Assassin Territory [Assassins Book 1] (22 page)

Wolf was only a foot away from her. Christy gazed into his face. He wore no expression. His dark eyes appeared devoid of emotion. She moved closer, not wanting to delay the inevitable if he wanted to harm her. She wouldn’t cower or beg this time. She realized if Wolf were to kill her, Lando was walking into a deathtrap.

Wolf was gazing at her, studying her as she clasped her hands together while trying to calm her thundering heartbeat. She couldn’t stop her chin from quivering, but he was an assassin after all. She was waiting for him to make the first move. To Christy’s surprise Wolf grinned, wolfishly.

“I keep my promises, kitten,” he casually mentioned.

Christy released the breath she had been holding. She thought she might fall to the ground in relief. Wolf casually walked away from her, entering the kitchen. It wasn’t long before he was pulling things from the refrigerator and clanging pots together. Shortly, Christy detected the scent of sausages. She was soon seated at the kitchen table, where a plate of toast, a soft boiled egg, and two sausages were placed before her. Christy looked at the food thoughtfully. She was surprised when Wolf put a mug of hot chocolate in front of her. She detected the unmistakable scent of Kahlua wafting from it.

When Christy remained still, not touching her food Wolf picked up her toast and took a healthy bite from it. So surprised, Christy almost grabbed it from him.

“It’s not poisoned, kitten,” Wolf said and placed her food back on her plate.

Grimacing, Christy hadn’t even thought of that. “It’s not that,” she said.

“What then?” Wolf asked around a large mouthful of food.

“Both you and Lando seem so comfortable in the kitchen,” Christy said while blushing. She picked up the toast, dipped it in her egg, and took a cautious bite. Her nanny used to make her dippy eggs, these were as tasty.

“Even assassins need to eat, kitten,” Wolf replied, munching noisily on his own food.

“Why do you call me kitten?” Christy asked, taking another small bite.

“In case we need to change your name, I won’t slip and call you by your real name.”

That made sense, she thought. Now she understood why he referred to himself as Wolf; the name definitely suited him.

Christy ate with deliberation, the food was good but she was missing Lando. He had told her to eat. Lando told her if she loved him she would try to stay healthy for him. She loved him. When she finished what she could, she did up the dishes and approached Wolf. He seemed in deep concentration as he inspected his arsenal of weapons. Christy shuddered wondering why on earth anyone would carry around a hand grenade.

“I need to soak in the bathtub. It helps with my aching. Lando ran out of Tylenol long ago and there isn’t anything here I can use. He was too concerned to make a stop at a pharmacy, and the store was out,” Christy muttered to him. She fidgeted about, agitated. She didn’t mention to him that Lando didn’t want to stop at the pharmacy because he was too fearful to repeat what happened at the grocery store.

Wolf gave her an assessing look, nodding. She was well aware he had seen the bruises. “Don’t lock the door, and make sure you have a change of clothes right beside the tub. If I need to pull you out of there in a hurry I don’t want to be carting you around nude. A naked woman would definitely draw attention.”

Christy’s eyebrows rose. She had absolutely no intension of ever being nude around him. She spun on her heels and headed for the bathroom, locking the door soundly behind her.

“Don’t lock it,” she heard Wolf bellow. Her hair stood on end. Good God, he even howled like a wolf.

Remembering her promise to Lando, Christy unlocked the door. As she sank into the hot water, she tried not to give in to her tears. She pulled her hands up over her eyes, trying to envision a safe place as Lando taught her.

“Lando?” she whimpered. She realized the safest place would be in his arms.

Soon, sweetheart, I’ll be with you soon,
she thought she heard a voice reply inside her head. Feeling comforted, Christy closed her eyes and settled back. She trusted him. Lando always kept his word. He would return to her, and she would be safe and Lando would be loved more than any man on the planet. They would begin new lives together and they would be happy forever. She allowed the soothing warmth of the water to envelope her tired, aching body and, closing her eyes succumbed to her weariness.

Christy screamed, terrified, as she was picked up out of the tub. She struggled in Wolf’s strong embrace for only a short time. Her body remained too battered to offer up any real resistance. Wolf strode with her to the bedroom; she could hear him growling in the back of his throat as though he were furious. Christy whimpered, fearful of his intent. Images of Rick’s enraged, contorted face flashed before her eyes. Wolf was as big as he had been, perhaps bigger. The damage he could inflict would be astronomical. Lando wouldn’t be coming to save her this time.

Christy smothered another cry into Wolf’s shoulder. She sobbed, refusing to beg another’s mercy when she knew there would be none. Wolf placed her onto the bed, not ungently, and wrapped the top comforter around her sodden form. Leaving her there, he strode off. Christy pulled the blanket snugly around her.

Wolf returned shortly. His chest was bare; he had removed his wet shirt. His face was no longer impassive; he was very clearly angry. Christy shrank away from him when he approached her. She again stifled terrified cries, one fist lodged against her mouth, waiting for him to do his worst, while her other hand splayed before her in a pleading gesture.

Tears dripped down her cheeks. She became confused when all he did was dump her clothes beside her. He towered above her, his huge fisted hands balled like sledgehammers.

“Damn it. I get you’re injured. But if you’re tired, sleep in the fucking bed, not in a bathtub full of water. If you drown, I don’t get paid.” He stormed from the room, slamming the door so hard behind him it cracked the hinges.

Christy stared at the closed door open-mouthed. Letting the comforter slip, she dressed, her tears still fell, but surprisingly after Wolf’s tirade she felt calmer. She realized he didn’t mean her any harm. He wouldn’t beat or assault her. Still, an angry Wolf was a very frightening Wolf. Absently, she wondered what Lando was paying him. Giving her head a shake and climbing back under the covers, not wanting to face Wolf, she realized it must be a great deal of money. It was a good thing she was wealthy; they might just need it before Lando returned.

* * * *

“I’m sorry, Wolf.”

Christy stood before him in the living room with her head bowed in deference, her shoulders curled in and her arms hung limply by her sides. She had napped well into the evening. Wolf knew she would emerge sooner or later; she would have to eat eventually. Her absence gave him a great deal of time to reorganize his weapons and clean his gun, he was hopeful he wouldn’t have to use any of it.

Wolf knew she had been terrified when he lifted her from the tub. He heard her pitiful whimpers as she pressed her face into his shoulder, trying not to make a sound. He knew what she thought he intended to do to her, yet she never once begged for her life. When he studied her he knew why, she expected only the worst from men—except Lando. When entering the room bare-chested, she looked as though she might vomit, not flattering, he was further pissed but he thought for a brief second he was cruel to have taken his sodden shirt off before returning. He could have waited. Hind sight. It couldn’t be helped and she needed a stern warning.

Wolf had wondered why Christy hadn’t emerged from the bath. She had been in there for some time. He crept into the bathroom with caution, not wanting to frighten her. He gazed on part of her nude form, assessing her bruises from a short distance, assuming she was resting her eyes.

Lando angrily explained what the man Rick had done to her. The damage was extensive. Wolf had been furious when he ventured closer and looked into the bathtub and found Christy almost submerged, the water dangerously high near her chin, her entire body covered. She wasn’t resting her eyes; her even breathing told him she was sound asleep. In her weakened state she might have slipped beneath the water and have been too exhausted to pull herself up. Wolf promised to keep her safe. Wolf always kept his promises.

Christy’s fidgeting made him center his thoughts. She was waiting for his response.

“Don’t do it again,” Wolf threatened.

“I won’t,” Christy agreed immediately.

Wolf smirked as her gaze skipped to his heavy arsenal. With practiced ease, he hefted the hand grenade and turned it in his hands.

“Go put your running shoes on, kitten. You need to be wearing them at all times as well while we’re here.” He tossed the grenade into the air and captured it. Christy scurried away to her bedroom. Wolf watched her retreat. Wolf was certain she’d listen. He placed the grenade beside him.

* * * *

Christy peeked out her bedroom door. She had been too fearful to emerge. Her tummy rumbled, as it had been doing for some time now. She realized she could hide no longer. She could see from her position Wolf was on the couch. Thankfully, he had packed away his weapons.

Christy crept before him. “I’m hungry,” she muttered. She cast a hopeful glance in his direction.

She could see him summing her up; for a brief moment he looked amused. “Lando mentioned you couldn’t cook. Too rich to learn?” he asked. Christy turned crimson. She was annoyed Lando shared part of her childhood with this man.

Wolf stood, his body moving in one fluid motion. He went to the kitchen and pulled the steaks he had marinating from the fridge. As he sauntered away, Christy marveled again that two powerful men could move without making a sound. Lando emerged before her suddenly more than once, displaying his eerie prowess. She watched as Wolf moved about the kitchen. Christy noted the barbecue had been started. She moved into the kitchen, wondering if he wanted her help.

“You can set the table,” Wolf told her.

Christy looked at him, surprised; she hadn’t even offered to help. Could he read minds? Wolf gave her a calculating glance.

“Lando mentioned you were exceptionally good at placating,” Wolf said, and winked.

If Christy hadn’t known better she would have thought he was teasing her. Did assassins tease? Christy pulled china plates from a hutch and cutlery from one of the drawers. She added to the table ceramic mugs and removed sour cream and butter from the fridge. She watched as Wolf set a steaming bowl of asparagus in front of her. The
T-bone was medium rare and tender, with a small baked potato on the side. Wolf replaced the ceramic mugs with wine goblets and poured Christy half a glass of white wine, then did the same for himself.

The food was wonderful. However, after a few mouthfuls her tummy surprisingly protested. Scowling, Christy sipped at her wine. After a few sips she was again hungry. After a few more mouthfuls her tummy, for a second time, grumbled as if annoyed.

“You seem agitated about something. Are you still scared of me, kitten?” Wolf asked, his tone casual. After his angry tirade this afternoon she supposed she should be.

“No,” Christy declared, and both of them were surprised she meant it.

“You haven’t eaten much,” Wolf said, stating the obvious.

“It tastes very good, and then it doesn’t. I guess I just miss Lando,” Christy said, and sighed. She put her fork down. Wolf enthusiastically polished off the rest of her meal. When he finished he went to the cupboard and returned, offering her two crackers. Christy took them and nibbled on them. Once finished, she told Wolf she was tired and headed for the bedroom. She wasn’t in the mood to engage in any conversation.

She cried herself to sleep. But didn’t sleep for long. Christy woke, terrified as a large hand was placed over her mouth almost stopping her breath with her thoughts and a strong body pinned her to the bed, though not painfully. Christy whimpered up into Wolf’s face, wondering what was happening.

“No noise,” Wolf cautioned with a soft breath. Christy stilled instantly, becoming docile and complacent. The moonlight bathed his intense features. Christy knew something was wrong.

“We’re leaving,” Wolf informed her. His mouth was pressed to her ear. “When I get up, you will make no sound and come with me.” Christy nodded her compliance.

Wolf released her mouth and pulled her from the bed as though she were a stuffed toy and weightless. He locked a powerful arm around her midriff and practically carried her through the cabin, their shadows casting flickers across wooden paneling from the dying firelight. Christy remained completely silent. She heard the movements of ground crunching outside the cabin, though beyond the windows everything was black. They weren’t alone. Wolf exited the darkened back door.

“
Freeze.
This is the police,” a hard voice shouted. A brilliant floodlight flashed into Christy’s face and her hands flew up protectively, covering her eyes while she cringed against Wolf. She knew there was about to be big trouble.

* * * *

Instead of standing still, Wolf was all action. He gripped Christy harder, leaped from the porch, and landed amidst the foliage. He was up and running in moments, taking her with him into the darkness. He was counting on the fact they thought Christy to be his hostage, and that they wouldn’t risk shooting. He was right, they didn’t. A command was yelled to hold their fire lest the girl be killed. Wolf had planned on leaving at first light. Lando had informed him with embarrassment he had gotten sloppy and to beware.

If a description had been given, Wolf was certain he would match Lando’s. Both were big, dark-haired, and dark-eyed. Wolf was relieved it was just the police he was dealing with. He stealthily wove his way amidst the trees, escaping detection. He outmaneuvered their lights with ease. His ebony attire aided their escape, his black leather jacket wrapped around both him and Christy. His grip on Christy was brutal as he clasped her to him, not wanting to risk losing her in the pitch blackness. Christy began whimpering.

“Silence.”