Assassin Treasure (Assassins Book 4) (11 page)

Carrie placed a soft hand on his shoulder. “Everything will work out.”

“Of course it will, baby,” he replied lightly. He squeezed her hands within his own, assisting her to her feet and encouraged her back to her bed. She went with notable reluctance.

Dirk closed and locked his door. He extinguished the lights, removed his clothing, and settled beside Candy for the night. He pulled her small, warm body close to him, wrapping arms around her, her face buried in his neck. Dirk, in turn, buried his face into her freshly shampooed hair. He had dried it and brushed it out himself, smiling as her long black locks curled around his fingers into springy ringlets.

The day had been long and Dirk closed his eyes wearily. He would allow no other to watch over her; she was his responsibility alone. He found himself in a tug of war between time spent with his daughter and time spent with Candy. Both needed him. Both seemed so vulnerable, yet Carrie had numerous others to occupy her time, Candy had no one but him. Dirk was feeling his exhaustion, his eyes felt heavy. It was still a long time before he slept.

* * * *

Candy sobbed, her hands pressed to her mouth to quiet the sound. He was here. She knew the frightening evil shadow was in
the room with her, keeping her immobile. The shadow appeared recently, invading her and her safety. It tormented her without mercy when night came. It made her arms ache, sometimes pinning her and caused a great fear within her belly. It was so big and powerful and angry. She was uncertain what it wanted from her. All she could do was cry with her mounting distress and beg for compassion. Its
presence reached for her with long talon
-
like black fingers that moved through the air on a soft whisper of current, and she curled tighter within herself, whimpering fearfully at its sinister approach
.

“It’s all right, Candy.”

She heard a familiar voice call from faraway, comforting
her. Where was he? Why was she not in the safety and seclusion of her cottage? Why didn’t the voice come for her to save her? She knew he wasn’t afraid of the shadow, he sounded too strong and confident. She searched the darkness for him, crying out to him, reaching, reaching harder than she had done before.

“
Help me
,”
she pleaded, in a dry tight voice. “Please…help…me.”

* * * *

Dirk stilled beside her, he had been rubbing a gentle hand down her back to soothe her. Her body was captured to his and he lightened his touch sensing he’d pinned her to the bed again. She cried out the night before, whimpered aloud when he placed too much weight on her, but hadn’t spoken a single word since she surrendered to oblivion. The cry for help was hoarse and fleeting, but recognizable.

“Candy?” Dirk whispered in her ear.

“Where are you?”

The voice was hushed and seemingly faraway. But she responded to him, her first response and Dirk quivered with excitement.

Dirk pulled her close. “I’m here, sweetheart. Please come to me.”

“I can’t.”

“Try, Candy,” he encouraged.

“He’ll hurt me,”
she sobbed. She sounded so pitiful and alone. Dirk felt a deep feeling of guilt. She was hiding from him after all.

“No one will hurt you, sweetheart. Come to me. I’ll keep you safe,” Dirk said desperately, pulling harder. She was so close, so close.

* * * *

Candy crept from her hiding place feeling smothered. Her pained arms outstretched, searching
.
She could sense the shadow. It was near. But the voice was calling to her, coming closer with each step, overpowering everything else. She walked, stumbling in her fear to take in all of her surroundings at once. The gloomy darkness engulfed her. The terrain that had been so familiar and comforting was uneven and foreign; she was lost. Long, leafless tree branches reached eerily, tugging her clothing as though holding her back. Her hands batted at them, shoving them away. Candy reached a precipice and with dismay looked down into the abyss of endless, frightening blackness. There was no bottom; smoky mist rolled in the ghostly quiet. She could see nothing beyond. When she chanced a glance behind, she could no longer see the safety of her cottage. She sobbed with heartache and despair. She was trapped, sensing she couldn’t go back. The voice was on the other side, the valley between too far, she would never get to him.

“Candy,”
she heard him call louder; he sounded as though he were right before her.

“I’ll fall,”
she whimpered into the darkness, reaching, searching for a glimpse of her savior. There was no way across
.

“I’ll catch you,”
the voice promised. She could hear the urgency in his tone.

“I’m scared.”

“Come to me, Candy, now.”

Candy closed her eyes. She could feel the shadow creeping closer, smothering her. She spread her arms wide and fell forward, trusting in the voice that called
.

“Catch me, please.”

“Good girl, Candy. It’s all right, I got you,” Dirk soothed, stroking her face and smiling down on her.

Terrified and bewildered, Candy looked at him with horrified recognition; she remembered everything as her memories crashed over her. It was him who she hid from. It was Dirk who hurt her and frightened her so badly. He was the shadow.

“Don’t hurt me,” she sobbed fearfully, trying to pull away. Her thoughts still jumbled, Candy tried to escape from the shadow that had taken the form of a huge man.

“I won’t hurt you. You’re safe.”

He held her tightly, rubbing his hands on her back. Candy remembered he yanked on her so brutally he ripped her sweatshirt off. He’d squeezed her hand until she thought her bones would snap. Candy’s confusion was overwhelming. They were no longer in his kitchen. She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious for. All she remembered was the desperate need to hide. Instinctively, she knew they were no longer at his halfway point. The air smelled different. The room was dark, but she could make out his features. Though he was smiling, she remembered the face filled with rage, the agonizing grip.
His threats
.

“Please don’t,” Candy sobbed.

Immobile she lay in his arms, remembering fearfully what happened the last time she struggled. She hadn’t obeyed him when she’d gotten angry, and he brutalized her. He said he’d given her a last chance. Would she die now? She searched again for her safe place, but it wouldn’t come. She cried harder with an even greater distress, realizing she was in bed with him. Her face pressed against his unclad warm chest. Neither of them wore anything. She could feel the hard, hot length of his large cock pressed into her belly. One of his hands cupped her bare behind pulling her closer. What else had he done to her? Did he rape her while she’d lain vulnerable and trapped? The idea was terrifying. She was powerless to fight him.

“I’m sorry I frightened you, Candy. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry I hurt you. Don’t go away again, sweetheart.”

Candy’s brain screamed out, resounding throughout her tortured mind as more reality crashed within her. Every horrifying threat returned to invade her thoughts. He was so big, yet there was only him here with her. If she were to be used repeatedly by many, she knew she would find her way back into hiding. What if the shadow were waiting? An even more evil and frightening shadow might stalk her. What if she couldn’t return to the safety of her cottage if briefly? What if her only alternative was to be antagonized forever within her own mind? She would go insane.

“Please, Dirk, don’t sell me. Don’t let all those men hurt me. I’d rather you kill me. I won’t tell what Damien did. Please, I won’t make you angry again, I swear.”

“I won’t sell you, and I’m not going to kill you.”

“What’re you going to do with me?” Her body trembled against him.

“I’m keeping you here, with me. You’ll be safe from Darren’s family. Damien will be safe from being discovered. You’ll like living here. Everything you need or want will be provided,” Dirk said.

“A different kind of bondage.” Her tears dripped from her eyes to fall on his chest.

“No, not bondage, you won’t be owned or used. After a while, I’ll take you places, you’ll see. You won’t be trapped behind these walls forever,” Dirk promised. “Carrie will need help with the new baby. There are no other women here to help her. I was going to hire a nanny, but sometimes that can be a bit tricky. You know what we do already. I help you by keeping you safe and you help me by helping my daughter. It’s a perfect solution.”

Candy sobbed bitter tears. She would be doomed to care for a child while never given the opportunity to have her own. Yet, if she were to return to the outside world Tyler’s family would kill her. Dirk’s home was preferable to bondage, though she would be a prisoner for the rest of her life. What if she made Dirk angry again, what would he do to her? Her mind became a whirlwind of thoughts until she was too exhausted to think anymore. Unable to pull from his powerful hold, Candy settled against him, still terrified. Her eyes closed with her overwhelming thoughts.

Dirk held Candy in his arms as she continued to sob. Before long, he realized she was crying even in sleep as her exhaustion claimed her. Dirk had given his idea a great deal of thought. He couldn’t kill her; she was innocent of any wrong doing, and he refused to place her into a situation that would terrify her back into the safety of her mind. His solution was perfect.

After Carrie’s mother, there’d been no one who interested him, he was hurt too badly. When he discovered her death so many years ago, his heart broke. He always lived with the illusion that one day she would come to him on her own and declare her love. They would’ve been a family. But he lost not only her to death but his only daughter to a foster home that adored his child. He couldn’t uproot Carrie at the time, she’d been only ten.

Dirk suffered in the shadows, agonized, in silence. His thoughts now centered on his daughter and new grandchild. They were all he needed besides his brother and father; he was uninterested in anyone else. He could give Candy the protection of his name and family and would expect nothing of her as far as he was concerned except her loyalty. Though the thought irked him, he could also enlist his son-in-law’s help keeping her in line when they ventured out for vacations. Tyr wasn’t cruel; he would keep a close eye on Candy. He wouldn’t risk his wife and child. She would be kept silenced and safe.

The more Dirk thought about it the more he liked the idea. Perhaps it was meant to be. Even his father should be satisfied, his father had long since given up hope Dirk would settle down and have a family. Damien would be safe from exposure. Carrie would have the help she needed while here at home with her baby when she came. It really was perfect.

With relief, Dirk closed his eyes. Candy quieted within his arms and only whimpered occasionally. Dirk pulled her closer to his chest trying to offer comfort. He wrapped himself around her, enjoying the feel of her. He brought her back from the depths of her mind, rescued her. She would be fine now under his protection, he was certain. Besides, he thought as his hand roamed her bare body leisurely, it wouldn’t be so bad having such a beautiful young woman wrapped within his embrace nightly. Burying his face into her hair he drifted off to sleep.

When Candy woke she jumped, startled to see Dirk watching her with his piercing gaze. He sat closely pressed against her hip, a hand on either side of her, leaning over her in an intimidating fashion. Mortified, she noticed her breasts were exposed, his chest resting only inches from her peaks. Her nipples had hardened in the coolness of the air and seemed to strain toward him. She pulled the covers tight against her nude body, scooting downward as a blush warmed her cheeks, the sheet to her nose, trying to hide from him.

“I won’t attack you, Candy. You’ve been helpless and naked for over four days. I’ve managed to curb my animal lust and not pounce. How do you think you come to lay there feeling so fresh and clean?” Dirk asked wryly.

Candy blushed deeper. Four days? Had it been that long? She wondered if he kept her naked for most of the duration. She remembered the feeling of bathing in the lake at the cottage in her mind, the feeling of the cloth slipping over her body. Try as she might she was unable to scrub at herself. The cloth possessed a life of its own as it caressed its way around her breasts in slow circles. She remembered moaning in pleasure when the feeling slipped down between her backside and over her intimately. She gave in to the sensual feel, feeling a wicked need.

Watching him, she realized the powerhouse in front of her wielded the cloth. Her gaze flicked to strong large hands, perfect fingernails. Those hands held a weapon, the weapon strapped to his chest. Those fingers pulled the trigger on his marks killing them. Blue eyes nestled behind blond lashes that blinked. Candy wondered if those long lashes were kept controlled as he steadied his gun on a victim. Every stubble of blond hair was visible on a perfect five o’clock shadow.

How can someone so handsome be the grim reaper
?

Dirk settled two more of the creamy white soft pillows on the bed behind her. He clasped her under her arms, sitting her up, propping her against them with ease. She looked at him startled, the sheet slipped and he tugged it back into place. He cast her a wry look.

“I got used to lifting you,” he said and shrugged.

Dirk reached for a tray left on a honey glazed table close by. He placed it over her hips and grandly removed the silver lid. Candy gazed at fluffy whipped eggs, cottage cheese and peaches. Fresh strawberries sat with a dollop of whipped cream nestled on top of blueberry pancakes with real butter and smelled of sweet maple syrup. A small glass of orange juice was on one side, a steaming mug on the other.

“I didn’t know if you liked tea or coffee in the morning so Carrie suggested hot chocolate. Personally, I can’t stand the stuff, but I hope you like it,” Dirk said.

He continued to gaze down at her. She hadn’t eaten solids in a while, and she was hoping she could keep something down. It all smelled wonderful, but his presence distressed her, and she fidgeted, feeling nervous. She wasn’t certain what to make of his attitude, as though he’d forgotten what he’d done. Candy was no longer in pain; her arms didn’t hurt. She also knew he hadn’t been intimate with her. His actions confused her. One moment he was hard and cold, the next he was serving her breakfast in bed. To her, he seemed like a fast flowing river current, unpredictable as an undertow, as though he allowed you to see the clear bottom for just a brief moment before the emotions tumbled on waves becoming endless deep darkness.