Free Assassin Deception by C. L. Scholey Page B

fluttered closed. Her breath deepened. Almost asleep, her mind returned to the one sentence she had been weaned on; James would take care of her, James would take care of everything.

 
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    “I still don’t think this is such a good idea,” Chloe said fretfully. She was sitting at the vanity in her room; she could feel the bright lights bathing her face, warming her, making her sweat. Carrie, Candy and Casey had stormed in and declared it was time she got out of bed. She had been languishing for well over a week, insisting she was in too much pain to leave her room. At her doctor’s bill of good health the other women had pounced.
    Protesting, Chloe had been washed, shampooed, manicured, pedicured, and dressed in one of the stunning outfits the women had picked out for her before her arrival. Her makeup had been applied meticulously to cover the vivid bruising at her temple, now that the bandaging had been removed. Her long dark hair had been brushed to a high glossy sheen, settling midway down her slender back, curling at the tips. The other women declared her to be gorgeous. Still, Chloe was apprehensive. She was afraid to leave the safety of her familiar bedroom.
    “Everything will be fine, Chloe; we are all family,” Carrie insisted.
    Chloe could picture the concern radiating from the tiny blonde’s sparkling, crystal-blue eyes, eyes that were the image of her father's, Dirk’s.
    Chloe was still amazed with the thought Dirk had had a daughter when he was barely eighteen. That the woman, Carrie’s mother, had taken her from him in her infancy must have almost killed him. She knew how possessive Dirk was, everyone did.
    Chloe was surprised Dirk had kept his word and stayed away from the child for as long as he had. Chloe knew Dirk had revealed himself to her only when he stepped in to rescue Carrie away from a slaver’s home just over two years prior. A home her husband, Tyr, had spirited her off to, with plans of setting her up with a new identity and freeing her.
    She knew of the perils the young couple encountered. She knew for a while Dirk had hated Tyr and the two of them had often come to blows over the incident. She learned of Carrie’s inner strength, and marveled at it. She must have been terrified in such a setting, surrounded by numerous heavily-armed and callous men. Thank heaven for Dirk’s persistence, cunning, and brilliant tracking.
    “Carrie is right, Chloe, you are family. I know we haven’t known each other too long, but I enjoy talking with you. We all want to see you up and around again,” Casey insisted.
    Chloe felt like she had known the woman forever. Casey had made a point of sitting in her room, talking well into the night to keep her company when Damien was unavailable. She was open and honest, friendly to the extreme.
    They had all taken their turns at not leaving her alone. Chloe had been dumbfounded when she had listened to Casey’s tale of how, through a heart-wrenching misunderstanding, Wolf had thought her to be an evil assassin.
    He had been contracted to kill the poor woman while she fled from him on a deserted tropical island. The two had been shipwrecked together, and alone. Chloe had shuddered with the thought. Wolf was fiercely powerful, easily twice Casey and Chloe’s size; she would be terrified to have him after her. She couldn’t imagine being stalked by a Wolf.
    Only Candy had remained vague on how she and Dirk had met, avoiding details. The woman was exquisitely beautiful, with long, dark, curly hair and deep, dark brown, laughing eyes with crazy, long lashes. She seemed happy and content to be in the family, she was well loved by all, and there was no mistaking her pride in her son. It was easy to see James held a special spot in his heart for her.
    Chloe knew Candy loved Dirk, there was no mistaking that. Her eyes followed him about to linger on him and yet when Chloe had asked, all Candy would disclose was that it was touch and go at