Caiden & Winter (The Four #1-3), page 59
I heard Winter gasp next to me, immediately clapping a hand over her mouth the second the sound escaped.
My head was fucking messed up. How the fuck did Jessa get involved in this shit? And why was Christine using her to threaten us?
She knew I was there, so there was no point hiding.
“Christine.” I drawled her name, my tone completely indifferent. Inside, though, I was fucking raging.
She laughed, if you could call it a laugh. Acerbic, setting my teeth on edge. “I knew you were involved. Not so clever now, are you?”
“What do you want?” I got straight to the point.
Her words seemed to echo around the warehouse. “Be at the docks with Allan.” There was a pause and the sound of a muffled voice, and then she added, “Bring the Hyde boy, too. No one else.”
The call abruptly ended.
Fuck.
This was it. Our time was officially up.
I sank into the chair behind me, running my hand through my hair. Shit, how could I do this? How the fuck could I keep anyone safe? How had I fucked up so badly that she knew who I was?
“I’ll go on my own,” I finally said.
“No.”
The voice came from behind Allan, and I jerked upright to see Cassius standing there, arms folded across his chest.
I shook my head. “You heard her. I have to go alone. Not only that, it’s too dangerous.”
He came around Allan to stand next to me. “Allan’s seen me now, anyway. I’m coming.”
“Me too.” Weston joined him. “Hi, Allan.” A brief expression of hurt flashed across his face, but he masked it. Allan winced at the sight of him, his face falling.
“And me.” Winter’s grip on my hand tightened.
“Same.” Zayde’s tone was uncompromising.
They were fucking insane if they thought I was going to let any of them get within reach of Christine, but I went along with it for now.
I indicated with my head towards the office, and the others followed me in. After closing the door, I swiped my phone from the desk, powering it on. “We’re out of time. West, can you forward everything we have to Dad? I’m gonna try and get hold of him.”
My call went straight to voicemail. Fuck.
“Cass, Z? Can you try your dads?”
“They’re at AMC. No phones allowed.” My brother’s eyes met mine. “Leave Dad a message. I’m sending everything to him now.”
I pulled up the message thread with my dad, tapping out a new message.
Me: DO NOT IGNORE!!! Check your email as soon as you get this. Leaving you a voice message too.
I hit the Call button again and left a message. “Dad. Christine’s planning to take over Alstone Holdings. West has sent you all the evidence we have. We’re heading to the docks—we have Allan, and she has Jessa De Witt.” I paused, then choked out, “In case everything goes wrong, I want you to know, I’ve forgiven you. And I’m sorry for the way I acted, too.”
Winter grabbed my hand as I ended the call. “I’m proud of you,” she whispered, kissing my jaw softly. I gave her a small smile, keeping hold of her hand as I turned to the others.
“I’ll take Allan and Hyde. We’ve only got my car and the SUV here, so we’ll split up, and when we get near to the docks, we’ll pull over and I’ll go on in with them. I don’t want any of you in danger.”
I took in the identical expressions of grim determination on their faces. Fuck, they weren’t going to listen to me. “Z, can you get hold of Mack on the way? We don’t have any time to lose.”
He nodded. “On it.”
I leaned closer to my girlfriend. “Baby, can you get hold of Granville? See if we can get him to go to AMC if we can’t get hold of Dad.”
I continued to bark out orders, not that we had time to do much. It was fucking pissing down with rain outside, it was going to take us long enough to get to the docks as it was.
“Everything’s sent.” My brother looked up from the computer.
“Good. Let’s go.”
29
Caiden followed behind Cassius’ SUV, our speed much slower than usual on the rain-slicked roads. I could just about make out the taillights in front of us, the wind sending the rain lashing at the windows faster than the wipers could clear it away.
“If anything happens to me…” Caiden’s voice trailed off, white-knuckling the steering wheel, his jaw set.
“Don’t talk like that,” I begged him. I couldn’t let myself think about anything going wrong. Somehow, we had to get through this. My fingers closed around the sheathed knife I’d liberated from Zayde before we left. I knew that Caiden would try and keep me away from my mother, but there was no way I was letting him face her alone. We’d thought we’d been so prepared, but now here we were, our only protection a few knives, and no backup.
My phone battery was low, but I made the call.
“Winter? What’s happening?” James’ concerned voice came through the speaker.
“Christine found out we had Allan.” I hurried to continue, interrupting his shocked exclamation. “She has Jessa. Why would she have Jessa? And why does Joseph think she’s Caiden’s girlfriend?”
“Oh, fuck. I told him that they were together. Trying to throw him off the scent, make him think his plan worked. What do you mean she has Jessa?”
“I don’t know. But we’re on our way to the docks. She said if we don’t bring Allan back, she’s going to kill Jessa.”
“What the fuck!”
“She sounds pretty desperate. No idea how and when she got her, but at this point, that’s not important. We have to get her back.”
“What can I do?”
“Can you get to AMC? Try and get hold of Arlo?”
“On my way.” I heard the sound of a door slamming. “Should I call the police or something?”
“No. No police. Remember, we kidnapped two people. Not to mention the petrol bombs. Oh, and Zayde torturing Joseph.”
“He what?”
“Just a bit. Only a tiny cut. It couldn’t really be classed as torture, but…you know. The police won’t see it the same way.”
“Right. Anything else?” The sound of his car engine starting up came through the speakers.
“No. Just get hold of Arlo, and get him to check his phone. Thanks.” I ended the call and turned to Caiden. “Do you have a plan?”
“No.” That one word was loaded with despair, and my stomach flipped.
“Cade…”
“What the fuck am I supposed to do? If I don’t hand over Allan, I’ll have Jessa’s death on my conscience. I hand him over, and best-case scenario, she takes me and her henchmen get to enact their revenge on me. Worst case, they decide to kill me. Either way, I’m fucked.”
His voice cracked at the end, and it broke me. Tears filled my eyes, and I bit my lip, hard, to stop them falling. I reached out and placed my hand on his thigh, unable to speak, needing to touch him. I couldn’t let myself think about what might happen. There had to be something I could do. I wouldn’t allow her to take the man I loved away from me.
We slowed, and I could just about make out the docks up ahead. Cassius pulled the SUV off the road, and we stopped behind him. This was it.
Caiden climbed out of the car without another word, slamming the door behind him. I climbed out after him, pulling my hood over my head to try and provide some protection from the pouring rain. Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating his face in stark relief as we stared across the car at one another. Then I ran to him, and his arms were around me, and his lips were on mine, hard and desperate. I could taste the rain, and the salt of tears. Mine or his? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was, I didn’t want to let him go. I wouldn’t let him face this alone.
He pulled back, cupping my face in his hands, his gaze holding mine. Neither of us spoke aloud, our eyes saying everything we couldn’t put into words.
Then he let me go.
My whole body began shaking, the severity of the situation hitting me as Cassius, Weston, and Zayde came to stand at my side. Cassius tugged me into his arms, and I leaned into him, letting his strength support me. Caiden had point-blank refused to let us go in with him. He was going to drive Allan and Joseph into the docks, alone, and wing it. He had to know we wouldn’t wait outside though.
The rain was easing up slightly. The lightning still flashed, and there was a distant rumble of thunder in the distance, but it was no longer driving against my face.
“Let’s go.” At Zayde’s low command, I spun to face him. “We go in, avoid being seen, get Cade and Jessa out of there. Mack’s on his way, but we don’t have time to wait for him. Everyone ready?”
We nodded, slipping into formation. As the entrance to the docks came into view, I saw the entrance barrier was open. Inside, three cars were parked in a kind of U shape, and Caiden had stopped in front of them. Under the floodlights, I could see my mother, and off to the side, Petr holding a struggling Jessa.
We drew nearer, keeping to the shadows, before splitting up. Cassius and Weston took one side. I started to follow Zayde, but he pushed me back. “Go. Hide behind the SUV. I don’t want anyone seeing you.” Then he was gone, slipping away into the shadows, and I was left alone.
Before I could figure out what to do, the SUV door opened, and Caiden got out. “Give me Jessa,” he called. I couldn’t make out Christine’s reply through the sound of the rain and inched closer, dropping to a crouch and coming around the side of the car. Now I could see my mother clearly. Her face, distorted with hate as she stared at Caiden, a gun in her hand. My boyfriend, holding his head high, facing her down.
I didn’t stop to think. I couldn’t take the risk of her shooting him. I shot around the side of the car and threw myself in front of him. He cried out, and I felt his terror for me break over me in a suffocating wave.
My mother staggered backwards in shock at my appearance, dropping her hand and pointing the gun at the ground.
“Winter? What are you doing here?”
The relief of the gun no longer being pointed at us gave me the strength I needed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cassius and Weston inching closer to Petr and Jessa. Distraction.
I answered her question with one of my own. “Why did you kill my dad?”
Her face paled. “What? I—”
“Don’t lie to me!”
Our eyes met, and hers narrowed. “How did you know?”
And there it was. She’d admitted it. A spark of white-hot rage ignited inside me, rushing through my blood, turning it to fire. It fuelled me. “Why do you think I came to Alstone? I knew there was something suspicious about his death.”
Her face hardened. “He deserved it—poking his nose where it didn’t belong. He knew too much. Thanks to my connections with the Strelichevos, I was able to arrange an ‘accidental’ gas leak.” A smug, satisfied smile spread across her face. “He really should have been more careful.”
The fire raged inside me, and I dug my nails into my palms so tightly, I felt the skin break. Tiny pinpricks of blood heated my chilled fingertips. “You killed the only parent I ever knew. The only one who ever cared about me.” My words were calm, measured, though it was costing me everything I had to keep the fury from bleeding through my voice.
Caiden’s breath ruffled my hair, and I felt his body tense behind mine. I hoped he’d stay in place—Christine seemed to have temporarily forgotten about him, and the longer I could keep the attention on me, the better.
“You were better off without him. Look at you now. Attending one of the most prestigious universities in the country, a guaranteed legacy, countless riches once you join me on the board of Alstone Holdings.”
“Once I join you?” I focused on the final part of her speech. “How, exactly, is that going to happen? I’m not a Cavendish.”
She laughed. “The Cavendishes will cease to be an issue, as of tomorrow.”
My stomach flipped, and everything seemed to still. “What do you mean by that?”
“I may as well tell you. The De Witt deal that Arlo has been working on? It will be signed tomorrow morning, and after that, Arlo will no longer be of use to me. Your stepbrother, here, he will pay tonight.”
“What do you mean?” My words were a breathless whisper.
She directed a poisonous smile in Caiden’s direction. “Imagine my surprise when Allan and Mr. Hyde were taken from right under our noses this evening. I had no idea who could have done such a thing, until Petr came to me, bleeding from the arm and holding a knife. One of the very knives that Arlo had purchased for his eldest son, the Christmas before last, in an attempt to worm his way into his good graces. He had them custom made, you know.”
“Fuck,” Caiden muttered from behind me. I didn’t dare to move to comfort him; I didn’t want anything to set Christine off.
“I knew that the game was up. It was then a case of sending a message to Miss De Witt’s phone, to say that Caiden wanted to meet with her. She didn’t question it—stupid girl.”
She sighed. “I have to say, I’m extremely disappointed to see you here, Winter. I knew you had feelings for him, but I never imagined you’d be so stupid as to follow him into something like this. Especially not where his girlfriend is concerned. Don’t you have any pride?”
“Never mind that. What did you mean by Caiden paying tonight?”
She raised her arm. The arm holding the gun. “One Cavendish down, three to go. I was originally going to let the boys live, but after tonight…no. I’m afraid I can’t risk keeping them alive.”
“One Cavendish down?” Bile rose in my throat.
“Arlo’s wife was easy. The right words whispered in her ear, the open bottle of pills…I barely had to do anything. Arlo will have a car accident tomorrow, on the way back from signing the contract. Weston will go mad with grief, once he finds out every member of his family is dead, and it’ll be a simple matter to stage his death to look like a suicide. Now, be a good girl and step aside so I can eliminate one of them here and now.”
“No.” I stared at her, never faltering.
She waved the gun threateningly.
“Move, or I will shoot you. I’d hoped you’d join me, but if you refuse to see sense, then you are of no use to me.”
Her eyes glittered maniacally. She really was insane.
“I would never join you,” I hissed. “Never, ever.”
“Have it your way.” She squeezed the trigger.
Several things happened at once.
Time slowed down to a crawl.
Caiden shoved me with all his might, sending me flying across the docks. There was the sound of two gunshots and shouting. Someone screaming.
My only thought was Caiden. Nothing else mattered.
Winded, I struggled to my feet, crawling towards the SUV as more gunshots sounded, the noises rebounding off the buildings, echoing all around me.
Where was he?
My eyes were drawn to the figure on the floor, unmoving, the rain soaking through his clothes.
I took in his unnatural stillness, the blood pooling at his side.
No.
No.
No.
Reaching him, I fumbled for his pulse with shaking hands but couldn’t feel it. I tried, and tried again, my fingers slipping over his soaked skin as I tried desperately to feel for anything. Anything that would tell me he was still here with me.
Nothing.
I curled myself over his lifeless body, stretching my arms around him and laying my head on his chest.
His heartbeat, always so strong and steady, was silent.
“Don’t leave me,” I sobbed. “Wake up. Please, wake up. I can’t live without you.”
The pain in my chest was so immense that I could barely breathe through it.
“You won’t have to.”
I looked up, through my tears, the rain falling on my face and fizzing on my skin. My mother stood over me with a gun in her hand.
“You killed my boyfriend!” I screamed. “You killed my dad!”
“And since you refuse to join me, you can join them.” She smiled.
Reaching down, I pulled the knife from its sheath and lunged forwards, slipping on the wet ground. Zayde’s words echoed in my head—stick and twist—and I channelled every single piece of my rage and heartbreak into my strike. I stabbed it through her leg, and twisted it.
She toppled backwards, her shrill scream of pain echoing around us, and the momentum tipped me over the edge. I was falling with her, still holding on to the knife, landing on top of her with a thud.
There was blood coming from her forehead. Why was there blood coming from her head?
I shook my own head, blinking, then rolled off her body.
“Winter.” I was being scooped up, someone carrying me.
“Caiden!” I cried his name over and over, desperately struggling against the person carrying me.
“Shhh. We need to get you out of here.” The sound of sirens drew closer, and then I was being bundled into a car, and we were moving.
Without Caiden.
I left my heart behind, shattered into a million pieces.
“Even the darkest night will end
and the sun will rise.”
Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
The final chapter
I slowly blinked my eyes open, screwing them up against the light. The sun was streaming in the window, the rays falling across my arm. Where was I?
“I wondered when you were going to wake.” I turned my head to see the speaker. Arlo’s face creased into a smile when he saw me.
“Where am I? Wh—” I stopped dead as everything came rushing back to me. A cry tore from my throat. Utter devastation tore through me, leaving me gasping for breath.
Caiden.
I curled into a ball, the pain too much to bear. I sobbed into the pillow, my heart breaking all over again.
