Page 116 of Her Selfless Warrior (Omega Sky)
“You don’t sound like Candy. I need to confirm it’s you. What are the names of your two sisters?”
“Rosie and Dawn.” This time it sounded like she was crying. But at least she finally knew it was Candy.
“God, Candy, what’s wrong?” She pulled the towel tighter around her naked body.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I’m so sorry. They were going to kill her. I couldn’t let them kill her.” Her words came out garbled and fast, but Lark got the gist of it. Candy was sorry and some ‘they’ were going to kill someone.
“Slow down, Honey. Whoisthey? Who was it who tried to kill someone?”
“They broke into our apartment in the middle of the night.”
“Who did?” Lark asked again gently.
“They were after the code that Rick sold them.”
Oh God, not them. How had they found her?
“Tell me what happened, Candy.”
“They cut me. They said Rick had gotten money from them. He had shown them part of the missile code, so they knew he had it, and I must be hiding it to sell to a higher bidder.” Candy started panting and coughing.
“Take your time.”
“They didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know anything.” Candy whimpered. “They kept cutting me. Then they started cutting Dawn. They had duct tape over her mouth. They told me if I screamed, they would slit her throat.”
Candy started crying so hard that Lark couldn’t understand a word she said next.
“I need you to calm down. Slow down and explain it to me,” Lark coaxed.
“They wouldn’t believe me. No matter what I said, they wouldn’t believe me,” Candy wailed.
“Jesus,” Lark murmured. “This happened last night?”
“No, two, maybe three nights ago. I was in surgery, this is the first time I’ve really been awake.”
Lark looked up at her reflection. She looked as scared as she felt.
“I kept telling them I didn’t know what they were talking about. I tried to fight them off, but they kept cutting me. But I had nothing to tell them, Lark. I couldn’t even think of a lie.”
Somehow, Lark kept ahold of the phone.
“I’m so sorry you went through this. How’s Dawn?”
“Dead,” Candy whispered. “Even after I told them about you. Even after I lied and thought it was over, they shot her in the head. Then they left me for dead.”
“What do you mean, told them about me?”
“When they put the gun to Dawn’s head, I had to tell them something, anything, to get them to believe that I knew something. I told them that you had the code. That Rick was working with you to write an exposé.”
“Youwhat?” Lark couldn’t wrap her head around what she was saying.
“It’s all I could think of to save Dawn’s life,” Candy said fiercely. “I would have said anything.”
“It’s okay, Honey, I understand.”
“Can you forgive me?” she pleaded.
“Of course I forgive you. Were they the same men in Rick’s house?”
