Restart ✔️

20 | The End of An Era

JAMES'S POV

As soon as the needle came out of her arm and Cassie went unconscious, the alarms started blazing. They never go off. When they do, it can only mean one thing: an attack.

Boss mutters, "Shit," and turns to me. "Come with me."

"I can't. I need to stay here with her."

"She'll be fine. The rest of the mansion, however, will not if you don't come."

I squeeze Cassie's hand and take one long last look at her before leaving. "Don't worry," Zane says to me, "I'll stay with her."

Yeah, that's exactly what I want, for him to be alone with the girl I love. He was practically making googly eyes at her on the way to the hospital room.

I follow Frank to the security room where all of the cameras' feed show up on the TVs. Frank practically growls when he sees who's leading the attack. I almost join him. Right when I thought I had gotten him out of the picture, Nick comes marching back. He thinks Cassie'll die from the procedure, but I won't let that happen. I had already made Frank promise me she'd stay alive even before Cassie's mom showed up bargaining the location of the hideout to make sure of it.

Nick shoots the doorknob of the front door, and I can practically see steam coming out of Frank's ears. He never thought anyone would find this place. It's not any maps. To the world, it doesn't exist. It's just a house in the middle of the woods that no one knows about. But Boss didn't think of the possibility of Nick coming back fully armed. Cassie must've gotten him so irritated that he didn't think straight.

I watch as Nick leads a small army into the house and wonder how he banned together that many people. I search the crowd to see if I recognize any of them, but only one face stands out: Sage Stone. Of course, she'd be here. She was one of the only ones not in their hideout when we raided the place. Cassie must have warned her.

"Dispatch all squads," I hear Frank tell his head of security. We watch as the battle unfolds between the two sides. Barely any shots are taken before all of the screens go blank. "WHAT HAPPENED?!?!" Frank yells at his employees who control the technology.

"Sir, it looks like we're being hacked," one of the guys sitting in front of the screens says as he types something on the keyboard in front of him.

"Do you still have access to the locks?"

"Yeah..."

"Lock her door. NOW."

NICK'S POV

When the smoke from the knockout gas clears, the soldiers are all passed out. It feels nice to give them a taste of their medicine.

After the two thugs, who dragged me out of the Six mansion, dispatched of me on a road in the middle of nowhere, I walked about 10 miles until I found myself feeling nostalgic as I passed the Waffle House. The moments I spent in there with Cassie will be in my heart forever. I remember the first time we came. I felt so nervous to actually talk to her. My palms were all damp, and I could feel sweat forming on the creases of my forehead. Of course, I had to all mysterious when I told her I knew what was going on. Showing up at her house at night was not the best idea, but Tracy said to get the message across quickly. She didn't want to waste any more time.