Page 80 of Keeping Kasey
“I deal with the most dangerous men on the planet,” she whispers. “For years, I’ve been hired because what I can do is so valuable, they can’t afford to hurt me.I’vealways had the power—the leverage.”
For the first time since I’ve met her, Kasey freely drops the walls she so adamantly hides behind. She lets me see the parts of her that aren’t strong and untouchable.
Right now, she’s vulnerable, weak, broken.
And so beautiful.
“Today, I had no power… I thought he was going to kill me.”
There are no words I can offer to erase the fear in her eyes, so instead of trying, I wrap my arms around her and hold on tight.
“It’s all fuzzy,” she says. “I don’t remember everything.”
“That’s okay. Tell me what you can.”
She nods, and the words come out soft and measured. “Brandon told Ford that Matteo needed to see him. Then, Brandon locked the door, and he—he attacked me.”
“Did he assault you?” I ask, and it takes everything in me to keep my words steady.
She swallows, then slowly shakes her head before stopping with a wince. “He didn’t get the chance.”
Rage boils just beneath the surface, and I realize that holding her is the only thing keeping me from going on a murder spree.
“I tried to stall, but he got violent. He smacked me, and at some point, he hit me with his gun.” She swallows hard. “It’s all fuzzy from there, but I remember Ford coming in.”
She goes on to explain how Ford was shot when he finally got into the room, and how he was still able to distract Brandon long enough for her to grab the gun. She remembers hitting her head and crawling to Ford.
I have a lot more questions. What did Brandon say? Was he acting strange all morning or just when Ford left? Why did Ford leave? How long was she alone with Brandon?
But I don’t want to push her. As it is, her eyes are pinched like the retelling has worsened her headache.
We sit like that for a while—both of us slowly relaxing in the comfort of each other’s touch.
After several minutes, she asks, “Can we go home now?”
I gently press my forehead to hers and nod, but it’s not lost on me that it’s the first time Kasey refers to the manor ashome.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kasey
I lied to Logan.
At least, I think I did.
It’s true that everything is a haze, and I don’t remember all the details. But one thing I do know: Brandon didn’t try to assault me.
And while I didn’t flat-out tell Logan that he did, I knowingly implied it.
I only remember fragments of my conversation with Brandon before Ford showed up, but I vividly recall the confusion, the fear, and the eerie sense that I’d done something wrong.
The parts of the conversation that I do remember scare me almost as much as the encounter itself.
You lying traitor, he’d said and asked if I was here todelete it.
I don’t even know whatitis.
Then, the one sentence I remember with painful clarity:
