aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (10 page)

“You’re
speaking to the woman who nursed you.” Kimi’s voice was dry. “Don’t forget I
helped you back to bed last night. Sit down.”

Before
Niail could obey, there was the sound of slamming car doors outside. Pounding
footsteps followed. Adrenaline started to pump through his body and he braced
himself for battle. The door was kicked open, and six men with guns rushed into
the room.

Shock
and disbelief paralyzed Kimi. Before she could react, she was grabbed and
pushed behind Niail.

He
was massive.

Her
face was pressed into his back.

When
she tried to look around him, his arm held her in place. That’s when the first
jolt of fear raced up her spine. Who were these men? Worse, why had they barged
into her house with guns?

“What
do you want?” Bobby’s voice shook.

“We’ve
come for him.” A deep voice boomed from the doorway. “Hand him over and
there’ll be no trouble.”

Bobby
moved away from the table. “What’s he done?”

“The
boss doesn’t like questions.” The same man answered in a threatening tone.

Kimi
peaked around Niail’s back. The man aimed his rifle at Niail’s head. The rest
of the intruders chuckled. It was a low menacing laughter that chilled Kimi to
the bone.

She
felt Niail’s body tense and then relax. “I will come, but first you need to
step outside.”

“We’re
the ones giving the orders.”

“There
are women and children in the house.” Niail’s voice was low. “This is not the
place for a discussion.”

“Is
that what you think we’re having?” The man snorted. “I’ll give you to the count
of three to move. Then, I start shooting.”

“Your
words condemn you.” Niail’s voice was a growl that sent a shiver of dread
through Kimi.

Niail
pushed the solid oak table over and shoved her behind it. Bobby jumped down
beside her. Niail lunged at the lead man, and shoved him into the others. She
watched with horror as Niail grabbed the man’s weapon and shoved it to one
side.

Niail
pushed against the men, backing them up toward her side door. Before they were
outside the lead man grimaced and threw his weight into Niail. It was useless.
Niail flung the man’s weapon hand against the doorjamb. The gun dropped to the
floor and Niail clasped his neck with a vice-like grip. Another intruder from
behind aimed his gun at Niail, but Niail deflected it up.

Kimi
put her hands over her ears and ducked behind the table. A blast from a gun
reverberated through the kitchen. There was a second shot, a loud scuffling
noise, and what sounded like breaking bones. Loud screams and groans filled the
air. Then there was silence.

Fear
knotted her stomach.

Footsteps
sounded on the floor.

Her
body shook as she ducked lower. Next they would come for her and Bobby. She was
helpless. She prayed that the children would stay in their rooms.

The
table was pushed away.

She
was pulled up into strong arms.

She
stifled a scream just as Wil opened the bedroom door. She struggled to get
loose, but she was held close. It took several seconds before she realized that
the arms were trying to soothe her. Her breath caught in her throat. She forced
herself to look at her captor.

It
was Niail.

He
was gazing at her. His eyes dark and emotionless, yet she sensed he was making
certain she was unharmed. Her body sagged with relief. Niail and the children
were safe.

“I’m
fine.”

“Good.”
Niail released her. “Wil go back to bed and shut the door. When it’s safe I’ll
tell you to come out.”

“I
heard gunshots.” Wil’s voice sounded small to her ears. “Are you hurt?”

“It
takes more than a bullet to stop me.”

At
that moment Peta’s voice came from her bedroom. “Can I come out too?”

“Stay
there honey.”

Kimi’s
voice shook, but she was past trying to hide her fear. Six men had come into
her house to hurt her and the children. It would take days, maybe a lifetime,
before she would be able to forget the horror of it.

Her
lower lip trembled and she forced back a sob. She almost jumped as Niail’s
finger touched her chin and raised her head so that she was looking into his
eyes.

“You
are safe.” His voice was low and sincere. “I will always protect you.”

Words
failed her. She couldn’t answer, so instead she nodded and then sat on the last
upright chair. Someday this would make sense. For now, she focused on trying to
make her body stop shivering. The after effects of fear were wreaking havoc on
her.

Her
eyes refused to leave Niail.

The
man’s gaze was mesmerizing. She was drawn to him and even though she hadn’t
moved, she sensed his protective embrace. She felt him reaching out to her. It
was as if he were silently sending her reassurance.

“Thank
you.” She took a deep cleansing breath. “I’ll be okay.”

Niail
nodded and then turned to Bobby. “We need to get rid of the bodies before the
children come out.”

Bobby
nodded. He put the table back on its legs and picked up the napkins that had
fallen to the floor. It was a mundane activity. Kimi sensed that Bobby was
trying to calm his nerves. Niail stood as if nothing had happened. He was calm.
He waited until Bobby had settled himself.

“Let’s
go.”

The
two men left the house, closing the door behind them. She glanced around the
room looking for anything out of place. There was nothing. Other than the chairs
on their side, there was no evidence of the struggle.

Her
brain was numb. It refused to believe what had happened here. Her house was
isolated. To have men come on the reservation and threaten them was insane.

Time
crawled as she waited for the men to return. Her mind shied away from what they
were doing. It was better if she didn’t think about the killing. Ten minutes
later they walked into the house.

Bobby
went to the sink and scrubbed his hands. Kimi saw the slight tremor of his
fingers as he held them under the water. She turned to Niail who was waiting at
the door.

“Was
anyone alive?”

Niail
shook his head. He held three hand guns. He went to the antique sideboard that
stood at the end of the dining area and pulled open a drawer. He stuffed the weapons
in before turning back to her.

“You
need protection.”

“That’s
horrible.” Kimi’s mouth went dry. They would have to contact the authorities
and report the deaths and the weapons.

“They
meant to kill us.” Niail’s voice held no emotion. “I had no choice.”

“You
do this often?”

Niail
nodded. “It is the work of a Hunter.”

Kimi
put her hand up to her mouth and fought back her nausea. How could he stand
there and calmly admit that killing was a part of his life? She abhorred
violence. She believed as her grandfather had taught her; the sacred force
lived in all beings.

“You
have lived a sheltered life.” Niail moved toward her. “You do not know the life
of a Hunter.”

“How
can I trust you with the children?” Her voice was a whisper.

“It
is forbidden to kill or harm a woman or child.” Niail squatted down in front of
her and gathered her hands in his. “I have never broken the Sacred Code and I
never will.”

Kimi’s
hands trembled in his. At the same time a jolt of awareness shot through her
body. She had never had such a reaction from touching a man. She looked into
his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. He had felt it too.

“Is
that a promise?”

Niail
squeezed her hands. His gaze never left her eyes. “I vow that I will die
protecting you and the children.”

His
words and voice held a truth that she had never heard before. Her heart started
to beat faster. She didn’t care who or where he had come from. No man on earth
had ever given her such a promise.

“I
believe you. Thank you for protecting us.” She bent and kissed the top of his
head. There was nothing sexual about it. It sealed his vow.

“Now
we must leave.”

Niail
stood and moved to the door. “Pack a small bag for the children and yourself.
Bring some food if you have any, but we cannot stay here any longer.”

He
motioned to Bobby. “We need to drive their truck off the reservation. It cannot
be found here.”

“Gottcha.”
Bobby joined Niail. “You follow in my truck.”

Then
they were gone.

Kimi
was alone in the kitchen.

She
took a deep breath and picked up the fallen chairs. When all was in order she
went to the hall closet and pulled out a small athletic bag. Focusing on what
she needed to pack kept the horror of what had just happened at bay.

“Kids,
you need to gather your things.” She moved to Wil’s room first. “We’re going
away for a little while.”

She
shoved a clean set of clothes and an extra pair of underwear and socks into the
bag. She did the same for all of them and then thought about Niail. He had
pants, but his top was beyond repair. She looked through her spare closet and
found an old coat of Sam’s and a sweatshirt. That would keep him warm for a
bit.

When
she went back to the kitchen both Wil and Peta were sitting at the table. They
had their school backpacks in front of them. Their faces were grave and somber.
Her heart clenched. They were too young to deal with what had happened here
this evening.

“I’m
sorry kids.” She plopped the bag on the table and gathered the children to her.
“I should have listened to Uncle Jake and asked Niail to leave yesterday.”

“He
was hurt.” Peta looked up at her. “He needed help.”

“Niail
stopped the bad men.” Wil sat back in his chair. “Those men would have hurt
us.”

“He’s
the reason those men came here.” Kimi tried to keep her voice calm, but Wil wasn’t
wrong. Those men would have hurt them whether Niail was here or not. They would
never have believed that they didn’t know where he was.

“He’s
a superhero.” Wil hugged his backpack. “Niail will take care of us now.”

Kimi
sighed. “I hope so. We’ll probably go to Uncle Jake’s and ask him for help.”

“Uncle
Jake won’t understand.” Peta went to the cupboard and pulled out some granola
bars. “We need to take some goodies with us.”

“You
sit down. I’ll pack.” Kimi shushed her daughter away. “How do you know we need
food?”

“We’re
not deaf Mom.” Peta sat with a sigh. “We heard everything. When the men broke
into the house I hid under the bed.”

“I
watched at the door.” Wil’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Those men aimed a gun
at Niail and he still pushed them out of the house.”

“You
didn’t see anything else I hope?” Kimi couldn’t keep the dismay from her voice.

Wil
shook his head. “Niail blocked everything and once they were outside it was too
dark to see.”

“Thank
God.” Kimi hugged Wil close. “Niail didn’t want you children to be involved.”

“He
protected us.” Peta leaned her chin on the table. “I’m glad you helped him
Mom.”

“So
am I.” Wil pushed away from Kimi. “He talks different from everyone else. I
think he really is one of the Star People.”

Just
then there was the sound of a vehicle pulling into the
driveway.
She motioned the children into one of the bedrooms, shut the door and then
leaned against the counter. She would know soon enough if it were friend or
foe.

Bobby
opened the door.

Kimi
relaxed. “You can come out kids.”

Niail
entered.

He
had blood on the side of his tee-shirt.

Her
eyes widened. “You’re injured.”

Dismay
and alarm filled Kimi. Her heart sped up and for a second, fear froze her in place.
Why hadn’t she seen he had been injured? Niail had rushed a group of men with
weapons. She should have checked him. Instead, he had been concerned about how
she was doing. She stumbled toward him.

“It
is a scratch.” He picked up a towel and wiped his side. His eyes searched the
room as if looking for danger and then he turned to Kimi. “We left their
vehicle at the side of the road.”

“How
long before it’s found?” Kimi took the bloody towel from him and ran it under
cold water.

“They’ll
find it before morning.” Bobby put both hands on the back of one of the chairs.
“I think you guys should hide up in the mountains.”

“Are
you crazy?” Kimi shook her head. “It’s June. The nights are still too cold.”