Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books Read online

  "No. No. No. This can't be," she babbled. Everything flashed in front of her eyes; her mother's death, the man with blue eyes, and her entire life of being told he didn't exist. "They told me it was my imagination. There was nobody there."

  "They said that to convince you. They pumped you with medication to alter your memory." Anthony leaned closer to her and sent goosebumps down her spine. Cassandra couldn't figure him out.

  "Why?" Her sobs blossomed to ugly crying.

  "If I saved you, behind the crime scene, that would mean I couldn't have—"

  Cassandra jumped to conclusions and interrupted. "Oh my God! You killed my mother." She rolled over to the other side of the mattress and jumped off the bed. Anthony reached for her, tried to calm her, but she swatted his hands away. Sweat poured down her face and droplets fell into her cleavage.

  He stepped around the bed, closer to her. "Listen to me," he insisted, but she couldn't even look at him. Anthony gripped her shoulders. His fingers dug into her skin. "Listen," he spoke again, in a softer tone.

  His words gave her an idea. Cassandra quickly inhaled and looked toward the window. She stared across the room like a deer caught in headlights. Anthony noticed. He turned his head with a questionable brow. "Someone's here," Cassandra whispered.

  She called for help, but Anthony placed his hand over her mouth. Her plan was working, but she needed to carry on making it seem real. She continued to cry for someone beneath his sweaty palm. Anthony's ears perked, listening for a sound. He let go of her and raced toward the door. After his exit, Cassandra heard the lock from the other side and knew he would be back soon.

  There wasn't much time, she told herself and ran to the other side of the room. The drawer on the table was locked but the table was frail. She picked up a chunk of broken cinder block and pounded it against the drawer. A piece of wood broke off, and she could pry it a little more. All she needed was room for her hand.

  Cassandra felt around. It had only been a minute since Anthony went outside, but it seemed like much more. She pulled out her cell phone and pressed the speed dial. "Pick up, pick up, pick up." She panicked.

  "Hello," Cassandra's father answered.

  "Daddy, I need help," she breathed out into the phone.

  "Cassandra? I thought you were in Greece."

  "No. There's a man. He kidnapped me. He killed Mom. I need your—"

  Anthony knocked the phone out of her hand. She tried so hard to get help and didn't hear him re-enter the room. Cassandra could hear her father call her name. Anthony threw the phone down and stomped on it and she screamed as loud as she could and backed herself into a corner. Anthony picked the cell off the floor and turned the power off.

  "What the fuck did you do?" He screamed at her, louder than he ever had. "Do you realize what you've done."

  Cassandra's breathing was quick, and her pulse raced. "I need my dad," she tried to say, and hoped he understood.

  Anthony pressed her body into the wall. His shoulder pinned her already sore arm in place. Cassandra feared he would strangle her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. The next thing she knew, she felt her body being flung to the floor and landed on a broken piece of glass. She grabbed her leg and noticed blood dripping through a rip in her jeans.

  "Holy shit, girl," he continued yelling. "You have no idea."

  Cassandra stood, she stumbled back to the mattress and flopped down. Her body ached all over as she crawled back to the wall. She looked at Anthony, afraid of what he'd do next, but instead of coming at her to attack again, he sat at the table.

  She watched as he pulled his flip phone from his pocket. "We have a problem." As he spoke his eyes focused on her. Cassandra knew that meant trouble for her.

  Chapter 8

  ANTHONY GRABBED HER cell phone and keys and shoved them in his pocket. She shivered on the bed, watching his every move, but tried to roll away as he reached for her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and yanked her off the bed. Cassandra resisted as much as she could, but he pulled her across the room and out of the door.

  The boss had instructed Anthony to get her out of the area. He wanted to kick himself for leaving her side and thinking he could trust her. It never occurred to him she'd try to use her phone. "Stupid mistake," he mumbled to himself as he led her down the hallway, up the basement stairs, and out a side door of the building.

  "You said you wouldn't hurt me," Cassandra pleaded. Anthony looked down at her raw wrists but didn't ease up on his grip.

  Anthony ignored her and forced her to walk beside him. With the gun poked at her side Cassandra obeyed. He led her across a field and entered a woodland area. Anthony glanced around as they fled out of sight and hoped nobody saw them. He felt her dig her feet into the ground as soon as they were in the thick of the woods. Anthony looked to her feet and almost felt bad to see her barefoot. He took her shoes off the day he brought her to the basement, assuming she couldn't run without them. "You have nobody to blame for your pain," he snapped at her.

  Cassandra cried as he held her tighter and forced her through the harsh brush. He knew the escape car was nearby, parked it there himself after taking her unconscious body to the basement. He needed to make sure he had easy access to it, but it had to stay where anyone searching for her, or him, wouldn't see. As soon as they reached it, he barked. "Get inside and move over."

  Anthony cocked the gun, telling her not to get any ideas about trying to get out the passenger side. Minutes later, the car made its way out to the road and he drove in the opposite direction to the building.

  THEY DROVE AROUND FOR more than an hour. The boss told Anthony he would call back with a plan and Anthony looked at the flip phone he placed in the console and hoped it would ring. He didn't understand what took so long. The boss called the shots long before he abducted Cassandra, and Anthony didn't understand why a backup hideaway wasn't thought of before.

  He looked down at the gas gauge and slapped his hand against the steering wheel. "Fuck," he said, as he noticed they were down to a quarter of a tank. He didn't know how much longer he could drive around.

  "We wouldn't be driving around without a plan if you stayed in prison where you belong," Cassandra snapped.

  Anthony couldn't believe he liked her. She turned into a bitch the minute she assumed he killed her mother. "We wouldn't be driving around if you stayed on the bed where you belonged and kept your hands off that God damned phone of yours."

  "You're going to get caught, and my father and I will make sure you get put back behind bars," she spit back.

  Anthony positioned himself to backhand her but flashing red and blue lights behind him distracted him from his thoughts. "Shit," he murmured. He pulled the car over and shoved his gun between the seats. "You say a word, and he's dead," he said tilting his head toward the approaching officer.

  Cassandra shut her eyes and turned her head. Anthony knew she wanted no one to die because of her. He glanced at her then opened the window and turned toward the police officer.

  "License and registration," the officer said.

  Anthony slowly raised his hands. "They're both in the glove box," he told the officer. The cop nodded as he retrieved the fake papers. He handed them to the officer and smiled at Cassandra. "Is there a problem, Sir?"

  "You were swerving. Have you been drinking?"

  Anthony felt a flood of relief when he realized the officer wasn't suspicious. "No, Sir," he answered. "My girlfriend fell earlier, and I must have swerved when I looked over to check to see how she's feeling."

  Cassandra turned to face the officer. She looked like she'd been in a worse accident than just taking a fall, but the officer didn't appear to think otherwise. "Is this true, Ma'am?"

  She nodded her head before speaking. "Yes sir. I missed a step and tumbled down the basement stairs."

  Anthony couldn't believe she went with it and the officer bought it. "You should get that looked at," the cop said, as he handed the papers back to Anthony.

  "No insurance,
" Anthony stated.

  The officer nodded again. He glanced down at the fake ID and registration in Anthony's hand. "Michael Smith, common name," he snorted.

  "Well as they say, I can't choose my parents." Anthony regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself.

  "You look familiar," the officer said. "Take your shades off, son."

  Anthony heard Cassandra take a deep breath, like all her troubles were about to go away. He didn't want to stir the pot, so he listened to what the man said. He reached up to take the sunglasses off and turned to face the cop. Anthony looked at him and said, "Could be because all of us Smiths are related to each other."

  The officer grinned and tapped the car. "Good point. Drive carefully."

  Anthony looked over at Cassandra as the officer walked back to his squad car. He waited until the officer pulled out into the street and drove away before he started to laugh. "Thank God for colored contact lenses," he burst out. Cassandra huffed in disgust and slouched down in the seat. Anthony regained his bearings, figured out where they were, and then continued to drive to a safe spot.

  Chapter 9

  CASSANDRA STARED OUT the window as Anthony drove in silence. To her, his silence tormented her more than she would admit. She turned to ask him when he put contact lenses in, but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She returned to the window and thought about it. Cassandra was distracted by his abdomen when he changed his shirt and didn't notice any other changes about him. The news report, knowing people were searching for him, must have been what urged him to change his appearance. Cassandra sighed a breath of relief, with the change in his eye color maybe she could focus on her safety.

  He turned off the highway and descended on a parklike hill. Cassandra stiffened in her seat as she noticed they were out in the middle of nowhere, no houses or businesses nearby. Thoughts of him taking her somewhere private to kill her, crossed her mind. "Where are we going?" She found the courage to ask.

  "If we keep driving around we'll run out of gas. There's a lake down here that’s not used as much as it used to be. I think we'll be out of sight for a while until my phone rings." He didn't tell her who would call, but Cassandra knew he referred to 'the boss' he spoke of several times before.

  Several minutes later he parked the car. Her hand had been laying on the door knob although she hadn't thought of opening it. Anthony reached for the gun, and Cassandra gulped as she removed her hand and placed it on her lap. He continued pointing at her while he reached under the seat. When he sat up, she noticed the roll of rope in his hand. "Please don't," she begged.

  "I can't trust you," he replied as he shook his head.

  Cassandra winced as he tightened the rope around her wrist, swearing it felt tighter than the last time. She cried out as he double knotted her hands together. "You're hurting me," she whined to deaf ears.

  Anthony stepped out of the car and stretched. Cassandra watched as he walked in front of the car and onto her side. "I didn't say you couldn't get any fresh air," he told her as he opened her door. "I just don't want you trying to pull a fast one."

  With his help, Cassandra stepped out of the car. She nodded her head toward the water as if asking if she could go near it. Anthony said nothing but kept his eyes on her. She walked to the shore and placed her sore feet in the water. For a moment, Cassandra felt relieved but knew she wasn't out of danger. She glanced around and began to figure out where they were.

  After she returned to the car, Anthony handed her a bottle of warm water. This time, with tied wrists, she maneuvered the bottle better and drank with ease. Anthony gulped his bottle down and moaned, "I have to take a piss."

  He walked toward the lake and Cassandra made a run for it. She wasn't far from civilization after all and needed to get away from the murderer. Her legs took long strides as her arms clung to her chest. She heard Anthony swear and knew he would catch her, still she had to at least try.

  She didn't get too far away when Anthony's body came crashing down on her. They tumbled to the ground. Pain seared throughout her body as he covered it with his own. She cried out and continued her attempt to get away, but Anthony covered her mouth with his hand and didn't remove it even after she bit down. She saw anger rage through him and longed for his touch. Cassandra crawled backwards, but he pressed his hard body into her. Anthony's knee pressed against the innermost part of her thigh, creating a fire in her jeans.

  "Stop," he screamed at her, as she continued to wiggle away from him. Anthony pinched her cheeks together and forced her to look at him. "Damn it, girl. I'm not supposed to tell you this."

  Cassandra paused when he spoke. Her curiosity rose. "Tell me what?" she mumbled underneath his hand.

  He straddled her body and let go of her mouth. Cassandra knew if she screamed, he wouldn't tell her. She lied still and waited until he spoke.

  "I'm not the bad guy, my boss isn't the bad guy, either. Stop running from me."

  Anthony's weight eased up and Cassandra pulled herself into a sitting position. He reached for his gun and she knew better than try to run. "If you're not the bad guy, why are you pointing that at me?"

  "For your safety," he replied. "More to scare you than anything else." Anthony sat beside her but gripped her arm just in case. "Please stop running from me."

  Cassandra didn't know what to think. She couldn't figure out why her mother's killer escaped from prison to kidnap her, but claimed he wasn't the bad guy. "If you're not the bad one, who is?"

  "I can't tell you," Anthony answered. Cassandra inched away from him, not believing a word he said. "Look, the boss will have a fit when he finds out I'm telling you this much, but I'm not the one who killed her. They did, and now they want you dead too."

  "I don't understand," she told him. "Why were you in prison if you didn't murder my mother?"

  Anthony reached over and for the first time, held her hand gently. "They told you, convinced you, I wasn't there that night, but I was, Cassandra. You were right all along. Do you remember? I told you I'd be right back." She shook her head, not knowing what to think. "I'm a little late, but I'm here now, just like promised."

  Cassandra bawled her eyes out. Nothing made sense, yet everything made perfect sense. She needed to know what was going on. "If you're telling me the truth, why were you in prison?" She knew she already asked him but felt he didn't give her the correct answer.

  "I left you to check on her, hoping she was still alive." Anthony's eyes glistened as he told his side of the story. "As I bent over to check her pulse, the police arrived. I tried to explain, but nobody listened and they arrested me. Your father wanted a quick conviction so his family name wouldn't be dragged through the mud. I couldn't afford a good attorney, and the jury believed them and sent me away for a crime I didn't commit."

  Cassandra cried harder and felt herself lean against his shoulder. The memories that surfaced caused more pain than anything physical he could ever do to her. She felt his arm wrap around her as she nestled closer to him. "Oh my God, were you the one who saved me that night?"

  "Yes," Anthony answered. "They medicated you and convinced you I didn't exist because if you could testify my location at the time of the shooting, I would have been found innocent and set free." Cassandra hid her face between her legs and sobbed. "We've kidnapped you to hide you from the killers."

  Cassandra's head snapped up. He'd been trying to tell her about them since she fled moments before, but she hadn't been paying attention. "Who are they, and why do they want me dead now?"

  "They wanted you dead then, too," Anthony told her. "If I didn't show up before the cops did, you would have died the same night as your mother."

  The ground was unsteady as Cassandra tried to stand. Anthony stood beside her and pulled out a pocket knife. He cut through the rope but kept his eyes on her. "Thank you," she wept.

  Anthony put his arm around her waist to steady her. "If you like life, you'll stop trying to get
away from me and let me protect you."

  They walked back to the car and sat inside in silence. Cassandra pulled the hair off her face and tried to knot it behind her head to keep it in place. A million things ran through her mind. "Is my father's phone tapped?"

  "What?"

  "We wouldn't be on the run if I didn't call him," she answered as she figured pieces of the puzzle out. "Can they tell where I am because I called him?"

  Anthony leaned over the steering wheel and stared out into the dusky sky. "Something like that," he answered. "I had you post from Greece to give us some time, but since you made a phone call here in the States, they will know you're not there."

  Cassandra hung her head. If they found her, and succeeded at killing her, she knew it would be her fault. Her tears dried up as she sat in shock. Anthony swore again as he threw the flip phone down. His entire story could have been a lie, anything to convince her to stay with him, but somehow, she believed him. They waited to find out where to go to keep her safe.

  It gave her an idea. "We have a house on the other side of this lake."

  Anthony turned his head and gave her a questionable brow. "What do you mean?"

  "I realized where we were when I washed up in the lake earlier. That's where I planned to go when I tried to run from you. Can't we wait it out there?"

  A smile spread across his face. "How far is it?"

  "About fifteen minutes, maybe a little more if we have to stay off the main roads."

  Chapter 10

  THE BOSS PICKED UP on the second ring, and Cassandra looked at Anthony but remained quiet. He thought the lake house sounded great but couldn't make any moves without informing the boss.

  "She knows about them," Anthony said when the man in charge answered.

  Cassandra could hear the other man freak out. "What?" he screamed into the phone.

  Anthony looked at Cassandra, who had her head lowered in shame. "I had to tell her. She kept trying to run away. What else could I do?"