he asked.“The person on the phone said I have to go alone.”The instructions had been very clear.Ping.A text came through the assigned meeting place. I scanned it.“I can’t let you go alone,” Cameron told me. “It’s not safe. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”I shook my head. “Then what will you have me do? Stella’s life is on the line, Cam. You saw the texts. I have to follow their directions perfectly or they’ll kill Stella.”Cameron sighed deeply and began to pace. It was coming on rush hour and the street was becoming jam-packed with cars as people left their jobs for the day. I had to go now, otherwise I risked being stuck in traffic.“I’m sorry,” Cameron finally said. “But I’m coming with you.”“No,
Cassandra’s POV Kidnapped? Stella was kidnapped? Who would do this? Who would kidnap Stella?The world around me lilted and I felt dizzy. I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.It felt surreal.“Holy shit,” Cameron said, his eyes scanning the text. Then sighed, taking a step back from the text on my phone. He wrung his hands through his hair before he looked up at me. “Let me see that again,” he said. I thrusted the phone at him so he could get a closer look. “I’m calling the police,” he told me after he’d read the text. He whipped out his phone.“No,” I pushed his arm, sending his phone flying through the air. It landed with a crash on the cement. It didn’t break though, thanks to his protective case.He went over and picked it up.“What the hell, Cass?” Cameron asked.“Sorry,” I said. “But look. It says, ‘instructions to follow.” Sure enough, my phone pinged with another text message.“If you want to save your friend,” the text said. “You must come alone. If yo
Cassandra’s POV Dillon followed me around like a hawk for the next few days. He drove me into work every day and even personally escorted me to the elevator. He texted me every hour on the hour and at the end of the day, he was always waiting out front, leaning on his car. I didn’t mind though. I was actually pretty rattled by everything. Knowing that Ellie wasn’t in jail any more didn’t sit well with me.I laid awake at night, convinced that I heard someone outside the spare bedroom window at Dillon’s house. Of course, it was always just the wind, but still…I was constantly glancing over my shoulder, convinced that, at any moment, Ellie would appear and attack me. I was becoming paranoid and I hated it.Every night Jordyn phoned us but he couldn’t find hide nor hair of Ellie. It was like she’d just vanished into thin air. Jordyn had gone to her house and let himself in with his key. She wasn’t there though. Her toiletries were gone and her dresser drawers had been wide open. One o
Cassandra’s POV“I’m surprised,” Dillon said. “I thought for sure Jordyn had bailed Ellie out. But I guess I was wrong. He seems really…” Dillon’s voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.“Worried?” I offered.“Yeah. I mean, he actually told me to look after you. That says a lot. I guess he’s finally realizing how awful Ellie is.”“Awful and dangerous,” I said.“So I guess we wait?” Dillon replied.“I guess we do,” I agreed. We turned our show back on but neither of us had the capacity to watch it. We were both tense and anxious. Hopefully, Jordyn could track down Ellie. In the meantime, there really wasn’t anything we could do.Roughly fifteen minutes later, my phone rang.“It’s Jordyn,” I said, answering it.“Her phone’s been disconnected,” Jordyn said as soon as I answered.“What?” I asked, stunned.“I tried everything. Her phone, her social media accounts, everything. But she’s blocked me on all her social media. I have no way to contact her.”“Why would she do that?”
Cassandra’s POV What?!Ellie wasn’t in jail anymore? My stomach dropped. Knowing that Ellie was safely behind bars had been one of the only things bringing me comfort over the past week. Ellie was unhinged and there was no way of knowing what she’d do next. Surely, she was furious with me and looking to retaliate. But since she’d been in jail, I hadn’t been overly concerned. She was free now though?“Are you sure?” I asked.“Yes,” Dillon nodded. “Martin made a call to the jail to get some more details on her arrest and to see if she had any prior arrests. But the jail informed him that Ellie was released earlier this afternoon on bail.”“I didn’t even know she had her bail hearing,” I said quietly. “Who bailed her out?”Dillon shrugged. “Martin doesn’t know. It’s confidential information. But he’s trying to find out. Cassandra, I really think you should stay here tonight.”I agreed. With Ellie on the loose, I didn’t feel safe going back to my house alone. She already tried to kill me