AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I scramble to my feet and dress quickly before running out of the property and onto the road.
I have to find my wife.
45
Morgana
My phone vanishes from my hand, and for an insane moment, I think it's Vlad playing a prank on me. Before I can turn around, an arm wraps my shoulders tightly, and I understand I'm in trouble.
I pedal my feet, trying to find the ground, but it's useless. I'm being dragged back along the path toward the beach, and my assailant is far stronger than me.
"Let go!" I cry, elbowing the man in the gut. Something glints in my eye line, and the flat of a blade chills the skin of my neck.
"You are such a whore," a voice hisses. "Look at these bruises. You had the nerve to go whining to the cops when I hurt you, but you'll let some Cossack prick do the same and pretend to love it just because he's rich?"
I'm going crazy.This can't be happening.
Cassius Jackson is back from the dead.
"Jack? Stop." I force myself to stay still, my pulse throbbing against the firmness of the metal at my throat. His other arm is hooked around me, pinning my body to his. "Don't do this. You don't have to hurt me."
"You sound just like you always did, Morgana. Begging, whining. It never worked, did it? This is your problem. Youneverfucking learn."
How is he alive? I have his signet ring. David saw his body, and Sasha cleaned up the mess. What the hell is going on?
"Why did you come back?"
"Because you and your husband ruined my life." He's walking me fast in front of him, the knife cutting tiny slivers of pain into my tender throat. "I told you so many times. I deserve tobesomebody. And I was right on track until I was sent to find a murderer. You turned out to be his fucking wife, and as soon as you recognized me, I knew I was screwed." He kicks me hard in the shin, and I almost buckle to the ground, but he hauls me up again. "But I'm here now, aren't I? Because I'mstrong."
Ah. This is familiar.
Cassius's biggest fear is that he's weak. His father said he was a pussy, a piece of shit, feeble, puny. Cassius would recount this when he was drunk and melancholy, but I always knew where it was headed. Eventually, he would realize he'd said too much, feel stupid for revealing his messed-up inner landscape, and beat me to a pulp as punishment for 'making him feel bad.'
I told Vlad all about it. Weirdly, he said he could relate to it as his father had been much the same. But Vlad had his Mama, and her love cut through all that. Who could Cassius have been if he'd been shown some kindness as a kid? Even after his father left, his mother was a bitter, vicious woman who projected all her shortcomings onto her son. By the time he grew up and turned his fists on her, he had known nothing but rejection.
When I first got to know Cassius, my heart wept for his pain. When Vlad forced himself into my life, I thought I was making the same mistake. Thank God I found the courage to look beyond the surface despite my fear.
"Youarestrong," I say, my voice strained as I try not to flex my throat. "You've been through a lot and are a victim of circumstance here. Don't make it worse for yourself."
Cassius snorts a laugh. "You know what? I was gonna kill you and your idiot husband, but I think I might take you back to Chicago with me. I already beat that pea-brained Kislev girl to a pulp, and I could go back any time for her or your little slut friend. So you'd have an incentive to behave for me."
Tears pour down my cheeks. "You bastard. Did you make Lilyana tell you where we were?"
"I didn't need to. She's brave or dumb, but she wouldn't give you up, no matter how many backhands I gave her. Remember those, Morgana? But she had her phone, with a nice shiny notification on the lock screen from you. She was out cold, so I unlocked her screen with one of her broken fingers and saw the picture you sent." I hear the mirth in his voice. "It was a pleasant drive down here, and I soon found the place. People were real helpful when I asked."
"We were told you were dead," I say. "How can that be?"
"Vladimir's uncle David was all set to betray him, but he changed his mind. I was gonna run with the money, but I couldn't bear to let you get away with fucking me over. With the whole city looking for me, it was safest to stay near the Kislev house—the last place anyone would look. I took an apartment nearby and kept watch, and when I saw Lilyana go out alone, I knew that was my chance."
"You didn't have the balls to take on any of the men, did you?"
Cassius's arm around my neck grows tighter. "Fuck yourself, you cunt. I'm here now, aren't I? And where is he, huh? Your hero isnowhere. I could slit your throat and leave you to bleed out right here, and he'd never know it was me. But that'd be too easy. I needhimtoo."
I see the house ahead, but the lights are off even though it's now dark. Vlad must be out looking for me. I wonder if he knows about Lili, and the thought of her sets me off crying again. What if she's dead?
As we approach, I see Vlad's car is gone. Cassius shoves me up the steps and smashes the glass panel in the door with the knife handle. He reaches through and unlocks the door.
"Keep your mouth shut," he says. He takes my phone from his pocket. "Let's give loverboy a call."
