Cassidy knew that anyone thrown out a window at this height would surely die. She had hoped Alex had only been bluffing, and she hadn't expected him to go through with it.
Alex wasn't sorry for what he had done. He had always hated bullies like Grayson, and he was in a terrible mood because Debbie was still missing.
Cassidy opened her mouth to scream, but before she could make a sound, Alex said, "Quiet." Her face paled as she obediently fell silent, but she could feel her stomach rolling anxiously.
Cassidy watched him for a moment, hesitating to speak, but then she finally asked, "What are you going to do to me?"
"Nothing," Alex said, shrugging. "As long as you don't report me." He seemed completely calm, not at all like someone who had just killed a man.
"What were you doing here, anyway?" Cassidy asked, deciding to change the subject.
"This is my room," he answered, walking toward her. As he drew close, he stretched out his hands and gently steered her to a chair. She couldn't stop trembling, no matter how hard she tried. First Grayson had almost assaulted her, and then she had witnessed his murder. Now she was sitting in a room with Grayson's murderer, and she had no idea what he might do to her.
"Please don't hurt me," she pleaded. She had watched enough movies to know that witnessing a murder was a sure-fire way to get herself killed. Again, she wanted to scream, but she didn't want to make Alex angry, so she restrained herself.
Alex went to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of cold water. When he returned, Cassidy asked again, "What are you going to do with me?"
Alex didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Sit here for fifteen minutes and don't move. You've had a shock, so take some time to recover." His gentle demeanor made her blush, but Alex didn't seem to notice.
She tried to take a sip from her glass, but her hands were trembling so much that she couldn't hold the glass steady, and she spilled water all over herself.
A large wet patch covered the top part of her dress, and the white material was turning somewhat transparent. Gasping, she held her hand over her chest, sneaking a glance to see if Alex had seen her. Thankfully, he was facing away from her.
"Do you have a towel I can use?" she asked.
Alex went to the bathroom, grabbed a bath towel, and tossed it to Cassidy, who patted herself dry and then wrapped the towel around herself. But even with the towel, she still shivered, so Alex made her a cup of tea.
"Try not to spill this one," he said. "It's hot."
"Thank you," she replied, taking the cup, a little surprised by him. She had never expected to see him again after the concert, and certainly not like this.
She had always dreamed of meeting an ordinary man and then retiring from singing to settle down. After the stunt with the paper planes, she met Alex, and his mother had given Cassidy his contact details. Truthfully, as a star, Cassidy had been given a lot of phone numbers, and although she had been interested in Alex, she hadn't been too invested in him.
But now, despite everything that had happened, she felt drawn to him.
"You can sleep on the sofa," Alex said, completely oblivious to what she was thinking. "I'll turn on the heater so you don't freeze."
He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he headed for the bedroom. He felt strange about her staying the night, but he didn't feel he could kick her out.
Puzzled, he wondered how Cassidy and Grayson had come to be in his room in the first place.
In truth, the presidential suite was often empty, so Cassidy had simply used her keycard instead of checking in at the front desk, unaware anyone was already staying there. Grayson had used an excuse to get her upstairs, and then he had followed her inside.
Cassidy just wanted to go home, but it was late, and she couldn't risk being seen in public. After all, she couldn't be caught coming out of someone's room at this time of night, particularly not looking so disheveled. If the paparazzi happened to get a picture, her career would be over, so she knew she had to stay the night and catch a taxi in the morning.
She sat on the sofa, puzzling over what had happened. Alex was so polite and respectful, and she couldn't decide whether he was a cold-hearted murderer or a knight in shining armor. But his demeanor eased her anxiety, and she chose to believe he was trustworthy.
"Wait!" she called. "I'm scared."
After everything that had happened, she didn't want to be alone.
"Can I stay with you?" she asked, getting up and walking over to him. She lowered her head and blinked up at him through her lashes. "I promise not to disturb you."
Alex hesitated, and then he sighed and nodded.
They went into the bedroom, and Cassidy claimed half of the bed.
The longer she lay there, the more secure she felt around Alex, and she convinced herself he wasn't a threat.
The scent of her perfume penetrated Alex's nostrils, and he immediately regretted his decision to let her stay. His heart started racing at the temptation of her lying so close, but he refused to react.
Cassidy blushed, realizing how inappropriate this situation was. If anyone found out, it would cause a scandal and damage her career.
Still, she really was afraid to be alone, so she stayed where she was.
They lay there silently for the rest of the night, and neither of them slept well.
In the morning, Cassidy handed Alex a card with her contact information, and then she walked out the door.
**
Alex was still in the hotel room when Rufus dropped by.
"The Baltimore Martial Arts Association conducted a large-scale investigation into what happened at Hell World," Rufus told him. "It seems the Murdoch family was involved, but not the whole family. Specifically, it was planned by a woman named Melanie."
Alex nodded, remembering the woman.
"Apparently, Melanie violated the Murdoch family's rules, so they sent her abroad," Rufus continued, "Unfortunately, we've not been able to locate her whereabouts."