Assassin Territory [Assassins Book 1] Read online

  She hit at the hard, cold stone in an effort to escape Chad—Lando. Oh God which one or are they both here? She could barely see through the tears cascading down her cheeks, flowing like a river at a frantic pace. Finally exhausted, in defeat she slumped to her knees with her hands held before her in a pleading gesture. She continued to sob. She had tried so hard to live.

  “Please don’t kill me, don’t…don’t beat me,” Christy pleaded, her pained voice no more than a hurtful rasp.

  Through her tears she saw him, Lando; he hadn’t moved. She remembered how agonizing the blow felt coming from Chad, a man who professed to love her. How could she ever hope to survive a blow coming from a larger, even more powerful man? Her aching body couldn’t withstand any more brutality. The cruelty of her experience washed over her, drowning her emotions. Her head bowed, she waited for the worst. The agony of her thoughts hurt her soul, she wasn’t worthless. Why couldn’t people see that?

  * * * *

  When Lando entered the cave, he practically threw her struggling form off to the side, sensing her deep terror and need to flee from him. He pulled the covering across the front of the cave, effectively sealing them in together. He then watched as Christy pitifully clawed at the far sides of the cave, trying to find a nonexistent exit. Lando sat near the opening, blocking her way, refusing to allow her escape. He had no choice. She would freeze to death if he didn’t intervene. He hoped if he sat quietly and unthreateningly, she wouldn’t clasp at her heart as a few others had done and expire from her fear of him. Let her come to you, the voice in his mind cautioned with reasoning.

  Lando watched as her small body slumped to her side, then pulled tightly into the fetal position, her tiny, shaking, bloody hands splayed before her as if to ward off an imminent, attack. She shook uncontrollably. Lando knew he was scary, but he was certain he caught the name Chad. It occurred to him why she didn’t have a cell phone, why she was in the middle of nowhere with a man twice her age. Christy was hiding. She was abused before, and from the looks of it, badly. She begged and pleaded with him, crying out from her terrible fear of present and past. She would do anything…anything. If only he would spare her life and cause her no more pain.

  “Do you beg my mercy?” Lando questioned loudly over her incoherent frantic words.

  “Yes…please,” she sobbed pitifully, stilling suddenly.

  Her long beautiful hair was in disarray, her face red, eyes swollen. Those doe eyes of hers drew him in. There was such pain and fear. He wondered why anyone would purposely hurt the most disarming, enchanting creature he’d ever seen. He hated to sound cruel but she needed to listen.

  “You will do as I say?” he again voiced loudly. Her head bobbed with a short nod. Lando began to feel a sense of relief. That she hadn’t succumbed to her terror was promising. Though she was frightened, she was listening to him. He knew he could coax her into doing as he said.

  “I will do as you say. I will listen,” she whimpered.

  “You will obey me without hesitation?” Lando demanded. If he commanded her to stay, yet she ran away in fear, she could be caught in another storm, or by a predator. He didn’t want to have to go looking for her. That would be an inconvenience and he would be very annoyed. He spent a great deal of time and effort keeping her alive.

  “I will obey you, I swear,” Christy cried out.

  Christy’s sobbing calmed, and he knew she was concentrating on his voice. He knew his had become a familiar voice over the last few days. Though he knew he terrified her, he had been the one to feed her with his left behind offerings. He had spoken to her, albeit offhand. He waited for her to catch up with him. Perhaps deep down, both knew Christy was following him all along.

  “I won’t kill you or hurt you, Christy.”

  Christy looked up at him through misted eyes; her chin quivered. “Promise?”

  She looked so hopeful, so doubtful.

  “I promise,” Lando said.

  Head bowed, cautious, Christy approached him. She crawled toward him in deference. Lando waited, breath held, to see what she would do. She reached and clasped at his jacket with a shaking hand. Her gaze lifted to his, then fled, lifted, and he knew she was fearful he would yell or strike at her or shove her away.

  When he did none of these things, Christy crept closer. She tentatively placed her head, her hair tossled, on his shoulder as he had seen her do with Sam when she was frightened. Lando didn’t push her away or hurt her. Christy grasped at him; she gave a soft hiccupping cry. Her small arms pulled him close; he could feel her warmth. Her chest pressed to his, and she uttered an almost inaudible plea. It was apparent she sought his compassion, a kindness.

  Never having offered another intimate kindness, Lando hesitated. Then, sensing her desperate need for reassurance, he placed his arms around her, enveloping her tiny form. She cowered against him. She again wept pitifully for him not to cause her any harm. She hid her face into her bent elbow.

  “Be still, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you,” Lando soothed. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

  “Please don’t leave me,” she begged. Her arms tightened around him. He remembered that was often a plea of hers while she slept. He wondered who abandoned her.

  “I won’t leave you. We aren’t going anywhere,” he informed her.

  The blizzard raged outside their small shelter. The temperature dipped well below freezing. The two within the small cave huddled as one, both fearful of different things. The night closed in with a vengeance. The fire burnt brightly, offering warmth filling the small area.

  As Lando held Christy’s shaking form, he realized he had won the most important conquest of his life. He had, in fact, succeeded in saving a life. After having taken so many, he couldn’t believe the ultimate, intimate euphoria in this one act. The all-powerful rush at having dominance over someone’s life intensified when that life was allowed to keep breathing by his own hand. Ceasing an existence became nothing…the absolute challenge of existence danced before him as auspicious as a rainbow after a violent storm.

  Lando decided since he spared her life, it now belonged to him. She belonged to him. She was, in fact, now his. Never before had such intensity engulfed him; it was intoxicating. Lando’s grip on her tightened possessively.

  “Lando?” she questioned on a soft, quiet plea.

  He liked the quietly voiced sound of his name on her delicate lips. Breathing in the exquisite scent of her hair, Lando held her grasped to his broad chest, though he gentled his touch, realizing she was distressed.

  Mine.

  The voice in his head screamed triumphantly. Damn. He wished he could turn that voice off.

  Chapter 4

  Christy watched as Lando pulled a Swiss army knife from his boot and cut into the crisp, cooking rabbit. Red and fatty juices dribbled lazily down its side to land, sizzling, dancing about on the hot coals beneath. Her mouth watered. She swallowed the building saliva, mesmerized, already devouring the meat. She licked her dry lips. Christy had never before eaten rabbit, yet could tell it was going to taste wonderful.

  Lando blew on the aromatic meat. The steam floated about his face, reddening his rugged cheeks. He placed a small amount into his mouth and chewed; she knew he wasn’t teasing, just testing it to make certain it was fully cooked. Christy watched him, knowing her gaze was wide, and hopeful. Lando cut a large chunk of its hind quarters and offered it to her, while she hung back against the side of the cave. His look was encouraging, as if he thought she might not accept it.

  Christy practically pounced on the meat, grasping it from him, and then scurried back again to the safety of the cave wall. She stuffed large amounts into her mouth, shoving in piece after piece, ripping into the chunk he gave her, filling her cheeks chipmunk-style, chewing noisily. She stopped only for a brief moment as her choking, agonized throat protested. She grimaced in pain, pausing for a moment, and then shuddered. Taking a smaller bite, she chewed with more caution.

  Lando was eating slo
wer, watching her with intensity. He cast his dark-eyed glance to her fingers that were bloodied, yet not from the rabbit. She shifted self-consciously, trying to hide them. She remembered clawing at the stone in the back of the cave in an effort to escape from him while engulfed in absolute terror. Her fingernails were ripped and crusted over; her knuckles were swollen and bruised. She knew she must look a sight. Her hand lifted to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. She felt a smudge of rabbit grease down her cheek.

  After Christy ate what he had given her, she settled back further from the roaring fire. It wasn’t just her fear of him that caused her retreat. The flames were making her sweat. Though enjoying the warmth, she was now feeling lightheaded from the heat. Lando hadn’t taken his eyes off her. Every movement she made was critically studied and assessed and she was becoming more alarmed by the minute. She was fearful of giving up the safety of huddling protectively within Howard’s jacket. She felt it was an extra barrier. Lando was a huge man, much larger than Chad. If he were to be brutal, he’d hurt her.

  “Sit closer to the fire, Christy,” Lando encouraged.

  His voice was low, deep, rough and somewhat frightening but suited him. Her gaze shifted about the cave until, resigned, she crept forward. The sweat beaded her forehead. Lando had already removed his outer jacket. The small cave warmed nicely, even though the storm raged outside and the occasional draft of frigid air made its way through cracks in the doorframe.

  She was now feeling too warm. She could see by his confused stare he didn’t understand why she hadn’t made herself comfortable. Fear, safety, confusion, her thoughts wouldn’t settle on one emotion.

  “Take your coat off, Christy,” Lando suggested. “Aren’t you feeling a bit warm?”

  She nodded stiffly and, remembering her promise to obey him, she reluctantly removed Howard’s coat. She was hopeful Lando would honor his promise not to hurt her. She shifted the coat underneath her instead, to sit on it. Her head remained bowed so low it almost rested on her chest. She was incapable of controlling the small, pitiful, agitated noises she was emitting. Noises Chad would have slapped her for, and hungered for. The man was so confusing eliciting things from her he knew were provoking. Chad wanted a reason to beat her—until he didn’t need any at all.

  She was unable to control the movement of her fingers as they began to dance and entwine in frustration. She didn’t want to feel so frightened; she hated her fear. For almost a year, her worthlessness had been drilled into her head. The pain of Chad’s final blows replayed in her thoughts. He’d caused so much damage, Christy wondered if she would ever recover.

  “Christy?” Lando commanded. “Christy, look at me.”

  Hesitantly, she lifted her head; she knew her fearful gaze looked imploringly into his. Lando was studying her.

  “I’ll keep my promise and not kill you.”

  “You’re so big,” she whimpered back. “If you are too cruel, you’ll hurt me.”

  Understanding lit Lando’s eyes. “I’m a killer, Christy, not a rapist.”

  Christy pondered on that for a moment, wondering if his statement made her feel better or worse. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d spared her life for another reason. Once again, the fire drew her attention; the heat seemed overwhelming. Taking a deep breath, Christy felt resigned. She took off her other jacket and unzipped her hoodie. If he wanted her, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. Perhaps he wouldn’t hurt her if she cooperated.

  Lando shifted toward her; she stiffened in apprehension at his approach. He wet a handkerchief in the bowl of water. He took one of her bloodied hands into his own and gently cleaned it. When finished, he cleaned the other. The warm wet cloth slid around each finger to her thumb. He wiped the spatters on her palms and wrists. His hands were twice as large as hers. Hands that held guns and knives and only God knew what else.

  His head remained bowed, intent on his task. Raven dark hair fell across his cheek. Christy had never encountered a man with such powerful shoulders; he would look out of place in a tuxedo. Chad looked fantastic in a tux and for a moment Christy was glad Lando looked nothing like 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 was feeling better, yet she was fearful of more bones. The two sat in awkward silence, finishing their meal. The eerie groans o
f the wind whistled with intensity, rattling the cave barrier. The silence between them was becoming uncomfortable. Lando maintained his intense study of her that she found unnerving. She squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Christy concluded Lando no longer wanted her dead. She wondered if it was her company he coveted. If he wanted to force her to submit to him, he would have already; she was powerless to stop him. She remembered Chad pounced on her eagerly enough. Sometimes painfully, claiming he needed her and couldn’t wait for her to be ready.

  “Why did you want to kill me?” The silence between them had stretched until the intensity reached a climax. “I’m no threat to you.”

  Lando was studying her, she bowed her head and her hands shook from a nervous habit—compliments of Chad.

  “I felt at the time it would be best, under the circumstances.”

  Her head shot up and she glared at him. “I was hurting and alone, and you thought it best to kill me? Don’t you realize how terrified I am of you?”

  “I thought your mind was gone. Those bruises must hurt; they’re nothing short of hideous. I think, from the way you move, one or more of your ribs are broken. I didn’t think you’d make it. A wild animal could’ve got you; you might have frozen to death,” he countered, sounding defensive.

  “A mercy killing?” she spat out. Again she was confronted with a man who would assume what was best for her without even asking how she felt. “You’re all cruel. Assassin or doctor, it makes no difference.”

  “Is that who hurt you?” Lando asked. “Chad? You cried out for him not to hit you. Did he beat you, Christy?”

  Tears began to fall from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks. “He never once threatened to kill me,” she countered.

  Lando stirred the rabbit bones in the pot. He added the remainder of the fish, careful of the tiny bones.