aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (11 page)

“So
we must find these others. They may help us.” Firbin leaned forward on the
table.

“They
may harm us.” Jehon’s gaze did not leave Ardal.

They
had been through many battles together and he trusted Jehon’s instinct. His own
gut told him that it might be dangerous to try and find others. Who knew where
they were from? They might be enemies, or they might be searchers looking for
Hunters.

“Jehon
is right.” Ardal took a sip of the dark liquid. Heat burned its way down his
throat. “To keep your enemy unaware is the best defense.”

“We
keep a low profile.” Ardal gave his men a steady look. There was no further
need to elaborate. They understood and would obey.

He
took another sip of his drink. “What is this?”

“Coffee.”
Fiona grinned. “It has caffeine in it. It sort of speeds the body up and keeps
you awake.”

“An
enhancer?”

Fiona
frowned. “That’s one way of putting it. What’s an enhancer?”

“Chemicals
or devices used to improve our performance.”

“Drugs?”
Fiona’s voice held a note of shock.

Ardal
shrugged. Enhancers were a part of his life. Whether he ingested them or they
were implanted. A Hunter used whatever means necessary to achieve his goal. He did
not fail.

“We
use what helps us succeed.”

“That
sounds so cold-blooded.” Fiona shivered and then took another sip of coffee.
“The worst thing that coffee will do is keep you awake at night.”

“Then
it has a use.” Ardal finished his cup. “Let us leave.”

They
gathered their stuff and stood. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the
bikers scramble out of the restaurant. That could only mean trouble. He made a
move to follow them outside, but Fiona put her hand on his arm.

She
handed him money. “Sometimes it looks better if the man pays.”

Ardal
felt a tightening in his chest. In the past women relied on him to protect them
and to obey. Never had he been asked to step forward and take on a woman’s
role. He glanced at Jehon and Firbin, who were both frowning. This planet was
upside down, but it was going to be their home. He had better get used to it.

Ardal
nodded at the old trucker who had tried to defend Fiona. “Glad to see you have
a couple of friends,” the man said in a gruff voice. “My name’s George, by the
way. Remember my warning.”

“We
will be fine.” Ardal paid the bill. He looked outside, but the bikes were all
gone. He opened the door for Fiona to pass before him.

George
followed them outside. “I should warn you. Those boys are a mean bunch.”

“We
will guard for them.”

“I’m
sure you will, but those bikers are members of the FD Warriors, one of the
worse outlaw gangs in North American.” The trucker paused and looked behind him
before continuing. “They’re nothing but a problem, what with their violence and
drug running. They think they own the roads and trust me, we truckers have a
better handle on it than they do.”

Fiona
rubbed her arms. “We don’t want trouble.”

“You’ve
got it whether you want it or not.” George walked with them to their truck. “Those
boys can’t let it be known that you bested them in public. They’ll come for
you.”

“There
must be people who aren’t afraid of them?” Fiona’s voice wavered. “You stood up
against them.”

“That’s
because I’ve seen enough of their bullying to make me sick.” George leaned in
close, his voice low. “The last young girl they accosted ended up dead. She was
no more than eighteen and her body was mutilated almost beyond recognition. I
vowed then that I wouldn’t sit by and let them get away with it again.”

There
was only one option. “We will kill them then.” Ardal’s voice was firm.

“You
can’t kill everybody who gets in your way. The police will be after us.”
Fiona’s voice was a low whisper.

“They
will hunt us later.” Ardal gave her a steady stare. “One such as that does not
know reason.”

George
nodded. “Then plan it. Make sure you’re somewhere remote enough that the bodies
will never be found and you don’t have witnesses. That way the authorities
won’t have cause to put you in prison.”

This
was a strange world indeed.

On
one hand there was violence that he usually only saw during war, and on the
other a concern for the pretense of law and order.

“So
we should ambush them and cover evidence of it.”

The
trucker raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Bingo.”

“What
about the police?” Fiona shivered in the cool night air. “Can’t they help?”

George
shook his head. “They try, but the FDs always seem to be a couple of steps
ahead. I’d hate to think what they’d do to a pretty young lady like you.”

Ardal
clenched his fists. Women and children were not safe when men went around
hurting and threatening them. The men on this planet were breaking the most
sacred of the codes that he was sworn to defend it. He could not stand by and
do nothing.

“How
can people live like this?”

“You’re
not from around here.” George put his hand up when Ardal opened his mouth to
answer. “I don’t want to know. I’ve seen too many strange things driving these
roads at night. All I can say is that despite good intentions, you’ll always
find those who choose evil.”

Ardal
nodded. There were many people who lived selfish lives. The Holman were a good
example of that. Power and control was what they desired and they did not care
how they achieved it. He and his men were in a strange land, but this was their
home now. They would have to choose how they lived in it.

“Now
if I were you gentlemen, I’d get into my truck and get out of here before the
police show up.” The man nodded back toward the diner. “You’ve done nothing
wrong, but seeing how those bikers tore out of here, you can be certain someone
in there called them.”

“We
will leave.” Ardal opened the door of the truck and waited for Fiona to jump
in.

“Good
luck boys.” George held out his hand and waited for Ardal to grab it. He shook
his hand and then released it. “You keep safe. That pretty young lady needs you
alive and free.”

Once
the truck had pulled away, he turned to Fiona. “The man touched and shook my
hand. Why?”

“That’s
how people greet each other, or say goodbye, or agree to something.” Fiona
sighed and relaxed against the seat. “Remind me not to take you guys out to
dinner again.”

Ardal
leaned against the door and considered the trucker’s advice. To follow the
Sacred Code and live with honor, he must learn to be secretive. It would not be
difficult because a Hunter usually tracked and killed in secret. What was
different was now hiding his actions from the authorities.

Fiona
was quiet, but her hands were clenched and tight on her lap. Ardal put his hand
over hers and squeezed. “We will not allow any harm to come to you.”

“You
can’t promise that.” Fiona inhaled sharply. “These gang members are ruthless,
evil men. They are criminals who take and do what they want.”

“We
are Hunters.” Ardal leaned close to her. “I will defend you with my last
breath.”

Fiona
looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “Would you promise to kill me if
necessary?”

Ardal
understood her fear. She would rather die than let these men harm her. She did
not yet understand the skill of a Hunter. “It will not come to that, but if it
eases your mind, I will promise.”

“Thank
you,” Fiona said in a shaky voice.

Ardal
suppressed the sudden urge to pull her close and kiss her. He inhaled a
steadying breath and released her hands. This attraction was insanity. Never
had he felt the smallest inclination to be close to a woman before.

Before
he could consider how to distance himself from Fiona, the truck lights outlined
several vehicles in the center of the highway. Jehon slammed on the brakes and
they came to a skidding stop. All senses were alerted to trouble before he saw
the first of the leather-clad bikers.

They
had been ambushed.

“Let
us handle this.” Ardal’s voice seemed loud to her ears.

“There’s
too many.”

Fiona
couldn’t think past the number of gang members who were blocking the highway.
There had to be thirty or more. There was no way that Ardal and his men could
defeat them.

“A
Hunter has many talents.”

Fiona’s
eye widened as Jehon stomped on the accelerator. He revved the engine of the
truck until it sounded like a hurricane and then he released the brake. The
vehicle went skidding and spinning toward the bikes on the road.

There
was no mercy in his attack.

He
sent five bikers flying across the front of their vehicle. Their bodies hit
hard. The echo of the men crashing against the truck’s metal reverberated in
Fiona’s ears even as she felt their bodies slamming against the road. The ones
that were wearing helmets might live, but not the others.

Jehon
broke through the barricade.

He
spun the truck around.

Before
the gang could react, he turned into a side road. He drove for several hundred
feet and cranked the wheel so they faced the highway and then stopped. Ardal
reached for a weapon from Firbin and opened the door.

“Stay.”

He
spat his order even as he leveled his gun at the first of the bikers roaring
into the enclosed space. Firbin threw a weapon at Jehon and jumped the seat to
follow Ardal.

Jehon
grabbed his firearm and started out the door. “You will be safe,” he said
before leaving the truck.

How
was that possible? In just a few seconds she’d seen more violence than she’d
watched at the movies. To be fair, she only watched romantic comedies, but
still, this was real life. These men were ruthless.

The
FD Warriors had regrouped and were racing toward Ardal. He stood in the middle
of the lane, his weapon extended. He didn’t wait for the bikes to stop. He shot
as they approached. His aim was deadly. One after another slumped on their
machine and skidded off the road.

He
walked straight into the moving bikes, Firbin and Jehon bringing up each side.
They were merciless in their precision. They had killed about twenty more of
the bikers before the pile of bodies and machines prevented the others from
rushing them. The remaining FDs got off their bikes and walked through their
fallen comrades toward the Hunters.

Ardal
flexed his neck from side to side and stood with his legs apart, arms crossed
over his chest, weapon in hand. His men were about ten feet away on either
side, their stance mirroring their leader. They waited in silence until the
remaining eight FDs stood in front of them.

“Impressive.”
The
biker
who’d accosted Fiona in the diner, kicked
the bike of one of his fallen comrades. He pointed a gun at Ardal’s chest
“We’re still going to kill you and take that sweet morsel of a female for our
own.”

“Walk
away.” Ardal’s voice was a low growl.

He
laughed. “You must be crazy.”

“No,
we are Hunters true and right.” Ardal nodded to Jehon and Firbin.

The
leader laughed and then took a few steps back so that his men could move
forward. “Kill them,” he yelled.

Before
the man in front of Ardal could pull his trigger, Ardal had grabbed his arm and
wrenched it up and then backwards with a bone crunching snap. The man screamed
his agony just as Ardal shot him twice in the heart and silenced him.

The
next Warrior rushed Ardal with a knife. He dodged the attack and then captured
his opponent’s hand and twisted it behind his back. A second later the knife
was sticking out of the biker’s back as he fell on the pile of dead.

The
last man shot his gun at Ardal, but missed. The bullet hit the truck and Fiona
couldn’t stop her scream. Ardal looked back at her, his eyes narrowed, jaw
clenched, before turning and killing the man with a shot to the forehead.

Firbin
and Jehon killed their opponents as easily as Ardal. All that remained was the
leader. His eyes widened and he shook his head at his fallen comrades. He
raised his gun with a shaky hand and then stumbled backwards. He ran to the
highway where a tractor trailer truck had screeched to a stop near the bikes on
the road.

“He
is mine.” Ardal threw back at Firbin and Jehon. “Gather the dead.”

Fiona
scrambled out of the truck. She couldn’t stay there a second longer. The horror
of the deaths was bad enough, but the thought that Ardal would leave her alone,
she couldn’t handle. Even dead, these monsters terrified her. She had to be
with Ardal.

She
had to feel safe.

Fiona
caught up to Ardal at the highway.