19. Chapter 19 The Perfect Plan

Chapter 19: The Perfect Plan

ALEXEI

The clock ticks loudly in the living room, each second amplifying the tense silence. I glance at Evelyn, sitting on the edge of the couch, her fingers nervously tapping her knee. Ana stands by the fireplace, her face stern and thoughtful.

"We're running in circles," Evelyn says, breaking the silence. "We won't find anything incriminating on Cassandra. She's too careful."

I nod, knowing she's right. "She's been off the radar for too long. Any history she had is probably gone."

Ana sighs. "So, what do we do? We can't keep letting her play all of us like this, she's getting off knowing she has us where she wants us."

Evelyn steps forward, her eyes intense. "We set a trap. Lure her out and get a confession. It probably sounds wild, but that's our best shot. Make her a pawn in her own game."

Ana looks skeptical. "How do we do that? We all know Cassandra is brilliant, way too smart for any bait we might want to put out."

"We use me as bait," I say, the idea forming clearly in my mind. "I'll draw her out, get her to talk. She has stated how much she wants me to suffer for whatever it is I must have done, why not use that to our advantage?"

Evelyn's eyes widen. "That's dangerous, Alexei. You know what this woman is capable of!"

"Everything about this situation is dangerous," Ana interjects. "But it might be our best shot. I'm with Alexei on this."

Evelyn bites her lip, still uncertain. I can see the worry in her eyes and feel her reluctance. She's worried about me, and that makes my inside warm.

"We'll make sure everything is prepared," Ana continues. "Wiring, surveillance. We'll catch her. Why didn't we think of this before?"

Evelyn stands and walks to the window, staring out into the night. I follow her, sensing her unease. We can't keep running from that woman though; we must make a move against her, while we still can.

"Eve," I say softly, touching her shoulder. "I know you're worried about me, but I can handle this."

She turns to me, her eyes troubled. "I don't like sending you out there, Alexei. Cassandra is very powerful and extremely dangerous. She's wielding very dark magic, and we don't know the source. What if something goes wrong?"

I pull her close, feeling her warmth against me. "You keep forgetting," I whisper. "I'm a pureblood vampire—one of the oldest. I can handle Cassandra. She can't beat me in a fair fight."

"But what if she uses dark magic on you? Cassandra will never play fair, you know that too." she adds, her voice low. "What if we can't get to you in time?"

I hug her tightly, reassuring her with my presence. "I'll be fine. I promise. I'll come back alive, for you."

She looks up at me, her eyes softening. I lower my head before capturing her lips in a sensual kiss, hoping she feels how grateful I am that she's looking out for me. She kisses me back briefly before breaking away. She rests her head on my chest, and I hold her, trying to ease her fears.

Ana clears her throat, bringing us back to the reality of our situation. "We should start preparing. The sooner, the better."

We pull away, and I nod at Ana. "Let's get to work."

"We have some wiring equipment back at the station, I will ask Teresa to bring it. Then we will find a spot to hunker down not too far from whatever meeting point you agree on with Cassandra so we can intervene if things get out of hand."

Everyone gets to work, and I watch Evelyn bring out her phone to dial the department. My baby is back. The previous fear is nowhere to be found on her face, and all that's left is a relentless woman who will do anything to make Cassandra pay for her crimes.

After hours of preparation, everything is set. The room is filled with tense anticipation.

"We're ready," Ana announces, surveying the setup.

Evelyn crosses her arms, still staring at the equipment. "I don't like this," she mutters.

I walk over to her, lifting her chin so she looks at me. "Trust me," I say softly. "We'll get through this."

She nods reluctantly. "Just be careful. She is already blocking your memory."

I smile, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Always."

I stare at the phone number on Cassandra's school file, my fingers hovering over the dial pad. The room is quiet, the air thick with tension. Finally, I press the call button. The phone rings, each ring echoing in the silence, amplifying the weight of what I'm about to do.

"Hello?" Her voice is groggy and heavy with sleep. The popular saying about how the wicked never get rest seems to be a lie. Otherwise, a murderer wouldn't have been sleeping soundly while the rest of us were working hard to make her pay for her crimes.

"Cassandra," I say, my voice steady. There is no reason to beat around the bush, so I go straight to the point. "It's Alexei. If you want to punish me, I'll come to you. Leave the town out of this. Stop killing innocent people. You don't have to go about this like a damn coward."

There's a pause, then a confused murmur. "Who is this? I'm not Cassandra. I don't know what you're talking about. I think you must have gotten the wrong number."

Her act is almost convincing, but I know this woman too well. She is playing her cover expertly.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about; stop the pretense. It's just us now." I reply, trying hard to keep my anger at bay.

"I thought we were still playing games with that stupid fiancée of yours. Good to know you are done hiding behind her, and now you are coming at me like a real man. Now things are going to be very fun don't you think?" she adds, and I clench my fist at her words towards Evelyn. She knows just how to tick me off.

"Why are you doing this?" I demand, my patience thin. I am not going to entertain her taunts. The goal is to get her to set a meeting spot so the plan can go ahead.

She cackles, a chilling sound that sends shivers down my spine. "If you truly want to know why, meet me at the place where it all started. The lake of life. Midnight."

The line goes dead. I lower the phone, my mind racing. That crackle sounded even deadlier than anything I could fathom. For the first time, I think that this whole plan will fail.

Evelyn, who has been listening intently, steps forward. "You did good," she says, her voice calm and reassuring. I don't respond; I just nod slowly before stepping away from the phone. I need a few moments to get that cackle out of my head.

Evelyn swings into action immediately, her movements quick and efficient. "We need to mobilize," she says, her voice firm. "We'll capture her alive and make her face the council."

I watch her, my heart swelling with pride and worry. "Are you sure about this?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

She turns to me, her eyes fierce and determined. "We have to do this, Alexei. It's the only way to get her."

I nod. "Let's get to work then."

We gathered the vampire warriors, each one on standby but ready for confrontation at a moment's notice.

I stand in the open, waiting patiently in the place Cassandra instructed. The moon hangs high above, casting a pale light across the clearing. The air buzzes with anticipation and resolve. There is no way she's getting away from us alive. I will make sure of that. The recorder is hidden well within my jacket, high-tech and undetectable. I wait, feeling the seconds tick by.

I scan the surroundings, every rustle of leaves and the distant call of an owl heightening my senses. Minutes turn into what feels like hours. I think she might not show. Maybe her setting this meeting was her way of humiliating me, and now I feel foolish for going through with it.

I consider walking away and exploring other options to bring her down, but this is our best shot.

Just as I'm about to give up, her voice slices through the silence. "Leaving so soon, Alexei? That's not very gentlemanly of you."

I turn, spotting her emerging from the shadows. She has been here all along, watching, making sure I came alone. Her eyes gleam with a mix of malice and curiosity. I am seeing her again for the first time in decades, and memories of when we were kids flash through my head.

She was always an awkward kid who rarely interacted with anybody else, but I brought her out of that shell. I helped her make new friends up until her disappearance, and now it only makes me wonder why she thinks punishing me by killing innocent people is the best way to repay me.

"Cassandra," I say evenly. "You've barely changed, even in person. I must admit you barely aged."

"Oh, please. We both know you don't mean a word you just said. Let's do away with the pretense. I didn't get out of bed to be lied to like this. I do have a mirror, and I know if I aged or not." She hisses through clenched teeth, and I chuckle inwardly.

"Well, that's fair. Now what do you want from me? Why are you doing all of this?" If she wants me to be direct, I will do just that.

She steps closer, a predatory grace in her movements. "What if I kill you right now?" she asks, her voice almost playful. I am not foolish enough to think she is joking about killing me; if anything, her past actions have made it clear that it is, in fact, her intention.

"I don't mind," I reply, holding her gaze. "As long as you leave innocent people out of it."

Her laughter is cold and mocking. "And why should I do that?"

"What did I ever do to you?" I ask, trying to reach the person she once was. I want to understand the need for all of this chaos and violence. The Cassandra I knew would never do this.

Her eyes flash with anger. "How could you dare to move on after I waited for you all those decades? You forgot me. You never came for me."

I frown, genuinely confused. "We thought you moved away to stay with your aunt. That's why I never looked for you. I was hurt because I thought you didn't say goodbye."

"Liar!" she spits, her rage palpable. "You never cared. You would have burned down the world to find me if you did. But you didn't."

"Why did you kill those people?" I ask, needing to understand her twisted logic.

"To get your attention," she says, a bitter smile on her lips. "I made sure to let each one of them know I was doing this because of you. They died knowing you caused their death. Don't you get it? This is how you are paying for breaking my heart! I knew the witches would turn against you if I started there. And they did."

"What do you really want, Cassandra?"

She pulls out a dagger, its blade glinting ominously. Something about the dagger screams dark magic, and knowing the lengths she will go to for revenge makes it very scary.

"I want us to die together. To be together in the afterlife. I just have to stab both of us with this, and it's done."

I shake my head, feeling sorrowful for the girl she used to be. "If you want to kill me as punishment for those years, go ahead. But I don't want to spend my afterlife with you. I don't know you anymore; we are both grown now. We are both different people who barely know each other."

Her face contorts with rage. "You still don't understand!" she screams. She lunges at me, and I brace myself, deflecting her attack.

We struggle, and our movements are a violent dance. She's stronger than I anticipated, her fury giving her an edge. She finally pins me to the ground, her face inches from mine, smirking.

"You underestimated me, Alexei. Just like everyone else who always sees a little girl in me," she whispers. "Now I'll kill you, and then I'll go after your fiancée and your sister."

My heart is in my throat, and knowing how close that dagger is to my heart, any wrong move could get me killed. That will give her exactly what she wants, and I don't think I want to do that.

"Do it then. What's stopping you? You have me exactly where you want me, pinned under you and a dagger to my heart. All you need to do is push it in to get what you want. What's stopping you? The Cassie I knew would never chicken out like this," I taunt her; I know I am treading a dangerous path here, but I want to distract her enough to let the warriors invade our meeting without catching her attention.

"You don't get to call me that anymore, you son of a bitch! The little naive Cassie you knew is long gone, dead and forgotten," she grits out, and I scoff.

"You can say that to yourself for as long as you want. It doesn't change that you are still that little girl to me. That's the only reason you'd be killing people for my attention like a little girl." I retort, and that seems to hit a nerve.

"Fuck you, Alexei! I will make your life hell," she smirks, and she doesn't see my next action coming. I muster my strength and shove her off me. I manage to knock the cursed dagger out of her hand. We both lunge toward the dagger, and I pick it up first. She reaches for it just as I stab her in the abdomen.

She freezes for a second, now holding the dagger to her abdomen, and she moves slowly away from me. I didn't realize how powerful the dagger truly was until I saw how pale she was becoming. I whistled to alert the warriors that it was time to move in.

They rushed towards us, and Cassandra smiled darkly at me before vanishing into thin air. Her departing smirk told me all I need to know: this is far from over.

The warriors looked around for her, and I shook my head. She was gone, and I knew searching here would solve nothing. She must find a way to heal whatever the dagger was doing to her, , which just might give us the time we needed to regroup and figure out a way to finally get the drop on her.

Ana rushes to my side, her face pale. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I say, standing up slowly. "We need to find her."

Evelyn joins us, her eyes wide with concern. "We will," she says firmly. "She won't get away with this."

"She's more dangerous than we thought," I say softly.

"We'll handle it," she replies, determination hardening her features. "Together."

As we move through the forest, I can't help but feel a mix of emotions. Cassandra's betrayal, the memories of our past, and the reality of the present all collide in my mind. None of this makes any sense to me. She was the one who had left town, not me. Why does she hold me responsible for breaking her heart?

The warriors continue their search, their movements precise and coordinated. The forest is vast, but we have the advantage of numbers and experience. I stay close to Evelyn, my mind still haunted by the past and the events of today.