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

known her son was alive, and he had never said a word until now? How could someone who told her he cared about her have done such an uncaring thing to her? She started gathering her things together, her heart throbbing with pain. “Just tell them you found me and I am alive. They don’t need to worry about me.”
“Your father would like to talk to you,” Henry said gently, noting her panic, “about what to do with your son…”
“No!” Cassie was back on her feet and shaking in fear. If Garrison found out she knew about her son, he would threaten the baby to make her obey. “I can’t! Don’t you understand that?” Her eyes were huge with fright and Henry was stricken with conscience. She turned to Eric who had listened to the exchange without comment. “I hate you for lying to me, Eric. You’re supposed to be my friend!”
“Cassie, wait!” Eric got on his feet to follow her. He took a few steps and saw the anguish in her eyes. His hand fell to his side and he watched as she drove away. “Damn!”
Henry did not follow her. He knew where she was. He saw the young man eyeing him with a strange mixture of protectiveness and curiosity. She had a champion. Her father’s biggest concern was that she was alone and hurting. But from what he and his team had found out, Cassie had everything she needed. But he had an odd feeling it was a means of keeping her chained to this town.
“So I’m right in believing she is really Cassie Yates?” Henry asked the young man.
“You’re not leaving her alone, are you, Mister Evans?” Eric asked coldly as he came back to the table. He could see the man was good at what he did and wouldn’t stop until he had what he was sent for. “It would be safer for you if you just let this drop.”
“You heard her, kid,” Henry replied as he watched Cassie drive away. “She doesn’t want to go. I will give her father and brother her message and let them decide what to do next, but I am not letting it drop.” He saw the relief on the boy’s face. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Cassie is my friend,” Eric nodded, “and she needs all the friends she can get.” He saw the man catch on to the hitch in his voice. “My older brother has decided he wants her and I am doing all I can to help her refuse.” He got up and stretched. “I need to get home. If I don’t keep an eye on him, he’s going to do something stupid.”
“We are going to have people watching her,” Henry said to the boy as he turned to go. Eric nodded and the stiffness eased as he understood Cassie was being protected. “We’ll remain here until my client makes a decision about how he wants us to proceed.”
“Just don’t spook her, Mr. Evans,” Eric said without turning. “Cassie is no better than a prisoner here,” he continued as he made the decision to trust the man. If he was going to get Cassie out of here then he needed help. “She has been led to believe she has no choice but to live in our town and do as she is told.”
“Then we got here just in time,” Henry nodded. He nodded to Eric and got out his phone. “David, get someone on Adam Garrison. He’s harassing the girl.”
Eric drove home, still thinking about what he’d learned. He was not paying attention so he did not see the fist as his brother attacked him. He hit the floor and looked up at Adam coldly. His father stood in the doorway of the study watching them.
“What the hell was that for?” Eric asked as he got to his feet and faced his brother.
“You get in the way again, Eric,” Adam snapped, “and I will break you! Cassie is my girl and I won’t let you worm your way into her affections and take her from me!”
“She doesn’t want you, Adam,” Eric said tightly. “Hasn’t she made that abundantly clear the past four months?”
“She is mine, little brother,” Adam shoved his brother and headed for the front door.
“He’s going to get in trouble, Dad,” Eric said as he watched his brother slam out of the house. “Cassie’s father sent a private eye to find her. She knows that her son is alive now.”
“Is that so?” Jonathan Garrison frowned. He looked at Eric. “You like that girl, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” Eric nodded. “She’s a nice girl. I don’t want my brother to hurt her again.” He nodded to his father. “I’ll head up to my room now. Good night, Dad.”
“Good night, son,” Jonathan nodded. He turned back into his study and closed the door. “Johnson,” he snapped when the call was picked up. “The girl has shadows. Discourage them.” He smiled tightly. “Keep an eye on her. The girl is flighty and my son is pushy. She will run if he is not careful and we can’t allow that.”

Cassie got home and Adam was waiting for her. He opened the car door and she got inside. She had no choice; he knew she wasn’t going to make a scene. They drove to the lake and she saw the other cars waiting for them. She tried to open the door as a shadowy figure approached and Adam locked it and shook his head at her.
“I’ve talked to Dad, honey,” Adam smiled as he let her out so the stranger could grab her arms. “He says it is time for me to marry you.”
“I’m only sixteen, Adam,” Cassie protesTed. “I don’t want…”
“For an intelligent girl, Cassie,” Adam broke in as he came around to her, “you are remarkably dense.” He made her look at him. “You know we don’t get a choice in this, honey. My father owns us.”
“That’s slavery, Adam,” Cassie whimpered. She tried to pull out of the stranger’s hold and he tightened his grip and brought her to tears. “It’s illegal.”
“This is Garrisonville,” Jonathan said to her coldly. She looked towards the sound of his voice and saw him seaTed in a large chair like a king on his throng. “I say what is legal and illegal here and I say that you are more than old enough to get married.” He looked at the man holding her. “Is the priest here?” The man nodded. “Then bring her.”
Cassie was forced to follow as Adam headed down towards the lake. She saw the bonfire and people waiting and her heart was filled with fear. At first she thought these were only Adam’s cronies waiting for them. But as she was pulled forward, she saw other faces. The entire town was here. What was he planning now? She saw that they had laid out padding near the bonfire. The looks on the faces of the waiting throng horrified her.
“You see here,” a man clothed in red robes intoned as Adam went to his father and Jonathan bowed his head, “the one chosen to be Adam Garrison’s bride.” He turned to let one of the girls remove his clothing. “Tonight they wed in the witness of this company.”
“No!” Cassie screamed and tried to pull free. Two of the girls in the group moved in on her and they stripped her. Then they poured Adam’s cologne over her struggling body and she was forced over to the pad and put on her knees. “Let me go!” She looked at Adam as he came towards her, his naked body glowing in the moonlight. “Adam, stop this!” His eyes were glowing with lust and she looked at Jonathan. “Please, don’t do this!”
“It is decided,” Jonathan said to her, his voice telling her how pleased he was by this event.
“It is time for you to become mine, Cassandra Justine Yates,” Adam said as he knelt in front of her. He grabbed her hand and slid the rings on her finger. “I choose you to be my wife.”
“Let the joining of their bodies signify the joining of their lives,” the priest’s voice rose in exultation. “Once joined, let no man rend them asunder.”
Cassie shook her head and saw the anguish in Adam’s eyes as his father laughed in triumph. He was shaking as he pushed her back as the others pounded on drums and someone played a strange tune on a recorder. She lost all track of the noise as she fought him as he raped her. He whispered his apology to her for letting himself be forced into this action and he took her gently. When she tried to get up while he resTed, she found the others were still there. They had watched in silence while she had been assaulTed. The next generation of her jailers, she sobbed as she was shoved back down.
“I give you Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Garrison,” the priest smiled once Adam was through with her. He clapped his hands and the others joined suit. Cassie closed her eyes as the people began to cheer.
“You’re mine now, Cassie,” Adam told her as he got dressed. “I wish I could have stopped this,” he whispered in her ear as he kissed her on the cheek. He tossed her clothing to her and watched as she tried to get dressed.
“She’s so overcome with gratitude and longing that she can’t move,” Jonathan laughed. “Help her.” He checked his watch as the girls helped Cassie get dressed. “It’s getting late. Take you home now, son.”
Cassie was shaking in fear as he took her to the diner. He carried her up the stairs and unlocked the door as he held her to him as if he actually cared about her. They got into bed and he fell asleep with his arm over her. But Cassie could not sleep. Her baby was alive! Jonathan had lied to her all of these months and let her mourn her boy when he was safe and alive with a family he had chosen. She had to see him and make certain he was all right. And after that she would keep running because there was no way she was staying married to Adam!
“He was hurt,” Cassie whimpered as she remembered what the detective had told her. “I need to know that he’s all right.” The phone rang and she picked it up without thinking. “Cassie Baker.”
“Baker?” Jonathan laughed. “No longer, my dear child. You’re a Garrison now and I just wanTed to welcome to the family.”
“Mr. Garrison.” Cassie struggled to keep the panic out of her voice. Her hand gripped the receiver tight. “What do you want?”
“You will call me Father, Cassandra,” Justine said coldly. “You are my daughter now.”
“You are not my father, Mr. Garrison,” Cassie snapped. She hung up the phone and sank down on the couch sobbing. “Why can’t he leave me alone?”
She jumped as someone knocked on the door and she went to open it. Eric was standing there. She grabbed her coat and stepped outside with him and they walked to the park without saying a word. Only when they were hidden from curious eyes, did she turn to him. She slapped him and he was not angry. He knew he deserved much worse. He should have known Adam was going to hurt her tonight. He should have stopped him.
“I am not going to defend my silence, Cassie,” Eric said to her. “I should have told you when I found out, but you were so sick. Then I let my father convince me it was better for you not to know he was alive.” He hung his head. “I was a weak fool!” He put