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How many times has he been in a car with someone, and they didn’t make it back home?
How was he even able to read my messages? I had a password on my phone.
“Tell me this.” My voice is fierce despite the tremble in my hands. “How did you get into my phone? How did you read my messages? That shouldn’t be possible.”
Cassius’s ice-blue eyes flicker toward me for a brief moment before returning to the road. He doesn’t say a word, leaving my question hanging in the air like a thick fog. The silence is deafening, and it only serves to heighten my uncertainty. Just how powerful is this man?
“Answer me!” I snap, anger overtaking my fear. “What kind of resources do you have at your disposal that you could tap into my personal life so easily?”
Still, Cassius remains silent, his jaw set and his gaze unwavering from the road ahead. His refusal to answer only adds to the tension building within the small confines of the car. It feels like we’re trapped in a pressure cooker, and I can’t help but worry about what will happen when it finally bursts.
I study his face, searching for any hint of emotion or vulnerability, anything that might give me some insight into what he’s thinking. But all I find are those impossibly cold blue eyes, as unreadable as ever.
I’ve never been so frightened in my life…not even when I was caught by Nikhil all those years ago.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask quietly, my voice laced with desperation. “Please, Cassius. Tell me something.”
For a moment, I think he might actually respond. There’s a subtle shift in his expression, like he’s considering answering my plea. But then, just as quickly, the wall comes back up, and I’m left to wonder what’s going on behind those icy blue eyes.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. If I’m going to get through this, I need to keep my wits about me. Panicking won’t help my situation—only clear thinking and determination will see me through.
I need a new plan—I’ll wait until he stops, and the second my door is opened I’ll run like crazy.
The car slows to a stop, and the sudden silence is jarring. We’ve arrived at a deserted boat ramp, the fading sunlight casting eerie shadows along the water’s edge. Seagulls cry out in the distance, their calls echoing through the otherwise quiet evening. My heart pounds violently against my rib cage as I take in our surroundings—secluded, isolated, and utterly terrifying.
He could do anything to me here, and nobody would be the wiser.
He’s going to kill me.
“Please, Cassius,” I beg, my voice trembling with fear. “You don’t have to do this. There must be another way.”
His eyes remain fixed on the watery horizon, as if he hasn’t heard me at all. But I know better than to think he isn’t listening. I can see the tension in his jaw, the subtle clenching of his fists. He’s very much aware of my pleas, but whether they’ll have any impact remains to be seen.
“Franny and Gina are my daughters, and if you kill me, they won’t have a mother. Is that what you want?”
“Daughters?” The word slips from his lips, and I can’t quite decipher the emotion behind it. Surprise? Disgust? Pity? It’s impossible to say.
“They need me.” Now, the tears are flowing down my face like a river. There’s nothing prideful about me right now, and I don’t care. The only thing I care about is seeing my daughters again.
If they don’t have me, then who will they have?
“How old are they?”
It’s clear why he wants the answer.
“Two.”
“Interesting,” he whispers, finally turning to face me. “You kept them a secret.”
“Please,” I whisper, my hands shaking as I clutch them together in my lap. “I’m begging you, Cassius. Have mercy.”
“Mercy,” he repeats, his voice low and dangerous. “Such an interesting concept, isn’t it? Tell me, Annalise, would we have ever known that we had daughters if I didn’t read that message?”
I don’t say anything. How can I?
“No, of course not.” He snorts, shaking his head. “You just wanted to show up, get some quick cash and go, right?”
“It was a good opportunity, and I…”
