We dash around the corner and rush through the doorway. Jayme takes aim and fires at the guard first. Headshot. The guy drops instantly. The phony nurse and doctor run to the otherside of a random parked truck to use as cover as they start returning fire. Meanwhile, I see Blackmore setting Cassie in the limousine's back seat.
"Theo!" I scream. "Let her go, or I’ll fucking kill you." I ignore Jayme's plan from earlier and make a B-line for Theo. He holds up his arm, and there’s a flash of silver, but I don’t react in time.
I’m knocked back with a powerful force I have never felt before. It feels like I got kicked in the shoulder by a mule. Stars dance across my vision as I land flat on my back. The wind is gone from my lungs and my chest and arm is feeling warm and wet. What the fuck happened.
"Go, go. Fucking drive, you idiot." I hear Theo scream as tires screech and echo throughout the parking garage. I can’t stand up.
"Lucian, fuck. Lucian. Stay with me.” “Elias, get Marco down here now. Shit. Blackmore shot him.” “No, he was hit in the shoulder, but he is losing a lot of blood." ... "No, the other three are dead; it is just Theo and the driver. Blackmore got away, though, with Cassie... Yes, I know what I need to do but I need to get him help first."
I think my earpiece flew out when I was hit. Shot? I was fucking shot. I open my eyes and try to sit up.
"Cassie. He took her."
Jayme pushes me back down. "Shh. Don’t move. You've been shot. Don’t worry, we will get her back. I have Elias tailing the limo now with a drone. We will know where they are going."
"Boss, we got a doctor."
"Fuck that’s a lot of blood." I hear Jace say as I fall unconscious. The fucking bastard shot me, and he took my woman.
54. Cassie
My head is still spinning. I crack open my eyes to see light filtering in through the curtains. I’m warm and snuggled in a comfy bed. I can smell coffee and pancakes being made. Am I home? Reality suddenly hits me when I go to stretch and realize I am shackled to the headboard. I don’t seem to have any more damage done to me, though, so that is good. I glance around the room, trying to make sense of where I am. There’s someone else in the bed. They were so still and wrapped under the comforter I didn’t notice at first. It’s a blonde woman. I gently nudge their shoulder.
"Hey." Nothing. "Excuse me." No movement.
I put my hand on her shoulder and pull. I instantly regret my decision. She rolls onto her back, and a foul smell invades my nose. I almost threw up from the shock of who it was. It’s Allie. Dead. Her eyes are lifeless and clouded over. Her face is beaten so much she is almost unrecognizable. Blood is smeared everywhere on her. There’s bruising all over her neck and collarbone. I’m pretty sure her neck is broken. Her skin is cold and gray. I’m covering my mouth to try to control not only my sobs but also the vomit that threatens to come up. Fuck Allie, what happened.
A hand wraps around my throat, and I scream.
"Shush, little one. It’s only me." I can’t control my sobs anymore. "Aww, don’t cry. She was nothing. She came over Monday after you left, demanding I leave you for her. Said she would be more to me than you ever could. So I agreed to leaveyou for her.” He pauses, wiping tears from my eyes. He grips my jaw and makes me look at her.
"Of course, I lied, told her I was breaking it off with you, that I was all hers. It was great. We were fooling around, trying new things, then things got a little out of hand. You see, she wanted to play rough. Said she had been looking into harder impact play and wanted to try it out." He laughs. "I was thrilled to oblige. But as you can see, she didn’t last very long. It wasn’t much fun when she didn't fight back. Broke too damn easily. Not you, though, Cassandra. You are a fighter. I can keep playing with you over and over again." I want to throw up.
Her dead eyes are staring at me. Poor Allie. I should have tried to warn her before the auction about him getting violent.
"What do you say, Cassandra? Up for some fun?" He asks. He is tightening his grip on my throat.
I shake my head no. That was probably the wrong answer, but my body reacted before I could think.
"Already forgetting the terms of our deal?” He asks. “I know I didn’t give you all three days, but I didn’t want to risk you trying to run. Plus, I was getting bored watching you through the cameras I had put in your room.” He laughs.
I can’t speak through my sobs. The smell of Allie’s rotting corpse is causing me to gag. He leans in and tries to kiss me, which causes my stomach to evacuate all the bile inside it. I still haven’t eaten really since Saturday, but I still send stomach bile spewing out all over his pants and shirt. He backhands me, and I swear I feel my jaw crack a bit more. He gets up and storms out of the room, locking the door behind him.
All the air rushes from my lungs. It’s over now. There’s no way Lucian can get to me. I don’t even know what day it is. How the hell was he even able to take me? Is everyone in this city under his control? He said he had cameras in my hospital room, so even the hospital staff can’t be trusted. Ok, Cassie, justbreathe. Look for something to defend yourself with. I glance around to see what’s within my arms grasp, but my left hand is shackled to the headboard, so I have less than a foot of movement. I’m still dizzy from whatever they used to knock me out, and the smell of her rotting corpse is going to make me throw up again. I try my best to put the comforter over her so I can’t see her anymore. Those eyes. Staring into my soul. Blaming me for her demise. I blame me, too.
I keep looking through the room. There is absolutely nothing I can use. The door unlocks, and Theo comes walking in.
"I have a surprise for you." He says sweetly. “It’s the collar and a leash from the other night. You can wear this around the house, so you don’t try to run away." He slips the collar around my throat, barely leaving room for me to breathe. Then he attaches the leash. "Good girl." I want to be sick. He releases the handcuff and pulls me by the collar out of the bed. My body screams in pain from the sudden movement.
"Let’s go, breakfast is getting cold." He yanks the leash again, causing the leather to bite into my flesh. He is pulling me along like a dog toward the kitchen.
"I’m not hungry," I say as he sits me down at the table.
"Well, that’s too damn bad, isn’t it. You have hardly eaten in a week. You are getting too skinny, losing your curves."
"Yeah, trauma from abuse will do that to you." He backhands me across the mouth. Splitting my lip open in a different spot.
"You ungrateful bitch. All I have done for you, and you still want to fight me. Fucking eat Cassandra, or I swear to God I will hold open your mouth, and I will shove it down your throat myself." Nope, I don’t want that. I force a bite down. It feels like cement sliding down into my stomach. But this is better than the other choice.
