The small confines of her room were warm as she paced the carpeted floors. Cassie had spent a restless night wondering what she had gotten herself into while fearing for Sophia. If she was alive, as the note said, then where was she, and why did they take her, and worse yet…who were they?

The questions bounced around her mind until she felt like her head would explode. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and realized she had been pacing for three hours. It was already ten-thirty, and she was certain the girls had eaten, which meant she’d be alone to enjoy breakfast and ponder over the information cluttering her brain. She wanted to find the boy who had given her the note and ask him some point-blank questions, but she wasn’t sure how she would go about it. If he didn’t speak English, even as broken as his parents did, it was going to be a very long, complicated discussion.

Cassie pulled her jeans out of the drawer, and slipped them across her slender hips, then pulled the violet V neck top off the hanger. She quickly finished dressing, pulling on her hiking boots, and ran a brush through her long blonde hair. With her purse and key in hand, she hurried down to the dining room. She may have to write her sentences out, but she was determined to get the answers.

Pausing near the dining room’s entrance, Cassie looked around. Much to her surprise, the dining room was alive with voices and the clanking of silverware. It looked as if every farmer within ten miles was there to have breakfast, and except for a handful of middle-aged women, there were at least fifty men.

At first, she just stood near the door, looking at the people who sat at the tables, talking, and eating as if it was a normal habit. Considering the nearly empty room from last night’s supper, she assumed Sister Anne’s girls were the only other occupants of the hotel. She wasn’t expecting to walk into Grand Central Station.

Cassie was ready to turn and go back to her room when she heard her name called out. She turned to see the girls and Sister Anne sitting at a table near the front window. She smiled and made her way around the people who looked up at her. If she hadn’t already felt awkward, the way the room’s occupants stared at her, and the whispers that followed certainly did the trick.

“Good morning,” Sister Anne greeted her cheerfully when she neared the table. “Did you sleep well?”

“Not really,” she answered, sitting in the empty seat beside the heavyset girl, Francesca. “I guess I am still adjusting to the time difference,” she lied.

“Well, perhaps tonight will be better.”

“What’s going on?” Cassie asked a moment later, looking around to the faces that kept turning to them. “I thought the ski season ended? Where did all these people come from?”

“The hotel owner said it is customary for the villagers to gather on the first day of the month. Today is the first day of May, and here they are. Even the farmers have come in to have a bite to eat.”

“What a strange tradition,” Cassie said with a frown, then set back when a young man arrived with a plate of food and set it in front of her.

“Everyone is served the same breakfast,” Francesca told her with a wide smile. “It makes it easier to get everyone served. Es ist ein traditionelles frühstück. Weich gekochtes ei, frisches obst, aufschnitt and Käse, brötchen, brot, butter and marmelade.”

Cassie looked at her plate with a frown. She recognized the food items but had no clue what the girl had just said.

“Francesca said it’s the traditional breakfast of soft boiled egg, fresh fruit, cold cuts and cheese, rolls, bread, butter, and jam,” Sister Anne told her with a warm smile. “And no cabbage,” the nun added in a whisper, causing Cassie to smile. “She’s been studying the German language for six months, just so she would be able to fit in.”

“You’re very good,” Cassie told the girl with a relieved smile. “The most I know is what I find in my book of translations, and very little sticks with me once the pages are closed.”

“At least you keep your mind open,” Francesca smiled.

“You have a cellphone,” the quieter of the six girls, Justina, said. “Why don’t you download one of those apps that talk for you?”

“I tried that, but it took up too much space on my phone, and it wouldn’t work without the internet. I’m afraid my phone is very outdated. I only use it to make calls and take an occasional picture.”

“At least you have one,” the bolder of the girls named Maria said. “We’re not allowed until we leave school.”

“This food is good, but I am afraid we’ll all have to exercise for a month to recover,” Maria’s sister, Bianca, said as she reached for another roll off the plate in front of them.

“You can exercise all you want,” Francesca said, slathering jam on a buttered piece of bread. “I’m going to enjoy eating for once, and not worry about the calories.”

“Francesca hates dieting,” Violetta said, leaning closer to Cassie and whispering next to her ear. “She’s been on dozens of them and failed miserably each time.”

The conversation continued until the food was gone, and the room was empty. They talked about the village, the mountain, the castle, and especially the strange way they were treated. Cassie told them about the research she’d found, and how there were no girls over the age of twelve unless they were married. It was an odder tradition than meeting for breakfast the first of every month.

The girls finished their breakfasts and hurried up to their rooms to change for a quick swim, before going to the tavern to perform. Anne asked Cassie to join them since she could get into the pool but only if there were no men present. With Cassie there, she could help the girls retain their modesty as well.

With a reluctant sigh, Cassie agreed and walked up the stairs with the nun. She quickly changed into her bikini and looked at her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. There was no way she could help the girls maintain their modesty while wearing the white and blue striped bikini, but it was all she had with her.

Slipping her jeans and shirt back across the suit, she grabbed a towel from the shelf and went back out into the hallway. The girls were waiting by the door to the pool when Cassie joined them. She nearly groaned in frustration when she saw each girl in a black one-piece suit. Anne had her habit on, and Cassie wondered if she had changed her mind about swimming.

“Aren’t you going to swim?” Violetta asked, forcing Cassie to look up at the six-foot-tall girl.

“I have it on under my clothes,” she answered with a soft blush.

“Sister is going to swim with us, but we have to make certain there isn’t anyone else in the pool,” Francesca said, pulling the back of the suit out of the crack of her bottom. “She’s not allowed to swim with people.”

“We aren’t people,” Maria smiled, making the others laugh.

Cassie proceeded ahead of the others and made certain they were alone. She waited until the others entered the room, then blocked the door with a trashcan. Chance of anyone else coming in was slim, but if the town met once a month for breakfast, who knew what else they liked to do.

The girls screamed and laughed and jumped into the pool, splashing water across the side and onto the stone floor. Cassie hesitated to undress, watching the nun strip out of her habit to reveal a one-piece suit in a shorts-style design. It was longer than any Cassie had ever seen, but it was modest and basic black. The suit zipped up the front and there were short cap sleeves to hide the shoulders and chest.

Cassie sighed. There was no getting around the fact she was oddly dressed for the company she was keeping, but she had no choice. She had to undress and try to hide beneath the water’s surface. She pulled her shirt off as Anne tucked her long dark hair beneath a black swim cap, then stepped into the water. With a deep breath for courage, Cassie pulled her pants off and turned around.

“Wow, Cassie, that’s so cute,” Isabella said, bringing the eyes of the others to the blonde.

Cassie blushed a deep scarlet as she stepped down the three stairs of the pool’s edge.

“I wish I had a figure like yours,” Francesca said with a deep frown.

“I’d love to have boobs,” Justina said boldly.

“Now, girls, that’s enough,” Anne scolded. “It’s not proper to speak of such vanities.”

“It’s not vanity, Sister,” Bianca said. “It’s a compliment. Cassie is very beautiful. Everyone at breakfast noticed her, and the bus driver yesterday couldn’t stop staring at her.”

“Thanks, but I doubt it was me they were staring at,” Cassie commented softly. “I think it’s just the fact that we’re under the age of one hundred, and female, that had them looking.”

The girls laughed and quickly moved off the subject of Cassie’s figure, and once again began splashing and laughing. Anne swam slow steady laps back and forth, and Cassie lounged next to the side. She laid her head backwards and closed her eyes. Relaxing was something she hadn’t done in a long time - except for yesterday’s soak in the sauna - and she was going to enjoy it until they had to get out.

Thinking of the steaming hot tub, Cassie turned and looked across her shoulder. Glancing back to the girls who were bobbing up and down in the water, giggling, she quietly stepped out of the pool and walked to the controls for the sauna. She turned on the jets and set the temperature, then stepped down into the water.

One by one, the girls made their way to the steaming pool of water. Violetta sat on the edge with her legs in the water, while Francesca sat across from Cassie with Maria and Bianca on either side. Anne sat near the stairs and Isabella was next to her. Justina remained in the pool, swimming laps from one end to the other.

Cassie ignored the girls’ chatter and closed her eyes. She looked up to the ceiling as she sank further down, seeing the camera in the corner of the room. She glanced at Anne who was oblivious of the silent eye and chose not to mention it. The woman was enjoying herself, and there was no telling if anyone was watching her or not. Why spoil the fun of the moment?

Hans stood in front of the computer adjusting the belt around his waist. He watched the girls frolicking and smiled. They were all ambitious and enthusiastic and full of energy. He watched Cassie step out of the pool and his smile changed from an amused grin to a wicked, seductive smile. She was simply beautiful, with a body he was eager to explore.

The man turned and walked to the bench in the corner of the room where a young Indian girl laid panting against the leather. The marks across her buttocks and thighs revealed the whipping he had given her before taking advantage of her position. The soft humming of the vibrator he had inserted into her tight body was still buzzing, and he smiled. She had been a pleasant distraction after spending an hour reviewing the videos of the lessons from the lower levels.

He was particularly intrigued by this young beauty, after seeing how well she performed during the group lessons. He called for her to be brought up for testing after he’d returned to the castle from having breakfast in the village. The little blonde hadn’t seen him sitting with two of his guards in the corner, listening and watching her and the Italian girls.

After spending an hour testing the Indian’s skills, and punishing her for her inability to perform basic oral satisfaction, he enjoyed fucking her twice. Angered by her defiance, he decided to torment her a bit longer and used his favorite two styles of vibrators, one in each of her tight holes. Even now, the front one continued to perform his wishes, keeping the girl on the edge of release.

Hans caressed the girl’s red bottom and smiled when she gasped. She was sensitive from his whipping, and he knew she would remember her defiance for several days to come. He slapped her bottom hard, twice, chuckling when she gasped, then reached between her spread legs and turned the speed up on the device. He pressed it into her harder, thrusting it in and out of her, and laughing when she began whimpering with need.

It would be so simple to take her again. His erection was begging for his attention, but he was running short on time. He wanted to go to the lodge and have an accidental meeting with Cassie, and if all went as well as it had with her friend, he would rip that woman’s virginity from her and be buried ten inches deep inside her by nightfall.

A loud, three-strike knock sounded at his door, and Hans turned as his guard stepped in. Liam was a large black man with muscles that rivaled his own. They had been friends for a very long time and knew what the other was thinking just by a simple look. Hans nodded with a soft chuckle, then moved away from the girl.

He walked back to the desk as Liam began to unfasten his jeans. Hans looked at the computer screen focused on the lodge’s sauna once more, before closing the lid. He left the room and walked into his bedroom, retrieving his socks from his drawer, allowing Liam to finish the trainee.

As he walked down the short hallway to the sitting room of his private chambers, he could hear the girl cry out her release. Within moments the loud grunting of his guard joined her, followed by the feminine voice pleading with him to fuck her in the ass.

It was a simple, recurrent event. After he had finished testing the girls, he would call one of his guards, depending on his level of satisfaction, and allow the man to torment her a bit longer. He was determined that every woman who entered this castle understood what they were. They were slaves, stripped of their identities and their former lives. They were being trained for satisfaction, and they had to be willing to perform at any given moment, and for any number of guests.

The girl was ready to be sold at the summer auction in June, and he wanted to make certain she was ready. The man he had chosen for her, enjoyed the girls’ training in group sex and wanted to add to his collection. He had already purchased two women from Hans in the past and was looking for another two this year. With the Indian and a Russian he had locked up below, he would be able to give the buyer what he asked for while adding to his personal financial stability.

Sitting on the sofa, Hans put his large feet into his socks and slipped them into his boots. He sat back and considered how he would meet Sophia’s friend. He could arrange to be in the lobby when she left or be at the foot of the stairs when she came down. Either way, he would dazzle her with his good looks and charms and arrange a quiet rendezvous for that evening. After that, he would send his guards for the girls and take them all back to his castle. By morning, he would have eight new trainees to have fun with.

The nun, however, would have to be disposed of. She was too old to be sold, and he had no time or patience for training her. He could arrange to keep her as a distraction for his guests, he supposed. After all, she did have a nice figure - what he could see of it through her ridiculous swim clothes. But training her to satisfy a man’s needs would be complicated, and lengthy, and he just didn’t know if he had the time to do it.

Once Cassie finished her second level of training, he would be too busy with her to devote the time necessary for the nun. And there was no chance in heaven or hell, he would take the woman over his own pleasure. The little blonde was going to be a handful, and he was going to find more pleasure in training her than he ever would with a religious fanatic.

Sister Anne walked with Cassie to the reception room while the girls collected their hymn books and jackets. They spent a leisurely two hours in the pool, then showered and dressed for their performance.

The two women sat on a settee waiting for the girls, when the woman who had checked them in, came out of the backroom. She held a cloth handkerchief across her nose and mouth as she sobbed into it. Her husband had his arm around her shoulders speaking softly next to her ear.

Two other women came into the building, both about the same age as the first, and all looked tearful and weepy. They hugged the woman, then took her by the arm and walked her out of the lodge, leaving her husband to watch their departure. The man sniffed twice, then wiped his eyes on the heel of his hand and returned to the back room.

“What was that all about?” Cassie asked with a deep frown.

“Didn’t you hear?” Sister Anne asked in a soft voice. “Their son was found this morning, near the base of the mountain. It looked like the wolves got him.”

“How horrible,” Cassie said.

“It was very sad. He had been summoned to the castle last night to do some repairs on a security fence that protects the castle from the wolves. When he hadn’t returned this morning, a search party was sent out. They found enough of him to make an identification just a few hours ago.”

“Was his name Lars?” Cassie asked with wide eyes.

“Did you know him?”

“No. It’s just…Sophia told me about a ski instructor she met, named Lars. She said he worked here during the warmer months and taught skiing during the winter.”

“He must have known her, then. What a terrible coincidence.”

“Yes,” Cassie said, looking around the room. “Truly terrible.”

The small voice in her mind woke up, whispering a warning that sent a chill racing down her spine. She couldn’t help but wonder if the note Lars gave her the night before had anything to do with his unexpected death. Perhaps, whoever they were who had taken Sophia, didn’t like the idea that their schemes were being revealed to outsiders.

If Sophia was still alive, as the boy said, then there was something very dark and ominous going on in this little village, and that voice in her head told her, she had just stepped into it with both feet. Now, her only contact with the truth was dead, and she couldn’t help but wonder who might be next. Was it public knowledge that they would silence everyone who disagreed with their sinister dealings? Was that why the people had spent so many years hiding? Fearful of what might happen to each of them in turn if they did not obey?

With a deep sigh, Cassie forced herself to calm down. She was beginning to regret not taking the ticket clerk’s suggestion, and a chaperone to accompany her to this place. What she needed was someone large, powerful, and brave. Preferably someone with the skills of a ninja, and a Colt .45 in his back pocket, who wasn’t afraid of wolves.

The town was solemn, even though the girls’ voices were angelic and serene. Cassie sat at a small round table in the tavern, looking around to the people who had gathered to listen to the performance. She couldn’t help noticing the way the bartender and his wife acted. They looked from the girls to her, and back again. Their conversation seemed animated, though quiet enough to be hidden, with the wife waving her hands to emphasize her words.

When the girls moved on to their third song, with Sister Anne conducting the acapella choir, Cassie noticed the bartender’s wife pick up the phone behind the counter. She cupped the mouthpiece of the black receiver and looked directly at Cassie.

The woman appeared flustered, almost agitated. She took the phone from beneath the bar, and walked around the corner, disappearing from any curious eyes, or ears. Cassie couldn’t help but frown. She was certain the woman was upset about something, and the first thing that came into mind was that there were single, young women in her bar. With all that had happened over the past few hours, Cassie couldn’t help but wonder if the older woman was calling them.

It was obvious the way the town’s people thought about the girls, just by the looks they received. The tavern was filled with men of all ages, but only four women were present, besides the bartender’s wife. They were middle-aged, with gray hair pulled into buns at the back of their heads, and long, ankle-length dresses, one dark blue, another dark green, one grey, and the last was black.

Cassie finished the soda she had ordered when they first arrived and set the empty glass aside. She was about to stand up and order another one, just so she could get closer to the bar and see if she could hear the woman when the tavern door opened. The tension in the room seemed to grow thicker, as the tall, muscular image of the Baron she had read about online, walked in.

The girls continued to sing, as the man moved casually through the room, shaking hands of men he passed on his way to the stool at the far end of the bar. He sat down, shaking hands with the bartender, and glanced at the wife when she returned from her hiding place. The three spoke for a moment, and Cassie pretended not to notice them, watching out of the corner of her eye. She saw the wife nod towards her, as nonchalantly as possible, and then saw the Baron nod in reply.

Cassie looked up and caught his eye, and he smiled. By the look on his face, she could practically feel him stripping her naked. The look in his eyes was dark, alluring, almost intriguing, and she watched him pick up two drinks the bartender gave him, then walked toward her table. The song ended, and she applauded, causing those around her to do the same thing.

Then the girls began again, this time with a song far different than the ones they had been singing. This one was livelier, more upbeat, and cheerful, and she watched the mood of the viewers change. Almost immediately, the room seemed to warm, and the tension disappeared, as the patrons began tapping their toes or clapping their hands in the rhythm of the tune.

“Guten tag, Fräulein,” the Baron said, setting a drink in front of her.

“Guten tag,” she replied.

“Stört es dich, wenn ich sie dabei?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, my German is not very good,” she told him, their voices low enough not to interrupt the performance.

“That’s alright, I speak English,” he said with a smile that seemed to make her heart skip a beat. “I asked if I might join you?”

“Of course, please have a seat,” Cassie answered, feeling the color steal into her cheeks.

“I am Hans-Claus von Hennhofen…”

“Yes, I know,” Cassie interrupted as he sat down. “The Baron of Hennhofen. I’ve read about you on the internet.”

“Don’t believe everything you read,” he told her with a seductive smile. “I’m much worse than they let on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I understand you are a friend of Sophia Arnold,” he said, his expression turning soft and sympathetic. “I knew your friend. She was a very beautiful woman. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

Cassie picked up the glass he set in front of her and took a drink. She was surprised he didn’t try to impress her with an expensive drink, but rather gave her the same soda she’d been sipping on the past hour.

“The girls, are they friends of yours?” he asked.

“Yes. Well, sort of. I just met them yesterday on our way here, but they have a way of making you feel as if you’ve known them forever.”

“They are very good, for being so young.”

“Yes, they are.”

“Italian, if I’m not mistaken.”

"Yes, as a matter of fact, they are. Does that make a difference?”

“Not at all. I spent many happy years in Italy during my youth. Some of my fondest memories are of the Italians.”

“You must have traveled a lot,” she said, glancing at the girls who stomped on the floor, causing the spectators to cheer. “I read online that you had businesses in America, Germany, and Greece if I’m not mistaken.

“New York, Paris, and Greece, to be exact,” he smiled. “I went to school in Italy, and college in England, and I have traveled a great deal, but Hennhofen is my home. It is where I was born, and the heritage of my ancestors. No matter where I travel, I always find my way back here.”

“It’s a very lovely village. Very quiet and old-fashioned.”

“Antiquated, I believe is what American’s call it.”

“Yes, that would describe it quite well.”

“There’s no reason to change it. During the early 1900s, my grandfather’s father updated the town’s plumbing and electricity, as well as that of the castle. We have propane for heat, and my father introduced the village to the internet and satellite. Other than that, it is as it always has been.”

“I understand the skiing is a big attraction for the tourists.”

“Yes, that’s quite true, but there are very few tourists during the warmer months. I’m surprised you are here. Sophia told me you didn’t care much for snow.”

“I don’t, and it sounds like she told you more about me than she told me about you.”

“Don’t be angry,” he said with a slight frown. “She was very proud of you. She told me about the first article you wrote and even pulled it up on her phone. I must say, the report was very well written, though it was a dark subject. Where did you obtain your information?”

“Talking with women who have been rescued, and organizations who deal with missing persons, the exploitation of women, and abuse of children. I found a wealth of information on the internet, as well as court documents. I read many personal reports from the families left behind, as well. It’s a subject that isn’t spoken of very often, and a lot of people try to hide from the reality of it, but it’s almost epidemic.”

"So, your story indicated,” Hans smiled.

“Several countries are very deep into human trafficking,” she continued, watching his lack of reaction. “China, Russia, Turkey, they have a bad reputation for kidnapping and assaulting people, young women especially. Which reminds me. Why aren’t there any girls in this town? It seems strange to imagine a village populated primarily by men. Why are the girls sent away at such a young age?”

"You are filled with questions,” he said with a wide smile. “Sophia told me you were very curious. I suppose that is what makes you a good reporter.”

“I’m told it’s an occupational hazard. So, where are they?”

“Living in the mountains as we do, it is a very hard existence. It’s difficult to survive, especially with the wolves around us. The girls are sent away for their own protection. Some of them choose to return after they marry, but for the most part, they avoid the harsh winters, and cold.”

“So, how do the men find wives?”

“There are other villages not far from us, and some of them go away to school. Those who remain, will often strike up a romance with a tourist, or find a love interest through the internet. Hennhofen is an isolated village, but it’s far from being sheltered from the rest of the world.”

“Is that what you do? Find a tourist to strike up a romance with?” she asked, watching the seduction tint his dark eyes.

“Perhaps, if the right woman were to visit.”

“Was Sophia the right woman?”

Cassie stared at the Baron, watching the strange array of emotions pass through his eyes. At first, she thought he might be angry, then he looked amused, and now…it was almost an intriguing expression pulling at the corners of his lips.

“You aren’t jealous that your friend has romantic encounters, are you?” he asked, staring at her so intensely, she thought he was burning his image into her conscience.

“If I ever were, which I never have been, it would be too late to discuss it with her, wouldn’t it? I mean, she is dead, isn’t she?”

“Of course,” he said, sitting straight in his seat, and clearing his voice.

The girls’ song ended, and the tavern’s occupants applauded. Cassie turned her attention back to the choir and joined in the clapping, watching the girls bow. She turned her attention back to the man next to her as the girls stepped into the crowd, greeting the customers, and thanking them for coming.

“Sophia wrote me the night before she died,” Cassie told the man whose eyes had traveled to the girls. “She said she was spending the evening with you. I suppose that makes you the last person to see her alive. That is until she went skiing the next morning with her friends.”

“From what I heard, Sophia was alone when she was killed,” he said, turning his eyes back to her.

“That wasn’t Sophia’s style,” Cassie told him with a firm expression. “She would never go out alone, and she would never leave without the proper equipment. She took her sport very seriously and made certain she had supplies with her, in the event of an accident. She told me she was going out with a group of tourists she met at the lodge. I wonder where they were when she had her accident.”

“I suppose that’s a question you’ll have to ask them,” the Baron answered, a strange expression making his eyes look dark and menacing.

“Perhaps I will,” she told him locking her gaze with his for a long moment.

She turned when the girls and Sister Anne joined them, making a quick introduction to the Baron, and watched as he kissed each girls’ hand, before snapping his fingers. The bartender arrived immediately, wiping his hands on his dirty apron. The Baron ordered a round of drinks on him and then sat down, watching the girls pull up extra chairs.

“What did you think of the girls’ performance, Baron?” Sister Anne asked him with a soft blush.

“It was delightful, very entertaining. Not only are you lovely girls, but you also have beautiful voices.”

“We aren’t exactly girls,” Maria said with a flirty expression.

“You aren’t much older than children,” the Baron teased with a soft chuckle.

“We’re all eighteen,” Bianca clarified.

“We’re women,” Isabella insisted.

“And we’re all nearly finished with school,” Violetta told him.

“I apologize for the girls, Baron,” Sister Anne said. “They are a bit defensive when it comes to their ages.”

“I apologize, ladies,” the Baron said with a wide smile as he winked at Francesca. “I have been duly chastised, and the name is Hans.”

“We are going sightseeing, Hans,” Justina said, a deep blush tinting her cheeks. “Perhaps we could convince you to show us around?”

“I would like nothing more,” the Baron said with an alluring smile.

“I think I’ll bow out,” Cassie insisted. “I am going to go find Sophia’s grave and try to find out what happened to her belongings. Besides, I think the Baron will have enough company with the six of you.”

“You can’t spend the day alone,” Francesca said. “It’s so beautiful outside, and you said you wanted to go shopping. Come with us, and I’ll go with you later this afternoon.”

“It would be my honor to escort you to her gravesite,” Hans told her. “Perhaps you would allow me to buy you supper afterward.”

“Thank you, but I’d like to be alone. This trip wasn’t for pleasure. I came here to find out what happened to my friend, and I’ll be leaving in a few days. I have a considerable amount of work to do, in a very short time, and an article to write.”

“I insist you allow me to escort you,” Hans said. “It’s not safe for you to be out alone, and it will be dark by the time you return. The wolves are unpredictable, and spring turns them savage.”

“Is that what happened to Lars?” she asked, staring the man in the eyes.

“I heard about that,” he said, lowering his gaze with a sorrowful look. “It is a very sad situation. Nobody should have to die by the jaw of a beast.”

“I spoke with him last night,” Cassie said, lowering her eyes to the glass in front of her as the bartender brought the rest of the drinks. “He seemed to think Sophia was still alive. He mentioned that she had been stolen. Would you know what he meant by that?”

Cassie looked up as the bartender sat the drinks on the table. She glanced at the man who appeared suddenly very pale and stared at her with wide eyes. If she had to put a name to his expression, she would have had to call it terror.

“Lars indulged a bit too heavily in alcohol,” Hans said, looking to the bartender who straightened up and turned around, returning to his work. “He enjoyed the darker aspects of addictions. I employed him at one point to do some yard work, but I had to dismiss him after I caught him taking pills he could not explain.”

“You mean he was a stoner?” she asked, watching the light shine in his dark eyes.

“I would never discuss a man’s problems in public, nor will I speak ill of the dead. I only know what happened in the past, and I know he was very…fond of Sophia, though she told me she did not return his interest. She told me he tried to…invite himself into her room one night, but she refused him.”

“That’s very odd, she never mentioned it to me, and that would have been something she’d have told me about.”

“Perhaps she was embarrassed by the situation,” Hans said with a soft shrug of his shoulders. “She did admit to having too much to drink and said she may have given the lad the wrong impression. She said she turned him down because she felt he was too young for her.”

“She did tell me that,” Cassie agreed, remembering what she had written in her last email. “I understand Lars came to your castle last night to do some repairs on a fence. If you dismissed him, then why call him back again?”

“You are full of questions,” Hans said with a soft, stern voice that was less than appraising. “This is a very small village, Miss Wynn. Very few people know how to repair electrical devices. The fence in question is electrified to help protect the property from the wolves. It was shorting out, and I have guests scheduled to visit the castle. I did not want them to be harmed by unwanted nocturnal beasts.”

“Did he fix the fence?” Cassie asked, sounding very much like a reporter.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, he did. Though it was very late when he finished. I offered him a room for the night, but he insisted he had to go back to the village.”

“What time was that?”

“Am I under suspicion for something, Miss Wynn?” the Baron asked with a soft frown and a firm set of his jaw.

“Call it contagious curiosity,” she smiled sweetly. “My boss would say it’s the blood of a journalist.”

“Perhaps it’s time for a transfusion,” the man said in a soft, almost growl like voice.

“Why Baron, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were threatening me.”

“Not in the least, my dear. May I call you Cassie?”

“Only my friends call me Cassie.”

“And how does one become your friend?”

“Through honesty, trust, respect, and time.”

“Since you already have my respect, I would say that is one out of three, though we haven’t had the time to get to know each other, which could be a hindrance. However, I have a feeling you do not believe I am being honest with you, is that it?”

“Are you? You seem rather defensive.”

“I’m simply not accustomed to being interrogated about events I am not involved with.”

“My apologies. I did not intend to make you feel…imposed upon. I’m just curious as to what happened to the boy…and Sophia.”

“They were killed,” Hans said sternly. “That should be enough of an explanation for anyone.”

“Perhaps, but as a journalist, my conscience demands details. But, as you said, it is a sad situation. Perhaps I will find the details I’m looking for on the mountain.”

“You should not go up there alone,” Hans said with a set expression. “It could prove dangerous, especially to a young woman by herself.”

“That’s very strange,” Cassie said with a curious frown. “That’s the same advice I received when I purchased the bus ticket to bring me to Hennhofen. I wonder if one has anything to do with the other.”

“I suppose only time will tell,” Hans said with a tight voice.

Cassie smiled sweetly and stood up, picking up her purse. She ignored the shocked expressions on the girls, and Anne’s faces, and reached a hand out to shake the Baron’s, who stood out of manners.

“Despite all of that, I really must take my leave. I have a great deal of work to do this afternoon, and I wouldn’t want to find myself on the mountain at sunset. I’d hate to give the wolves a second meal for the day.”

“Please allow me to escort you to Sophia’s gravesite,” Hans said again, this time more forceful than before. “Perhaps seeing it will help you put the past into proper order, and allow you to move forward.”

“Another time, perhaps,” Cassie told him, standing from the table. “I have a phone call to make to my editor, and I must check on Sophia’s belongings. I promised her boyfriend I’d bring them home.”

“Boyfriend?” Hans said with a frown. “I wasn’t aware she had anyone…that is, she told me she wasn’t involved with anyone.”

“I suppose that was true, but their arguments faded when the news of her death came home. Their relationship was a very…a passionate one, but I suppose that was what brought them together in the first place. After all, he had asked her to marry him. They must have found something they liked about each other. However, like you, Baron, I won’t speak ill of my friend in public. Dead or alive.”

Cassie watched the dark shadows fall over his gaze when she concluded her sentence, but she simply smiled, what she hoped was a knowing expression to the man, before turning and leaving the tavern.

She walked steadily down the stone walkway to the lodge, feeling her pulse racing violently inside her chest. She had just challenged a very powerful, perhaps even dangerous, man, and had the final word. It was an exhilarating feeling, yet one that made her feel as if she had begun walking on a tightrope.

The lodge was silent when she entered the foyer, and she looked around to see the dining hall empty. She walked up to the counter, but instead of finding one of the owners, she found a much younger woman in their place. Her dark hair was pulled back in a messy bun on the top of her head, and she wore a tight-fitting pair of jeans with a peach-colored cashmere sweater that hugged her torso. She smiled a half-grin as she looked up, and Cassie felt a sudden sensation of recognition. She’d seen this woman before, but she couldn’t place where. Even in a town with very few women, it was hard to put her in the correct order of events.

Cassie paused for a moment, angry that she hadn’t brought her translation book with her, then smiled. She prayed there was just one person, besides the Baron, who spoke fluent enough English to understand her.

“Do you speak English?” she asked.

“Yes, I do. You must be the friend of the American, Miss Wynn.”

“Yes, I am. Did you know Sophia?”

“Only in passing. My sister and her husband own this lodge. I help out when I am in the area, and with the death of Lars…”

“I am so sorry about that,” Cassie said with a sincere expression. “What a horrible way to die.”

“Yes, it would be…If it was the truth,” the woman said, finishing her comment under her breath.

Cassie stared at her for a few moments, then decided to jump in with both feet. The worst she could do was sink further into this mystery than she already had.

“Lars said he believed Sophia was still alive,” she told the woman in a soft, hushed voice. “He said she had been stolen and warned me to leave the village.”

“You should not speak of such things,” the woman said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. “The walls have ears, and eyes everywhere.”

Cassie frowned, then turned around to follow the woman’s stare, looking at the camera in the corner of the room.

“That’s how they knew he was in contact with me,” she said under her breath.

“You should have taken his advice and left Hennhofen. You and the Italians are in danger.”

“The girls? Why?”

“Any woman of age, who has nobody to worry about her, has a way of disappearing from the village. You must leave. Now.”

Cassie didn’t say anything for a moment, then softly cleared her throat. She wasn’t about to leave until she had her answers.

“Do you know where Sophia’s belongings are? They were never returned to us.”

“They are in the cellar. I will have them brought up to your room, and I will have the bus brought around. You must get those girls out of Hennhofen.”

“They are shopping with the Baron,” she said in a soft voice.

“You must get them out of Hennhofen, without his knowledge.”

“He’s the one doing it, isn’t he? He’s stealing the girls…he stole Sophia. Did he also kill Lars?”

“Leave while you still can,” the woman said shaking her head in denial.

Cassie watched her glance to the camera once more, then turn and walk away, frowning at her back. For someone who was warning her of danger, she didn’t seem all that concerned.

Regardless, Cassie wasn’t ready to leave this village, and she wouldn’t bother listening to the woman’s warnings if it was just her, she was worried about. But the girls were a different matter. They were young and innocent, and if the Baron was involved, she had to lure them away from him, before it was too late.

The walk to the main shopping square of the village seemed to take an eternity, but Cassie couldn’t dwell on the irrational skip of her pulse. Within a few minutes, she turned the corner to the tavern and looked in through the door. The customers who had come to listen to the girls were gone, leaving the bar in complete silence. Even the bartender and his wife were nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it,” she scolded under her breath, then turned back toward the village storefronts.

The giggle of a girl brought her attention to the gift store across the street, and Cassie could see Violetta’s tall silhouette in the window. She walked as casually as her shaking legs would allow. She silently prayed for an excuse to get the girls away from the Baron, and out of the town, before they all found themselves in a dark pit of despair.