Free Assassin Territory [Assassins Book 1] by C.L. Scholey Page A

her ex; everything about him was different. Her slight hand shook between his steady palms, but she didn’t pull away from him. When he finished, he moved away from her, lay on his back on his coat, tucked his arms beneath his head, interlocked his fingers and closed his eyes.
    Christy watched him for a moment, stunned. He hadn’t hurt her! Chad promised if she complied he wouldn’t hurt her, but he did every time. She was as trapped with Lando as she had been with Chad, but Lando kept his word. Lying down on her own coat, using one of her jackets as a pillow, Christy closed her weary eyes. She reasoned she was powerless against him; he could do as he wished with her. With her tummy full and her body finally warmed after being exposed to bitter cold for so long, Christy wearily gave in to sleep. Though frightened of Lando’s presence, she was grateful for it.
    Finally she wasn’t alone. Fear and pain followed aloneness. Fear and pain was what her life had become after her parents died. When Chad was with her she felt alone, trapped. She was trapped, but like Sam, Lando didn’t add to the sadness. It was an odd thought to ponder. Maybe the nightmares wouldn’t come. Maybe she wouldn’t need to call to her mother tonight as she huddled in the far corner of a kitchen bloodied and broken—or begging for her life.
    * * * *
    Lando listened as Christy’s breathing deepened. Once again, she curled into a fetal position with her fist tucked under her chin. It wasn’t long before her pitiful cries started, as they always did when the dreams came to haunt her. She begged not be left all alone. She called to her mother, her father, and then to Sam. Her frightened, mournful sobs of anguish had Lando taking action this time. He moved to her side and with care gathered her small body next to him. She woke instantly and cried out in fear. She struggled only moments, before stopping abruptly, and then she went limp. He loosened his grasp after she ceased struggling. She watched him, fear in her eyes, for him to make his next move.
    “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you. You aren’t alone anymore,” Lando told her.
    Lando lay holding her. He did nothing else. He could hear the moans and howls swirling just meager feet from where they lay. A heavy reminder death was just a breath beyond. Christy’s body shook with terrible tremors; she was too defenseless to stop an assault. He knew her realization of her vulnerability was the reason she’d stopped struggling. Her fear of being alone, abandoned, would have eaten at her soul. She would be grateful for any amount of kindness.
    After a few moments, Christy reached a tentative hand to clasp at his arm, which was draped across her chest; he made sure to keep any weight from her side. She pulled him to her, and he knew she needed the reassurance he offered. He pressed his body next to hers; she was warm and soft. He slowed his breathing, waiting for hers to keep time with his. In time, her tremors ceased. He could feel her heartbeat. She was taking comfort from him, and he lay still, waiting for her to relax. Once more, she slept.
    * * * *
    Christy woke to the scent of fish cooking. She looked up at Lando as he stripped the bark off a long twig with easy, precise strokes from a small, sharp knife. Once finished, he placed the twig in a beat up metal container holding the remains of meat and bones of the rabbit and water. Placing them on the burning ash part of the fire, he stirred the bones around in the pot for a moment.
    “Do you do dishes as well?” Christy asked, then felt the blush creep up her face, surprised at her lame attempt at a joke. It was beneath Chad to do anything.
    Lando offered her a calculating look. “I have to; I killed my hired help.”
    Christy didn’t think she appreciated his lame attempt either…or was he serious? Christy sat undecided. Lando smirked at her, then handed her a large piece of fish.
    Christy ate with care. Her throat