“Nicholas! Nico! If you walk out that door, you are fired, do you hear me?”
I pause for a moment, looking back to him as I level him with a steady glare.
“I will make your life fucking hell. Go ahead, I dare you.”
With that, I step out of the conference room before I take off running to the elevator, Cassi’s text playing on a loop in my mind.
Cassi: I had coffee with Carly and she collapsed. Nico…I think she’s dead.
I raced to the hospital as fast as I could. When I got there, I found Cassi speaking with a few police officers. Jogging up to her, I step in between her and the officers as I cup her face.
“Babygirl, what happened?”
She looks up at me with red rimmed eyes as she shakes her head.
“I-I don’t know. One moment, Carly and I were talking and then she just…dropped. She clutched her chest and passed out. The doctors haven’t told me anything yet. I…I don’t know what happened to her, Nico. I don?—”
Cassi devolves into a fit of sobs as she curls into my arms.
“Sir, what’s your name?” one of the officers says.
“Nico Sanders,” I respond.
One nods before pausing. “I know that name.”
Fuck. I know this is going to look awful.
“I currently have some restraining orders in place…one of them being against Carly.”
Cassi turns to look at me in surprise. I didn’t tell her I filed a restraining order against Carly and Alec. I also haven’t told her I filed them for her too. A little forged signature in the name of keeping her safe? I feel no regrets.
Both of the officers share a look before their eyes move to me.
“And now she’s in the hospital, and you’re sitting here comforting your ex’s sister?”
Yep. I knew as soon as I said anything that they’d be looking at me like that. Before I can respond, a doctor comes into the waiting area and sees Cassi. He heads straight for her and a wave of nausea overtakes me when I see the look on his face.
Cassi tightens in my arms as she slowly pulls away, like she’s trying to be brave and face what I know he’s about to say. She knows it too, I’m just not sure she’s fully ready to hear it.
“Family of Carly Fischer?” he verifies.
She nods before taking my hand into hers, squeezing tightly.
“How is she? What happened?”
I feel the officers behind us creep forward slightly to listen in.
The doctor keeps a straight face but there is a hollowed tone to his words as he speaks.
“She came in with what appeared to be sudden cardiac arrest. Despite multiple attempts at resuscitation, we were not able to revive her. She died at eleven thirty five. I am so sorry for your loss.”
I expect Cassi to sob. To breakdown and fall apart. Instead, she turns to stone. Unmoving, no reaction, no words. She just…stares. The doctor seems to shift on his feet like he’s unsure how to move forward when a police officer steps forward and intervenes.
“Were the drugs found on her person the cause? Was it an overdose or something more?”
“We can’t say for certain just yet. The lab is still testing thesubstance and we will inform you of what we find as soon as possible.”
His eyes move to Cassi’s once more.
