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

had. For that alone, she almost loved them, people who had been paid to act as her parents while she was still a minor. The only annoying thing was George’s continued support of Adam. “You know why.”
“Still listening to those lies that woman told you?” George asked as he finished rinsing and washed out the bucket. He set it to drain and dry and rubbed his aching back with his thick fingers gnarled with age and a life of hard work. “Not all men are out to hurt you, Cassie. You have to start learning how to differentiate between those who want to hurt you and those who want to be your friends.”
“Why?” Cassie asked as she put the last of the dishes in place and started the auto washer. “You know I am not free to learn such things. I am the Garrison’s property and they will never let me go as long as they believe I am useful to them. After that, I will be kept here so I can’t tell anyone what they’ve done to me.” She looked into his pale blue eyes and sighed. “I am trapped, George.”
“Garrisonville isn’t such a bad place, Cassie,” George sighed. “You have everything you need here.”
“No,” Cassie shook her head. “I don’t. But what I don’t have is not allowed so why should I waste my time or energy wanting it?” She remembered trying to run away just before Oliver was born and that had only led to the death of her child. She let go of the grief that flared to life inside of her heart and hugged George. “Thank you for trying, George.”
George looked at the sixteen-year old girl and shook his head. She was still so young but at least she was beginning to sound like she knew the truth of her existence now. They had adopted her at the request of the town scion and been with her as the girl had nearly died giving birth to a son; a sweet dark-haired boy Cassie had told them she would have named Oliver if he had not ‘died’; she was not aware that he had been given up for adoption. She had been very ill afterwards. The Bakers were well paid for their work with her and the weekly reports they sent to the man on her progress.
They were also told to keep her from trying to go home to her family as one of the conditions of the fostering. It was easy enough. Cassie never asked to go to her family. She told them that she wanted no connection to the family that hadn’t wanted her. She wanted to work at the diner full time to pay him and Gloria back for all their support, but they told her she had no reason to work and would only let her work part-time. Jonathan and his son provided her with everything.
“You’d better get moving, Cassie,” George smiled at her, “or you’ll be late for your doctor’s appointment.”
Cassie went to get her purse and hurried out to the car George and Gloria had given to her for a high school graduation gift. She froze as she heard someone coming towards her. She recognized the scent of cigarettes and horse and his favorite cologne long before she turned to see Adam coming towards her. She’d managed to keep him off of her for six months but it was going to get increasingly hard now that she could no longer use injury and illness to hold him back.
“Adam,” she frowned as he leaned one hand on the door so she couldn’t open it and played with a curl with the other. “I’m going to be late for my doctor’s appointment. Let go.”
“Then meet me afterwards, Cassie Baker,” Theodore ‘Adam’ Garrison said evenly. He saw the anger in her eyes. “You know better than to say no to me, Cassie.”
“I don’t have time, Adam,” Cassie protesTed. “Please leave me alone.” She shoved him back. “Go find a girl who wants to be with you.”
“I want you!” Adam snapped and pressed her up against the car. “Don’t you understand that?” He kissed her and then slapped her when she bit him. “You little bitch!”
“I don’t like people touching me, Adam,” Cassie said as she moved away from him. “Go away!”
“People who belong to me don’t say no, Cassie,” Adam snarled as he caught her wrist and yanked her back to his side. “I am going to get what I want.”
“Not this time, Adam!” a second man snarled and knocked Adam over the head. Aaron Garrison, Adam’s younger twin, turned to Cassie. She let him hold her as she shook with fear. Her constant trust in him considering who his family was floored him every time. “Are you all right, Cassie?”
“I’m fine,” Cassie said shakily. She smiled at the tall golden-haired man with his deep blue-gray eyes gratefully. “My hero.”
She had been uneasy around him at first, until she saw the differences. Eric had darker hair and eyes than his brother, and had a wider shoulders and a scar just behind his ear. Cassie had asked him how he had gotten that scar once and he would only say she should ask Adam. He might be Adam’s younger twin, but Eric had never been unkind to her or bullying like his father and brother. There was none of the demanding arrogant bully in him. In fact, he was her dearest friend.
“Thank you, Eric.” She turned to get her backpack off the ground. “Your brother was being far too insistent.”
“My brother is too used to getting what he wants,” Eric frowned. “I’ll get him home,” he said as he opened the car door for her. “Maybe I could meet you at the coffee shop near campus after your class?” He saw her hesitate and did not blame her. “We can put our heads together and figure out some way to get you away from here.”
“It’s a nice dream, Eric,” Cassie’s shook her head, “but you know it will never happen. Your father and brother will never let me go.”
“We’ll find a way,” Eric staTed firmly. He brought his hand up to her cheek and there was a strange expression in his eyes. Cassie found herself wishing for things she could never have when he looked at her like that. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. “Trust me, Cassie.”
He was so nice, Cassie sighed. It was good to have a friend who was concerned about helping her with at least one part of her life; even if he was Adam’s younger brother. Her caution was overridden by her need for someone she could talk to. She nodded and Eric smiled warmly and Tedged on her hair. She went through class with a much lighter heart and less worried frame of mind for the first time in three years. She wouldn’t have felt that way if she had noticed the car following her to the hospital, or the people who sat in the waiting room nearby while she had her checkup.
“You’re healing up just fine, Cassie,” Doctor Angela Hilliard smiled at her. “Adam is going to be very pleased with how well you’re doing.” He saw her tears. “Is something wrong, child?”
“No,” Cassie shook her head. “How could anything be wrong?” She got up and got dressed. “I’m just a little tired still.”
“Trouble sleeping?” Angela asked gently. “You’re still having the nightmares, aren’t you?”
“I keep hearing my baby crying for me but when I wake up he isn’t there,” Cassie told him. “But how can that be. He was born dead, wasn’t he?”
“I’m going to talk to Doctor Swanson,” Angela smiled at her gently. She entered the prescription on the computer and sent the request. “It will be ready for you by the time you’re ready to leave. Take one pill at bedtime,” she instructed and then frowned as she saw Cassie’s expression. ‘You need to get some sleep, Cassie.”
Cassie nodded and Angela left her alone. Eric was waiting for her when she came out of the hospital with her prescription in hand. He followed her to her car so she could leave the pills and then took her hand and walked her to the coffee shop from the campus parking lot. Cassie felt a strange feeling flare to life inside of her. This was her friend, but she was suddenly aware of how their meeting would look to certain parties. The idea that he could get hurt because he was befriending her made her realize she cared about him far more than as a mere friend.
“You have to back off, Eric,” she said as she sat nursing a cup of tea. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Let me worry about that, Cass,” Eric said as he refused to let go of her hand. “I care about what happens to you.” He saw the fear in her eyes shift to hope and he knew he was right. She cared about him, too. “That’s why we have to figure out how to get you away from my family.”
“I tried that once, Eric,” Cassie shut down and pulled her hand away. “My baby died because of me.”
“That’s not true, Cassie,” Eric shook his head, ready to tell her the truth. “Your baby…”
“Miss Baker?” a man who was quite obviously something more than a police officer asked as he stopped by the table. He opened his wallet and showed her the credentials of a private investigator. “I’m Henry Evans. I was hired me to find you.”
““I don’t care who hired you to find me,” Cassie said as she grabbed her purse and got to her feet, “tell them to leave me alone.” She felt despair flood through her as she was forced to let a chance for freedom slip through her fingers. “My life is here.”
Henry Evans watched her expressive face and frowned. She was terrified at the thought of leaving this town and his nature made it imperative that he found out why. She didn’t have to talk to him. It was enough for now that he had finally found her for her father and brother’s peace of mind. After six months of having to look at the faces of every teenaged girl in the morgues and hospitals around the country, they would finally know she was alive.
“How did you find me?” Cassie asked the question that was uppermost in her mind then.
“A little boy was brought into the Emergency Room at the hospital in Centerville,” Henry told her. “He was hurt, Miss Baker, and needed transfusions.”
“I had a baby four months ago,” Cassie sank back down into the chair. “He was born dead. I was in a car accident and I was too weak…” She froze as he shook his head. “You’re telling me that he is alive? That I was lied to?”
“Yes,” Henry nodded. “His uncle, your older brother, has the same blood type. We found you through the records from your time in the hospital. There weren’t that many fifteen year olds with your blood type giving birth on October 23rd of this year.” He saw her struggling to come to grips with the fact that her child was alive. “Since it was a very rare blood type, they ran a DNA test when his mother told the doctor the boy was adopted”
“He is not my son,” Cassie broke in, feeling the old fear and the surge of memories shaking her resolve. “My son is dead! He has to be dead,” she continued as she felt the tears pricking at her eyelids now; “otherwise I have let myself be imprisoned in this town for no reason!” She looked over at Eric and anger flooded through her at his betrayal. He had