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CHAPTER6
Cassie
The Wild Boys.
How many weeks turning into months had I attempted to find everything I could about them? I’d scoured the internet, making a trip to St. Louis, where the very special university was located. What I’d learned had been invaluable, albeit inconclusive. I’d been required to rely on my memory of the limited stories I’d been told, a little secret that I’d been allowed to participate in. The high dollar establishment was meant for the richest of the rich, kids from the most influential families in the United States. The strange but intensive curriculum offered wasn’t open to the public, but I’d asked around during my tour of the city housing the grandiose facility, and I’d learned enough.
I’d gotten just close enough to the facility that some giant asshole had followed me back to the hotel, obviously trying to scare me to death. At least what little I’d learned had strengthened the stories told to me when I was just a kid.
The girls and boys sent there were trained to rule the world.
I’d been forced to accept the public school system, fighting my way through bullies and kids who had no desire to be in school in the first place. The violence I’d seen during my high school years had taught me that no one’s life was any more valuable than anyone else’s. Even with my father’s position and obvious power, he hadn’t used it to encourage or help in my educational endeavor. With the horrible relationship he had with my mother, he’d stopped caring about me at all.
But I would never forget his ideals or beliefs.
He’d acted as if all criminals should be tormented before tossed away, refusing to believe they could reform.
That’s what he’d said about Garrison only hours before the scrawny kid with a heart of gold had been shoved into a prison van, driven out of state to serve time for the horrible crime my father had insisted he’d committed. That had been before he’d been elected the great senator of New York.
A vision of Garrison’s laughing face formed in my mind. It had been the last time I’d seen him, other than the single visit I’d made to the prison he’d been incarcerated in, a horrible place that reeked of death and decay. I’d never forgotten the single experience, and how Garrison had forced me to promise I’d never return.
And I hadn’t.
I’d thought he’d be released, that we could return to our friendship, but the monsters inside the prison had finally killed him, cutting him to shreds. My mother had shunned him for years, refusing to accept she’d had any relationship with him. Then I’d been born.
I continued shivering as I sat inside the running car, praying to God I was right about hunting down the last man responsible for Garrison’s death. I’d known better than to try to find a way to invade the swanky political event. Security was tight, every guest on a list that had been determined months before. But I knew everything about the event, from who’d been invited to the security surrounding the senator.
Daniel Norwood had been requested specifically, the Maryland senator requesting his help personally. I also knew where Daniel lived, which meant he’d drive by the quiet street on his way home. I huddled in my coat, trying to calm my nerves. I’d heard nothing about the other two men I’d… I’d shut down, which meant no one had wanted to inform the police, or something had gone terribly wrong. I couldn’t risk being seen in public again.
“You can do this,” I whispered hoarsely, my hands numb from being clenched around the steering wheel. A full hour had gone by. At least where I’d parked the car, letting air out of the tire was in a location where only two cars had passed by. No, they’d whizzed by, refusing to pay any attention to the immobilized vehicle on the side of the road.
So much for chivalry.
I almost laughed at the thought, grabbing my bottle of water, my mouth so parched my throat was almost closed. I could get through this. I could finish what I’d started. Then I’d slip into the darkness, doing everything I could to pretend that I’d never entered into a pact of blood and carnage.
After staring into the rearview mirror, I groaned. Maybe Daniel was required to stay all night. I hadn’t planned for that. While I knew how to change a tire, I wasn’t in the mood to admit defeat.
Another five minutes passed.
Then five minutes more.
When I was about to give up, I noticed headlights in the distance. I was placing all my cards on the table with this, but at this point, I had nothing to lose.
I twisted the cap on the water bottle, shoving it into the cup holder, then eased into the darkness and cold, hunkering down in front of the flat tire. Please let this be Daniel. What if he didn’t stop? What if he didn’t care about a damsel in distress?
My nerves remained on edge, my heart skipping several beats. When I realized the car heading in my direction was slowing, only then did I rise to a standing position, hugging my arms. It was far too dark to determine anything about the approaching vehicle until the driver pulled in behind my car. My mama would kill me if she knew I was standing on a darkened street in the middle of the night. At least I was armed in case the person stopping was a random serial killer.
I held my breath. Then I noticed the license plate. While almost everything about Daniel was kept secret, I knew my way around computers. Weeks before I’d hacked into the CIA’s website for a few minutes without being detected. That’s where I’d found what I’d needed in order to try to perform such an egregious act.
I leaned against the car, trying to look as helpless as possible. The ring had been my best option, nothing that even a renowned CIA agent would have suspected. The new one was entirely different than the one I’d tossed, although it wouldn’t matter since I wasn’t planning on seeing anyone else. I tried to concentrate on the task at hand, taking his life as he and the others had allowed Garrison’s to be taken.
The headlights illuminated the large man as he approached, but I couldn’t make out his features given the glare. Only when he was within a few feet away did his features come into view.
“It looks like you need some help.” His deep baritone sent a skittering of sensations roaring through me just like being close to the others had.
I took a deep breath then plastered on the fake smile I’d perfected. With my raven-colored wig and big, fluffy coat, I felt unrecognizable. I wasn’t certain why I’d bothered with all the disguises. The three men had no idea who I was and had never bothered to give a shit about my loss. They’d moved on with their lives, not even attending Garrison’s funeral.
“I don’t know what happened. Maybe I ran over a nail or something.” I used my seductive voice, although I laughed and eased my hand through my hair. I certainly didn’t want him to become suspicious. I inched closer, biting my lower lip. He studied me carefully, looking from one side of the street to the other. I had a feeling he didn’t believe me.
