Free Assassin Treasure (Assassins Book 4) by C.L. Scholey

she was nowhere near her hometown. Everything looked too different; the air felt strange, warmer or perhaps heavier, tinged with moisture. From her vantage point she could see no other home in the area; there were no lights of any kind. Candy wondered how far they’d taken her, or where they’d taken her.
    She was sitting on an overstuffed brown leather couch, a light blanket thrown over her. Few pictures adorned the darkly paneled walls. The floors were a mahogany hardwood. It was an extremely masculine room, cold, indifferent, lacking a woman’s touch, lacking any touch really.
    Candy could see Dirk noticed she was awake, his piercing gaze settled onto her, she shrank back into the couch. He held her captive with his intense stare; it was as if she could physically feel his arms of steel bands wrap themselves around her, keeping her captive. Then he as easily dismissed her; the emotional bonds were broken and she exhaled with relief. He turned back to his brother. It looked to Candy like they were arguing.
    “I need to get back to Carrie. Once she delivers I can decide. My thoughts are too centered on my daughter and her wellbeing. I refuse to make a hasty decision when an innocent life is involved.” Dirk cast Candy another fast glance, then lowered his voice and leaned closer to his brother. She could just barely make out his words, but heard enough to make her skin crawl.
    “I have no doubt Candy’s life is on the line. I don’t know her, but she deserves more than just a minuscule thought to her fate; she’s an innocent after all. There’s no need to make any rash decisions, and a week or so won’t hurt. I need to think on this with a clear head.”
    “Dirk, you know this will cause a shitload of trouble at home. Dad will be pissed. We have the safe homes for a reason, dump her at one or leave her here with someone else. You know it will give Tyr more fuel to hassle you. Or do what you think dad will do. Listen, I know of one who’s not so bad. I visit often enough. I can check up on her from time to time, she won’t be used cruelly. Some of the women there are happy and not afraid, or at least not too overly fearful,” Damien said quietly. He, too, cast a glance in Candy’s direction. Her eyes widened at the implication. She could feel her heart hammering in her breast.
    Dirk scowled darkly at his brother, his voice rose ever so slightly and he ground out his words. “I’m damned well aware of your ass wipe associates and could shoot every last fucking one of the filthy bastards. I can’t shake the memory of Carrie’s fear of me when we saved her from the slavers compound. She had no idea we or the family even existed. She was terrified of me, of you. Do you know she offered me anything if I wouldn’t hurt her? And I mean anything. I was so damned pissed off I wanted to fly back and strangle Seth with my bare hands, I wanted to look him in his eyes as his life drained away. I wanted to hear my name gurgled on his last damned breath.”
    Candy shuddered at his fierce expression, he looked like death. For the briefest of moments an image of the Grim Reaper flashed before her eyes. If you pulled back the black cape she imagined it would be Dirk’s face she was staring into, a sickle held high over his head. The vision was unnerving. Shaking her head to clear the image, she concentrated on listening closely, trying to make out his words, but the red creeping up his neck and over his face gave her a good indication this Carrie was someone important.
    “The fact remains; whether or not Candy will be handled gently she’d still be some man’s, or men’s, property. Forced to submit willingly for the rest of her life or face consequences, torture, mutilation, death,” Dirk snapped.
    Dirk then said something too low under his breath for Candy to hear, Damien went bright red when she thought she may have caught the word Carrie again. Damien ran a fast hand over his face, shook his head and then nodded.