Chapter 189 It Turned Out to Be Linus
"Okay, okay, I'll go right now. Just sit down and rest. I'll have the doctor come check on you--you got way too worked up just now."
Kenna carefully guided the trembling Caroline back to the edge of the bed, wiping the tears from her face before pulling a thin blanket over her shaking body.
Caroline let herself be arranged like a doll, but her eyes stayed locked on Kenna--desperate, pleading.
Kenna couldn't meet that gaze any longer. She murmured a few more reassurances, then turned and hurried out of the room.
Caroline wrapped her arms around her swollen belly and curled up on the bed, burying her face against her knees. Silent tears slid down her cheeks.
She tried to breathe deeply. Tried to calm herself.
But the images wouldn't stop--Alexander covered in blood, Alexander collapsing, Alexander dying while she wasn't there.
All she could do was pray. Over and over. That he was safe. That Kenna would bring good news. That she and the baby could hold on until they saw him again.
The waiting clawed at her nerves.
Her mind started to drift, exhaustion pulling her under, when a cold hand suddenly landed on her trembling shoulder.
"Ah!"
Caroline screamed and bolted upright, scrambling backward across the bed.
She looked up.
A dark figure stood beside the bed.
The door was still closed--how the hell did he get in?
The man wore black tactical gear. A black cap pulled low. A black mask covering his face. She couldn't see anything.
"Who are you?! How did you get in here?! Get out! Get out now!"
Caroline's voice cracked as she kept moving backward until her spine hit the cold headboard. Nowhere left to go.
Her hand fumbled along the nightstand, searching for anything--anything she could use to defend herself. All she found was a pillow.
She grabbed it and threw it at him.
It did nothing.
The man ignored her screaming.
He stepped forward and grabbed her ankle, yanking hard.
"Ah!"
Caroline cried out as she was dragged to the edge of the bed.
The man leaned over her, gripping her chin with his other hand and forcing her head up.
In her terrified gaze, he slowly pulled down the mask.
Caroline stared at the face--sharp angles, strong features, fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and a knife scar cutting across his left brow.
That face... it was Linus.
Linus--the man who'd already left Grandhaven.
Caroline's heart stopped. Her mind reeled.
Fragments of memory flashed through her consciousness--too fast to catch, too broken to understand.
Agony slammed into her skull.
"Ngh... ah..."
She moaned in pain, clutching her head as her vision went black at the edges.
Linus's face. Edith's body growing cold. Fire at the docks. The barrel of a gun pressed against her skin.
Blurred fragments tore at her mind. Buried memories clawed their way up, triggered by shock and terror, only to be shoved back down by some other force.
Two powers battled inside her head, ripping her apart.
Linus watched her writhe, eyes unfocused, and his excitement grew.
He smiled coldly and suddenly grabbed her throat.
"Urk!"
The suffocation drowned out everything else.
Caroline's pupils dilated. She couldn't think about the splitting pain in her skull anymore. Her hands flew to his fingers, trying to pry them off. Her legs kicked at his stomach.
But Linus didn't even flinch. His grip only tightened.
Caroline's vision started to fade. A dull roar filled her ears. Her lungs burned like they were on fire. Every breath was agony.
She thought, 'No... I can't die... Alex... the baby... our baby...'
Just before her consciousness slipped into darkness, Caroline found a surge of strength she didn't know she had.
She shoved his hand away--just a fraction.
Without hesitation, she sank her teeth into the flesh between his thumb and forefinger.
Linus hissed, caught off guard. His hand loosened for just a second.
Now!
Caroline seized the moment and slammed her forehead into his chest.
Linus stumbled back half a step. His grip fell away completely.
Air flooded into her burning lungs, but she didn't stop to catch her breath.
She rolled off the other side of the bed and hit the carpet hard.
Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet and ran for the door.
"Help! Someone help me! He's trying to kill me! Help!"
Her scream finally reached the guards downstairs.
"What was that?!"
"Ms. Neville?! Upstairs!"
"Something's wrong! Move!"
After a split second of shock, the guards reacted and charged up the stairs.
Caroline ran toward the door with everything she had.
When the guards burst onto the landing, they saw her--hair wild, face pale with terror--and a man in black behind her.
Linus heard the footsteps and snapped his head up.
Seeing the guards closing in, he knew he couldn't finish the job. He turned back into the room, crossed to the window, and jumped.
Several guards immediately surrounded Caroline, forming a protective barrier.
"Ma'am!"
Felix, who'd rushed upstairs with them, saw Caroline collapsed by the doorway. His heart sank like a stone.
This island wasn't safe after all.
Felix crouched down. "Miss, what happened?!"
"Someone... the window... he ran..."
Caroline's voice was barely a whisper. She pointed at the open window with one hand while the other pressed against her belly. Cold sweat trickled down her face.
"Team One, pursue! Lethal force authorized! Team Two, lock down the island! Search every corner! Team Three, protect Ms. Neville and get the doctor! Now!"
Felix barked orders.
The guards split up.
One team chased after Linus. Another spread out and triggered the alarm.
At that moment, Kenna rushed into the room.
She'd just finished a tense conversation with Felix and was coming back to check on Caroline when she heard the sirens.
Seeing Caroline crumpled on the floor, Kenna's vision went dark. She nearly fainted.
"Ma'am! Oh my God! Ms. Neville, are you okay?!"