I trembled, especially when the strap of my dress slipped off my shoulder.
He let go and brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. “I’ll ask you again.” Cassius lifted the strap back up my arm. “Where’s your dad?”
His touch lingered on my upper arm and sent a shiver that traversed into my fingers. This man was molten lava and arctic ice mingled in a dangerous formula.
His beautiful face was a lie. A trick of nature to make a person believe his decency. But forced into being this close to him, I saw the devil in Cassius.
“We found his office,” barked one of his men.
Cassius looked thoughtful as though mulling over a decision. “Show me.”
Steadying my gait, I regained my balance.
Cassius led the way toward the back of the house. “Bring her.”
His men shuffled me behind him into Stephen’s office.
A swivel chair sat crooked behind the desk. The room was filled with items that made our family look normal. Or maybe these men would see through this ruse, too.
Our parents didn’t hide their enjoyment of the finer things like the lavish vacations they’d taken in far-off destinations. A trip to Egypt where they’d posed before a pyramid. In another framed image, a shot of our family in Hawaii on a boat—all of us smiling as though happy to be there. Then there was one of Dad golfing with friends. Friends we had never met.
One of the frames was lifted off a shelf and examined more closely by Cassius —the one taken of Mom and Dad at a party. They looked like a couple without a care in the world.
Cassius threw it onto the desk with disgust.
Guilt swarmed around me as I realized why Dad had been so strict—because of this. He’d tried to protect us from this. These men. From Cassius, whoever he was. Waves of anguish crushed me. I had been so foolish, so spoiled, and so naïve.
Men moved about the room. Opening drawers. Removing frames off the walls. Exploring his desk drawers. Scattering papers. Throwing items here and there to get to what they were looking for.
Cassius pivoted to face me. “Where’s the main safe?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s very obvious you want to die today.”
Raising my chin, I tried to sound convincing. “He never tells us anything.”
I flinched when he stomped his foot. Continuing to strike the carpet with his heel as he moved about the office, he tested the floor with his sole. A hollow thump sounded with another crash of his foot.
Cassius gave a knowing nod to his men.
They got to work, ripping up carpet at the edges and peeling it back. Far enough to reveal a wooden door set in the floor.
Cassius turned his focus to me. “Want to know what happens when you lie?”
Frantically, I shook my head. “I didn’t know about it.”
“You get one chance with me.” From his arrogant glare, I’d used up any further chances with him, too.
A sledgehammer was brought in. One of the men used it to pound the secret wooden door set in the flooring.
Remaining in the corner, with perspiration spotting my brow, I watched the strikes that splintered and spliced through hardwood. Then I counted the steps toward the door, considering making a run for it.
“Don’t even think about it,” snapped Cassius.
Any man that had to steal, clearly didn’t possess the brains to earn what was hidden in that hole. Yet, he came off educated, which clashed with the way he looked—menacing and rough and surprisingly sophisticated in a cold-blooded way.
“Any idea what’s in there?” he asked, though he kept his sights on the gaping floor.
“I don’t know.”
He tilted his head as though assessing if I was telling the truth. “I suppose we’ll know soon.”
The lid was wedged open with the sledgehammer. A glinting came from within the deep cavern. Rows of stacked gold bars. Why would Stephen have this? I didn’t know this man at all. The businessman who was my father. The man who’d left me vulnerable to these thugs. So many more secrets.
One of the men lifted out a gold bar. “Sir?”
“Someone had a contingency plan.” Cassius raised his glare to the one with the scarred face. “Bring it back with us.”
The scarred man asked, “What about her?”
Cassius didn’t look my way. “She’s mine.”
My back hit the wall as I tried to decipher what he meant.
His to kill.
Or to keep.
Anya
Violently, they dragged me toward the front door like a rag doll. It felt like I was being swept along by an invisible undertow. With each inch they pulled me, I fought against the impossible strength of these men as their grips burrowed into my flesh.
Cassius followed as though merely going for an evening stroll. But I knew, knew he was taking me with him.
How many times had I wanted to get out of the Garden District? Escape this house. Leave behind this life. Find my way to someplace I belonged.