Forever Lost

by Laura Morgan

  “My birthday party next summer, to which invitations have not yet been sent out, my friend. Of course you’ll be invited,” he said, his eyes on Cassie. “Thank you for making the time to come and see us, Miss Smith. I’ll have Javier take you back to the city.”

  “No, no. I won’t hear of it. I wish for you to tell me all about this party. Please, Miss Smith, you can spare five more minutes, can’t you?” Victor held out his arm for her to take. Cassie knew, just as she had known the night Leo had asked them to stay at his party, Victor would not take no for an answer.

  “Well, I’m envisioning Medieval England. King Henry the Eighth,” she began, taking his offered arm. “Shakespearian tapestries, scantily clad maidens serving ale and wine.” She walked back up the steps into the house with Victor while still holding his arm. He led her around, asking what ideas she had for every room’s decoration and entertainment. She tried to keep it simple, using her knowledge of Shakespeare from the theater as a rough guide, but she pretty much made it all up as she went. Leo played along, as did Tina, but they were just improvising until Victor made his next move.

  “I cannot wait for this party. I look forward to it, and to seeing you again, Miss Smith. I do hope you will attend?” Victor asked when Cassie had finished her creative ramblings.

  “I very much doubt it. I shan’t be a guest, just the planner. It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Sanchez, and I hope you enjoy the party when the time comes.” Cassie checked her watch and looked over at Tina. “I’m afraid I really must dash. Mr. Sanchez, Mr. Solomon.” Cassie smiled warmly at the two men, but didn’t let her gaze linger on Leo for more than a second. She stepped away and made it only a few feet before Victor came after her again, grabbing her arm gently so she turned to face him.

  “I would love to hear more. Perhaps you would let me take you to dinner tonight so we can get to know one another better?” he asked, seemingly a genuine gentleman, but she knew better than to trust his kind front.

  “I’m afraid that’s not a good idea, Mr. Sanchez. I’m married.”

  “I don’t see a ring on your finger,” he pressed, looking down at her hands.

  “You’re right. We’re separated at the moment, but are not over yet. The answer is no, but thank you,” she insisted. Cassie smiled up at him, but could tell her response didn’t faze him at all, just as she feared. Victor pulled one of his cards from his pocket, handing it to her, and Cassie took it.

  “In case you change your mind,” he said with a wink before he wandered back over to Leo and finally let the women leave.

  Chapter 20

  Cassie spent the next few days constantly looking over her shoulder in fear of being followed by one of Victor’s men. She was sure Leo wouldn’t let the man himself out of his sight, but she couldn't be sure whether or not the powerful man had brought any of his men with him on his travels.

  “Just lay low. You didn’t give him your proper name, and fingers crossed Leo procured all sorts of women to keep him occupied after you left,” Hanna told her when she explained what had happened.

  Jamie lay quietly in his bed, resting, but Cassie knew he wasn’t asleep. His silence had scared her, but she hoped it was his foreboding of the man, seeing as he had shot him a few weeks before.

  Cassie had done just that. She stayed in the apartment with Hanna and Jamie during her downtime, and took cabs to and from the theater or restaurant for her shifts. By day five she began to relax, trusting in Leo and his ability to read his fellow drug-lord.

  She arrived at the restaurant in plenty of time to start her shift that evening, and quickly set about preparing for opening time. Mrs. Brown soon joined her and greeted Cassie warmly, as usual.

  “Don’t worry about the prep tonight. We’ve been booked out again,” she told her, and Cassie stared at her boss in shock.

  “What, for a party like last time?” she asked, but Mrs. Brown shook her head.

  “No, table for two, but the guy wants the place to themselves. He said he’s got big plans for the object of his affections, and has chosen tonight to ask her the ultimate question. He was a bit odd with his wording, but I think he means he’s planning on proposing to his girlfriend. Hard to tell with his strong accent.”

  “Please tell me the guy’s not Mexican?” Cassie asked, her stomach turning.

  “Yeah, he is. He’s out in the dining room now waiting for her to arrive.”

  Cassie felt cold all of a sudden. She couldn't hide her panic-stricken look, and Mrs. Brown seemed worried about her unease.

  “What’s the matter, dear?”

  “I need to get out of here,” she replied, thinking about which exit to run from. Then the realization dawned on her that Victor might do something to Mrs. Brown if she left her here, or he might burn the restaurant or something if they both sneaked out and left him alone. “Shit. You stay here. Please don’t come out there. I’ll get rid of him, so he won’t be needing any food.”

  “Cassie, you’re scaring me. Do you know this man? What’s going on?” Mrs. Brown pressed, and Cassie hugged her tightly.

  “My world is falling apart, that’s what. I don’t want you getting involved. I’m asking you to stay put because I want you to be safe. Please, promise you’ll stay back here until he’s gone,” she begged, her eyes wide, and she knew they must be full of fear.

  “I will, I promise. But then you’ve got some explaining to do.” Mrs. Brown folded her arms and eyed Cassie with a disappointed look.

  She didn’t care, Cassie knew she had to face him, and was happier knowing Mrs. Brown would be safe. She removed her apron and took a deep breath before heading out into the dining room, finding Victor at the small table he had reserved in the eerily quiet restaurant, smiling at her like the cat that got the cream.

  “Miss Taylor, so wonderful to see you again. Please sit,” Victor said, his mouth moving over the sound of her real name with a satisfied smirk as she joined him. He poured her some wine from the bottle Mrs. Brown must have opened for him before she had come into the kitchen. Cassie accepted it, taking a sip to help moisten her dry throat.

  “Mr. Sanchez, this is not appropriate. I would like you to leave,” she managed to say after a few seconds of awkward silence.

  “But you haven’t heard my proposal yet,” he replied, pouting playfully.

  She shook her head, remaining stoic and hiding her fraught feelings as best she could.

  “Aren’t you at least a little bit interested how I tracked you down?” He twirled the stem of his wine glass with his fingertip, watching Cassie intently, while her eyes looked everywhere except into his.

  “Of course, but at the same time I’m well aware this liaison is not what either of us should be having right now. I’m willing to remain clueless. Regardless of your proposal, I’m not afraid to say I do not believe you would be a good influence on me.” Cassie realized she sounded desperate, but she didn’t care.

  “But Leonardo Solomon is a good influence? You are willing to be his, but not mine?” Victor completely caught her off guard. Her mind was racing. How did he know about her and Leo? She wondered where Leo was now, and what steps Victor had taken to get here.

  “You have my attention, Mr. Sanchez,” she said, causing a flash of satisfaction appear in his eye, and she mentally kicked herself for letting him gain the advantage.

  “He tried to distract me, my goodness did he try, but I soon noticed all the girls he took to his bed came back not having been thoroughly fucked. He had them sucking his dick, touching each other for his entertainment, but he didn’t fuck a single one, except the one who looked like you, of course.” Victor took a sip of his wine and let that sink in for a few seconds, his expression making Cassie’s skin crawl. She felt physically sick at the sheer thought of Leo with all those women, and fought to hide her pain.

  “I very much doubt a man like Leo Solomon refrained from enjoying his women fully. He took me as quite the predator the one time I met him,” she said in an attempt to fool Victor,
but it was no use. He laughed loudly, his powerful voice booming all around the empty restaurant.

  “One time?” He sniggered, making fun of her, and Cassie pursed her lips to stop herself from pouting. “He loves you, doesn’t he? Don’t bother lying, I’ve already found you out. I know all your secrets, Cassie. I found Tina to be very forthcoming, especially when I was holding a knife to her throat. She gave me every sordid, dirty secret.”

  “What do you want, Victor?” Cassie demanded, fearing the worst for both Leo and Tina, and ready to hear his demands at last.

  “Feisty, aren’t you? I hope you’re the same in the bedroom.”

  “I’m not a whore. Leo has never paid me for sex, and he has never demanded it from me. I will not open my legs just because you tell me to, Victor. Now get to the fucking point, will you?” She knew she was pushing her luck talking to him this way, but didn’t care anymore. Cassie was so terrified, she had gone past the point where her fear made her tremble. She just felt that strange numbness again.

  Victor leaned forward in his chair, eyeing her like a trophy he couldn't wait to get his hands on, and he sneered. “I gather you’re already aware of the purpose for my visit? That my brother, Luis, is not happy with Leo for refusing to trade our whores with him, and I came up here to see for myself the clientele he says is not into young girls.” Victor slid his hand forward to take hers, but Cassie quickly pulled back, resulting in more gruff laughter from him. She could tell he was enjoying this game.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s not really the mission. Luis asked me to kill Leo for causing him such offense, unless I could change his mind. I still intend to carry out my task, one way or another, but now I have another agenda I wish to bring into negotiations first,” Victor said, leaning closer to her and staring into Cassie’s eyes as he spoke.

  “Victor, please,” she whispered, not sure where he was going with this, and hating how she was already begging him.

  “A certain feisty, beautiful woman has caught my eye. She has somehow won the heart of the man I have known for many years as a ruthless heartbreaker and merciless leader, and I want some of it.”

  Cassie shook her head, her breath catching on the sobs she tried to stifle.

  “I could tell from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were his lover. He stunk of sex, reeked of it, despite his best efforts to appear relaxed. I knew right away he had refused my girls in preference of something very special back here. When I leaned in and smelled your hair as you took my arm, I knew I was right. I smelled him on you. I had a, how do you say it, light bulb moment? I knew you were a precious treasure indeed, Cassie, and one I wanted to take from Leo.”

  “He doesn’t own me. I’m not something you can take for your own,” she replied, her voice quiet and her eyes low. Cassie felt very lost all of a sudden.

  “Perhaps not, but I can be very persuasive. You’ll come willingly, Cassie, have no doubt about it. I’m only in the kidnapping business for the money, not when it comes to my private life.” He laughed at his sinister joke and finished off his wine, while she continued to look down at her hands on the table.

  “Where’s Leo?” she asked, looking up at him at last.

  “At his house. Here, I’ll show you.” Victor seemed almost cheery as he pulled a tablet computer from the inside pocket of his jacket. He punched in a passcode and then loaded a video. He had somehow hacked into Leo’s home camera feed. With a satisfied smile he showed the tablet to Cassie, and she shuddered. The feed showed Leo in the center of his hall, tied to a chair, while a brawny man stood over him with a gun pressed against his head. He was gagged, severely beaten, and his head hung down between his shoulders. It bobbed as though he was breathing, but was either asleep or, more likely, unconscious. Cassie gasped and held her hand over her open mouth in shock and disgust.

  “You monster,” she whispered.

  “Yes, but I’m no worse than your lover, Cassie. Make no mistake the types of men you are surrounding yourself with.” Victor closed the app and placed the tablet on the table. “I have lots more footage I could show you, things that would make you think again about placing your trust in that man, but it can wait for now. I haven’t finished telling you my offer, have I?”

  “I could never love you, Victor,” she said, unable to help herself, and stood, wishing she had the guts to storm off, but didn’t dare. Cassie paced the few feet of space between the tables and tried desperately to hold back her tears.

  “I don’t want you to love me. I want you to surrender to me. In return for your cooperation I will keep you safe and give you everything you desire. You have two choices.” He stood and stared her down, challenging her to try something, but Cassie stood her ground. “You can walk away from me and I will return to Mexico, but I will kill Leo before I go. Or you can choose me, and I will spare his life. As a gesture of goodwill, I’ll kill my brother in Leo’s place, and our business will continue as usual, thanks to you.” Victor’s voice was calm, his entire demeanor suave and determined. “You have until noon tomorrow to make your decision. If you run away, I will not only kill Leo, but everyone you care about, including Mrs. Brown and your hooker roommate. I’ll be at Leo’s house when you’re ready to talk.” He stood and watched her with a cunning grin. The game had begun, and although she hated to admit it, he was already winning.

  Chapter 21

  Victor sauntered away without another word, throwing a handful of bills onto the table closest to the door before he left. Cassie fell into a heap on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as she clutched at her aching stomach. Her mind was racing, terrible images of Leo and his suffering at the forefront of her fraught contemplations, followed by her predictions for the fates of her friends. She imagined them all lying dead in a pile at her feet, their empty eyes peering up at her, knowing she had sacrificed them for her own freedom. Cassie couldn't let that happen. She would have to give in to him.

  There was no other choice, she absolutely could not let Leo die for her, and even if she did, she didn’t trust Victor would stand by his word. Without Leo around to protect her, Cassie couldn't be sure he would let her go after he’d sealed Leo’s fate and their apparent deal.

  Mrs. Brown locked the front door and came to comfort Cassie, gathering her up off the floor. She sat her back down at the table before taking the seat opposite.

  “You need to go to the cops, or run. Don’t let him win,” she said, clearly having been listening in on their conversation, and Cassie stared at her wide-eyed.

  “I can’t. He’ll kill everyone I love, including you! If I ran, he’d find a way to track me down, and then he’d take me anyway. I couldn't live with your death on my conscience.” Cassie rubbed her chest, which was aching so badly she felt as though she’d been punched. “I can’t think straight right now. I’ll have to go with him. I’m sorry, Mrs. B, but there’s no other choice.” Cassie took a large gulp of the wine before she grabbed her things and hugged the woman goodbye, unable to say another word for fear of breaking down again.

  When she hit the cool night air outside, Cassie took a deep breath and peered up at the dark sky for a while, feeling broken. She went over every possible scenario in her head and still didn’t know what to do. She knew with absolute certainty she could not let Leo die.

  During his proposition, Victor had given away the real reason for his visit. His brother had sent him here to kill Leo. If she could stop that from happening, Cassie knew it would be worth it.

  Victor had sworn not only to save Leo, but also to kill his brother as proof of his new allegiance to him if she chose wisely. This terrible promise showed her how much he was willing to do for her. Victor was apparently willing to betray his brother, and not take the life of his target, in return for her affections. Cassie hoped that meant his fondness for her might put her in good stead. She still didn’t trust him, not wanting to think too far ahead to what impact making that decision would have on her, but hoped he wouldn’t abuse her acquiescence w
hen the time came.

  Cassie stared at the smoggy sky until the cold started to creep in, and her body began complaining via strong shivers and the chattering of her teeth. She composed herself and set off toward the subway, realizing she hadn’t called a cab.

  Cassie then noticed a black car which was slowly following her. She turned and stared into the driver’s seat, seeing Victor. She waited, climbing into the passenger seat when he pulled to a stop beside her.

  “Can I offer you a ride home?” His eyes skimmed over her entire body appreciatively, but she shook her head.

  “I don’t wanna go home. Do you really know everything about me, Victor? About what I went through, and how fucked up I am because of it?” She turned to look at him, and he nodded.

  “I know what your ex-husband did to you, and I know how long it took for you to get over it, yes.”

  “Then you should also know I never took my revenge on him. Can you understand my need for closure? If the people I love are in danger because of you, you at least owe me one favor.” Victor grinned, as though he knew what was coming next. “If you really meant what you said about keeping me safe and giving me everything I desire, show me. I want to watch as you beat the shit out of my ex-husband. I want to see him suffer. Can you do that for me, Victor?” Cassie asked calmly, and he nodded. He put his foot down and sped off toward Jonah’s apartment.

  Cassie pressed the buzzer on the wall, feeling strange that this was once her home, and now she needed to be buzzed inside. Upon hearing her voice, Jonah unlocked the foyer and came to the door to greet her with a shocked expression on his face. She knew he would be able to tell she’d been crying, but Cassie remained quiet and followed him inside, leaving the door ajar.

  “What’s going on, honey?” Jonah took a seat on the sofa they had once picked out together. She sat beside him and peered into his soft blue eyes. Cassie saw nothing but warmth, and even a lingering hint of love still in them. She shuddered as the memory of his contorted face reappeared in her mind, but hid it. She needed to stay calm, so she pushed away her fraught emotions.