Chapter 8 - Cassandra’s Offer
Marco had Cassandra against the wall before the emergency lights came on.
“Hands where I can see them.”
“I came alone,” she said.
Dominic stepped forward. “How did you find this place?”
She laughed softly. “Victor found it years ago.”
That silenced him.
Cassandra looked at me. Without the gold gown, heavy makeup, and ballroom confidence, she seemed younger. Tired. Terrified.
“I need five minutes with Ava.”
“No,” Dominic said.
I answered at the same time. “Yes.”
He turned. “Ava.”
“You’ve had months to make decisions for me. I’m done with that.”
We sat across from Cassandra at the old dining table while Marco stood behind her.
She placed a flash drive between us.
“What’s on it?” I asked.
“Peter Kline’s backup.”
Dominic’s face changed. “You killed him?”
“No.”
“Then how do you have his files?”
“Because he gave them to me.”
I stared at her.
Cassandra swallowed. “I was helping him expose Victor.”
Dominic laughed bitterly. “That is not what blackmail looks like.”
She turned on him. “You think I had a choice? Victor owns my brother’s debt. He threatened to bury him on drug charges he created. I needed to look useful.”
“And the kiss?” I asked.
Her eyes met mine.
“That part was real enough to hurt you,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
I felt no relief.
“What about the warning at the gala?”
“I was trying to scare you away from your car. Victor had men outside.”
“Why not just tell me?”
“Because two of his people were standing six feet behind you.”
Marco took the flash drive.
Cassandra raised one hand. “Do not connect that to the internet.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a tracker inside the files. Peter built it to identify whoever opened them.”
Dominic frowned. “Then how do we read them?”
“Air-gapped laptop.”
Marco pulled an old machine from a cabinet.
The drive opened.
Hundreds of folders appeared.
The newest was labeled BABY MORETTI.
I stopped breathing.
May you like
Inside was a PDF with my medical record number.
Someone had been accessing my prenatal files.
