Page 10 of Devil’s Candy

Candy’s key card rubs my hip through the pocket of my jeans as I make my way down the hall.

I give the security camera a nod and a wink as I pass. Tonight has been a success.

Mission one, tell the owners of this casino, the Smith brothers, that I am alive and well and still a problem that they should be concerned about.

Two of them, Ryker and Win Smith, are married to my daughters. While I won’t attack, I do want to make certain they’re aware I am here and I am watching them.

If they don’t take care of Sasha and Katarina, I will hunt them down and kill them slowly.

Everything I told Candy was true. I fathered my girls out of wedlock, and they were raised by Ivan Ivanov their entire lives, never knowing the truth that I was their real father.

He used them and then used me, making me his personal assassin, claiming that if I didn’t kill for him, he’d kill my children.

I killed Ivan in the end, but it took too long, and the girls suffered greatly at his hand.

I can’t blame them if they never speak to me again. But that doesn’t mean I won’t watch them from afar, make certain they’re all right.

Which is why I came to this casino tonight.

But it’s a bad plan, showing up like this, my very presence a vague threat. Which is why I approached Candy.

I know who she is, just like I know of the Smiths new allegiance to her boss, Angel Sinclair.

What I did not know is what sort of man Angel might be.

I’ve seduced many women to get them talking, to find out what they know. Candy was no different.

She even got herself drunk. And just the right amount too. Not so drunk that she couldn’t talk, didn’t make sense. Just drunk enough that it loosened her tongue and lowered her inhibitions.

And she was a wealth of information…

She knows little about the particulars of the business, which speaks to Angel’s favor. He keeps his business tight.

She did understand Angel as a man. And what I heard, I liked. He keeps his crew safe, and he keeps his urges to himself.

The part that did not go as expected…

My attraction to Candy.

My standard procedure is to get a woman talking, give her a few orgasms while I listen, and then leave.

Fucking Candy was not part of the plan.

But I just…

I couldn’t resist.

She is absolutely gorgeous, a little outrageous, sassy, sweet, sensitive, and so fucking vulnerable she made me ache.

And then there was the way she kept on insisting we talk about me. I’ve done this more times than I can count.

No woman ever wants to hear about my past, my life. They are usually so happy to talk about themselves.

Candy’s been dealt shit cards, she deserves a man who creates a safe place for her to rest and relax.

Not that I’ve ever been the kind to do right. Not even for my daughters. But for the first time in a long time, I want to try.

For Sasha and Katarina. But also…I’m tempted to see Candy again.