Wordlessly, I forwarded him the message. His eyes scanned it, his expression hardening into something I’d only seen when he was ready to destroy.
“Don’t leave your mother’s house,” he instructed. “Stay there. I’ll handle this.”
Then the call ended
Alone in my room, my heart hammering, staring at the threat that still glowed on my phone.
From Liam, to Leo, and now another faceless man with a grudge. How many lives had Cassie entangled before she died? How many shadows had she dragged into ours?
She was gone, buried in her own schemes. But her mess wasn’t. It lived on, spilling into my life, poisoning it from every angle.
And I was still standing in the center of it, exhausted, cornered, carrying a child who hadn’t even taken her first breath yet.
Even in death, Cassie’s hands were still on the strings. And I was the one trapped in her game.
My mom stepped into my room to check on me before leaving for a client meeting. She asked if I‘ d still be around when she returned, and I told her I’d probably head back to Liam’s.
She gave me that mom look, the one that allowed no argument. “Eat before you go. You can starve yourself, but not my grandchild.”
I called her out on it, rolling my eyes. “You haven’t even met this baby yet, and you’re already picking sides against me.”
She laughed, and I laughed with her, though it didn’t quite reach my chest. What I couldn’t say was that I’d received a threatening message. The less she knew, the less she’d worry. And right now, that felt like the only way I could protect her.
By late afternoon, after breakfast and a nap that stretched longer than I intended, a knock on the door pulled me awake. I walked over, opened it, and stood rooted to the spot.
Henry Black stood there, with Sophia at his side.
“Grab your bags,” Henry said. “You’re coming with us.‘
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12:55
Chapter 157
I didn’t argue. I already suspected Liam had updated his father from England. Sophia had apparently packed what I needed from Liam’s house, so there was no need to stop there.
When we arrived at the Black residence, two officers were waiting for me.
They asked to see the threat message. I handed over my phone.
“Have you received any others?” one of them asked.
“Just one,” I said, showing them Cassie’s message from before.
288 Vouchers
Another officer tilted his head. “Do you have any idea who this might be? Have you seen Cassie with anyone suspicious?”
I hesitated, then told them about the man I once saw leaving the house the day I’d rushed back unannounced to grab my phone. “But it was quick. I didn’t get a good look. I… I’d probably recognize him if I saw him again, though.”
The officers exchanged a glance, then stepped aside with Henry for a private conversation. Minutes later, they left.
Henry turned back to me, firm as ever. “You’ll be staying here until Liam comes back and this is sorted. Nothing happens to my grandchild.”
I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong.
Moments later, a bulky man in a black suit with a crooked face walked into the living room. Henry introduced him as my new bodyguard.
“If you leave this house for any reason, he goes with you.”
The horror must’ve been clear on my face because Laura and Sophia both started giggling.
Henry gave the man instructions, then left the room like the matter was settled.
I groaned into my palms while Laura and Sophia burst out laughing.
“Laura, please talk to him,” I begged. “A bodyguard is too much.”
Laura leaned forward, eyes twinkling. “Honestly? I think you need two. In case one gets distracted.”
I stared at her. “So you’re in support of this?”
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