Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Hidden
Florella Grant
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and should not be construed as real.
Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Florella Grant
ASIN: B0796HRDK6
All rights reserved.
Hidden: One title. Endless possibilities.
From sci-fi to romance, fantasy to cozy mystery & many more, the Hidden Project has something for everyone. Each author has taken the same title, and put their own spin on the story, leading to a wide range of stories in a variety of genres.
You can check out all the books in the Hidden Project here: www.HiddenReader.com
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
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Chapter 1
"Run Cassandra, run." The last images of Cassandra Frame's mother ran clearly through her mind. "Run," she pleaded again. Cassandra stood still, shook her head and squeezed her mother's hand. A tear ran down her cheek as her mother knelt to kiss her. "I'll always love you," her mother whispered. Cassandra took off as fast as her tiny feet could run.
A gunshot stopped Cassandra in her tracks. "Mommy," she screamed and made a beeline to return to her mother's side. A young man stepped out of the shadows and pulled her away from the light. "Mommy," she cried again.
He squatted down beside her and covered her mouth. She didn't feel danger, somehow, she knew he was there to help her. "Stay back here and be quiet," he warned. Cassandra shook her head and attempted to pass him. He held her back and calmed her. Cassandra looked in to his eyes. They were electric, the bluest she'd ever seen, and they seemed to soothe her. Cassandra took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "I'll be back," he said, "I promise."
The memory of her mother's death caused Cassandra's eyes to pop open. She realized the danger that surrounded her. A blinding beam of light shined through a broken window and her eyes flinched. Cassandra looked around and tried to figure out where she was. The room was small and dirty. Tiny particles of dust danced around in the sunray, and a musky scent filled the air.
Cassandra attempted to sit up, but found her wrists and ankles tied. The more she tried to move them, the more the rope dug into her skin. She squirmed and almost fell off the dingy bedding she laid on. Her vision blurred, and her head weighed more than she ever remembered. Cassandra blinked to clear her eyes. A stranger stepped toward her, and she wondered why she didn't notice him before.
She tried to scream, but a rag filled her mouth. The stranger approached as Cassandra wiggled her way back against the wall. "I'm going to take this out of your mouth," he told her. "If you scream, I'll shove another needle in your ass." His words confirmed what Cassandra thought, she was drugged.
He leaned close to Cassandra as he reached for the knot behind her head. She couldn't help but look in to his pools of blue. She blinked again, they couldn't be as blue as the eyes in her dream. His breath burned into her skin as he fumbled with the knot. As she looked at him, something called out to her. There was something other than his eyes that mesmerized her. As the man's brawny body inched closer to her, she noticed his squared jaw and dark brown crew cut. Cassandra looked in his eyes and felt her soul being pierced. She tore her gaze away from his eyes and ignored the rising temperature of her body. He leaned back and pulled the rag with him.
Her tongue felt like sandpaper scraping her lips. "Water?" She begged. Cassandra's throat and dry mouth burned as she spoke.
The stranger walked to the other side of the room and came back with a bottle. He placed it in her hands. Cassandra attempted to bring it to her mouth, but her tied hands shook. Water spilled out onto her chest. Finally, she placed the opening in her mouth and she took a sip. Her throat closed, and the liquid fell down her chin. The stranger watched but didn't help. She tried again. Water moistened her lips but stung like a bitch going down her throat.
"Who are you?" Cassandra asked after drinking half the bottle. The stranger untied her wrists and ankles but didn't reply. She considered running for help, but every attempt to move failed. Her jelly-like body fell back on the bed as the room spun around her.
The mattress smelled of urine, but Cassandra was too tired to care. She curled into a ball and went back to sleep. "There wasn't a man there," she heard her therapist yell at her. Cassandra woke but kept her eyes closed as she thought about all the therapist sessions she attended throughout her lifetime. The doctor, and her father, told her many times that the man she thought she saw the night her mother died did not exist. Cassandra knew he did and he had eyes that matched her abductor's.
When she opened her eyes, the room was dark except for a small lamp coming from the other side. The stranger slept slouched on a chair. She sat up on the makeshift bed and inched toward the edge. Her legs hung over the side as Cassandra moved to stand up.
"Where do you think you're going?" His husky voice scared the crap out of her and she quickly pushed herself back onto the mattress until her head hit the wall behind her. He leaned forward in his chair and barked again. "I said, where the fuck do you think you're going?"
Tears stung Cassandra's eyes. "I need to use the bathroom," her shaky voice mumbled.
"Do you see one?"
Cassandra's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she looked around. There was a door opposite of her bedding, but it was the only one which she assumed was the entrance to the room, not a bathroom. Her eyes scanned a large bucket and she prayed it wasn't what she would have to use to relieve herself. The thought alone made her forget she had to go.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth. Cassandra sobbed but tried not to let him hear. "What do you want from me?" She found the courage to ask.
"Shut up and don't ask questions," he screamed.
She stayed quiet for a moment but couldn't help but try to talk her way out of danger. "If it's money you want, my father-"
The stranger threw a mason jar across the room and it shattered. "I don't want shit from your father," he screamed.
Cassandra's pulse raced. If he didn't want money, what did he want, she wondered. "Who are you?" He jumped up from his seat and stormed over toward her. Cassandra buried her head in her bent elbows but felt his presence near her. He reached over and slowly traced her jawline with his finger. Chills went up her spine as thoughts of him forcing himself on her entered her mind. "Please don't," she pleaded.
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"Please don't what?" He stopped touching her face but didn't leave her side.
Cassandra gulped then answered. "Don't touch me." She crossed her arm over her ripped t-shirt and hid her breast from him.
The stranger burst out in laughter. "Don't worry, raping isn't my style." Cassandra saw blue in the darkness and somehow, she believed him. She eased slightly, but he continued to talk. "Oh, I'll have you, but you'll be begging me to fuck you senseless."
Just the thought caused a burning sensation between her legs. Cassandra didn't admit it, but she felt an odd attraction to him. He stood too close for her comfort and she inched further onto the mattress. "What do you want with me?"
The captor leaned close and yelled, "I want you to shut your fucking mouth."
Chapter 2
Anthony leaned against the table as he sat and watched Cassandra sleep. Her body curled up and shivered in the corner. A part of him felt sorry for her. She had no idea what was going on. One minute she was safe inside her therapist's office, then the next he shoved her into the trunk of his car. Anthony thought about the day's event.
As Cassandra walked through the parking garage attached to the doctor's office, he walked up behind her, cuffed her mouth, and jabbed a needle into her arm. Anthony already rigged the security camera but knew he needed to get her into his trunk, gag and tie her, as fast as he could. He jumped behind the wheel and slowly made his way out of the garage, so not to draw attention to himself. Through the rearview mirror, he noticed an accomplice starting Cassandra's car to remove it from the site.
She stirred in her sleep and Anthony focused on her body. It had been years since he'd seen a woman, a desirable woman at least. Hundreds of impure thoughts ran through his mind as his jeans tightened around his crotch. Cassandra had the look he expected a wealthy girl to have, long wavy hair, perfectly aligned teeth, a nice set of breasts, and long toned legs. Anthony longed to undress her, rip her bra and panties off, and have his way with her, but shook his head instead.
Someone of importance hired him, a man he'd never seen in person before. The mission was too important for him to fuck up. Anthony had to stay alert and ready for anything. Sex was out of the question though her begging him not to touch her turned him on more than he could admit.
A flip phone on the table vibrated. Cassandra heard it and turned toward him. Her eyes opened as Anthony answered. He covered his mouth and spoke low in hopes she couldn't hear what he had to say. "Yes," Anthony spoke.
"Where is she?" The firm voice on the other end quizzed.
Anthony looked at the girl and lowered his head. "We're exactly where you told me to go."
"No," the boss screamed. "Where is she?"
Anthony squirmed in his chair. "She's been sleeping, and her cell is locked."
"Holy fuck, kid," the man on the other end of the line burst. "Wake her up and do whatever you have to do to get the phone unlocked. We don't have much time."
He sighed and answered. "Fine. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her." Without saying goodbye, Anthony shut the phone and hung up. Cassandra sat up on the bed and stared at him. He reached inside a drawer and pulled out her phone, then raced over to her side. "Unlock this," he ordered.
Cassandra shook her head and then hid it between her knees. Anthony pulled his gun out from the back of his jeans and pressed it against her head.
"Look at me," he barked. Her tear streaked face turned toward him but said nothing. "I said, unlock this."
Cassandra reached over and took the phone in her hands. Her fingers trembled as she keyed in her passcode. She tried to hit the call button, but Anthony grabbed the device and lowered the gun. He sat beside her as he explored her settings and hacked the GPS.
"What are you doing," she stuttered. Anthony looked at Cassandra and smiled.
"I'm not doing anything," he grinned. "You are." He allowed her to watch as he opened her social media app. He then typed, "Much needed time on the beach," and hit the send button.
Cassandra's eyes widened as she noticed the location pop up. "No," she shouted.
"What's the matter, you don't like Greece?" Anthony knew he got under her skin and he wanted to laugh.
She choked on her words as she said, "My friends won't come looking for me if they think I'm on vacation."
The laughter escaped his lungs. "What friends," he teased.
"I have friends," Cassandra looked down and paused. "In Europe."
Anthony waved the phone in front of her face and continued his torment. "Oh, in Europe," he mocked. "Must have been rough, traveling across the world."
Cassandra straightened herself out and let out a puff of air. "That's none of your business."
Anthony smiled. "Yeah, well I don't think your friends will come to the States to look for you, anyway."
"My therapist knows I'm not planning a trip to Greece."
Anthony flipped through her friends list and clicked on the doctor's profile. "Why is your therapist on your social media to begin with? Isn't that a bit strange?"
Cassandra tried again to take the phone, but his hands were too quick. "He's my friend too."
Anthony shook his head and walked back to the table. She watched his every move, but he didn't care. He turned the passcode off, reset her settings, and then placed the phone in the drawer it came from.
Chapter 3
Cassandra slept on and off throughout the night. The temperature dropped and left her fidgeting to keep warm. If it weren't for whatever poison he put into her body, she wouldn't have slept at all.
She laid in the corner thinking about how her abduction reminded her of her mother's death. Cassandra was young, a mere eight years old, but she remembered it still. Someone was there, she told herself. It was because of those beliefs her father took her to see a psychologist. In time, along with the help of medication, they convinced her the blue-eyed man she imagined didn't exist.
That doctor continued to council her and became her only therapist. Cassandra shook her head when she remembered the stranger asking her why she connected with the therapist on social media. They were friends, she reminded herself, and he would report her missing. The therapist cared enough to escort her to Europe where he continued with his treatments. She knew he would look for her.
She turned and noticed the man staring at her. He doesn't exist, she heard the voice in her head say. Cassandra wondered why her captor reminded her of the man medication helped her to forget. His eyes, she thought. Cassandra obsessed with blue eyes. She didn't date much, her therapist said it wouldn't be a good idea, but she'd always been attracted to men with eyes of blue. It was all because of the man who saved her, she smirked.
Looking back, Cassandra understood why her doctor advised her against relationships. Although he was twice her age, he wanted her for himself. She liked him, but not in that manner. He once told her, "I don't see what you like in those colored eyes." Cassandra sneered, knowing he said that because his eyes were brown.
She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. Cassandra had a morning routine which involved taking her medication before she even got out of bed. The stranger continued to watch her. "I need my medication," she told him, assuming he had it.
He shrugged and leaned back in the chair. "No, you don't."
Her mouth gaped at his reply. This man didn't know who she was or what she needed. Then it occurred to her that she didn't know who he was, not that it mattered much. "What's your name?" she quizzed.
"What do you care?" He snorted in return.
Cassandra thought about it. "I don't," she replied. "But, since you have me locked up here with nobody else to talk to except you, what harm is it to call you by your name?"
He hesitated but answered, "It's Anthony."
"You mean like Tony," she asked.
Anthony picked up the gun and twirled it around. "You call me Tony and you'll wish you died." Cassandra gulped hard. "They called my no-good father Tony. Don't make that mistake."
; She nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. "Anthony, can I please have my pills?" Cassandra hoped that being polite to him would help her.
"No."
"I need them," she muttered. "They help me, keep me balanced."
Anthony stood and leaned against the wall that faced her. He placed his fist in his front pocket and stared at her. "You don't need shit. Those pills do nothing for you," he told her.
Cassandra worried. If he didn't plan on medicating her, what did he plan? She feared the worst and assumed he wanted to kill her. "Don't you have my purse?" Cassandra asked. "Can't you at least give me my birth control?" She didn't have a reason to ask for it, but if her purse was in the room, she'd be able to sneak her medication when he didn't look.
He chuckled at the thought. "You don't take the pill. You get the shots, and you're not due for another two-and-a-half months."
Cassandra couldn't believe her ears. "How do you know?"
"I know a lot of things Cassandra Frame." He grinned as she studied his face. She said nothing for a while. Anthony stood still, telling her he wouldn't back down. She wiggled and held her breath. "Now what's wrong with you?"
"I haven't gone to the bathroom since I've been here," she told him. "I can't hold it much longer," Cassandra admitted.
Anthony walked over to the table and opened the same drawer that held her cell phone to pull out a set of keys. He went to the door and unlocked all the locks. "Well," he turned to her. "Do you have to go or not?"
Cassandra jumped up and followed him out the door. They stood in a long dark hallway. Anthony allowed her to walk in front of him. Cassandra thought of making a run for it, but noticed he carried the gun with him. Her feet were bare, and the floor debris covered the floor. She continued walking in the direction he pointed to.
Anthony stopped her at a door. "I'll be right out here," he instructed her.
Cassandra nodded her head and turned the knob. Inside the bathroom was dirtier than the room he held her in. Like the other room, the bathroom had a small basement sized window that let in the sunlight from outdoors. Cassandra almost wished it were still dark.
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