Page 127 of I Will Mend You

“None of that now,” he growls, his voice low and menacing. “Your attention is on me.”

I stare into his cold gray eyes, my heart pounding so hard that every inch of my body trembles. I need to remember the training. The moment we’re alone, I’ll strike. Then Dolly will meet me in the hallway, and we’ll escape together. I’ve rehearsed this in my mind a thousand times.

Cass pushes open the door to a dark room. Moonlight filters through a gap in the heavy drapes, casting eerie shadows on the antique furniture. As I scan for possible escape routes, he runs his fingers through my curls and removes the headband containing my hidden weapons.

“What’s this?” he asks, studying the object with a furrowed brow.

I freeze, my blood running cold.

He squeezes me tight around the middle, leaving me gasping for air.

“Cass,” I rasp. “I can’t breathe.”

He flicks a switch with his thumb, releasing a blade. With a roar, he tosses the headband on the floor and grabs me around the throat. “Tell me who sent you.”

SIXTY-FOUR

AMETHYST

Cold shock turns my veins to slush. I struggle within Cass’s iron grip, my heart pounding like it’s about to explode. Eerie shadows fall across his face, making him look even more monstrous. My instructors never told me what to do if the target seized my headband.

Cass carries me across the room and throws me onto the bed with a force that knocks the breath from my lungs. He grabs my arms and binds them with rope. I twist and pull, but the rough fibers dig into my skin.

Alarm bells ring in my ears.

I can’t fight–he’s too strong.

Everything I’ve learned is useless.

He glares down at me, his face twisting with rage. Foam gathers in the corners of his mouth and veins stand out on his temples like bolts of lightning. I freeze, staring up into his manic eyes, trying to think up a way out of this mess. Panic winds around my chest, pulling even tighter than the ropes.

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you,” he snarls.

My ears ring. Every instinct screams at me to make something up.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

He leans in close, his face inches from mine, the alcohol on his breath stinging my nostrils. “Don’t play games with me, little girl. Tell me who sent you, or I’ll rip the truth out of you, piece by piece.”

My heart pounds, each beat echoing in my ears as I scramble for a convincing lie. “I didn’t know that was in my headband. I swear it.”

He snorts, his expression darkening with disbelief. When he pulls back, I fight against my bonds, but they’re too tight. He returns, waving the needle in my face, jabbing its point so close to my eyes that I squeeze them shut.

“This says otherwise.”

Shivers run down my spine, and my skin breaks out into a sweat. This is it. The moment I die. Mom will never know what happened to me, and I’ll never meet my baby brother. Cass might even tell his twin to kill Dolly.

I can’t get Dolly into trouble. I need to stay calm. I need to think. But his grip tightens around my throat like a vise. I try to breathe, but nothing comes. My lungs burn, and my vision starts to fade.

My thoughts scatter as my eyes roll back. I’m slipping away, thinking of a place where girls go to school, not to kung fu camps where they get hurt every day. The fear takes over, and everything goes dark.

A crash sounds on the other side of the room, making Cass release my neck. My eyes fly open, and I suck in a deep breath. Dolly rushes in through the door with a dart gun.

Before I can even scream at her to run, she pulls the trigger. The dart flies, embedding itself in Cass’s neck. He staggers back,pulling out the object, but it’s too late. The tranquilizer takes effect, and he collapses to the floor, unconscious.

“Where did you get that?” I whisper.

“Paul.” Dolly jogs to my side, looking paler than death. She unties the ropes around my wrists, her fingers trembling. “We need to get out of here.”

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