aHunter4Ever (4 page)

“So now we get to the interesting part. The shootout in Caliente.”

“They came out of the building with shotguns.” Partlan’s voice was matter
of fact. “We had no choice. The children were being held there.”

“You could have called me.” Agent Kelly flipped her notebook shut. “I
would have had an armed unit there within the hour.”

“Children’s lives were at risk. It is not our practice to wait.”

Partlan shut his eyes as a wave of weakness descended. His words seemed
to be tied up in his tongue. He tried to continue speaking, but nothing came
out. Exhaustion took over and he was powerless to control his body. He fell
into a deep sleep.

How long he slept he did not know, but the sun was setting low in the sky
when he awoke. Agent Kelly was still in the room. She was curled up in one of
the chairs sleeping. She was using her coat as a blanket, and her arm for a
pillow. In slumber, she looked even more beautiful.

Partlan inhaled an awed breath.

He could feel the steady beat of her heart.

His beat in unison. Her breathing was faint, but he strained his ears and
mind to be certain she was content. Her face was relaxed and the stern lines
around her mouth and eyes were gone. It was the first time he had seen her at
peace. His heart soared with happiness. It was a new emotion for him.

He wanted to reach out and touch her; to brush the hair away from her
eyes. Never had he noticed a woman before. He sent her a wave of calm and then
leaned back to mind connect with his unit.

He reached out for Ardal, his leader. “
It is Partlan. I am still in
Beverly Hills.
”

“
What happened?
” Ardal’s voice was clear in his mind.

“
Agent Bakker shot me when I was trying to leave. Agent Kelly has
arrested me and is holding me at the hospital.
”

“
Can you escape?
”

“
If necessary. I am handcuffed to the bed, but these restraints will
not last long.
”

“
Good. I am sending men to you.
”

“
I should warn you of one other development
.”

“
Continue.
”

“
I am certain that Agent Kelly is my pair bond.
”

A sharp pain shot through Partlan’s shoulder as he twisted the handcuffs
back and forth. The metal was bending and soon it would be weak enough for him
to break it. He clenched his jaw and twisted again. Pain was meant to be
endured. Training and combat had taught him that there were worse things.

The constant smell of antiseptic surrounded him. It was the second day
after the shooting and he was anxious to leave the dull green, institutional
walls that surrounded him. Humans might find it comforting to be in such a
sterile environment, but he found it stifling. He might as well be locked away
in a prison cell.

He gave his wrist another twist.

The machine at the head of the bed began to beep faster and footsteps
could be heard in the corridor. He took a deep breath and steadied his heart
until the noise subsided. The door pushed open and a nurse moved toward him.
She checked the monitor and then the dressing on his chest.

“The doctor will be in soon.” She adjusted one of the leads to his chest
and then moved to inspect his arm where the IV had been inserted. “He’s doing
rounds right now.”

She followed the tubing of his IV to the pump and then pushed a few
buttons before turning to him with a smile. She was young and beautiful and her
brown eyes were soft as they settled on him. Partlan felt no stirring of
interest or attraction. It was as it had always been. In thirty-three years the
only woman who had excited him was Agent Kelly.

“Is there anything you need?” The nurse picked up the water jug from his
side table and filled it at the sink.

Partlan’s eyes followed her movements. “I am fine.”

At that moment the doctor walked in.

“I would have to agree.” The doctor flipped through paper on his chart.
“It’s amazing. Your lab results are almost perfect.”

The doctor put the chart down on the bed beside him and then removed the
dressing on his chest. “Any pain?”

Partlan shook his head. “I am anxious to leave.”

The doctor took a closer look at the exposed wound. “Remarkable.”

“What?” The voice of Agent Kelly echoed in the small hospital room.

“My patient has extraordinary restorative powers. I’ve never seen
anything like it in all my years of surgery. It’s almost completely healed.”
The doctor stepped away and motioned to the nurse. “You can redress this.”

Agent Kelly moved closer to the bed. A surge of joy moved through Partlan
as his eyes lingered on the tall, beautiful agent. She was dressed as usual, in
a dark baggy pant suit with her hair dragged back behind her head in a tight
bun. She was frowning and he fought the urge to pull her into his arms and
comfort her. His only desire was that she be happy.

“When can he be released?”

“Normally I’d say in a week, but at this rate, he should be good to go in
a day or two.” The doctor stepped back to let the nurse cleanse the wound.

“Good.” Agent Kelly’s eyes skittered away from his bruised and reddened
chest. “My supervisor wants him in custody.”

“I said he could go home, not to prison.” The doctor picked up the chart
from the bed. “Unless he’s going to a hospital facility in jail, he’d be better
off here.”

“He needs to come with me for further questioning.”

The nurse finished with her work and moved away. Partlan flexed his chest
muscles. The new bandage held. He nodded at the nurse and then turned his
attention back to Agent Kelly. Her brow was furrowed and her face reddened.

“He needs rest.” The doctor clasped the chart close to his chest and held
the door open for the nurse to pass through. “I’m not releasing him just
because you want him for interrogation.”

The doctor left the room.

Silence followed him.

Partlan cleared his throat. “I will go with you now, if you wish.”

Agent Kelly shook her head and threw herself down in the chair beside the
bed. “I have to follow the doctor’s orders. I can’t move you until he releases you,
or your lawyer might use that against us in court.”

“I do not have a lawyer.”

Partlan leaned back on his pillows. A sense of peace enveloped him. Agent
Kelly had brought the sunshine in with her. He might be locked to a bed and
facing custody, but that did not matter. All he cared about was being near to
her.

“You have the right to have a lawyer appointed to you.”

“What will they do?”

“Protect you and make certain you don’t incriminate yourself.” Agent
Kelly pulled her small pad out of her pocket.

“I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.” Agent Kelly’s eyes avoided his. “I am trying to have you
arrested in the shooting of David Hendry.”

“Have your experts not explained what happened?”

Partlan’s voice was devoid of emotion. As connected as he was to Agent
Kelly, he would not deny who he was. He was a warrior sworn to protect. David
Hendry would have died at his hands even if he had not struggled with Partlan
for the gun. There were no second chances when the lives of women or children
were threatened or damaged.

“Yes.” Agent Kelly sounded disappointed. “The forensics confirm what you
told me. You’re lucky.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it. I am a skilled warrior.”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself.” The FBI agent sat up in her chair and
clicked her pen open. “Explain what happened at Caliente again.”

“As you wish.”

Partlan leaned back and started to relate the story of the capture of the
child traffickers and the rescue of their captives again. As he spoke, he
twisted his handcuff until the metal bent with ease. Soon he would be free and
then he would have no choice. He would escape. It would be easier if he left
before being taken to the FBI headquarters.

When he had finished relating the story, Agent Kelly clicked her pen a
couple of times. “Tell me about the judge.”

“Catal killed him.” Partlan shrugged. “The judge came after him with a
gun and shot at Catal and his family. The man deserved to die.”

“It seems you always have a reason to kill people.” Agent Kelly sat
forward in her chair. “Do you leave anyone alive?”

“There would be no honor in killing innocent people.”

“So you recognize that some people are innocent.” She emphasised the word
innocent with sarcasm.

Partlan tilted his head. “We protect. That means only those causing harm
will be killed.”

Agent Kelly exhaled a loud breath. “There is no deviation from that? Is
there no grey in your universe?”

“Grey is a color.” Partlan frowned. “What has that to do with honor?”

“Black and white, right and wrong.” Kelly’s voice rose in exasperation.
“You can’t tell me you’ve never heard the term grey being used for middle
ground.”

“Your language is still unclear to me. Where I am from we do not use
words to mean more than one thing.”

“Unbelievable.” Agent Kelly closed her notebook. “So there is no change
in your story?”

“Why would I alter the truth?”

Partlan sensed her frustration, but he did not understand how he could
make things better for her. He could not lie. A Hunter did not dishonor himself
in such a way. The men they had killed at Caliente had shot first. He would have
killed them whether they attacked or not.

“We did leave some alive.” Partlan’s voice was conciliatory.

“That’s a blessing I suppose.” Agent Kelly sighed. “We’re interrogating
them now, but they refuse to talk and have lawyered up. They’re a pretty well
connected lot.”

“We should have killed them.”

Agent Kelly rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised you didn’t. What stopped
you?”

“Selena asked us to let them live.”

“That’s the second time you listened to her. Why?”

“She is a woman. We obey.”

Agent Kelly’s eyes widened and she sat back in her chair. She opened her
mouth to speak and then shut it. It made no sense to Partlan why she would be
surprised, but he had learned that what was normal on Cygnus, was not true on
Earth. He waited for her to speak.

“Are you telling me that if I told you to do something, you would?”

“As long as it did not interfere with your safety.” Partlan’s tone was
firm. “I have learned that women on Earth are not used to ruling and sometimes
make decisions that can harm them.”

“So you’re sticking to your story about not being from Earth?” Agent
Kelly’s voice held disbelief.

“I am from Cygnus.”

The FBI agent laughed. “I get it. You’re trying for an insanity plea. It
won’t work.”

“I am sane. Why would I suggest otherwise?”

“To get away with murder.” Agent Kelly grinned. “It’s brilliant. I’ve
never heard of anyone who believes they’re an alien. Lots have said they’ve
seen or heard aliens, though.”

“I do not claim anything.” Partlan refused to be angered by her ridicule.
Being defensive would not convince her of who he was. “I am telling you the
truth.”

“Why don’t you just announce it over the loudspeaker? That way everyone
will hear and you can bring them to your defense in court.”

“It is dangerous to let people know we are not from this planet.”

“So all of your men are from outer space?”

She covered her mouth with her hand, but Partlan sensed her amusement. It
was better that she did not believe. The attraction he felt to her was not
lessening. It was growing every second he spent with her, and if he ever hoped
to complete the pair bond, she must understand that he was not the same as a
human man. He had to be honest with Agent Kelly.

“We crash landed on your planet almost one year ago.”

“I thought Catal was Tarrin’s father.” Agent Kelly did not bother to hide
her smirk. “That blows your story right there.”

“Catal was stranded on the planet when he was a child.” Partlan twisted
the handcuff again. “He and others from his craft survived by hiring out as
mercenaries. Our leader, Ardal, agreed to complete their training as Hunters
and they have since joined our unit.”

Agent Kelly rolled her eyes. “How many of you are there?”

“We number over one hundred.”

“That’s a lot of aliens.” Her tone was condescending. “Don’t you think
our government would have let us know about that many extraterrestrials living
on our planet?”

“When we first crashed, we were hunted down. Our leader and his mate were
captured and escaped. Your government is aware of our existence.”

“That’s pretty convenient.” Agent Kelly pushed up from her chair. “I’m
not biting. You’ll have to do better than that to get out of the mess you’re
in. As it stands, I could build a case against you for obstruction of justice,
at the very least.”

“I ensured justice was done.” Partlan did not hide his confusion. “Your
laws make no sense.”

She put her pen and pad into her pocket. “You are not law enforcement.
Your interference caused people to die.” She leaned closer to him. “Nobody will
buy the alien thing either, so I wouldn’t bother trying it on someone else.”

“You are the only one I would tell.” Partlan cleared his throat. “It is
important for honesty between us.”

“Why is that?” Agent Kelly rapped a finger on his bedrail. “Are you
hoping to plea bargain this down to a misdemeanour?”

“Your words make no sense to me.” Partlan lowered his voice. “I have told
you this truth because we are connected.”

Agent Kelly’s eyes widened. “Are you trying to seduce me in the hope that
I’ll drop the charges?”

“I do not seduce women.” Partlan’s tone was cold.

“Good.” Agent Kelly straightened her shoulders. “It won’t work. I swore
off men years ago. The only thing that is important to me is the law.”

She turned to leave, but a knock at the door stopped her. Partlan glanced
over her shoulder and saw two men walk in and shut the door behind them. They
were about five feet in height and both were wearing long black overcoats over
black suits. Their eyes were shaded by dark sunglasses perched on tiny noses.
Black fedora-like hats covered their heads.

“Can I help you?” Agent Kelly turned to walk toward them.

Partlan grabbed her hand. When she tried to twist away, he held firm. It
was not the clothes they wore that upset him. It was the all too familiar
features of pale, hairless skin and black eyes that peered through the
sunglasses. Partlan’s nose twitched at the faint odor of plastic and salt.

He forced his heartbeat to slow and twisted the handcuff with the full
force of his muscles. It broke with a clatter that made Agent Kelly look back
at him with a frown. He did not care. Now was not the time for secrecy. He had
to get both of them away from these men. They were the scourge of the Cygnus
galaxy; one that he had spent most of his military career fighting.

They were not human.

They were Albireons.