aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (27 page)

Partlan
motioned to Turlo and Malac. “Niail, stay and shoot those who try to run. We’re
going at them from behind. We will move them to you.”

Niail
nodded. It was a familiar tactic for him. As the unit’s sharpshooter he often
stayed in place while his targets were driven within range. They would make
short work of it here, and then move on to the SUV.

He
balanced his rifle and popped up the front sight housing. He moved his neck and
shoulders around to loosen them and then he settled behind the gun. He stared
down the barrel and waited.

It
took a few minutes, but eventually five men ran toward him. Each was firing a
weapon. Niail took careful aim and hit all of his targets. He continued to hold
his position until an ‘
all clear
’ sounded in his head.

Malac
reached him first. “Your aim was true as usual. You had already killed ten
before we reached them.”

“By
Cygnus and Warrior, it is hard to kill a Hunter.” Niail stood with his rifle
resting on his folded arms.

“Now
we follow their leader.” Partlan started walking toward the road. The rest
followed. The first truck they reached had no driver in sight. The keys were in
the ignition and it was still running.

“This
is the one that went after Kimi.” Partlan climbed into the driver’s seat. “He
is dead now.”

A
surge of gratitude flooded Niail. Words were not needed to express his
feelings. Turlo and Malac each slapped him on the back as they all climbed into
the box of the truck.

They
drove for several miles and then turned onto a paved road. Niail raised an
eyebrow at Malac. “Has Gur found the other SUV?”

“Yes.”
Malac leaned forward. “It is Kowal. He has gone back to his warehouse.”

Niail
closed his eyes and tried to focus on mind connecting with Partlan, but it was
useless. He had heard Partlan earlier, but his head was not fully healed. He
tried to link with Kimi. He was more successful here. He could feel her as if
she were right beside him. She was anxious, her heart was pounding, and her
breathing was shallow.

He
sent her a wave of calm. He sent her love and reassurance. Within seconds he
felt her ease. He leaned back and savored the connection. The bond with his
mate was growing stronger. Despite being unable to connect fully with his
brothers, he could reach Kimi. She was safe.

They
stopped on the road when they reached Kowal’s warehouse. They each carried
weapons as they walked to the building. Gur joined them in the parking lot.

“Another
vehicle just came.” Gur kept his voice low. “Ranon and the police officer went
inside.”

Partlan
nodded. “Anybody else?”

“A
group on motorcycles arrived five minutes earlier.”

“They
were inside before Ranon went in?” Partlan’s voice was clipped.

“Yes.”
Gur motioned to the rear of the building. “There is an unlocked entrance
there.”

Partlan
divided them. Gur, Turlo, and Malac went to the back of the warehouse. He and
Partlan would go through the front entrance. Stealth was their main tool. Niail
knew the mission. He crept alongside the building and waited for Partlan’s
command. They waited until the others were in the building before attempting
the door.

It
wasn’t locked.

He
followed Partlan inside. There were stairs on the side and Partlan motioned him
up.

“Find
a location to aim from. You will have our backs in case we need it.” Partlan
moved toward a set of closed double doors. “If you can mind connect, great. If
not, follow the standard operating procedure.”

Niail
nodded and crept up the stairs. At each stair he paused to make sure the slight
creak of the wood had not been heard. When he reached the top, he edged to the
loft railing. He had a view of the whole warehouse from here.

There
was an open half wall for about one third of the area. The rest was office space
with windows that reached the rafters. The office area would make the best
vantage point to shoot from. He eased a desk close to one of the open windows.
Once his rifle was in position, he waited.

There
were several men below. Jake and Ranon were two of them. Ten men in motorcycle
gear stood off to the side. They wore the orange colors of the FD Warriors.
Their arms were crossed. Their eyes narrowed as they watched the other
occupants of the warehouse. They were not pleased.

“This
is a minor setback.” A large man with a sagging midsection was saying from the
center of a barricade of crates. “I’ll have it taken care of now.”

“You
plan on killing every policeman that finds out about your dealings Kowal?” Jake
was standing beside Ranon. “It can’t be done.”

“I
don’t have to kill them. Everybody has a price.” The large man answered. Niail
moved his rifle so that Kowal was in his scope.

“That’s
what you thought when you hired Hunters. All you did was anger them.” Jake sounded
as if he believed that Hunters existed. “Your only chance of survival is to be
arrested.”

A
grunt of approval went up from the bikers at the side. “He’s not wrong. We’re
out of this deal. There’s no way we’re taking on Hunters again.”

The
bikers started to move for the exit, but Kowal’s voice stopped them. “You can’t
walk out. You’re the reason that I hired them to begin with.”

“You
lied.” The lead biker shook his head. “You have to deal with the consequences.
If Hunters are protecting this reservation, then we won’t do business here.”

“There
is no protection in place.” Kowal cajoled. “I never took you guys for cowards.”

“We’re
not fools.” The lead biker pointed his finger at Kowal. “You’ve caused your own
demise. You should have come to us before seeking out Hunters. We would have
taken your territory, but you would have had your life. We have nothing further
to discuss.”

“Make
sure I don’t see you anywhere near this state,” Jake yelled after them.
“Otherwise, I’ll haul your asses to jail too.”

The
group left. Niail watched them go with mixed feelings. They had not done any
harm and they were leaving without a fight. The only honorable thing was to let
them go. As long as they did not threaten the people here, there was no reason
to pursue them.

Quiet
descended on the warehouse. Ranon stepped forward. “The only one we have an
argument with is Kowal. The rest of you have a chance to leave with your
lives.”

“I’m
still arresting you.” Jake frowned at Ranon. “This is a police investigation.”

“We
are not concerned with that.” Ranon crossed his arms over his chest. “This is
your last chance.”

“Shoot
them.” Kowal barked the order.

Two
of his guards raised their weapons and aimed. Before they could fire Niail had
shot them both. They fell forward on the cement floor.

All
hell broke loose then. Kowal ran for the exit and Niail took aim. Kowal ducked
behind a crate before he could get a shot off. He focused on the rest of the
men, but they had thrown their weapons away, and were lying face down on the
hard floor.

That
left Kowal.

There
was no respite for him. Death was the justice that they would demand. He had
broken his word and contract. He had tried to besmirch the honor of a Hunter.
He would die for that.

“Come
out.” Jake walked toward where Kowal was hiding. “You will be protected by the
police.”

“I
cannot promise that.” Partlan came into the warehouse. “He has broken our
code.”

“That’s
all well and good for you guys, but here we follow the law.” Jake kept moving
toward Kowal. “You will have to let this one go.”

Just
then Kowal stood up. He had a gun in his hand and it was aimed at Jake. “I’m
not going anywhere with you.”

Jake
hesitated a second, and that gave Kowal the opportunity he needed. From Niail’s
vantage point, he could see Kowal pull the trigger back. He took aim and shot
the gun out of the man’s hand. It went flying into the air. Niail’s next shot
was between Kowal’s eyes.

The
man fell down dead.

Jake
shook his head and looked behind him. His eyes scanned the upper offices until
he found Niail. He stared at him for a second and then turned back to the other
men on the floor. He took a cellphone out of his pocket and began dialing.

“I’ll
have reinforcements here in a few minutes.” Jake threw some handcuffs onto the
ground. “If you guys wouldn’t mind cuffing these ones, that’ll make it easier
for me to watch them while I wait. That is of course, if you don’t have plans
to kill them?”

“They
did not contact us directly.” Ranon picked up a set of cuffs and put them on
the first man. “They’re only guilty of obeying. I would suggest that they will
continue to make poor choices despite your legal system.”

“Are
you joking?” Jake raised an eyebrow as Gur, Turlo and Malac entered from the
back. “I never really stood a chance of getting Kowal alive?”

“It
was a matter of honor.” Partlan motioned Niail down from the loft. “We have to
make certain Niail’s mate is safe. She and the children were almost killed by
Kowal’s men tonight.”

“What?”
Jake pulled the phone from his ear. “Why didn’t I hear about this?”

“You
were more concerned in keeping the perpetrator alive.” Partlan’s gaze didn’t
leave Jake. “You would make a good warrior, but you need to understand a Hunter
does not rest until he is finished.”

Jake
glared back at Niail. “Where were you when all this was happening?”

Niail’s
chest tightened. He understood Jake’s anger. He had tried to keep Kimi safe and
failed. The children had been exposed to a monster, and she had been forced to
flee for their lives. They were alive, but at what cost. The only consolation
he had was that Kowal would never threaten her or the children again.

“He
protected his mate.” Partlan’s voice was harsh. “He sacrificed himself, so that
she could escape.”

Jake’s
shoulders seemed to sag. Niail hefted his rifle against his shoulder. He waited
until Jake was finished with his phone call before approaching him.

“I
did my best to protect Kimi and the children.”

Jake
nodded. “You also stopped Kowal from killing me.”

“It
is what we do.” Niail looked over at Kowal’s body. “He would never have
stopped. A man like that can reach across any barrier.”

“I
believe that the law works.” Jake’s tone was defensive. “Otherwise, we would
have everyone killing each other over some stupid argument.”

“Perhaps.”
Niail sighed. “All I know is that even in the most enlightened society of our
homeland, we were necessary.”

Partlan
came up to them. “We leave now.”

Kimi
pulled up to her house. She shut the engine off and then dropped her head on
the steering wheel. She had made it. She didn’t know how, but somehow they were
home.

Ann
who had been silent shifted in the rear seat. Wil and Peta had been huddled
together on the floor the whole way. A blanket still covered them. Ann pulled
the blanket off.

“We’re
home.” Kimi didn’t recognize her voice it was so hoarse.

“Is
it safe?” Peta peered over the front seat.

“Yes.”
Ann opened the back door. “The sooner we’re inside the better we’ll feel.”

Kimi
hoped so. Right now she didn’t feel anything. Her body and brain were numb. Too
much had happened in the last few days. All she could do was feel, and even
that was hard to do.

The
door of her house swung open.

Her
heart started pounding.

Someone
was there before them. Kowal had known all along that she would return home and
had waited for her. She moved to turn the car back on, but Ann’s hand on her
shoulder stopped her.

“Look.”
Ann’s voice was calm. “It’s your grandfather.”

Her
shoulders sagged and she leaned her head against the back of the seat. A smile
twisted her lips. Grandfather would know what was best. Kimi eased out of the
car. Ann and the children scrambled into the house. Kimi followed them, giving
her grandfather a hug on the way in.

“What
happened?”

Kimi
waited until the door was shut before speaking. “Kowal kidnapped Wil and Peta.”

“He’s
a mean man.” Wil tugged at Grandfather’s shirt. “He threatened to hit us if we
weren’t quiet. It’s okay now. Niail came.”

A
sob rose in Kimi’s throat and she choked it back. Partlan had said she would
know if Niail was safe. She felt nothing. It didn’t seem possible that he would
have been able to live through the barrage of bullets she had heard as she
drove away from the clearing.

“Sit
down Mommy.” Peta took her hand and led her to a chair.

“How
did you get here Grandfather?” Kimi tried to keep her voice calm. “You were
with Jake.”