aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (18 page)

“They’re
behind me,” Mark shouted.

The
man holding the gun on Kimi’s grandfather pushed the older man down, and aimed
his weapon at Niail.

A
shot ripped past Niail’s head. He didn’t stop. He held both pistols in front of
him and moved toward the truck. When he was within targeting distance he fired
two shots. His aim was true.

He
hit the men dead center in the forehead.

Then
he turned his guns on Mark. “Halt.”

Mark’s
fell to his knees beside the truck. He shook his head as he turned wide eyes to
Niail. “No one is that good.”

“What
the hell?” Jake shouted from the edge of the dirt road. “You shot both of
them.”

“They
would have killed us and your grandfather.”

Jake
walked to the vehicle. “How did these guys get here?”

“I
think your partner can answer that.”

Mark
made a move toward a gun that had fallen out the truck window. Before he
reached it, Niail shot the ground in front of him, spraying dirt up into his
face. Mark scooted back on his bum, but Niail kept his gun trained on the
traitor.

“Next
time I will kill you.”

“I’m
not armed.” Mark’s voice was a high squeak. “You can’t shoot me.”

Niail
bent and picked up the fallen pistol. “I do not follow your rules. Next time
you die.”

The
truck door opened with a squeak and one of the dead men was pushed out.
Eluwilussit jumped down and walked toward Niail. His step was slow. He shook
his head when he reached him.

“I’ve
never seen such accurate aim.”

“I
am clan Giath. We do not miss.”

Eluwilussit
nodded. “It’s a good thing. Those men meant to kill all of us.”

Jake
stood in front of Eluwilussit with his arms crossed and legs spread. “How did
they know where we were?”

Eluwilussit
shrugged. “They showed up a few minutes after you left. They knew that you were
with Mark.”

They
all looked over at Mark.

“How
did you signal them?” Jake almost spit the words out.

“You’re
so predictable.” Mark got to his feet. “When you said you were hiding on the
reservation I knew it would be at your grandfather’s cabin. I told Kowal where
I would be if he didn’t hear from me.”

Jake’s
body tensed. “You disgust me.”

“At
least I have something to live for.” Mark sneered. “All you have is your work.
You don’t even belong with your own people.”

Jake
took a step toward Mark, but Niail put out a restraining hand. “Enough. We
either kill him now, or he arrives alive. There is no honor in hitting a man
who cannot defend himself.”

Jake
threw off Niail’s hand. “I can’t believe you would say that after killing those
men.”

“It
was necessary.”

Jake
stared at Niail for several seconds before throwing his hands up and turning
away. “Put him in the back of the truck. Do you know how much paperwork I’ll
have to do to explain how these men ended up dead?”

“There
is no reason to tell anyone.” Niail picked up another discarded weapon. “We
pull the bodies into the woods and the animals will take care of them.”

“Do
you do anything that is legal?”

“I
follow the Sacred Code. Those are the only rules I need.”

Niail
put the weapons behind the truck seat. If Jake needed to explain their actions
then that was his problem. He had no intention of being around when that
happened. Once he got near a computer, he would report to his team leader.
Partlan would know the best course of action.

He
walked back into the bush at the side of the road. Kimi was still hiding, just
as he had instructed. He could feel her fear. He needed to reassure her that
everyone was safe. When he reached the area where the backpacks were left, he
called to her.

“Kimi.”

There
was no answer.

The
panic he sensed seemed to mount.

“Kimi?”
His voice was softer this time.

“What’s
the problem?” Jake spoke from behind him.

“Your
sister is not answering.” Niail pulled the pistol out of his waistband.
“Something has frightened her.”

“I’m
sure all that gunfire didn’t help.” Jake picked up his pack. “I’m going back to
the truck. I don’t trust Mark with my grandfather.”

Niail
nodded. His attention was focused on Kimi. She was near, but he could not connect
with her totally. His head was still too foggy for that. He felt her fear deep
within his body, a twisting stab of terror. Had someone come at them from
another angle and was now holding her captive? He hadn’t considered that
possibility when he had ordered her into hiding.

Gun
ready, he started into the bush.

He
zeroed in on her location.

She
had not moved far from her original position. He kept his breathing steady and
quiet as he pushed through the underbrush of junipers. He moved into the cool green
shade of a cluster of aspens. Each step brought Kimi’s anxiety into heart
pounding focus.

Her
fear grew worse with each step he took, until it was a relentless knot of
anguish that twisted his gut.

He
moved faster.

He
pushed tree branches aside until she was within sight. Two men held her. Both
had their pistols aimed at her head. Niail stopped. He took a deep breath and
walked forward. He would need all of his training to get Kimi out of this
situation alive.

“Forgot
something?” One of the men gave him a toothless grin. “We knew you would be
back.”

The
other man stepped away from Kimi. His dark hair was greased back, and he had
the cold, emotionless eyes of a killer. Niail had met his type before. His gun
was now aimed at Niail.

“Put
your weapon down or the girl gets it.”

He
took a deep breath and forced his heartbeat to slow. He could take out the man
holding Kimi, but not without being hit himself. He would have to time his
shots perfectly so that Kimi survived.

“Let
her go.” Niail dangled his gun between his thumb and index finger.

“We’ve
learned a thing or two about you since our last meeting.” The toothless guy
spat on the ground. “We don’t do nothing until that gun is out of your hands.”

Niail
dropped the pistol. “Release her.”

“She’s
leverage.” The other man took a step toward Niail. “You and me have unfinished
business. I should have made certain you were dead before I dumped you on the
road.”

“A
mistake you will regret.”

“Well,
you won’t have to worry about that for much longer. This time I will return to
Kowal with your dead body.” The man grinned. “It’s either that or the boss will
kill me.”

“You
can have me. She goes free.” Niail gestured to Kimi.

The
cold one looked back at Kimi and shrugged. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

Kimi
shook her head. “Go Niail. They’ll kill me after you’re dead anyways. Save
yourself.”

The
man tightened his arm around her neck. She gasped, trying to get more air. He
didn’t release his hold. The chill of determination raced up Niail’s spine. He
tensed his muscles and prepared for death. He could get one bullet off before
he would be hit. Then he would kill the second one.

“You
want me.” He took a step closer. “Take your shot now. You will not have a
better opportunity.”

The
toothless one grinned and took his gun away from Kimi’s head. Niail sent a wave
of love to Kimi and then reached behind his back for his second pistol. He shot
the man holding Kimi. He swung around to the second man just as the sound of
another gun firing split the air.

Kimi
screamed.

“Are
there any others?” Niail turned to look at Jake.

Jake
shook his head. “That was a hell of a chance you took. What if I hadn’t been
behind you?”

“I
would have taken a bullet.”

Niail
pulled Kimi into his arms.

She
sagged into his chest. Her body trembled and he pulled her tighter to try and
ease the shivers of reaction that were flowing through her.

“So
getting shot was part of your strategy.” Jake bent down and picked up the gun
from the man he had just killed. “That sounds like no plan at all.”

“I
am always prepared to die to keep those under my watch safe.”

“That
makes you some sort of glorified bodyguard then.” Jake shook his head and went
to pick up the weapon from the toothless guy. “If you use your bodies as shields
then you guys don’t plan on living long.”

“No.”
Niail soothed his hand down Kimi’s back. “I have lived more than most in my
clan.”

“I
bet life insurance is expensive.”

“What
is insurance?”

Jake
rolled his eyes. “It was a joke. Nobody in their right mind would give you
coverage.”

Jake
used his foot to push the toothless guy over onto his back. “This is one of
Kowal’s men.”

“They
both are.” Kimi looked at her brother. “They were talking about it before Niail
found us.”

Jake
nodded. “I’ve seen them when I was doing surveillance. They’re pretty high up
in the organization.”

“They
meant to kill all of us.” Kimi shivered. “They said we knew too much to let us
live.”

Niail
turned to walk back to the road. He held Kimi close, sending her calming energy.
Tremors still shook her body, but they had lessened in number and intensity.

“We
have to do something with the bodies.” Jake followed Niail to the road.

“Why?”

“It’s
indecent.” Jake shook his head. “I have to report it to headquarters and get
the coroner out here. Does nothing about the killings shake you up?”

“They
are dead.” Niail stopped when he reached the area where they had left their
packs. He led Kimi to a tree and eased her down. She sighed and leaned her head
against the white colored trunk. Her eyes were closed, but he sensed that she
was fighting for control.

He
turned back to Jake. “Where is Mark?”

“Grandfather
tied him up at the truck.” Jake grinned “He surprised me with how calm he was
about the whole situation.”

“He
is a wise man.” Niail picked up a pack. “I must thank you for coming to my
aid.”

“No
problem.” Jake handed him another pack. “I couldn’t believe you planned to go
it alone. Don’t you guys know anything about buying time?”

Niail
frowned. “Time is not for sale.”

“It
means giving someone else time to get there and help.” Jake hiked a pack onto
his back and started for the road. “Honestly, you’re way too literal.”

“He
means well.” Kimi’s soft voice stopped Niail. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I
vowed to protect you and I will.”

Niail
held his hand out to Kimi. She clasped her fingers around his palm and a shock
of awareness bolted up his arm. It was a welcomed sensation.

Kimi
must have felt it too because her eyes widened. She tightened her hand about
his and looked up at him. “You feel it too.”

“Our
bond is strengthening.”

Kimi
tilted her head. “Couldn’t it just be sexual attraction?”

“Not
for me.” Niail pulled Kimi up so that she was standing within the circle of his
arms. “I no longer have any doubts. You are my pair bond. The one woman
destined to be my mate.”

For
a brief second Kimi wanted to agree with Niail, but then the reality of their
situation hit her. There was no denying she was attracted to Niail. He made her
feel sensations that she had long thought dead, if they had ever been alive.
There were a couple of problems.

He
was an alien.

Worse,
he was a trained killer.

Many
men were trained to kill in the line of duty, but it was different for Niail.
He was single-minded in his approach. He didn’t hesitate to kill a person if
they were a risk to those he was protecting. He lived by a code that allowed
and encouraged this behavior. This was not even morally similar to her beliefs.

She
lived in the Blackfeet tradition.

All
life was sacred to her.

She
believed in her Grandfather’s teachings and medicine. All she asked from life
was to have a safe and secure home to raise her children in the traditional
ways. Since Niail had come into her life, nothing had been safe or secure.

“I
can see my words have upset you.”

Kimi
shook her head. “You’re not used to being close to women and I think you’ve
mistaken attraction for something deeper.”

“My
implants were removed months ago.” Niail lowered his voice. “In none of that
time have I felt the least bit drawn to another woman.”