Ian leaned toward him. “I don’t expect anything different from you. I promise I will never hurt her. Even if she never looks at me again, I vow to keep her safe.”
Caleb moved between them. “Chris, you saw the email. That prick Wilds…you heard Mom. This isn’t about LC.” Caleb handed the phone to Ian. “Cassie emailed me before the attack. She told me about your date. She has some issues.”
Ian stopped him. “We all have issues. Caleb, I’m not going anywhere. Cassie and I will decide if there is anything to figure out when she’s healthy. Right now, we’re all on the same side—we want her safe. Just so you know, there’s no bug in here.” The five men laughed with him.
Ian’s expression turned dark. “I have reason to believe Ames’s attack, the sponge, the infection, and the potassium are all connected. It’s about something she knows—even if she’s not aware of the importance. I also think this is a separate issue from what happened relating to Wilds at work. What more do any of you know about this assignment and Wilds?” Ian decided not to share all his intel on the matter.
“I wish I could say we knew more. The letter was the first time any of us heard about it. That bastard, if Cassie needed to draw her weapon, he was a major threat.” Caleb frowned.
Ian buried his fist inside his pants pocket. “What did she mean about the scars?”
“She has scars from the surgery after the helicopter crash,” Noah said with practiced ease. “To see those scars, he would have had to open her pants.”
“Soiled goods?” Ian asked.
The five shrugged in unison. He opened his tablet to share four pictures from the break-in: the bed, the mirror, the card, and the tiny blue cap. “What happened to her six years ago?”
Christian silenced his brothers with a fierce look. Rather than deny the truth, he dumped it back in Ian’s lap. “It’s her story to tell. We promised her. Andy Blake is aware of the situation and will make the connection if there is one.”
Ian buried his temper. “She can’t answer. Keeping this secret may cost Cassie her life. If you won't talk to me, give Blake a call. Give him permission to speak to me.”
He turned his mental focus to his Cassie.Yes, she is mine.
Chapter Twenty-One
On Saturday night, ten days after she was stabbed, the PAs convinced Cassie’s family to leave the hospital to sleep in their own beds. Ian promised he would call if anything even looked like it was changing. He wanted everyone to be rested when they were ready to move her.
Ian could not follow the PA’s advice. He refused to let anyone relieve him; his primitive desire to protect her prevented it. He knew the FBI, and the people wanting her dead were watching. To protect her, the plan had to go off without a hitch.
Jamie and Eric waited for the family to leave around eight-thirty before they set up to change her dressings. “Ian, you need to step out for this. It’s for her privacy.” Jamie wore an isolation mask, a gown, and gloves. He began to remove the dressings on her chest.
“We’ll compromise.” Ian stood in the doorway with his back toward the bed.
While they were working, alarms went off. Cassie arched against the tube in her throat. Ian moved to her side in seconds, covering her clawing hands with his. He lifted the sheet and wrapped his arms around her to still her struggle.
“Cassie, it’s Ian Chase. I have you.” She was too weak to pull away. “Sweetheart, you’re safe.”
* * *
Cassie’s heavy eyelids fluttered open. She thrashed, lost in her own darkness.Daddy, please, I don’t want to leave you. Don’t make me go.Her hollow eyes were filled with terror.
“Cassie, you’re in the hospital. You’re safe,” Eric said.
Cassie’s hallucinations continued.Please. I won’t tell. How can you do this to me?Her struggles grew weaker.
“Cassie, you are in University Hospital.” Jamie tried to reorient her, but she kept fighting.
Ian hugged her fevered body against his. “Sweet Cassie, no one is going to hurt you ever again.”
* * *
The sedative Jamie injected into her IV began to settle her down.Cassiopeia is dead... The baby is gone... They killed us.Her inner voices faded away with the medication.
* * *
The medication acted fast. Eric and Jamie settled her back in the bed, finished changing her dressings, and rechecked every tube. Cassie remained quiet, and her vital signs settled down. The three sipped some much-needed coffee.
When she struggled, Ian saw the exposed angry red surgical incisions and white half-moon scars on her shoulders, breasts, and upper back. “What happened?” Ian asked.
