Novels by LadyBee

Author's POV Ledger stood, his sudden movement drawing the eyes of both Dorothy and Alison.“Ledger, let the woman sleep,” Alison said, her tone clipped.He glanced between them, restless. “It's been a while, Alison. I'm not only worried something worse has happened, but Cassie's bound to think she's been abducted if she wakes up in a strange room.”Alison tilted her head. She knew he was right. One of the wonderful perks of Cassie's journalism instincts was overanalyzing simple things and reading too much into things that were simple to regular people.Dorothy leveled a stare at us.“Her phone is right next to her. If she panicked, she’d call you.”That made Ledger pause, though it didn’t erase the tension from his stance.“I guess I’ve become predictable,” came Cassie’s voice.They all turned. She was walking toward them from the hallway, her hair slightly mussed but her steps steady. Ledger closed the distance between them at once, his eyes scanning her face.“You okay?” he asked.

Cassie's POV The next day, I woke up at my usual time and freshened up, ready for the day. I made my way down the stairs to the lounge. Mom's eyes widened as soon as she saw me. “Here we go,” I muttered under my breath.“Cassie? Where are you going?” she asked, already suspicious.“To class, Mom.” I held up my hand to stop the lecture I knew was coming. “I’m going. I’m in my final year. I’d like to finish without drama.”She watched me for a few seconds then she nodded. Reluctantly. I went over to her and kissed her cheek. “I'll be fine, mom. Love you.”Before she could respond, Jude appeared and tossed me a set of keys. I caught them on instinct.“Another Infiniti QX80,” he said. “Armored this time.”“Thanks.”George was already waiting to drive. As soon as I arrived at Monarchcrest, I walked straight to my lecture with Professor Ian. The first couple of hours I actually managed to focus on the lectures, but then my head began to hurt badly. I endured it until I was done with my l

Cassie's POV A sharp pain on the back of my head woke me up. But that was just a prelude for a full body ache. I felt sore. Even moving a little made it worse. I could tell that I was in a hospital. The smell, the beeping, the curtain rails… they made it obvious. What stood out most though were the soldiers. Two of them were by my bed, one on each side. When I turned my head, I noticed two more outside the room.They weren’t here for anyone else. They were here for me.Then my eyes landed closer. Ledger was asleep, sitting in a chair right next to me, head bent over on the edge of my bed. My fingers slid gently into his hair before I could have second thoughts. I found myself tracing his features. The line of his brow, the shape of his nose. My hand moved lower until it hovered on his lips. Then I had a sudden urge to kiss him. The thought came so strong it made my chest tighten.“Wow. Cute.”My hand froze at Alison’s voice. She walked in with her usual smirk. “I was worried sick

Author's POV Cassie hit the ground hard. Immense pain shot up her body. Then her skull smacked against a stump and the edges of her vision began to darken. She tried to keep her eyes open as much as she could, and that was when she saw it. There was a flash of explosion on the hilltop where the road had been. That had to be the car.Cassie reached for her pocket, her hands fumbling for her phone. It took every ounce of focus to get her phone out. She finally got the phone out, thumb trembling as she found her dad’s number. One press, and it rang. He picked up almost instantly.“Cassie?” Jude’s voice came sharp after the second ring.Cassie opened her mouth to speak, but could say nothing. Just a rasp. She tried again, air wheezing through her chest. Still there was nothing.“Cassie, talk to me.” His voice grew sterner, demanding an answer.She willed her eyes to stay open, just for a second longer. Don’t you dare shut now. But her body betrayed her. The darkness won, and she slipped

Cassie's POV George pulled the car into a quiet corner near the dorms and killed the engine. I didn’t move right away. My eyes stayed locked on the tall brick building with Monarchcrest’s emblem stamped above the doors. Students were going in and out, laughing, holding food cartons, looking like they had no idea how much trouble lived inside.George finally leaned back against his seat and gave me that look. “Why are we here?”I turned toward him. “This is Otto’s dorm.”He shot me a blank look. “That doesn't answer the why.”I unbuckled slowly. “Because if Otto was paranoid enough to set up surveillance at his parents’ mansion, then he definitely has one here too. And if he does? That’s where the real footage is.”George frowned, his hands resting heavy on the wheel. “Cassie, if you’re thinking of digging out that footage, forget it. This is dangerous. You don’t want to walk into a lion’s den just because you’re curious.”I rolled my eyes. “Lion's den, my ass. It's just a coward’s li

Cassie’s POVI froze when I heard Otto’s voice outside the door. My stomach dropped. For a second, I thought maybe Ledger hadn’t gotten my text, maybe we were trapped.Then I remembered. The key. I’d left the extra one stuck in the lock on this side. If Otto tried to open from the other, it wouldn’t work. Thank God I'd prepared for that.Still, George’s hand pressed lightly on my arm. We both knew, no point waiting around to see if Otto figured it out. We had to move.A woman’s voice drifted in… soft, hesitant. Probably the maid. “Sir, maybe a key is stuck inside. You probably forgot to take it with you.”“I could’ve sworn I did,” Otto muttered. I could picture his frown. “How would it lock from the inside when I was out here?” His tone sharpened, confusion bleeding through. The maid tried to calm him, suggesting maybe the door jammed when he shut it.Otto muttered, frustrated. Something about replacing the whole lock system. His voice carried closer, like he was pacing right against