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  Anthony shook his head. "No, I told you I'm not a murderer." He pulled her close and pulled her a safe distance from William, just in case the older man woke up. Her hands shook as they wrapped around his neck. Anthony lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes. Cassandra trembled as she noticed his blue eyes pool up with tears and she knew the danger wasn't over.

  Cassandra took a step back "I'm not strong enough for this," she cried as he lifted her chin to give her instructions.

  "You need to get out of here as fast as you can, Cassandra."

  "Not without you," she leaned in to kiss his cheek. Anthony held her at bay and tears blurred her vision.

  He looked down at her father. "He's not the only one here. They're all here, and it's you they're after." Cassandra reached for his waist and hung on tight. Anthony pushed her away. "Run, Cassandra, out the door and take a right. Run as fast as you can down to the end of the hall. There's an exit there, the only one they can't see. Keep going straight, don't look back. Cross the bridge and turn left. Go up five blocks to the overpass. You'll see a yellow Mustang. Get inside."

  "No," she protested again. "Not without you."

  He pulled her to the door as the man who raised her as his own stirred. "Trust me," he cried with her, but she didn't budge. "I love you, Cassandra, now run!" Anthony pushed her out the door.

  Cassandra had no choice but to do what he said. The sun blinded her as she exited the building. She shielded her head as she ran as fast as she could and prayed she remembered the correct directions. After crossing the bridge, she was unsure which way he told her to turn.

  Run, Cassandra, run. Her mother's words haunted her. She kept repeating them in her head until she said them too.

  ~~~~

  Cassandra's legs were like jelly and she stumbled a few times. In the distance, she saw the car, just like Anthony said. She prayed for safety. It could have been a setup, she imagined, and maybe this was how she would die.

  The memory of his kisses gave her strength. She trusted him and knew Anthony wouldn't send her away to her death. A warmth spread through her like wildfire as she remembered her protector telling her he loved her. She didn't have time to say it in return.

  The Mustang's passenger door opened. She raced toward it and jumped inside when she arrived. The door slammed shut and Cassandra hid her head between her knees. A gentle hand rubbed her back, and she jumped.

  "Governor Johnson?" Her mother's dear friend sat beside her. He had been a family friend long before Cassandra's birth. "You're the one responsible for saving me?"

  "You're safe now, Cassandra." The governor rested his hand on her shoulder to calm her.

  A half smile formed across his face. Cassandra studied him, his hair color, his nose and jawline. She'd never looked at him like that before. She saw herself in his image and wondered why she'd never picked up on that before. Her breathing slowed down, but her sobs were out of control. "Are you my," Cassandra choked on the emotions that raged through her. "My," she couldn't say the words.

  He nodded. "It would have put you in great risk to tell you. I didn't know until a few years ago." She cried as he continued with the story. "One day I felt lost without your mother around, and I looked at some things she left at my house. There was a note from her, dated the night she died, telling me about you. I put the pieces together and checked into William. He's been planning your death for years, and I've been planning your safety."

  Cassandra leaned back onto the seat and rubbed her eyes. Her mother saved her life, her true protector. She shuddered to think what could have happened if the governor never saw the note. He reached over and took her hand. The governor had been there for her many times since her mother died. William must have kept up with the charade to allow him to be there when she graduated and when her grandmother passed away, along with many other times. Unless, Cassandra thought, the man who raised her didn't know the identity of her biological father. Cassandra felt comforted, but only for a while.

  She looked ahead out the windshield. The warehouse stood in the distance below them. She glanced at the governor and wondered if he thought the same thing as her. "We need to get Anthony," she told him.

  "Can't now," he frowned. "The police and Feds are already on their way." She looked his way with puzzled brows. "William called them, figured out who was behind your 'abduction' and used it to his advantage."

  "No," she screamed and reached to open the car door. The Governor pulled her away from it. "They'll take him back to prison."

  He held her shoulder and looked in her eyes. "Has anything gone on with you two?"

  "Yes," Cassandra wasn't afraid to tell him the truth. She thought she heard Anthony mumble something to himself about her being forbidden to him, but she wasn't afraid to admit the truth. "Please don't punish him," she begged. "The feelings were mutual."

  To her surprise, the governor didn't seem upset. "I suppose those things are natural to young people like yourself." He cocked a half grin and looked away from her when speaking. "I knew he'd do the opposite of what I told him." He started the car but didn't put it in gear. "I promised to pardon him, Cassandra, and I don't break promises. You have to trust me."

  Cassandra sensed something horrible. Before she could say anything to him, he reached over to protect her as a loud blast caused the road to rumble. She looked up to see the warehouse explode, flames were shooting out the windows and rooftop. "Anthony," she hollered.

  Chapter 18

  The governor drove with caution toward the warehouse. Sirens blared around them. He pulled to the right as firetrucks whipped by. "We can't get any closer," he told her. They were about two blocks away from the fire.

  Cassandra jumped out of the car and ran. The governor huffed as he caught up and grabbed her arm. "I need to get to him," she cried.

  "What you need to do is play the victim. Can you do that?"

  She nodded and lowered her pace. Cassandra didn't need to play; she was the victim. Together, they walked up the yellow crime tape. She attempted to limbo beneath it, but a strong hand stopped her.

  "Nobody behind the line," a voice of authority demanded. The officer looked at them and lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Governor. We weren't expecting you." He glanced at her and raised the tape for them to follow him. "Cassandra Frame? We assumed you were in the building. I'm glad you're alright."

  The officer walked them over to an ambulance and told the paramedics who she was. They forced her to sit still and examined her body. He radioed the Chief of Police. "Sir, the girl is alive." Within minutes, swarms of officers, and the chief surrounded her.

  The Chief questioned Cassandra. "Do you know who abducted you?"

  "No sir." She answered. She didn't know who was behind the farce until a few minutes prior.

  "How did you escape?"

  She held her hands up as she talked, bullshit fell from her mouth. "I finished loosening the rope he had me tied up with," the brush burn from their rough sex made them believe her. "I heard a commotion, like a fight of some sort, and used that time to my advantage."

  "And you, Governor, what are you doing here?"

  The governor noticed the bruises on Cassandra's body for the first time. He stared at them as he spoke. Cassandra sensed his anger. She wanted to tell him she was fine, but she couldn't just yet. "The Frame's and I have been close friends for years, longer than this young girl has lived. William called me in a panic. He said something happened to Cassandra and he needed help. I found her running for her life about a half mile up the road when I arrived just a few minutes ago."

  It all sounded realistic. Part of her beamed, knowing she would be safe, but knowing Anthony was out there unprotected terrorized her. The firefighters were trying to contain the burning building. Anthony couldn't be inside, she told herself. Cassandra gulped in fear.

  The Chief put his hand on her shoulder, it startled her. He apologized. "There is nothing to fear. The man who did this to you is dead. He'll never hurt you again."
>
  She tried her hardest not to cry. She wasn't supposed to be in love with the man who took her away from the life she knew. Cassandra felt shocked and couldn't speak. The governor asked, "Are there any survivors?"

  "No Sir," the officer in charge responded as he held his hat in his hand.

  Cassandra's head snapped in their direction. She wanted to hear the words, needed them to tell her the real man who tried to hurt her died himself. "Nobody?" she quivered. They expected her to cry this time, but her tears weren't for her father.

  "I'm sorry," he looked down as he spoke. "Your father, William Frame is one of the confirmed deceased."

  She broke down and bawled her eyes out. The governor wrapped his arm around her. All she could think about was not getting the chance to tell Anthony she loved him. "What am I going to do?" The air was thick, and Cassandra couldn't breathe.

  "You'll survive," the governor said. She looked up to the eyes that matched hers and heard the irony in his voice. He touched the scrapes on her arm and ran his finger to rope burn on her wrists. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

  Chapter 19

  Cassandra stood among friends and family under an overcast sky. The priest chanted prayers as she looked down at the opening in the ground. Her tears were sincere. Cassandra loved him, never thought she shouldn't have, like a daughter should. Her emotions clustered in confusion, he didn't love her.

  She stood tall and acted brave once again. William's secrets would remain hidden. There wasn't a need to tell people how wicked he was. Cassandra's life would go on.

  Her eyes watched intently as his casket lowered into the ground. The governor nudged her elbow. Cassandra walked up to the casket, and the white rose she'd been holding fell. She paused in silence for a moment. Everyone watched her, waiting for her to say something but she didn't. Cassandra turned around and fell into the governor's arms. The crowd sobbed for her, but only he knew why she mourned.

  The crowd took their turns paying their last respects to William, one by one, then left her standing there. Governor Johnson stood by her side, but she refused to leave. She wanted to watch them bury the man who died trying to kill her. Strong men shoveled dirt and tossed it on the coffin. When they finished, she finally turned to leave.

  At the house, people gathered around her. She wondered if they came for her, or the food and drinks. The house was packed like a nightclub. One by one, they told Cassandra how sorry they were for her. She wanted to scold them, tell her she would be better off with 'her father' gone, but refrained.

  She felt skeptical as she looked around at their faces, wondering if they were all evil villains, plotting her death. Or, were they victims like herself? The therapist sat beside her. "I think you need to talk about this. Come to the office in the morning." Cassandra said nothing to him, just walked away and avoided him for the rest of the afternoon. It hurt her to think someone who'd been so caring toward her for years, had just been putting on an act. Cassandra had no intentions on talking to him ever again.

  She sat in the corner and planned her life. There wasn't any point in staying there, to be reminded day after day how William planned to kill her for fifteen years.

  Cassandra looked to the Governor from across the room. His eyes met hers and he nodded. He understood her more than she ever thought. Sunlight faded from the windows and at last she found herself alone. The funeral traditions were over.

  Memories of Anthony flooded her mind. She held onto her broken heart. Cassandra turned on the television and listened to the news reports.

  "Authorities tell us Anthony Flint's death is confirmed. The felon abducted Cassandra Frame after his escape from the state penitentiary two weeks ago. Witnesses say he held the girl for ransom and planned on using the money to leave the country. William Frame met with Flint in an abandoned warehouse in hopes to see his daughter released safely. Both Frame and Flint were killed in a fiery explosion. Cassandra Frame is home and doing well."

  She threw her glass of water at the screen and screamed. The governor explained that honoring William, and blaming Anthony was for the best, but she didn't like it. Anthony gave his life saving hers, he deserved recognition. Cassandra cupped her face and sniffled. She decided to stop crying and to carry on, the way Anthony would want her too.

  Chapter 20

  Cassandra listened to the family attorney read the Last Will and Testament. William kept her in it, leaving his billions and business to her. She assumed he planned on changing it after her death, after taking her Grandmother's millions, if his plan succeeded.

  The attorney shook her hand. "Again," he said, "my condolences on your loss." Cassandra nodded and accepted his kind words. "Do you have any plans?"

  She shook her head. "I need time to figure things out," she told him, being sincere as she could be. William ran a successful business, but she wasn't interested in it. Cassandra planned to sell it but said nothing. She figured the attorney didn't need to know. She was sure he'd been on William's dirty payroll. When the time came to sell, Cassandra didn't plan on using his services.

  He walked her to the door and placed his hand over her shoulder. Cassandra flinched, not trusting anyone any longer. "If you need anything, just call me," he told her as she entered the elevator.

  Cassandra turned her head toward him. "Thank you."

  ~~~~

  The governor drove her to William's private airport. It looked nothing like commercial airports she used every time he shipped her off to Europe. There was only one building, a tower, and a runway. On it, a jet idled, waiting for her. Her jet now, she laughed to herself. She decided to leave the country. After years of posh boarding schools, this seemed the most natural for her.

  Cassandra smiled, her true friends scattered across the world and she wanted to see them. America didn't hold much for Cassandra. She knew where she came from, and planned on returning from time to time, but she would enjoy her life on foreign shores.

  The governor glanced at her and read her mind. "You'll always have me," he smiled.

  Cassandra reached over and touched his hand. He'd been there for her more times than she could count. "I owe you my life, for fuck's sake," not afraid to let her new-self speak. "I'll stay in touch," she assured him. He looked at her and she knew he wanted to say something. Cassandra shook her head to stop him. "You've had years to come to terms with this parenting thing. I just found out weeks ago, and it will take time."

  He nodded in agreement. They stepped out of the car and he took her luggage out of the trunk. Cassandra stood still, looking at the jet. New adventures and a lifetime of happiness awaited her.

  The governor handed her suitcases over to the pilot. The pilot looked in her direction and she nodded. He was a good guy, hired by Cassandra herself. Anyone who worked for William were all suspicious to her. He tossed her things into a cargo area and brushed his hands together. "I'm ready whenever you are," he said. "Just buzz when you want to take off." He climbed up into the plane and took a left to the cockpit.

  "I'll expect postcards," the Governor instructed. He embraced her and for the first time in a long time, Cassandra felt loved.

  "Of course," she kissed him on the cheek. "I've given up all social media so postcards and phone calls are all you'll have." He looked concerned, and she hugged him again. "And of course, we'll see each other often. I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me."

  He let go of Cassandra and she walked up the stairs. The interior of the jet had luxury designed all over, but it all paled when she saw blue. Blue eyes.

  Anthony sat there, waiting for her. She screamed with excitement and ran to him. Anthony stood and wrapped his arms around her. Cassandra squeezed him tight, like she'd never wanted to let go. He cupped her face and kissed her, more tender than he ever had before. Her heart raced, and her knees wobbled.

  Cassandra pressed into him and rubbed her hands up and down his body. He was rock hard beneath his tight leather pants. Cassandra's lips opened wide and persuaded him to enter. An
thony pulled back. "Not on the plane," he told her. "We have our whole lives ahead of us."

  They took their seats and fastened their seatbelts. Cassandra looked out the window. Her real father stood there, looking lost already. "Thank you," she mouthed again. Without him, she wouldn't have been hidden, William's secrets wouldn't ruin her name, and Anthony wouldn't have been given a second chance at life.

  Anthony turned her face toward him. His eyes sparkled as his smile spread across his face. The entire world thought he died in a fierce explosion. Thanks to the boss, he had a new identification. Cassandra breathed easy knowing they'd never try to take her man away again.

  "I love you too," she said to him. He tilted his head and she read his mind. "It was the last thing you said that day," she grinned. "I never had the chance to say it back."

  "Hmm," he laughed. "Tell me again," he kissed her. "And, again, and again."

  Cassandra let the pilot know they were ready for takeoff, then pulled Anthony's head toward her. "I love you Anthony, um-" she paused, "I mean, Andrew."

  The jet raced down the runway and they ascended into the clouds. Anthony held her hand next to his heart. "I love you too." Cassandra reached over and brushed her hands through his hair as she kissed him all over his face and neck. Their new life together had only just begun.

  ###

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