“Cassie, stop it!”
Ryan’s face was flushed with rage. In that moment she couldn’t believe how ugly he looked, with his narrowed eyes and twisted, snarling mouth.
Cassie slammed her glass down before continuing.
“I happened to open your car’s cubbyhole. What a shame you hadn’t had time to move the wire cutters you used to disable my car. I should have realized what a coincidence it was that my car was sabotaged the day before your wife came back. You were making sure you’d have an on-site babysitter for your romantic jaunts. Definitely a good way to stop me from leaving in a huff—especially since you were the hero of the day and said you’d look after me. Ryan, I have the utmost contempt for you. You should seek professional help to deal with your psychological problem. Maybe they can fix you.”
Cassie spat out the words.
“I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, and before I go, I’m going to bring your dear wife up to date on what’s been happening here. She and I can have a chat over a nice cup of coffee so that she knows exactly what kind of a pathological liar she married.”
Lightning flashed above the ocean and a thunderclap shook the whole house.
As she turned, Ryan grabbed her arm, and Cassie shrieked as he yanked her back. His fingers closed around her bicep, clamping hard, and she felt a sudden thrill of fear.
Had she thought he’d just lie down and accept this?
“You will not,” he spat at her. “And I’ll tell you why. If you say one word to my wife about this—if you even hint at it—I’m going to report you for child abuse.”
Cassie stared at him, horrified. Report her for abuse? What was he talking about?
Ryan raised his voice, almost shouting, and Cassie realized that he was far angrier than she’d realized.
“For child abuse. I will call the social workers to come and examine the children and they will find bruises. There will be evidence for them to see, I promise you that.”
She stared at him, appalled by what he was implying—that he would hurt them, and blame it on her. How could a father do such a thing to his own children? This wasn’t a joke, he wasn’t saying it lightly. He was stating it as fact.
Cassie didn’t want to speak another word to him. If it had been her own safety at stake, she wouldn’t have tried, but now that he’d threatened Dylan and Madison, she had to stand up for them.
“Ryan, please, not your own children! You can’t—” she began.
Enraged, he shouted her down, with her arm still trapped in his vise-like grip.
“I can and I will. While we’re about it, I’ll be shocked to discover that you don’t have the correct work permit. I’ll tell them you lied to me and I’ll cooperate fully to have you penalized, fined, and deported—after you’ve served your jail time for the abuse.”
Cassie had no words left. The extent of his threats had silenced her. What he’d said was beyond shocking; she felt crushed by the viciousness of his intent.
Lightning flashed, brightening the scene in blue-white for an eerie moment.
Ryan continued in a quieter tone.
“You stupid little girl. If you think you are going to do anything to compromise my plans, you are wrong. Trish is loaning my business a large amount of cash, and I’m not letting anything jeopardize this. Particularly not your hysterical behavior. There will be no complaining, no doing anything except what you’ve been hired to do. You will shut up and grow up, and keep the children happy until I tell you that you can leave. Understand?”
She couldn’t speak, but managed a nod.
“So for now, you—are going—nowhere.”
Ryan gave a final wrench of her arm before releasing it so suddenly Cassie nearly fell over.
Her arm was throbbing, and all she could think of was getting away from him. She staggered back, found her balance, and fumbled her way through the glass doors and back into the safety of the family room.
Her breath was coming in sharp, ragged sobs.
She was petrified by the violent side Ryan had revealed. Under that handsome, charming façade lurked a pathological liar who was prepared to do anything—threaten, damage, and harm—to protect himself.
What had the children gone through in the past? Had Ryan hurt them before? How could she defend them when she herself was an illegal worker who was now being threatened with deportation?
Cassie knew she had to find a way to handle this situation, for the children’s safety, to prevent Ryan from following through on his appalling threats, but she feared it was too late. She’d lost control of the situation, and whatever trust he’d had in her was gone.
She should have remembered Dylan’s warning, that his dad got “weird” when you tried to call him out on a lie.
Weird was an understatement. Ryan had become totally sociopathic.
What an utter fool she’d been to believe him, to fall for him, and what an idiot she’d been to think she could have the last word.
All she had done was reveal her hand, and now he had her in his power.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Cassie was hiding under the bed, her hand tightly clasped in Jacqui’s.
They could hear her father in the room downstairs. He was on the rampage, as Jacqui called it. Cassie didn’t know exactly what that meant, but she knew it sounded scary. It explained why it was important that they hide, because the word was threatening and evil, just like his actions.
Rampage.
It meant shouting, swearing, the smashing of glass, and Cassie knew the next day they would have to walk carefully, because the splinters could hide, sharp and deadly. She could be walking, or kneel
