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“I think you should see this.”
He places the folder on the coffee table and pushes it over to me. Unsure of what I’ll find there, I pick it up and on an exhale, I open it. Words, letters, and lines blur in the senseless puzzle as I try to absorb the information presented to me. My chest expands, trying to draw in oxygen as the smell of ink drifts to my nose, permeating my senses like a toxin.
Unable to voice my question out loud, I lift my eyes to look at him, begging him to explain.
“This is a report of your car crash analysis. It was buried by Darren almost instantly as it resurfaced.”
“But I saw the report, Mark. It said it was an accident and this one says a car rammed into us from behind, pushing us off the road until we collided with the bus.”
He nods, lowering his gaze to the floor and then fixing it to the folder, shaking in my arms like a leaf on a tree.
“Why would they hide this?”
“I don’t know for sure. Perhaps because they didn’t want anyone to know who the culprits are, or they had a secret agenda that didn’t involve the justice system.”
My mind runs a mile a minute as my conversation at the coffee shop with Helen pops out. Could it be that Belington is the culprit and that’s why they buried this forensic analysis? She warned me about the people he’s involved with and what dangers are lurking around the corner. But she never mentioned that her fear for my safety or even Mark’s is connected to what happened that night.
“Do you know who did this to us?”
He looks away, straightening the sleeves of his shirt, his posture full of tension as if telling me the truth’s killing something inside of him.
“I only have suspicions, nothing solid.” He sounds so grave it chills me to the bone.
“Tell me,” I demand, already regretting my words, slipping so easy from my lips.
The tormenting silence presses against my temples as he hesitates. I surge to my feet, unable to catch my breath.
“I’m sorry, Cassandra.” He finally looks at me. “Lester worked with the Cades at the time, juggling huge capitals. And then Logan leaves everything and moves to the UK. There are too many coincidences to believe he wasn’t involved. And you know just like I do, he’s capable of horrific things.”
“No,” I whisper to myself, refusing to accept any of this. “This can’t be true.”
“Perhaps Logan wasn’t the only one who wanted to end it. Perhaps Lester felt threatened by what the Cades could do, and that’s why he killed Logan to shut them up.”
“Mark, stop it, enough.” I press my back to the wall, trying to get away from the afflicting thoughts tormenting me.
“Think about it, their son suddenly leaves the States, and just as he exchanges vows with the woman he loves, he dies. It looks to me like a message such a monster as Lester would send.”
Salty tears burst from my eyelids in rivulets, burning my skin. Mark’s hands draw me in his warm embrace, letting me weep.
“I won’t let him hurt you, Lovebird.” He kisses my head, holding my trembling form as if shielding me from the world. And when distress leaves my body, I cave in and tell him what I was keeping from him.
“He was in Istanbul, Mark. I saw him there. He probably saw us together,” I blubber. “He’s planning something huge. Something that will hurt us both.”
“You’re sure it was him?”
A faraway thought flickers into my mind, but I’m too weak to grasp it or make sense of it. “Yeah, I am. Mark?” I lift my head to look at him. “He called me too.” And I tell him everything, afraid this is bigger than we thought it was. If he killed Logan, what is he going to do to us?
“We must be ready for anything,” he whispers into my ear as he rocks me. “Promise me you’ll stay safe?”
“I promise.”
29
Captive
~Cassandra~
After what Mark revealed, I couldn’t stay at work. My mind was way too tattered, and shock still had me in its claws. Robert kicked me out and told me to rest since I was in no way, shape, or form to work. Mark decided to do some research and see what he could find out about the partnership between Lester and Darren. I left him to it. Instead, I spent the rest of the day with my kids, playing, doing school projects, and reading books.
