The brown door to the room opens with a creak and I lift my head to see Cason walk into the room. At first, I’m happy to see him, and then all at once, last night comes back to me.
Parking the scooter in front of the bakery, I twirl my keys around my finger. I don’t think Sacha would hurt me, my father would cause too many problems for him if he did. Voices meet my ears and I frown. It sounds like more than just him. But I only saw him on the security feed when I checked it a few moments ago.
I swallow hard as I use the wall to peek around the corner and peer down the alley. I don’t want whoever they are to know I’m here until I know what’s going on.
My eyes widen as I spot Cason, his voice now recognizable to my ears. What’s he doing here? At this time of night, with Sacha of all people? I’ve always gotten the feeling that they don’t like each other. I assumed it was because Sacha could tell my father if Cason was flirting with me. I’m sure Sacha was told of the promise my great grandfather made with the Bancrofts. Now, I’m not so sure.
My eyes widen as I notice the gun in Cason’s hand that he’s pointing at Sacha’s head. What the hell is he doing with that? What is he thinking?
Cason’s voice meets my ears. “Undercover cop with a taste for crime. Did you do it so you could get away with doing drugs and other things? If you’re undercover it’s okay, right? Or did you start out wanting to do some good in the world and then you joined Vice?”
Sacha is an undercover cop? Why would he get a job working for my father? He’s not a criminal.
“If you know I’m a cop, you know you can’t kill me, there will be a whole force looking for you. My death won’t go unnoticed. Kotov needs to be taken down. He has too much power.”
What is he talking about? Power?
“So you got a position guarding his daughter who knows nothing of what her father really does? You sick fuck!” His voice echoes off the brick.
I grip at the wall, leaning into it. My head swarms. What does my father really do? It has to be something bad if the cops are interested in him. My heart hammers. I should’ve stayed home.
Sacha laughs. “Like you’re any better, if he saw the way you look at his daughter, you would be dead, too.”
“No one is going to know you’re dead. I’m that good.”
I don’t even have time to comprehend his words as the gun fires, making an odd noise in the alley before Sacha collapses back against the wall and slides down it. I can’t help it as a gasp leaves my mouth and I step closer to him. What did he just do? Why were they talking about me and my father? He just killed a cop. He’s dead, he has to be.
Cason’s brown eyes turn on me. “Josie.” My name leaves him like a gasp.
I’m frozen. I need to move. I just saw him kill someone. This isn’t the Cason I know. I don’t know what’s happened to him, but I do know one thing, he’s dangerous.
He moves to put his gun away and holds up his hands as he steps in my line of sight of Sacha’s body. “This isn’t what this looks like.”
Bullshit it isn’t. I just watched him shoot a man?who said he was a cop?in cold blood. I make a run for my scooter, fumbling with my keys as I do so. Why do I have to have so many damn keys? I can’t seem to get a grip on any of them.
The memories end there, but obviously, I didn’t get away.
His nose looks swollen, good. I hope I did that to him. I can’t believe I ever trusted him, fell in love with him. I was so stupid. He’s a killer, he probably had me next on his list. I should’ve gone with Ensley to the club the other night and met some guy. That would’ve been the smarter move. Maybe I would’ve been with him and this would’ve never happened. I had no idea Cason was crazy, he never showed any signs, but maybe psychopaths don’t.
Slowly, he walks over to me with his hands raised. “Easy, I’m not going to hurt you. The binds are just to make sure you don’t run, so we can talk.
I glare at him and try to say something, but the tape over my mouth won’t let me.
Cason stops at the head of the bed. “No one can hear you if you scream. We’re in the middle of the woods outside of New York. There’s not a person for miles.” He leans over and rips the tape from my mouth. I let out a yelp as it stings.
He winces and raises his hand up to rub at my stinging skin with his thumb. Before last night I would’ve loved this moment, wanting more, but now I don’t want him to touch me. I flinch away as much as I can from him.
With a heavy sigh, he lets his hand drop before he reaches behind him and pulls over a wooden chair. He moves it in front of him and straddles it. “I’m sorry, Joie, I really am. I don’t want to be doing any of this, but until I know you’re not a risk to my family’s business this is how it has to be. I wish there could be another way.”
Tears brim my eyes as I mourn the loss of the man I loved. His body might be in front of me, sounding and smelling like him, but he’s not my Cason. He’s not the man I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember. “You’re a killer,” I choke out. Hot tears slide down the side of my face and into my left ear, tickling it. “A killer, Cason! Why?”
He runs a hand over his face and then winces as he hits his swollen nose. “That’s a long story, Joie, one I’m not certain you’re ready to hear.”
“He was a cop, Cason! I heard him tell you that. You killed a cop!”
A growl moves up his throat. “A corrupt one, Josie! He was a corrupt cop. He was trying to hurt your father, would you rather he do that?”
I frown. “My father? What are you talking about? Why would a cop want to hurt him?”
