Page 20 of Finding English

“Fuck, English, that’s awful. Let me wake Jack and Zack and see if we can pull some support for you between the two teams. Call you in a few.”

Will hung up, and Henry hoped like hell Will could send someone. He could work this with Dax and Cruz, but that would involve him on the outside as a civilian, and he had no intention of being that. Cassie and Michaela were his to protect, and he wouldn’t sit on the sidelines while others worked the case.

Walking out of his father’s study, he met Cassie coming down the stairs. He moved closer to her, reaching for her hand as she landed on the last step. Her skin was cold against his, and he rubbed his thumb over the surface to warm her.

“How are you doing?” It was a stupid question, but one he had to ask, needing in his bones to hear her say she was okay. Selfish perhaps but nevertheless he wanted the words from her.

Cassie wrapped her arm around her middle, dropping her gaze from him for a moment before looking up through eyelashes damp with tears. “Why now?”

Henry touched his hand to her neck and sighed at not having the answers she needed. “I don’t know, sweetheart, but I promise you we’ll find him and end it this time.”

“I hope so because I can’t live this way, and the thought of Michaela living with that danger makes me physically sick. If he got to her…” Cassie’s voice wobbled as she let the sentence fade, not able to voice the horrific thought.

“Hey, we won’t let that happen. We’re going to find him, Cass, and when we do, this ends.”

Cassie nodded and drew herself up to her full height as if pulling strength from an invisible reservoir.

The sound of a car on the drive had Cassie tensing against him.

“It’s Calder and Dax. They sent a text to say they were on their way.”

“I’m embarrassed for not telling them. I brought this to their door.”

“Cassie, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re so fucking extraordinary for building what you have out of the horror inflicted on you and your family. You didn’t bring this, he did and only him.”

“Will I need to go through it again? Explain what happened?”

“I’m afraid so.” Henry could hear the boots on the steps outside but remained focused on Cassie. “We need to make sure we don’t miss anything so will cross-reference everything with your statements from back then.”

“Okay.”

Henry kissed her temple, trying to imbue every ounce of feeling into it, offering her his strength to use as her own. He held tight to her hand as he checked the door, and satisfied it was Calder and Dax, opened it.

Calder quickly stepped forward and hugged Cassie, and Henry heard her whispered breath of relief as he did. He hated that she took this on as her own when it was nothing of the sort.

“You could’ve told us. It would’ve made no difference to how much we all care about you. Hope wanted to come, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

“Thank you. I’ll call Hope in the morning, and Mack.”

Cassie took the same hug from Dax, and Henry caught both men’s facial expressions and knew they were furious that someone they considered a friend was the victim of such a crime.

“Let’s go through to the kitchen, and we can explain it all once and then Cass can try and get some shut eye with Michaela.”

Henry put a possessive arm around Cassie that had Calder and Dax smiling with approval. Henry hadn’t done it for that reason, but it was good to know he had their backing.

His mother made tea and coffee for everyone and Henry sat close to Cassie as she waited, her skin washed out with the fear and fatigue that were dragging her low. He wanted to be close so he could give her whatever support she needed.

The doorbell went and Cruz arrived, his FBI windbreaker showing he was here in his capacity as an agent. Once he was settled, he placed a recorder down and asked Cassie to tell him everything that had happened from the beginning of the evening. Cassie knew Cruz from the bar, and it helped her relax slightly.

Cassie recounted everything from the minute she’d dropped Michaela off with TJ and Milena, to coming home and getting ready for their date. Henry gave a few details here and there about that but mostly left it to Cassie. Once she’d given her account which had involved more detail than Henry had thought she’d picked up, Cruz asked about Bunce.

“Have you had any threats or contact of any kind with Bunce since the night of your parents’ deaths?”

Cassie shook her head slowly. “No, nothing. That night he left me when he heard the police at the door and ran out the back through the garden. I was tied up but I would’ve been useless even if I weren’t, he’d broken both my arms and legs.”

“Can you tell us what you remember from that night?” Cruz requested softly, obviously hating that he had to make her do this from the tension around his eyes.

Henry closed his eyes as he sat beside her, his arm around her waist, and listened to her recount the horrors she’d not only witnessed but endured. A murderous rage pounded through his blood as she spoke.