All Chapters of Fool Me Once: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Jeffery’s POVThree hours since we'd left Richmond, I was still holding onto the wheel as if it were the only thing keeping me sane.Cassie slept in the passenger seat, her head against the window, curls spilling like dark ink down the shoulder. Strain creased her face even in repose, her lips pursed as if bracing for a scream.I detested this.She did not have to be a pawn in this twisted game of chess born in the digital age. She was more than the last key—more than a daughter of a dead genius or an access point to a cyber bomb. She was Cassie: curvy, fierce, brilliant, stubborn. Mine.And she was in greater danger than ever.The virus her mother had planted—Operation Rebirth—grew into a homing signal. If Emmaline or any of her followers got wind of it, Cassie would be a walking target. And not for capture. She would be a target for assassination as well.I gritted my teeth and sped up.***Cassie’s POVI awoke to silence. That dense, uncomfortable silence that makes you feel as if

Jeffery’s POVWe reached the drop point at midnight. Cassie sat in silence beside me in the car, her hand lightly on my thigh, holding me in position. Her gentle curves swayed with every jolt in the road, her lips pursed in a line of stubborn silence. The tension between us wasn't just anticipation of danger—it was infused with unspoken words, words we didn't have time to say yet.But I felt them.She was mine. The way storms are the skies'.And I'd destroy the world before I'd allow anyone to ever take her from me.The complex stood—an abandoned NSA satellite facility, now a ghost complex. From the data retrieved from Eric's scan, Emmaline had installed the last ATHENA node inside its vault."This is it," I stated, putting the car into park.Cassie exhaled. "How ironic. A woman who wishes to rule the world keeps her finest weapon in a place that is meant to keep secrets."She was going to grab her bag, but I stopped her."Are you sure?" I asked. "Once we're inside, there's no turning

Jeffery’s POVThe cold metal bit into my wrists as the cuffs clicked shut, their coldness mirroring the terror that washed over me. Every bit of muscle tissue in my body went tight in protest, fighting to protect Cassie, her large, frightened eyes following each of my movements. I gritted my teeth and didn't wince when the federal agent's gun dug into my lower back, its quiet stillness a warning not to move.The shadows had receded, to be replaced by hot floodlights that burned on every line of Cassie's face, the gentle curve of her mouth, the hard line of her cheekbones, eyes flashing with anger under mats of hair. My heart writhed with pain in my chest as I watched the agents grasp hands over her arms and hold her with unyielding hands."Be careful on her," I growled, baring teeth and snarling, muscle taut in the cuffs. "She's innocent."The agent in the back snorted and pushed his gun further. "We'll determine who's innocent."Cassie flinched as they tied her wrists, but her eyes f

Jeffery’s POVThe steel door creaked open with a menacing screech, casting shadows across the windowless cell's icy floor where I'd been walking in circles for what felt like hours. Agent Hendricks had two guards in tow, and his face was as expressionless as I'd ever seen, something that made my skin crawl."You've got company," Hendricks said matter-of-factly.I braced myself, preparing, but nothing could have prepared me for whom sat down in the room next.My father moved forward with deliberate strides, the black suit immaculate, not a hair out of place in the silver-streaked coiffure. His blue eyes, my own mirror images, sliced through me, shining with the cold assurance that always defined him."Hi, Jeffery," he stated calmly, his stern voice tinged with an air of authority.Anger boiled hot beneath my skin. "You," I snarled, releasing my wrists and clenching my fists inside the cuffs that held me captive. "You betrayed me."He raised an eyebrow, his eyes regarding me with that i

Jeffery’s POVMy father's icy voice rang out in the darkened space; venom and authority were infused in his tone."No one dare move. I'm afraid this game is over."My blood had been pounding in my ears as I gazed up at him, fury and shock struggling against one another. My wrists throbbed under the cuffs, the metal cutting into them with stinging agony, but that was nothing compared to the pain of Cassie a few feet away, gagged and bound, her life hanging in the balance.Cassie's gaze met mine, her eyes wide with fear but burning with determination. Each line of her body shook clearly, her breast rising and falling beneath the heavy fabric of her blouse. Her eyes screamed defiance, even in the face of total danger."You don't have to do this," I snarled, my anger making my voice sound thick and raspy.Edward curled his lip into a malevolent grin. "But I do, Jeffery. You're a liability now. Emotional attachments have clouded your judgment—specifically, your attachment to her."He took