Army of Sin - Season 3 - Africa and Her Secrets

Episode XI - The Good, The Harsh And The Tender

Location: Granada, Spain...

"Where is he?" Cassandra bit out through gritted teeth.

"What?"

"Don't what me! I just saw him, but now he has disappeared somehow."

"Cass, I don't know what you're talking about but everyone else just got in. You need to come home."

"Is Timo there?" Cassandra asked, stomach somersaulting as she said his name aloud.

"Just come home Cass," Amelia replied before terminating the phone call.

I am going to wring her neck, Cassandra thought to herself as she slipped the phone back into the pocket of her jeans, footsteps taking her to where her family awaited her arrival.

The walk back to their townhouse passed without interruption as Cassandra barely offered a smile in the direction of the passers-by. As she drew closer to the house, she shielded her eyes before looking up at the veranda at the sound of the laughter that floated through the open windows allowing light to spill into the house. She smiled, all the pent up emotions slowly dissipating at the sounds of joy. The door to the apartment was thrown open, the entrance blocked by Ernest, the youngest of the males from her childhood, "You just gonna stand outside there? Or you gonna come give your brother a hug?"

"Hey, Runt!" she teased, her head tilting back to peer up at his handsome face as he drew closer.

His childhood name had stuck, but Ernest was far from the runt of the bunch anymore, easily topping over them all with a lean six foot, seven-inch frame. He had been discovered by some scouts from a Euroleague basketball club and that had been his ticket out of the slums. Now as his long arms wrapped her up, Cassandra smiled against the folds of his sweater as she returned his display of affection with a hug of her own. They parted a brief second later as Ernest held her at arm’s length to scrutinize her, "Been getting any sun there, Vampy?" He teased, brushing his knuckles down her face before tucking her under his arm to head inside.

"Oh, do shut up!" she retorted, leading the way inside to where the rest of her family waited.

"Vampy!" Came shouts in unison as everyone clamoured around her as she entered the house. The smell of scotch, beer, cologne, perfume and marijuana all assailed her as bodies pressed into her. The taller ones mussed her hair, others rubbed her back while kisses were pressed into her face. Cassandra finally felt like home. Raising her head as they cleared to give her some space, she grinned at all the mature faces she got to see in person but twice a year; the other occasion being the bringing in of the new year. From youngest to eldest, Cassandra's grey eyes brimmed with tears of joy going from Amelia to Earnest, Sebastian, Celeste and Ricardo. "So glad to see you all," she offered in a voice thick with emotion at the loose semi-circle that stood before her.

"Family is everything," Sebastian, the volunteer veterinarian for a wildlife conservation group replied before making way for the man who had come to stand behind him.

Ten years had done nothing to dim Cassandra's memory of the face that stared at her. Sure, he looked harsher, the dark brown of his eyes almost black staring back at her with no hint of wariness or guilt. He still carried that invisible chip on his shoulder that seemed to warp the air around him even as he swirled the golden contents of whatever alcohol he had taken the liberty of pouring for himself. His dark skin had taken on an even deeper shade of chocolate and if the way his shirt hugged his body was any indication, he was still at the peak of physical fitness. Ten years...