Chapter 6
Cassie
For the past few days, Hudson had been acting the part of a caring father. Cooking me dinner, asking about school, pretending to give a shit about my life.
I should have known something was up.
This morning, I caught him rifling through my dresser drawers.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Hudson jumped, then grinned sheepishly. "Just looking for... uh..." His eyes landed on something, and that sheepish look turned predatory. "Well, well. What do we have here?"
He held up my bracelet—the one Alex had given me. The diamonds caught the morning light.
"Where did you get this?" Hudson's voice took on that familiar greedy tone.
I lunged forward. "Give it back!"
"Hold on, hold on." He stepped back, examining it more closely. "This is some high-end shit, Cassie. Worth at least fifty grand, maybe more." His eyes lit up. "We could sell it. Split the money."
"No!" I grabbed for it, but he held it above his head. "That's not for sale!"
Hudson's laugh was ugly. "Oh, I get it now." He lowered the bracelet, that cunning smile spreading across his face. "This is from Alex, isn't it? Able to give you this kind of expensive shit... looks like you won't be short on money anymore."
My stomach dropped. 'Fuck.'
Three hours later, I was in Mrs. Rodriguez's kitchen, chopping onions for the lunch rush.
The bell above the front door chimed. Mrs. Rodriguez went to greet the customers while I kept working.
"Excuse me, is Cassie Stone here?"
I froze.
"Cassie!" Mrs. Rodriguez called. "Someone here for you!"
I walked out to find two people in plain clothes. The man was clean-cut with sharp eyes. The woman had short hair and looked like she could break someone's neck without breaking a sweat.
"Cassie Stone?" The man flashed a badge. "We'd like to speak with you. There's a coffee shop across the street—would you mind joining us for a few minutes?"
My mouth went dry. "I... what's this about?"
"Nothing to worry about," the woman said. "Just some questions."
Mrs. Rodriguez squeezed my hand. "Go ahead, baby."
The coffee shop was nearly empty. We sat in a corner booth, and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.
"Relax," the man said gently. "We're not here to arrest you."
I forced myself to look up. He had kind eyes, actually. Not what I'd expected.
He slid his credentials across the table. "Michael Reynolds, FBI Special Operations Unit." The badge read: Agent Reynolds, Badge #215, Age 30.
"Agent Reynolds," I said quietly. "What do you want with me?"
Reynolds studied me. "What's your relationship with Lightning Racing? With Alex Chase?"
"There is no relationship. I don't know them." I started to stand. "If that's all—"
The female agent grabbed my wrist. "Wait. We're not here to blame you for anything. There's something bigger going on."
I slowly sat back down, every muscle tense.
"Sorry," Reynolds said. "I'm not explaining this well."
"Then explain it better," I snapped. "What do you want?"
The two agents exchanged a look.
"Cassie Stone," Reynolds said formally, "I'm here on behalf of the FBI Special Operations Unit to invite you to become an informant within Lightning Racing."
The words hit me like a slap. I stared at him, my mind racing through the implications, the risks.
"No." I shook my head. "I'm just a linguistics student. I'm not brave enough for something like that."
Reynolds smiled slightly. "Drop the act."
"Excuse me?"
"Those debt collectors didn't just get beaten up randomly. You orchestrated it. You used Alex Chase to get your revenge." His voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "And Alex burning bridges with Leon King—that was the price he paid for helping you."
I kept my expression neutral, but inside I was impressed. 'He's smarter than he looks.'
"Alex doesn't care about me," I said with a shrug. "He just likes playing hero. Simple as that."
"No." Reynolds shook his head. "Alex is brilliant. We've had agents try to get close to his inner circle for years. They all failed."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "I'm guessing your plan doesn't end with those debt collectors."
Our eyes met. His were clear and sharp—definitely not stupid.
I took a deep breath, fighting to stay calm.
Reynolds stood up. "Look, we can offer protection. This isn't just about local crime—it's part of an international network. These people are more dangerous than you realize."
He scribbled something on a napkin and placed it on the table.
"Think about it. That's an encrypted communication app. When you're ready to talk."
They left me sitting there alone.
I stared at the napkin for a long time, then crumpled it up and threw it in the trash on my way out.
Two days passed with no sign of my dad.
'That fucking bastard.'
I grabbed my keys and drove straight to the Strip.
I found him at the Bellagio's high-stakes tables, the bracelet sitting right there next to his chips like a goddamn beacon.
"Dad!" I stormed over. "What the hell are you doing?"
He looked up with bloodshot eyes. "Cassie! Perfect timing. I'm about to hit it big."
I lunged for the bracelet. Dad backhanded me across the face.
"Don't fucking touch that!" He grabbed my wrist, twisting it. "That's my ticket out of this hole."
"It's not yours!" I clawed at his hands. "Give it back!"
"Like hell!" He shoved me backward. "Ungrateful little bitch! You think I won't take what I need? I'm gonna win this hand, and then we'll both be rich!"
"No fucking way!"
We grappled over the bracelet. He slapped me again, harder this time.
"Cassie! You ungrateful piece of shit! Don't ruin this for me!"
Security was moving toward us when the crowd suddenly parted.
A group of men in expensive suits walked through like they owned the place. At the center was a tall man with gold-rimmed glasses and perfectly styled hair.
Even I knew who this was.
Leon King.
His cold eyes found me immediately. "Cassie Stone?" His voice was smooth, cultured. "Alex Chase beat up my men... for you?"
I opened my mouth to deny it, but dad jumped up with a greasy smile.
"Mr. King! Sir! Alex Chase—he's my daughter's boyfriend!"
Leon's smile was razor-sharp. "Is that so?"
He gestured to his security. "Take them to the back room."
Then he turned to a massive man beside him. "Dominic, call Alex. Tell him to come collect his girlfriend."
The world tilted sideways as they grabbed our arms.
'This is not part of the plan.'