Welcome to the Cassadines: Book II of Kismet

Chapter Eight

***Home to Roost***

They assembled in a conference room on one of the middle floors of the hotel. Stefan couldn't be certain, but he believed that Ned Ashton anticipated his request and alerted the hotel's staff ahead of time. He supposed that despite Ned's failed relationship with Alexis, the man felt a strange kind of loyalty to her family. Stefan was, indeed, surprised by it, but at such a dire time in his family's history, he had no cause to question it. He accepted the act and collected his thoughts as the solemn faces of Nikolas, Andrèsj, Zarek and Zander stared back at him.

"Father, I can't just stand around and do nothing!" Andrèsj's cry startled the others in the room, but soon Nikolas joined him.

"Neither can I. I feel like I've just got my family back. If Sabrina is still alive-"

"There is no 'if'," Stefan interjected in a deadly calm voice. "She is alive."

"What did the police say?" Zander asked. "I heard there was blood all over the place."

"There was," Stefan replied.

His son's gasped. Zander's mouth dropped open and Zarek's face turned ghostly white.

"Blood?" Zarek repeated. "And you're telling us she's not dead? Stefan, giving them false hope is cruel."

"I do not speak with sentiments of false hope. Sabrina is my sister, and as whimsical as this may sound, if she were dead, I would know!" Composure, he silently reminded himself. Remain calm and focused. By doing this, he could guide his family and return his beloved sibling back to them. "The blood that was found in her home was not of human origin."

"What was it?" Nikolas asked.

"That of pigs and cows," Stefan answered.

"Who?" Andrèsj gasped. "What... Why was her home defiled with the blood of swine? Father, did an enemy do this?"

"I cannot think of one who would be so bold," Stefan answered truthfully. "Zarek, can you?"

His cousin's face still had not returned to a healthy shade. The younger man didn't respond with words. He simply shook his head.

"Maybe it wasn't an attack against you," Zander said when the room became silent. "Maybe it's just some sick bastard out there. Some kind of serial thing."

"T'is possible."

"We can go to the WSB again," Nikolas said. "Dawn or Steve..."

"It's taken care of," Stefan said.

"And there is nothing more we can do?" Andrèsj persisted. "Ourselves? Please forgive my rudeness, Father, but why assemble us here? We are not helping Sabrina hiding in a hotel room!"

"Patience," Stefan said. He went to his youngest son and gently grasped his upper arms. "The word must seem cruel in light of Sabrina's disappearance, but it is one we must adhere to. There are too many unanswered questions and to plan for an attack when we do not know the name of our enemy is foolish.

"Be advised that we must now show great caution. Each of you, including your loved ones, has an armed guard assigned to you." He looked each of the young men in the eye. "There will be no arguments about this. Zander, I wish that you would reconsider your accommodations. There is plenty of room here, and the security is state of the art. Will you join us here?"

Zander hesitated for a moment before nodding his agreement.

Doubting that Zander would appreciate an outward display of relief, Stefan nodded. He released Andrèsj and said, "Once more information is gathered, we will assemble again. Make no mistake any of you, we will find Sabrina and we will bring her home."