Chapter Thirteen Cassian
Fucked up, that’s what this situation is. I don’t even read the letters anymore. I just take them and hand them to Jaylen. He did mention that they’re getting bolder and bolder. Some of them even scare him, and that alone scares the shit out of me.
I do think Valerie is connected to this somehow. I just don’t know how or even how deep. We don’t have any evidence. The police can’t do anything.
Jaylen waves as he gets out of his truck. We both rarely get home at the same time. He’s been extremely busy with his investigation. I promised Zenovia that I would be back to help her with the cookies, seeing as I changed my order at the last second.
“You have a new note.” Jaylen points to my window, but before we can say anything, the smoke alarm goes off inside the house.
“Zenovia!” I yell as we both run towards the front door. Jaylen is the first through the door, and I follow. As we run into the kitchen, I freeze when I see the blood on the floor and against the counter. Of everything I could imagine, this was not it.
“Cass, call 911!” Jaylen orders as he deals with the oven.
I’m not able to move. The drumming in my ears is louder than anything else.
“Cass… Do it!” He yells, pulling me back to reality.
I pull out my phone as I sink to the floor next to Zenovia.
She has a cut at the back of her head, and she’s barely breathing.
The blue around her lips and the paleness of her skin tell me she needs to get to the hospital immediately.
I explain to the operator what’s going on, and that’s when my eyes land on the half-eaten cupcake. My heart sinks knowing that someone did this to her. “She’s been poisoned,” I state and Jaylen takes my phone.
“This is Detective Lopez. How long until the ambulance arrives?”
I block him out as I hold Zenovia against me, begging her to come back to me.
She can’t leave me like this. This is not how it’s supposed to go.
We were supposed to go to the dance tomorrow, and I was going to propose at the end of the haunted house.
Jaylen, Jordan, and I had everything planned, and now…
Now my girl is fighting for her life. Nothing will bring me back from this. I can’t lose her.
I watch as the paramedic loads Zenovia into the ambulance. My whole heart is on the outside of my body. There is no way to explain to anyone how I’m feeling. How do you feel when the woman you love is fighting for her life because you placed her in that situation?
“We’ll find the person behind this. You need to go with her. I have the forensic team coming to grab all the evidence.” Jaylen pushes me towards the ambulance.
I glance down at the letter in his hands. I need to know what it says. “What’s in the letter?” He shakes his head, and I take hold of his shoulders. “I need to know.”
“You were warned. I am the only one for you,” Jaylen says.
I gasp as I look at him. “Don’t you even dare blame yourself. I will find her, and I will lock her up forever.”
He promises. I can’t expect him to do this.
He’s already busy with the homicide/suicide cases.
“Go be with her. She needs to get to the hospital. I will be there as soon as we are done here.”
The paramedic calls for me to come. “See you later,” Jaylen nods as I turn around and run to the ambulance. I will make sure Zenovia fights to come back to me. We will have our future together. This I promise her.