"Are you sure it's him?" Blaine asks, to which I nod. "I'll take care of it." He says before walking off. I can't chase after him because I'm still tied to a fucking chair.
"Blaine, wait, come back."
He stops in place before walking back.
He takes my face in his hands before placing a soft kiss on my lips.
"I'm going to tell Vincent to come down here and get you and the two of you are going to go far away." He says. "I'll come and get you when everything is sorted out, I promise."
I shake my head and he makes a beeline for the door. "No. Blaine, he'll kill you."
"I'll be fine, you don't need to worry."
"Blaine. Stop. Don't go."
"I'm sorry sweetheart but I have to." He says.
"If you don't fucking untie me right now I swear-" He cuts me off when he shuts the door. "BLAINE." I shout. I try and wriggle my arms free but they barely move.
What have I done? I shouldn't have told him, I should've let him believe it was me. He's going to get himself killed and it's all my fault.
What feels like an eternity later, the door begins to open once again.
I let out a breath of relief when I see it's Vincent.
He stands in the doorway, looking at me with confusion evident on his face. "What happened to you?"
"No time for chit chat, untie me." I say and Vincent walks over to the knife table a picks one up.
He slices the rope and cuts me free.
"Do I even want to know why Blaine tied you up?"
"Vincent." I reprimand.
"What? Like I believe you are the mole." He says.
"I don't know if I should be offended or glad." I say. "We need to get out of here."
"Blaine said the same but I don't understand why." Vincent states.
"When Nathan realises what I've done- Blaine- Do you know where Blaine has gone?"
"Woah, woah. Slow your roll." He says. "What did you do to Nathan?"
"I'll catch you up with everything but first, do you know where Blaine is?" I ask because it's the most important.
"No. But he give me strict orders to not let you go after him. He told me to hide you, take you through his secret tunnels and get you out of here." He says. "Please come willingly, I don't want to have to drug you like the others did." I give him a look that questions his seriousness. Vincent shrugs. "He's the boss and it's for your own good.."
"Fine." I say. I follow along after Vincent. "And by the way, telling someone you're going to surprise drug them kinda beats the whole purpose."
"You followed me, didn't you? It can't be that ineffective." He says. "I didn't even know Blaine had secret tunnels until he told me how to access them." Vincent says as we walk through them.
"Me neither." But I'm not suprised. He has secret rooms all over the house, him having secret tunnels isn't much of a stretch.
We end up in Blaine's parking garage with his personal cars.
"This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, fucking difficult." Vincent says taking the keys to one of Blaine's cars out of his pocket. He clicks the button to unlock the car and we hear the car make a noise in the near distance.
"Click it again." I tell him and when he does I'm able to spot the general direction of the flash of lights.
We move closer to where we know the car is located and he clicks the button again. This time we see exactly which car Vincent holds the keys to.
We walk quickly over to the car and open the doors at the same time. "Wait, what about Frinkles and Whisper?"
"Since were in a rush, I'll cut a long story short and tell you Vanessa has them."
Satisfied with that answer for now, the two of us get in the car and fasten in before we head off, away from the house.
"So what happened with you and Nathan?" Vincent says looking over to me for a split second before returning his eyes to the road.
"Nathan is Alvaro."
"Alvaro....Kamarera?" He asks, clearly confused.
"Yes."
"Nathan? Nathan Benardi?" He asks.
"Yes." I respond.
"Nathan is Alvaro?"
"How many times are we going to do this? Yes."
"So you're telling me Nathan is the mole and the heir to the Spanish?" He asks.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"No offense to him but how? There's literally no way."
"He's not stupid, like at all. In fact he's acctually really smart, it was all an act."
"But I've known Nathan for years, we're friends." Vincent says.
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but he's the one who set the fire, not my brother."
"Your bother....what is going on right now?" He says, baffled by the new information.
"Oh, sorry. I forgot you're not caught up. I'm going to need you to keep your focus on the road while I tell you this." Ok, so, important details... "Um. Turns out Rowan Grey is my brother Sidney Marshall. He joined Blaine's mafia after his friend Eva got killed. Eva was married to Nathan or Alvaro, if you will. I think for some reason they both blame Blaine for what happened to her. Sidney and Alvaro both joined using undercover names. Rowan and Nathan. I think Sidney knew too much and Nathan tried to get rid of him, that's why he set the fire. Everyone else was just collateral."
"Wow. I uh- don't know what to say about that. It's a lot to take in."
"I'm sorry. I know it can't be easy bringing all this stuff back up."
"It's ok. It's not your fault. And I'm sorry too about your brother."
"Oh, shit. I missed out the part where he's acctually alive and healthy. He's a complete idiot but still very much alive."
"What the fuck?" He says. "How did you involve yourself in all of this?"
"I ask myself the same thing everyday." I state. "So why does Vanessa have my cats?" I ask.
"Oh, get this." He says. "Reyna is pregnant."
"She is?"
"Yes. Vanessa took Frinkles and Whisper because she was going to test their sizes for clothes or some shit for the baby. I don't really know."
"When did Reyna find out she was pregnant?" I ask.
"Like yesterday I think." He says. "Everything is just happening all at once."
"Do we know who the baby daddy is?" I ask.
"No, she's being super secretive about it. Maybe she wants to tell him-"
As we drive into an intersection another car slams at full speed into the side of us.
It all happens so fast. Our full car rolls to the side and glass from the windows shatter around us. My head spins as we fly through the air and not a second later crash to the ground. My full body feels numb with adrenaline.
It takes me a few seconds to break out of the state of pure shock.
The car is flipped upside down, the only thing keeping me in place is the seatbelt.
Flashes of the night my dad died course through my mind but I try to focus on the present and my bestfriend that's curently unconscious by my side.
"Vincent." I tap him on the chest and he doesn't move. "Vincent." I say louder, pushing through the pounding in my head. He still doesn't react.
I brace myself before undoing the seatbelt. I, not so gracefully, fall the small distance to the ground but manage not to hurt myself (discluding the few small shards of broken glass sheathed in my hands).
"Vincent." I say, desperately shaking him to try and wake him. "Please don't die on me. You need to wake up."
I hear him groan in pain slightly and while he's still not awake at least I know he's alive.
I hear the door of the car get ripped open and just as I realise what's happening, I get dragged out of the car.
I struggle against the strangers hold until my front is roughly slammed against the car.
"What did I tell you?" Nathan says from behind me, holding me in place against the car.
"Screw you." I say. Even though I'm facing the other way, I manage to quickly kick him in the groin. In the split second after, I elbow him in the chest for good measure and run like my life depends on it because it does.
I push the lightheadedness away like I've done so many other times before and I run like hell.
My victory is cut short when I hear the sound of a gun shot. I instinctively stop in place and look down at myself to see that I'm completely fine.
My suspicion that he missed on purpose proves to be true when he speaks up. "Come back or the next one goes in his head." Nathan says and I turn around to see two guys holding up Vincent and Nathan pointing a gun straight at him.
Of course it wasn't going to be that easy, it never is.
"I don't know what you want from me." I shout to him.
"Yes, you do, you just had to go against me and tell Blaine, didn't you?" He responds.
I walk closer to him so I'm no longer at shouting distance and can keep a close eye on Vincent.
"Why do you hate Blaine so much?" I ask.
"He killed my wife."
"Why would he do that?" I dare to ask.
"Out of spite."
"He didn't even know you were Alvaro." I counter.
"He didn't know I was Alvaro but he knew Alvaro was married to Eva."
"Look I'm sorry, I really am but Vincent and I have nothing to do with this." I don't know if Blaine really did what Nathan's accusing him of but what I do know is I'd rather not die right now.
"On the contrary." He says. "You're Blaine's biggest weakness."
"I'm not weak." I say, highly offended. Now is probably not the best time to be offended. "I managed to overpower you didn't I?"
He let's out a breathy laugh. "And then you walked yourself right back here." That's true but I couldn't just leave Vincent with these psychos.
"You know I thought you were nice, il s'avère que tu es un vrai connard." (Turns out you're a real asshole) I say in French, hoping that he can't secretly speak the language.
"If I hurt you it's going to hurt Blaine a hell of a lot more than if I hurt him directly." Nathan says as my eyes begin to blur. "Also you might want to get your head checked out....it looks nasty."
My hand reaches up to my head and when I bring it back to my eyeline the once clear tips of my fingers (and the only part of my hand that wasn't stained red) is now coated with blood.
My fingers tremble and I urge my now sore body to move but the world continues to blur around me until it's no longer there.
♡♡♡
"Cassie." I hear someone trying to coax me awake. "Cassie." Again. "Caasie." They draw out.
My blury eyes slowly open and I see the figure of Nathan.
I takes me a second to remember everything but when I do my eyes snap open.
I try and move but my arms are tied in place. I try to get a little leeway but it feels like my arms are burning with how tight the thick rope is.
"There's no escape so don't even think about it." Nathan says.
"What is your end game with this?" I ask.
"To see Blaine suffer. Torturing you is an added bonus." He says.
"Let her go." Someone says from behind him.
Nathan turns around and that's when I see Vincent who is also tied to a chair.
"Or what?" Nathan asks, taunting him.
"I'm going to kill you." Vincent says.
"Ok." Nathan says, unbothered by his threat. He turns back to me and tilts his head while looking at my face. "Now, what to do with that pretty face of yours?"
"Go to hell."
He smiles at my insult.
"When I'm done with you, you won't be so brave." He says before leaving the room to get supplies.
As much as I'm trying to hide my fear, I'm really scared. My walls come crashing down as he leaves the room.
"Vincent." I say with fear in my voice.
"It's ok, Blaine will find us you just need to hold on until he does." Vincent assures me.
"What is Nathan going to do?" I ask, I'm not sure I want the answer to that.
"Truthfully, I don't know but he's not going to kill you, he needs you as leverage so remember that."
Nathan comes back in the room. I don't pay him any mind, I stare at Vincent and he gives me a reassuring look back. He doesn't break eye contact for even a second.
Nathan moves to stand right in front of me, cutting my vision away from Vincent.
Nathan lifts up the knife he's holding and draws my attention to it.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He drags the knife slowly along the skin, not yet piecing the flesh. I watch with horror filled eyes, waiting for the moment he cuts me.
He sinks the knife into my skin, deeper and deeper until I can no longer hold back my reaction.
"Vigliacco, ti nascondi dietro nomi falsi per anni e poi te la prendi con una ragazza che non voleva avere niente a che fare con tutto questo. Pensavo avessi più onore di così, vigliacco." (Coward, you hide behind a fake name for years and then you pick on a girl who wanted nothing to do with this. I thought you had more honor than that, coward)
Whatever Vincent said in Italian has Nathan now focusing his attention onto him.
Nathan turns around and walks over to Vincent. He punches Vincent so hard across the face that if it weren't for the restraints he would've gone flying. He takes another knife and stabs Vincent hard in the thigh.
"Stop." I plead as Vincent crys out in pain. I can't bare to watch this. "Let him go. It's me that you want. You know that hurting me is going to hurt Blaine so what's the point in hurting Vincent?"
Nathan thinks for a moment before walking over to me.
"Has anyone ever told you, you're really smart." Nathan says but I have no clue why he's saying it with a sinister smile.
Nathan quickly takes my face in his hand. He slices a line down my cheek, I try to move, to fight him but his hold is too strong so I scrunch my eyes shut in a last effort to protect myself.
When he steps back he turns to Vincent with a smile. "You're going to tell Blaine exactly what I'm doing and what I plan to do to his sweet Cassandra. Tell him to meet me at 1:58, am, no earlier and no later at the old bridge or she's dead."
"No." Vincent says shaking his head as multiple people come over and start taking him away. "No, don't hurt her. Ti ammazzo cazzo, stronzo." (I'll fucking kill you, asshole) He says, struggling to break free of their hold.
When Vincent is taken out of the room, Nathan's attention returns to me. "Now, where were we?"
♡♡♡
A/n ..... not a lot going on at the moment.
Also side note: the whole Frinkles hating Nathan thing was a warning from the start. Frinkles doesn't really like people in general but especially Nathan because he could tell his intentions were bad. The only one who didn't have bad intentions for Cassie at the start was Vincent and that's why he's so comfortable with him ;)