Chapter 4
CASSIA
Walking toward Dad’s office, my stomach is nothing but a tight ball of nerves.
I stop outside the shut door, my hands opening and closing into fists while I try to gather the courage to talk to him about the alliance.
There’s no way I’m asking for the hundred million dollars we invested to be returned. We’ll be the laughingstock of the world.
Just as I take hold of the doorknob, a scream comes from the direction of the kitchen. Then gunfire erupts from the front and back of the property, and it sounds like a warzone as our guards fight off whoever’s attacking us.
Intense shock vibrates through me as I shove the office door open, shouting, “We’re under attack!”
“What?” Dad barks, jumping up to peer out of the window where we can see our guards trying to fight off the intruders in the front yard.
Not wasting a minute, I rush to the vault and quickly key in the code. “I also heard gunfire coming from the kitchen,” I tell Dad, my voice breathless from shock.
The instant the lock clicks, I yank the door open and grab a handgun.
Dad comes to take a machine gun, but I don’t wait for him and haul ass out of the office.
With my heart hammering against my ribs and my mouth growing dryer than a desert, I hurry down the hallway.
God, all the training in the world couldn’t prepare me enough for this moment.
Just get Mom, Eleni, and Kiki. Focus on them.
Another scream echoes through the house, and there are more gunshots, the sounds chilling the blood in my veins.
I last saw Mom in the kitchen, and my sisters went to Kiki’s room to choose something for her to wear to the party.
When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I hesitate, unsure whether I should go to the kitchen or to my sisters.
As Dad comes up behind me, men pour out of the kitchen, and when they open fire on us, I have no choice but to run up the stairs while ducking low.
“Fucking bratva scum,” Dad roars as he returns fire.
The gunshots grow louder, and right before I reach the landing at the top of the stairs, I glance over my shoulder. It’s in time to see a spray of bullets hit Dad, his body jerking before dropping to the ground.
“God!” I cry as I rush down the hallway, shock and horror filling every inch of my body.
I can’t believe we’re being attacked.
I burst into Kiki’s room, and not seeing the girls, I shout, “Eleni! Kiki!”
Both their heads pop up from the side of the bed, and when they see me, they quickly hurry out of their hiding place.
“They’ve taken the first floor.” My tone is surprisingly firm, and I point at the glass door by the window. “Balcony!”
The girls rush out onto the balcony while I press my shoulder to the wall near the bedroom door, ready to shoot whoever comes in.
Will I be able to kill someone today?
My eyes flick to where my sisters are climbing over the side of the railing. At one time or another, we’ve all used our balconies to sneak out of the house, and today, it’s paying off.
My breaths keep rushing over my lips as Kiki goes down first before Eleni follows. Once they're out of my sight, I run for the balcony. Not bothering to use the trellis as a ladder, I grab hold of the railing and fling my body over the side.
God, the fall is going to hurt!
I let out a shriek when a bullet narrowly zips past my head, and I twist my body so I fall backward while raising my right hand that’s gripping the gun tightly. As I hit the ground, a man leans over the side of the balcony, and while the air is forcefully knocked from my lungs, I pull the trigger.
When the bullet hits the bastard in his shoulder, I roll over and dart up while screaming at my sisters, who are running ahead of me, “Faster! Get over the wall.”
I can only hear the loud pounding of my heart, and my eyes are glued to my sisters. When they reach the wall, Eleni jumps and grabs hold of the top. She manages to pull herself up before holding out her hand to Kiki.
Just as Kiki grabs hold of Eleni’s hand, we’re bombarded with bullets. One slams into my side, but I hardly feel the pain as I watch a bullet hit the back of Kiki’s head.
“Nooooo!” The sound tearing from my soul is filled with horror, but somehow, I swing around and open fire on the two men storming toward us.
Jesus.
When I shoot one in the neck and he goes down, there’s no relief. I aim at the other man, but he gets another shot off, and the bullet digs into my thigh.
“Cassia!” Eleni screams.
Just hearing the terror in her voice has me pulling the trigger, and luckily, the bullet hits the mark, taking down the other bastard.
When I spin around, it’s to see Eleni’s still holding onto Kiki’s hand.
“Let go of her,” I say, my voice sounding unnaturally hollow while my soul is inundated with blow after blow of unbearable shock and horror.
I take hold of Kiki and glance up at Eleni. “Let go, Eleni.”
Sobs rack Eleni as she frees Kiki’s hand, and I gently lower my youngest sister to the grass. Her face is covered in blood, the sight making acid curdle in my stomach.
She was only nineteen.
“Cassia!” Eleni screams. “More men are coming!”
The alarm in Eleni’s voice rips me back to our harrowing circumstances. I let go of Kiki, and when I jump and grab hold of the top of the wall, Eleni grips hold of my forearm. She starts to pull while I use all my strength to hoist myself onto the top of the wall.
I hear a shot ring through the air, and not hesitating, I shove Eleni over the other side.
The bullet hits my bicep, ripping a cry from me and making me lose my balance. I fall off the wall, and my body hits the ground with a hard thud. It’s only then I start to feel the fire ripping through the flesh of my side, thigh, and arm.
“Cassia!” Eleni sobs.
I have to get Eleni to safety.
The thought of my sister has me climbing to my feet, and grabbing her hand, I start to run as fast as my injured leg allows me to.
We make our way down the street, and I keep going for miles before Eleni tugs against my hold.
“I… can’t… keep… running,” the words burst over her lips.
Slowing my pace, I glance around us, noticing we’re a safe distance from the mansion. I quickly tuck the handgun into the waistband of my jeans.
When my feet come to a stop, my legs threaten to give out from beneath me, and I sink down on the curb.
A breathless sob escapes Eleni as she sits down beside me, and for a moment, my rushed breaths and her sobs are the only sounds we hear.
After a while, Eleni calms down enough to ask, “Do you think Mom and Dad got out?”
I close my eyes, and when the image of Dad’s body jerking flits through my mind, they pop open again.
“No,” I whisper. “I saw them shoot Dad.”
I think it’s just Eleni and me who got out alive.
“And Mom?”
I shake my head.
If she was still in the kitchen when they attacked, they would’ve killed her first before spreading through the rest of the mansion.
Knowing we’re not safe out in the open, I start to get up, but pain tears through my body, making a cry escape my lips.
“Cassia!” Eleni quickly wraps her arm around my lower back. “We need to get to a hospital.”
I shake my head again. “We have to go to Uncle George’s place. That’s where our guards who survived the attack will go.”
I have to get Eleni to safety. Even if I die trying.
She digs her phone out of her pocket and says, “I’ll call him so he can come pick us up. You need urgent medical care.”
“You brought your phone,” I whisper while reaching for the device.
“Of course. You know I always have it on me,” she mutters.
For the first time since the attack, I feel a sliver of relief as I dial the emergency number for the island. When Evinka, Dominik’s second-in-charge, sent out the emergency contact details, I made sure to memorize them.
A man answers the call in a professional tone. “State your emergency.”
“It’s Cassia Dimtrou!”
“What can we do for you, Miss Dimitrou?”
“I need backup. Now!” I glance around us as I push Eleni away from the side of the road. “The bratva attacked us. It’s just me and my sister who made it out alive.”
“Give us your location so we can notify whoever’s closest to you.”
I quickly ramble off the address for my uncle’s house that’s here in Athens, my eyes constantly darting up and down the street.
“I’m ten minutes away from the location,” I think to mention.
“Share your real-time location with the emergency number so we can track you,” the man instructs. Before I can reply, he adds, “The other members have been notified. We’re waiting for their responses.”
“Okay.”
I gesture with my head for Eleni to start walking. “I’m going to end the call so I can share my location with you.”
“We’ll be in touch with you on the device you’re currently using. Notify us the instant your circumstances change.”
“Okay,” I say before hanging up. While I limp beside Eleni, I send my real-time location before glancing around us again.
“We’re too exposed,” I tell her.
“Call Uncle George,” she reminds me.
Just as I look at the screen of the phone again, it lights up with an incoming message.
Mr. Castro is currently one and a half hours from you. Lay low until he gets to you.
“One of the alliance members can be here in one and a half hours,” I relay the information to Eleni. “We just need to stay alive until then.”
“Great,” she whispers while wrapping her arms around her torso.
I dial Uncle George’s number, and while the line connects, I check our surroundings again.
It keeps ringing until I’m asked to leave a message. My desperation grows as I hang up and try once more. When it goes to voicemail again, I try Aunt Vasaliki’s number, but the call also goes unanswered.
Shit.
Aunt Vasaliki always answers her phone.
A chill creeps down my spine, and as desperation starts to course through my body, I dial the number for the head of security at my uncle’s house.
When that call also goes unanswered, a breath explodes from me, and I quickly dial the number for the island.
“Yes, Miss Dimitrou?”
“I think my uncle’s place was attacked as well. We’re out in the open.”
“Give me a minute to find a safe house for you.”
While I remain on hold, Eleni’s face crumbles and she wraps her arms around herself.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her, even though I know nothing will be okay for the unforeseeable future.
Jesus. The bratva killed Dad.
And Mom and Kiki.
My throat strains as unbearable sorrow mixes with the shock, and for a moment, I’m on the verge of breaking down, but then the man’s voice comes over the line again. “You need to go to the harbor. Mr. Castro has a contact who can keep you hidden until he arrives. It’s eighteen kilometers south-west of your current position.”
“Okay.”
We end the call, and I hold the phone out to Eleni. “Get us a cab. We need to get to the harbor.”
“Do you really think they attacked Uncle George and Aunt Vasaliki as well?” she asks with a trembling voice while she takes the device from me.
I can only nod, my mind racing too fast to think clearly.
I notice Eleni’s shaking severely while she orders us a cab, then I glance down at my bicep. The blood has stained the fabric of my long-sleeved shirt, and I’m leaving a trail behind us.
“How long until the cab reaches us?” I ask.
“Five minutes. We have to wait here.”
Good. I don’t think I can walk much farther.
My vision blurs, and I shake my head while sucking in deeper breaths of air.
Just get Eleni to safety.
“How do you feel?” my sister asks.
Like I was shot three times and I’m bleeding to death.
I lift my chin and mutter, “I’m fine. How long until the cab arrives?”
“Just shy of two minutes.”
“The cab needs to take us to the harbor.” I glance down to where she’s gripping the phone tightly. “Check the messages for the name of the person we’re meeting.”
She unlocks the screen and quickly reads over all the information. “There’s a dock number where the cab can drop us off.”
“Good,” I whisper, glancing around us again.
The road is quiet, but for some reason, it makes me feel more on edge.
I reach for my gun, my fingers wrapping around the handle while my eyes keep roving over every house.
“If they catch up to us, you have to run,” I order Eleni.
“I’m not leaving you,” she argues.
I continue to glance anxiously around us as I bite out, “You will. If I’m killed, Santiago Castro will meet you at the docks and take you to a safe place.”
“No, Cassia!”
Before we can argue further about the matter, the cab pulls up ahead of us.
“Hurry,” I snap. I try to move faster and keep glancing over my shoulder.
Eleni opens the backdoor, and as she slides into the backseat, the windshield shatters, and a bullet hits the cab driver right between the eyes.
“Down, Eleni!” I shout, and miraculously, a surge of energy rushes through me as I dart forward.
I yank the dead driver out and quickly climb in behind the steering wheel. Flooring the gas, the tires squeal before the vehicle lurches forward.
My side window shatters, and it has Eleni screaming, “Oh God! Cassia! I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not dying today,” I shout while turning the steering wheel hard and willing the cab to go faster.
I won’t lose Eleni as well.
I keep checking the rearview and side mirrors, and when it doesn’t look like anyone is following us, I quickly glance over my shoulder at Eleni.
“Are you okay?”
She just nods before she bursts out in tears. “Why is this happening?”
Because Dad kept provoking the fucking Russians. If only the stubborn man had listened to me.
I don’t answer Eleni’s question but instead order, “Bring up the map so I can see where I need to go.”
Eleni leans forward between the seats, and I take the device from her. Setting it down on the console, I check the map and see we’re thirty-five minutes away from the harbor.
A lot can go wrong in thirty-five minutes.