A Hostage to Delusion by M J Marlow (the reading list book txt) 📖

he had stopped here and the car had been taken away. She looked at the forests surrounding her and knew she’d get lost if she tried to run. She had been allowed to call her family every day so they knew she was all right. That had gone a long way to helping her trust the man.
“Hot chocolate?” he asked as he came out onto the porch with two mugs. “With extra chocolate syrup and marshmallow.”
“How did you know that?” Cassie looked at the man in shock as she accepTed the cup from him. She took a sip. “Mmm.”
“Adam told me,” he answered her. “He was really very fond of you. Every time he deigned to take my call, you were all he could talk about.” He saw that she was very pleased to hear this from him, and then she starTed to cry. “Hey there, kid,” he said as he set her cup aside and crouched down to raise her eyes to his. “You shouldn’t cry. Your husband loves you. That’s something to celebrate, not mourn.”
“But he died before I ever got a chance to realize that I loved him back,” Cassie whimpered. She did not see the look that appeared on his face because she was on her feet and blinded by tears. “It’s not right. He never knew.”
“Hush now,” Adam said as he pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried. “It’s all right.” He wanTed so badly to tell her the truth it was killing him. But he couldn’t drag her into what he was facing, not after all the things she had already suffered because of him. He heard something that shouldn’t be there and pushed her towards the door. “Inside quick.”
Cassie didn’t argue. This man was a trained agent. His attitude told her there might be danger and she trusTed him. She heard a gunshot and ran inside to make a call for help. A man was standing there holding the phone and smiling coldly.
“Looking for this, princess?” he said as he took out the battery and threw it out the open window. “There are a lot of people who want you to come home, darling. We’re not going to keep them waiting any longer, are we?” Cassie backed away from him, looking towards the door. He laughed at her. “Your handsome protector is not going to help you now, baby. He’s dead by now.”
The door opened and Cassie watched as two men came into the cabin dragging Adam between them. She tried to go to him and the first man grabbed her and shoved her to the men.
“Take her.”
“What about wonder man here?” one of the man asked as he taped Cassie’s wrists together.
“If he tries to come for her,” the man laughed, “he’ll have to go through an entire town to get to her. Let him try.”
“Let me go!” Cassie screamed as the man who had bound her wrists hefTed her over his shoulder. “Put me down, you bastard!”
“Feisty little thing,” the man laughed as he slapped her on the backside. “Are you certain we can’t have a little fun with her before we turn her over?”
Cassie stiffened at his words and then redoubled her efforts. She managed to get off his shoulder but the other man caught her before she could get up and run. He slugged her across the jaw and she collapsed into the darkness. They carried her to their jeep and drove off, pleased at how well their snatch and grab had gone. They did not see the men who had been watching them from the shadows. They went into the cabin and roused Adam.
“They have her,” Henry told him as he helped Adam up. He heard the man curse. “I know, Adam. I wish we could have done this without her, but it just wasn’t going to happen that way.”
‘If anything happens to her, Evans…”
“I will hand you the knife to slit my throat with,” Henry finished for him. “It’s time for you to come back to life, my friend.”
“She is never going to forgive me for this,” Adam said sadly as he let the medic tend to his head wound.
“Give the girl some credit, Adam,” David said as he felt his hopes dying. “She has been mourning you for three years. No one could get past her memories of you.”
“And when this is over,” Henry added, “you will be free to make new memories with her and your son.”
“Then let’s go get my wife,” Adam nodded.

Cassie woke up to find herself lying in a familiar room. She was in the Adam’s old room in Garrisonville. She sat up and say the long nearly sheer white gown she had been dressed in. Her hair hung loose around her. A pair of shackles was on her wrists with a gold chain holding them together. The door opened and she looked over to see Tremont coming inside. Two men were standing guard outside.
“You open your eyes just in time, darling,” he laughed as he grabbed the chain and yanked her off the bed. “It’s time for the ceremony.”
“Let go of me, Tremont,” Cassie protesTed and yanked back on the chain. “I am not letting this happen again.”
“I want you to fight me, darling,” Tremont laughed at her. He yanked her out of the room and the two men fell in behind her. “I quite enjoyed the little show you put on when Garrison laid you at the lake. I am looking forward to participating in your encore performance.”
“You vile bastard!” Cassie hissed at him. Tremont turned on her and slapped her across the face. She glared at him and he slapped her again. “You can beat me bloody, Tremont, but I am not going to agree to this!”
“The prisoner is too chatty,” Tremont said as he got her downstairs. He looked at Marsha and Gillian who were wearing blue gowns like hers. “Give her the drug.” He held her arms as Marsha brought over a bottle of water. She opened it and shoved it into Cassie’s mouth after Tremont made her kneel and yanked her head back by grabbing her hair and pulling. “That’s better,” he nodded as he saw some of the fight go out of her. He yanked her to her feet and shoved her to the girls. “Bring her.”
“No,” Cassie whimpered as she tried to pull loose. She was too weak now to fight the two women and they got her outside. She saw the townspeople lined on either side of the drive and down the hill into town. They eyed her coldly as she was forced along and she knew they would not help her. They never helped her.
There was a post waiting in the town square with a thick iron ring set near the top. Cassie was backed up to it and her arms were raised over her head. Gillian took out a pair of cuff and fastened them between the chain on her shackles and the ring in the post. She tried to pull free, but she was going nowhere.
“You see the woman who seduced the son of our benefactor,” Tremont said as Marsha handed him a whip, “so that he betrayed his father and this town. She will be punished.” He nodded to Gillian and she turned Cassie so that she was facing against the post. She heard the fabric being ripped and felt the night air on her bared back. “Ten lashes.” He turned and the whip flew. Cassie bit her lip to keep from crying out. She was not going to give them the satisfaction. She was shaking from the pain when he was through and nearly on her knees. “She was given everything and she chose to betray us.” He raised Cassie’s eyes to his with the butt of the whip. “As Mayor, I have it in my power to save you from further punishment, girl. You will marry me.”
“Go to hell,” Cassie choked out past the weakness and pain.
“You are a stubborn child,” Tremont laughed and ran the butt along her arm. He saw her shudder in response and he was decided. “I choose her to be my bride,” he said to the others. “Bring her.”
Cassie was freed from the post and taken down to the lake surrounded by the townspeople. When they got there, it was a repeat of the night Adam had taken her as his wife. She tried to fight as they stripped her and forced her to her knees in front of Tremont. She heard the priest say the words and cried out in protest as Tremont starTed to remove her rings.
“No!”
Cassie and the others froze and looked at the chair Jonathan would have occupied if he were not in prison. Adam sat there, his eyes blazing in anger as he looked at Tremont. She recognized Henry and David and sobbed in relief.
“You can not take another man’s wife, Tremont,” Adam said coldly as he rose to his feet. “Especially not my wife.”
Cassie flinched as someone put a coat around her and looked up to see Delia crouching down next to her. She tried to get up but she was too weak from the sedative. Delia got her up and helped her to Adam. He nodded to the chair and Cassie sat there and watched as her husband faced Tremont.
“You have taken much upon yourself since my father was imprisoned, Tremont,” Adam continued as he flexed his hands. “The rule passed to my wife and you presumed to sit in judgment on her?” He looked around the townspeople. “And you sheep let him do this!”
“You betrayed your own father for that girl,” Tremont protesTed as he stood his ground.
“My father broke the law,” Adam replied. “Garrisonville is not exempt from the laws of this country, Tremont. Cassie was bought like an animal and raped. Our child was stolen from us and she was kept in this town against her will. When she ran, she was hunTed down and imprisoned.” He looked at Cassie in apology. “Despite all of this, a miracle happened. Cassie and I fell in love. I will not let anyone hurt her again.”
“You don’t speak for this town anymore, Adam Garrison,” Tremont snarled. “You lost your voice when you betrayed your father.”
“Cassie is my voice,” Adam replied calmly. “You had no right to lay your hands on her!” He nodded to the men suddenly surrounding the clearing. “These men and women are members of the FBI. They will escort you to the diner where you will wait. They will question you individually. Anyone who was directly involved in harming my wife, will be arresTed immediately.”
The townspeople were herded away and Cassie was left alone with her husband. He crouched down before her and removed the shackles from her wrists. His hand came up to cup her cheek and she sighed as her body remembered and responded to his touch.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Adam said as he met her eyes with pain and regret showing. “We were late.”
“It was only a little beating,” Cassie choked. Her back was stinging from the whipping. “You got here before the worst could happen.” She cupped his face in her hands. “I knew it was you,” she cried and threw her arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was under orders,” Adam told her. He saw her puzzled look. “The FBI has been looking to stop what was happening in this town for a long time. When I was ‘shot’ they offered me a deal. I could play dead for a while, go through Quantico and become an FBI agent; all under an assumed name