aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (17 page)

Niail
spun around and grabbed Mark by the collar of his shirt and yanked him off the
ground. “What good are laws if the people who should enforce them cheat?”

“Let
me down.” Mark struggled in Niail’s hold. “You’ve no right to treat me like
this.”

“Be
thankful I let you live.” Niail threw him to the ground.”

Mark
glanced at Jake. “Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

Jake
shrugged. “You did break the law, and you cheated and betrayed me. If I wasn’t
sworn to protect, I might be inclined to let Niail have his way.”

Niail
straightened his shoulders. “He hinders our escape and his words irritate.”

“True.”
Jake grinned. “But you agreed to do it my way.”

“I
will not go back on my word.” Niail turned to Kimi. “Do you need help?”

She
shook her head. “I’m right behind you. The sooner we reach the road the
better.”

“I
think we were crazy to listen to Grandfather. Taking the car would have been so
much easier.” Jake looked down at the compass in his hand and then started off
into the bush.

“He
is an elder with much knowledge.” Niail took up the rear. “He said he would
meet us at the road.”

They
walked for another thirty minutes without finding the road. Kimi was wilting.
She wiped her forehead on the bottom of her shirt and then squinted at the sun.
It was high in the sky and was giving no relief from heat. They should have hit
the road fifteen minutes ago and yet they still wandered in the bush. Her
stomach growled and rumbled. They only had a few energy bars to last them until
they found the road.

“I’m
going on ahead.”

Jake
pushed through the overgrown juniper and was out of sight within seconds. Mark
grunted and sat back against a tree. He was turned away from them.

“You
need rest.” Niail came to stand beside her. “We will find the road soon.”

Kimi
gave him a faint smile. “I think we’re lost.”

Niail
shrugged. “When we have rested, I will discuss our location with Jake.”

“He’ll
hate it if you prove him wrong.”

“Why?”

“He
likes to be right.” Kimi wiped the sweat from the top of her lip. “Even as kids
he was always the one who made up the rules. The rest of us followed.”

“There
is no sense in continuing in the wrong direction. No honor is lost by asking
for help.”

“Is
everything about honor with you?”

“It
is how I live.” Niail pushed an aspen branch out of the way as he moved them
into a small clearing. “I strive for honor in all that I do.”

“So
honor in fighting and honor in death?” Kimi raised an eyebrow. “That’s not much
of an existence.”

Niail
cleared his throat. “I have my brothers.”

Kimi
chest tightened at the intense loneliness he must be feeling. “When we get back
to the town you must try and contact them on the computer to let them know
where you are.”

Niail
nodded. “I will make certain you are safe first.”

Kimi
touched his arm. “I’m here for you.”

Niail
looked down at her. Her eyes widened at the intense emotion that she saw there.
She was drowning in his gaze and she took a step closer. Naked desire flared in
the depths of his dark eyes. He was going to kiss her.

Her
heart sped.

Her
breath caught in her throat.

His
arm reached for her and pulled her close. She leaned into him, savoring the
skittering sensations of excitement that spread out from where they touched.
His head lowered. She lifted her mouth to meet his.

His
tongue slid over her sealed lips. She shivered with need. Their tongues touched
and curled together as the dance of passion began. The world spun away. There
was only her and Niail.

A
feather of sensation touched her mind and for a second they connected not only
physically, but also mentally. She melted. He wove a spell that she could get
lost in for a lifetime.

She
wanted more.

Her
arms reached about his neck and pulled him closer. Her fingers twined into his
hair as liquid thrills of delight coursed through her veins. Hunger pulsed
within her.

Jake’s
voice brought them back to earth. “I’ve found the road.”

Niail
eased his mouth away and cleared his throat. “Make certain the way is clear.”

“Do
you take me for a beginner?” Jake yelled as he crashed toward them. “You can go
first.”

Niail
heaved a sigh. He looked into her eyes and then released her. There was
resignation and determination in his gaze now. She stepped back and watched him
move past Jake. Their timing couldn’t have been worse.

The
attraction between them was insane. She was a woman with children. Men didn’t
want ready-made families, especially not when the responsibility included
raising those children in the Blackfeet traditions.

She
went to stand beside Jake. “I thought we were lost.”

“Grandfather
was off in his time, that’s all.” Jake put his compass back into his pocket.
“You should rest while you can, sis. No telling if Grandfather will be in the
right place or not. We’ll probably have to walk to find him.”

“Great.”
Mark rolled his eyes. “You guys haven’t a clue what you’re doing. I wouldn’t be
surprised if Kowal is waiting for you.”

“That’s
why I sent Niail.” Jake threw his pack on the ground. “He’ll wipe the road with
them.”

“So
now you believe all his warrior talk?” Kimi smiled and sat with her legs
crossed.

“The
man may talk crazy, but I’ve seen him fight.” Jake leaned against a tree. “I’ve
never seen skill like his before. I have to respect that.”

“They
are supposed to be the best when it comes to tracking and killing.” Mark spoke
in a hesitant voice. “I didn’t believe it, but Kowal took it seriously enough.
That’s why he had his men inject him with a sedative before they started in on
him. They thought he was dead for sure when they dumped him off the truck.”

“He
almost was.” Kimi shivered as she remembered the condition he had been in when
he was brought to her house. “What made Kowal attack him?”

Mark
rested his chin on his knees. “It wasn’t so much what he said, but his stance.
He just stood there with his arms crossed.”

“That’s
not enough of a reason to kill a man.” Jake threw down a branch he had been
stripping the leaves from. “He must have tried to attack you.”

“No.”
Mark shrugged. “Kowal wasn’t taking any chances. They’re very explicit about
lying. If they find that you’ve hired them under false pretenses, then they’ll
kill you.”

Jake
jerked his head away from the tree. “You said that before, but I didn’t take it
seriously.”

“That’s
what the website says.”

“Kowal
must have been crazy to try and hire them.” Jake shook his head. “I almost feel
sorry for the man.”

“Don’t.”
Niail’s voice interrupted them. “Kowal will pay for his lies.”

Kimi
looked up with a start. She hadn’t heard his approach. The man must walk on
air.

“I’m
a law officer.” Jake pulled Mark up. “I’ll arrest you if you harm anyone,
including Kowal.”

“It
is out of your hands.” Niail crossed his arms over his chest. “Kowal made his
choice. You are not responsible for him.”

“I
won’t countenance murder.”

“Justice
will be served.”

“Damn
right, but the courts will decide the best course of action.”

Niail
only nodded and then turned to Kimi. “Will you be able to walk a bit longer?”

“Of
course.” Kimi stood. “Is Grandfather not there?”

“We
are in the wrong place.” Niail looked at Jake. “We will have to walk on the
road.”

“I
followed the old man’s directions.” Jake picked up his pack and started through
the bush. “I’ll bet you didn’t look close enough.”

“I
was thorough.” Niail pushed Mark ahead and then waited for Kimi.

When
they arrived at the road there was no evidence of her grandfather’s truck. They
must be in the wrong place. Either that or her grandfather had been delayed.
Kimi refused to consider what that might mean.

“We
cannot stay in the open.” Niail pushed Mark into the aspen trees lining the
road and then turned to her. “Keep hidden.”

“There
is no way someone would be looking for us here.” Jake stood at the road edge.
“It’ll be much easier to walk in the open.”

“Your
grandfather is not here.” Niail turned a steady gaze to Jake. “Consider before
you make any hasty decisions.”

Jake
looked up and down both sides of the clearing and then shrugged. “If you want
to get bitten by bugs and clawed by branches, who am I to argue.”

The
muscle at the side of Niail’s jaw tensed. “I will not risk Kimi’s life for the
sake of you saving face.”

“She’s
my sister. I decide what is best for her.”

Niail
crossed his arms over his chest and stood looking at Jake. He didn’t say
anything, he just waited, letting the silence grow until Jake turned away. Kimi
released the breath she had been holding and started to walk toward the bush.
She was getting tired of the macho antics of these guys.

Niail
came up to her. “I did not mean for you to be upset.”

“I’m
not.” Kimi kept her voice curt.

“You
think I am overly cautious.” Niail touched her arm sending a shiver of
delicious sensation up her spine.

Kimi
heaved a sigh. “I understand, but must you and Jake constantly fight over what
you want to do. Jake is military trained and a police officer.”

“I
am skilled also.” Niail’s voice was low. “Your brother takes risks. He lets his
emotions get in the way.”

“He
has always been a hot head, but the navy calmed him down.”

“He
is not ready to command.”

“And
you are?”

“I
never expected to command, but compared to your brother, yes. I am ready to
step in and lead this operation.”

“He
won’t let you.”

“I
know.”

Niail
wasn’t wrong. Her brother hadn’t been thinking straight since he had found out
his partner had betrayed their operation. Worse, Mark was on the payroll of a
very bad group of men and Jake hadn’t suspected anything. That must hurt his
pride.

They
had been walking about ten minutes when Niail held up a hand. “Quiet.”

Kimi
was too exhausted to argue. She stumbled to a stop and then sank down to the
ground. She wiped her forehead and then pulled her water bottle out and took a
deep drink. She strained her ears to hear, but other than the birds chirping,
there was nothing.

“What?”
Jake didn’t hide his impatience.

“An
engine.” Niail pointed up the road. “About four hundred yards away.”

“I
don’t hear anything.” Jake shook his head. “You’re on edge.”

“No.”
Niail put his pack down and pulled out a couple of pistols. He checked the
magazines and then snapped them back into place before putting them into his waistband.
“We need to be ready.”

Mark
snickered. “You’ll be sorry now.”

Niail
turned his eyes on their prisoner. “You were expecting this.”

Mark
shrugged. “There was always a possibility someone would catch up with us.”

Before
they had a chance to say anything else, there was the loud roaring noise of an
engine coming toward them. Mark bolted for the road. He stumbled, but righted
himself just as a truck skidded to a halt. There was a brute of a man behind
the wheel. Another man with a scruffy beard was holding a gun to her
grandfather’s head.

He
should have followed his gut and went in the opposite direction. He had known
Jake was totally messed up with their location. His head still felt like cotton
wool, and his side ached, but that was no excuse. He had compromised their
safety by not being more forceful with Jake.

He
turned to Kimi and pointed to the trees. “Hide in there. I’ll come for you when
it’s safe.”

“What
about you?” Kimi held her pack against her chest.

“I
will be fine.” Niail pulled out two pistols and took the safety off before
turning to Jake. “You stay here. I need you to protect Kimi.”

“I’m
not missing the action.” Jake bent over his pack for his pistol, but Niail
wasn’t waiting for him. He turned to the road and followed Mark.

None
of this would have happened if they had dealt with Mark at the cabin. He should
have killed Mark long ago. He was done with doing things by Jake’s rules. The
one thing he knew was how to get out of a difficult situation.

He
reached the road a few feet behind Mark.