Shadowbrook

Chapter 7: Dark Waters

"Old alliances crumble as new threats emerge. Cassidy and Evan are running out of time, and the price of finding the truth may be more than either of them is willing to pay."

The cold, sharp press of metal against my neck sent a jolt of fear through my body. My breath hitched, my pulse racing in my ears, drowning out the sounds of the waves lapping against the pier. I stood frozen, every muscle tensed, my mind scrambling to make sense of what was happening. Nathan's apology. The hooded figure. The ambush.

"Move," the voice growled, the words low and full of menace.

I couldn't see his face. The hood cast everything in shadow, but the glint of the blade at my throat told me enough. I couldn't run. Couldn't fight. I was trapped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nathan standing just a few feet away, his face pale, his hands shaking. He looked terrified, but he wasn't moving to help me. He wasn't saying a word.

"Nathan?" I gasped, my voice trembling. "What's happening?"

Nathan swallowed hard, his eyes flicking between me and the figure behind me. "I didn't want this, Cass. I tried to warn you."

"Warn me?" I hissed, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic rising in my chest. "You led me here!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Nathan's voice cracked. "They told me to bring you. I thought—I thought I could protect you, but I—"

"Enough," the figure behind me snarled, cutting Nathan off. "She doesn't need to hear your excuses."

The blade pressed harder against my skin, and I winced, my pulse pounding in my throat. I could feel the chill of the metal, the weight of the situation sinking in. I was at their mercy, and Nathan—Nathan had led me straight into their hands.

The hooded figure leaned in closer, his breath hot against my ear. "You've been digging where you don't belong, Cassidy Harper. Asking questions no one wants answered."

My heart hammered against my ribs. This was it. This was what Evan had warned me about. The people who wanted to keep their secrets buried. The people who would do anything to stop me from finding the truth about Sam.

"What do you want?" I whispered, my voice shaking.

"Simple," the figure replied, his voice cold. "You stop. You leave this town and never come back. Or you'll end up just like your brother."

The words cut through me like a knife, sharper than the blade pressed to my skin. End up like Sam? My brother hadn't just been murdered—he'd been silenced. And now they were threatening to do the same to me.

I could feel my hands shaking, my mind racing. I needed to think, to find a way out of this. But the fear was overwhelming, clouding my thoughts. If I pushed back, if I said the wrong thing, they'd kill me right here. I was sure of it.

"I—" I started, but before I could finish, there was a sudden commotion to my right—a flash of movement in the shadows.

The figure behind me stiffened, and in that split second of distraction, I took my chance. I ducked, pulling away from the blade and spinning out of his grip. My heart raced as I stumbled back, putting distance between us.

Evan stepped into the light, his expression dark and furious. "Let her go," he growled, his voice sharp as steel.

The hooded figure turned toward him, the knife glinting in the dim light. For a moment, everything was still—just the sound of the wind and the waves crashing against the pier. I held my breath, my heart pounding in my chest as the tension stretched taut between them.