Chapter 5
Cassie
About thirty minutes passed before Alex returned.
His white t-shirt was soaked with blood. Fresh drops fell from his knuckles as he walked.
"Oh god!" I jumped up. "Are you hurt?"
He waved me off, sitting down heavily. He pulled out an electronic cigarette and took a long drag.
"It's not mine," he said. "Didn't you hear them call me Mr. Chase?"
I asked what happened to Marcus and his friends.
"Few broken ribs. They'll live." Alex shrugged. "Cold as ice, asking if they're dead."
I looked down as fat tears rolled off my cheeks.
Alex sighed.
"They work for The House—Leon King's crew. Different turf than mine, but we don't step on each other's toes without good reason."
He explained that he'd warned them off permanently and settled my father's gambling debt.
"The debt's cleared, Cassie. They won't bother you again."
I grabbed my head and screamed.
"But my dad will just gamble more money! It never ends!" The words poured out between sobs. "They made videos of me! They have pictures! I'm just a linguistics student and I can't... I can't do this anymore!"
I slid down the wall, hugging my knees to my chest, crying so hard I could barely breathe.
Alex's hand landed on my shoulder.
"I'll handle it," he said quietly. "Consider it payment for letting me crash here."
I looked up at him through swollen eyes.
For just a second, something soft flickered across his face before he looked away.
"Now get up and clean those cuts. You look like shit."
After washing my face and applying antiseptic, Alex pulled me back to the couch.
"I can save the medicine for you," I protested weakly.
"Shut up."
His touch was surprisingly gentle as he dabbed ointment on my cuts, his brow furrowed in concentration.
At my bedroom door, I turned back.
"Thank you," I said, managing a broken smile.
"You scared of me now? Knowing what I do?"
"A little," I admitted. "But you don't seem like a bad person."
Alex laughed, short and harsh. "You're fucking naive, Cassie."
In my room, I stared at the blood spatters on my wall.
My smile turned sharp and satisfied.
'Naive? You have no idea.'
The next day, Alex left.
Ten days. Ten goddamn days since Alex walked out, and nothing. Radio silence.
I stared at my laptop screen, the exam results blinking back at me. Second place in the linguistics department. Any other time, I'd be celebrating.
But all I could think about was Alex.
'Where the hell is he?'
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
"Cassie Stone?" The voice was gruff, unfamiliar.
"Yes?"
"We're downstairs. Alex Chase sent us."
My heart skipped. "Sent you for what?"
"Just come down. Black SUV out front."
The line went dead.
I grabbed my jacket and headed downstairs, my pulse hammering. Two men waited by a sleek black vehicle, both wearing matching racing jackets with Lightning Racing logos.
"You're Cassie?" The taller one looked me up and down.
"That's me."
"Boss wants to see you. Get in."
I hesitated for maybe three seconds, then climbed into the backseat.
'Finally.'
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Lightning Racing," the driver said. "Biggest underground racing club in Nevada."
My stomach fluttered. Alex's world. His real world.
From outside, it looked like any other warehouse—concrete walls, barred windows, nothing special. But stepping through those doors? My jaw hit the floor.
The inside was insane.
Custom racing cars lined the walls like artwork. Trophies and racing photos covered every surface. Everything screamed money and power.
"This way," the tall man said.
We entered a VIP room with soundproof glass. The engine roars from the main floor disappeared completely.
"Boss, we brought her."
I turned around.
Alex stepped out from behind a partition, and my breath caught.
He wore a custom racing suit that fit him like a second skin. Matte black with silver accents, his name embroidered across the chest. A helmet dangled from his left hand.
"Don't recognize me anymore?" he asked, that familiar smirk playing at his lips.
I looked down, suddenly shy. "Sorry, Mr. Chase. You look... different. More handsome than in the photos."
Alex laughed. "I've always been this fucking good-looking."
He waved his men away. They left without a word.
"Alex, I—"
"You want to see them?" He pointed toward a door I hadn't noticed. "The assholes who hurt you. They're right through there."
My hands started shaking. I clenched them into fists.
"Don't pussy out now," Alex said quietly. "This is your chance."
I straightened my spine, meeting his eyes. "I'm ready."
The inner room made my skin crawl.
Several men sat tied up against the far wall, oil-stained rags stuffed in their mouths.
Marcus was there. The leader.
I walked to the bench and picked up a heavy wrench, feeling its weight.
Behind me, the men started making muffled noises, trying to scoot away from me across the floor.
I knelt in front of Marcus and slowly pulled the rag from his mouth.
"Please," he gasped. "This is all a misunderstanding. We were just—"
"Just what?" I interrupted. "Just having fun? Just teaching me a lesson?"
'Just like I begged them in the casino. Just like they ignored me.'
"I can pay you back! Whatever your boyfriend wants—"
The wrench connected with his shin. The crack echoed through the room.
Marcus screamed.
"Open your mouth," I said calmly.
"What? No, please—"
I grabbed his jaw and forced it open, then swung the wrench against his teeth. Blood and enamel sprayed across the concrete.
"Swallow them," I ordered.
He shook his head, tears streaming down his face.
I pressed the wrench against his throat. "SWALLOW. THEM."
He choked them down, gagging on his own blood.
Next, I looked at his crotch.
"This is for every time you touched me."
The wrench slammed into his groin. Marcus doubled over, vomiting blood and tooth fragments.
I stood up and walked back to the workbench, selecting a pair of needle-nose pliers and a power drill.
"We're not done yet," I said.
Five of them got the Marcus special—broken bones, missing teeth, crushed balls. The other two just lost some fingers and toes. I was running out of steam.
By the end, my blonde hair was matted with blood. My clothes were soaked. But my breathing was steady, my hands calm.
I set down the drill and walked back to the VIP room.
Alex looked up from his phone. "You hurt?"
"No. It's not my blood."
He disappeared into the inner room for maybe ten seconds, then came back out. His expression was... surprised.
Alex pulled out a radio. "Clean up room two. Hospital run for eight. Make it look like a car accident."
"Copy that, boss."
He turned back to me. "You're a fucking savage, you know that?"
That's when I started crying.
"I don't know what happened!" I sobbed, collapsing to my knees. "I just... I lost control! Did I do something wrong? Oh god, what did I do?"
I buried my face in my hands, shoulders shaking.
Alex stared at me for a long time without saying anything.
"Go home," he finally said. "The videos are destroyed. The photos are gone. Your dad's debt is cleared. You can go back to school and forget this ever happened."
I stood up shakily. "Thank you. I'm so sorry about—"
"We're even. Don't thank me."
One of his men appeared. "Ready to take her back, boss."
Alex nodded, but his eyes stayed on me.
The door slammed open. Some gorgeous brunette in a skin-tight racing outfit sashayed in, already pulling out her phone for a selfie with Alex.
"Baby! Where have you been? I've been posting stories about missing my man!"
She barely glanced at me as we passed each other.
"Roxanne, you're being clingy again," Alex said, but he put his arm around her.
"Wait, where's your lucky bracelet? You never take that off!"
I didn't hear his answer. The door closed behind me.
Back in my dorm, my phone rang.
"Cassie! Holy shit, what did you do?" Dad's voice cracked with excitement. "Someone cleared my whole debt at The House! And they banned me for life!"
"Alex Chase helped us," I said simply.
"Alex Chase? THE Alex Chase from Lightning Racing?" His voice went hungry. "How the hell do you know him? You two together? Can you hook me up? You know the kind of money he's connected to?"
"Dad." I cut him off. "Are you going to keep gambling?"
Silence.
"I'll... try to control myself. But Cassie, about Alex—"
"Will you stop gambling or not?"
"Well, I mean, I can't promise—"
I hung up.
Standing at my window, I looked out at the glittering Vegas skyline.
Somewhere out there, Alex was probably fucking his racing girl, thinking he'd saved some innocent college student.
And somewhere out there, my real plan was just beginning.