aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (17 page)

She
was picked up and put in the seat beside him. He didn’t look at her. Instead
his eyes were focused on the Captain. She sensed a determination and readiness
in him. He was a leopard waiting for his chance to strike.

She
didn’t want Ardal killed. She was certain the military wouldn’t hesitate,
though. All they wanted was to determine what he was. There were no restraints
on how they went about that. Her heart constricted at the possible methods they
would use.

Fiona
already knew what he was.

He
was a man she couldn’t live without.

She
let out a shaky breath and edged closer to Ardal. He didn’t move or acknowledge
her, but he didn’t object either. There was only one place that was going to
make her feel better. She put her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

“Well
isn’t that sweet.” Wilson’s words were meant to hurt, but they barely
registered.

Fiona
moved her head on Ardal’s chest until she was comfortable. She didn’t expect
him to notice as he was so focused on their captors, but she almost cried when
he rested his chin on her head. Peace and calm flowed through her.

Once
the chopper took off there was no chance of conversation. Fiona refused to look
at the soldiers. Their guns and attitude a reminder of the horror that she’d
fled from. Men and their aggressions were why she was in this situation.

They
flew over miles of wilderness. The helicopter hovered over the tree tops as it
made its way north. She had no idea where they were headed, but when a clearing
came into view with a number of buildings, she knew they’d arrived. It looked
military in nature and old.

They
landed and were met by four more armed soldiers. Fiona was lifted from the
helicopter, but Ardal was pushed out. With his hands behind his back he was
unbalanced, but kept on his feet. He was pushed from behind with their guns.

“Walk.”

There
were a couple of trucks and a jeep off to the side of the helipad, but that was
all. Wilderness surrounded them. They were cut off from civilization and at the
mercy of the military. The reality of their isolation sent a wave of terror
through Fiona.

They
were moved to a barrack-looking building. It was a steel curved hut with a
layer of rust on it that had to be decades old. Once inside, the soldiers left
them alone, except for Wilson. The Captain stayed at their side and waited. He
was rewarded a couple of minutes later by the opening of the side door. Two
officers entered.

“This
is my commander Colonel White and this is Major Thomas. They are with military
intelligence and have a few questions for you.”

Wilson
moved them forward and pushed them into chairs. “I’d suggest you be honest with
them. You can start by telling us your real name.”

“Why
should I?” A year in hiding had taught her not to divulge anything.

“No
problem.” Wilson leaned into her face. “I’m certain your fingerprints will give
us the information me need.”

Fiona
lifted her chin. “These cuffs are uncomfortable.”

The
Major nodded at Wilson and he undid them. She rubbed her wrists and grimaced at
the soreness. She would have continued, but she noticed Ardal looking down at
her. His face was impassive, but his eyes burned with anger. She put her hands
between her knees and tried to smile.

“We’ve
got a friend of yours.” The Major walked to the side door and nodded.

A
hooded man was led into the room and seated at a chair in front of them. He was
also handcuffed. There was something familiar about his walk and clothing. Fiona
looked up at Ardal, but his face remained blank. He would have made an
excellent poker player.

The
hood was lifted to reveal Captain Eamon.

“It
seems that you forgot him when you decided to run.” The Colonel laughed. “Not
very smart, considering how much the Captain likes to talk.”

“He
has no honor.” Ardal’s voice was full of disdain.

“Perhaps,
but he’s been telling us a fascinating tale about you.” Colonel White moved to
stand in front of them. “It’s General Ardal, if I’m not mistaken.”

“It
was rather careless of you to take the bus.” Major Thomas leaned back against
the table beside the chairs. “You can thank an astute policeman for your
capture.”

Captain
Wilson snickered behind her. “He became suspicious when he didn’t find an
abandoned vehicle on the road.”

Fiona
closed her eyes and fought back her tears of frustration. It was her fault.
Again.
If she hadn’t insisted on stopping, they’d still be
free.

“You
really should have been more accommodating,” Wilson whispered in her ear. “When
we’re done, you’ll be begging for death.”

Ardal
buried his anger. He replaced it with cold calculating focus. It was the same
focus that had kept him alive through twenty years of combat. He had failed
Fiona. He rotated his hands, twisting the links of the chains that held him. He
bent them back and forth. They had taken his weapon, so he would need all his
training to get out of this situation. Even if he didn’t survive, Fiona must
live.

“From
what I understand you’re quite a legend where you come from.” The Colonel’s
words echoed in the hollow steel building. “Why don’t you make this easy and
tell us where the rest of your men are.”

“If
that coward Eames told you who I was, then he must have explained that I will
not talk.”

“He
did mention that they had tried to persuade you before.” The Colonel paced
around Eames. “The Captain is a wise man, though. Once he started talking, he
couldn’t stop. Perhaps you should reconsider. You’re not on your homeland
anymore.”

Ardal
lifted his head and gave the man a blank stare. He was mistaken if he thought
intimidation would work. He was prepared to die. Death was a Hunter’s reward.
All he cared about was Fiona’s safety. If he had to die to ensure that, then so
be it.

A
Hunter never divulged information.

Fiona
shifted in the chair beside him. He glanced at her and saw her pain and fear.
He should have killed Eames when he had the chance, but there was no room for
regret. There was only one direction for a Hunter; forward, not backward.

“Let
the woman go.”

“I
think not.” The Major spoke this time. His voice was almost apologetic. “She
knows too much. At the very least we’d have to guarantee that she didn’t talk
before we free her.”

Ardal
glanced at the man. He was a weakling and obviously unused to combat. “It would
be a mistake.”

The
Major shook his head. “I have my orders.”

“Where
are the orders coming from?” Fiona’s voice rose in anger. “Are you sure the
government knows about this, or are you intelligence guys running things now?”

“We
do what is best for the country.” The Major crossed his arms. “You should have
called the police when you found the wreckage.”

“Why?”
Fiona shook her head. “You would have done exactly what you’re doing now.”

“You’ve
wasted our time.”

Fiona
motioned toward Captain Eames. “After your interrogation, you must know that
they mean us no harm.”

“I
wouldn’t be so sure.” Colonel White brought a chair up to Fiona and sat down.
“They have superior technological advances and they’re at war. What’s to
prevent them from trying to conquer our planet?”

“That’s
utter nonsense.” Fiona shook her head. “It was a crash, for goodness sake. They
had injured and dead.”

“According
to Captain Eamon, these are vicious rebels who were slated for execution. They
overpowered his crew, killing hundreds with their bare hands. They caused the
vessel to crash. Surely you can see that we can’t have creatures like that
living on our planet. They must be hunted and destroyed like the animals they
are.”

Ardal
sensed Fiona’s revulsion. He should have been prepared for it. She was too
gentle a soul to understand the ways of Hunters and combat. It was a couple of
seconds before he realized that her disgust was not with him. She was repulsed
by what her people intended to do to his men. His bond increased tenfold in
that moment and he sent a surge of love toward her.

She
swayed a bit under the onslaught, but at least her shock was gone. In its place
he had sent her hope, belief that she would survive, and confidence that she
would escape. Her compassion and faith in him made it possible. He would not
fail her.

“You’re
not getting away with this.” Fiona straightened her shoulders.

The
Colonel chuckled and stood. “We’ve been getting away with it for decades. You
don’t honestly believe these are the first aliens to land on our planet.”

“But
they’ve never harmed us.”

“You
don’t know that.” The Major leaned back against the table next to Eamon. “There
are quite a few incidents that we can’t explain away. If they didn’t mean harm,
they would approach us openly.”

“And
be killed for the effort.” Ardal did not hide his contempt.

Did
these men think Hunters were idiots? He might not have heard of this planet
before yesterday, but he knew the type. He had seen plenty of primitive worlds
in his thirty-five years. There was no reasoning with the inhabitants. They
reacted out of fear. Fear of the unknown.

Fear
of change.

Fear
of growth.

It
was all too common. It was not his job to explain, only to follow orders and
win. He had seen too many battles in too many war zones to believe that peace
was attainable. Peace meant sharing and there was always someone who thought
their needs were greater and more justified than anyone else.

Only
power was understood and respected.

Ardal
straightened in his chair. The time for talking was past. He focused his mind
connection and sent a warning to his men. They would continue without him if he
died. He flexed his neck from side to side and lowered his heart rate. He
glanced at Eamon and saw the man pale. It was good that the Captain knew his
minutes of life were limited. A coward without honor was lucky to be put out of
his misery.

“I
see our visitor is getting restless.” Major Thomas pushed away from the table.
“It won’t be long now. We’re setting up a lab. We’ll get the information we
need.”

“It
will not work.”

“Pain
has a way of loosening the tongue.” The Colonel’s voice held a hint of
anticipation.

“It
is primitive.” Ardal twisted his hands behind his back. The links of the chain
were almost broken. “Only a weak man would be affected by it.”

“Oh,
we don’t intend to use it on you.” The Major walked over to Fiona. “I’ve found
that even the strongest of people cannot bear to see others in pain.”

“You
speak of honor. Is there honor in allowing another to suffer?” White came close
to Ardal. “I have to wonder at what kind of man would let a woman suffer for
his sins.”

Rage
seared his body.

With
a quick snap the handcuff was broken and Ardal had the Colonel by the throat.
He squeezed his esophagus making it impossible for the man to breathe or speak.
The Major rushed at him, but Ardal slammed the base of his hand up into his
nose and then chopped his adam’s apple. The Major slumped to his knees clawing
at his throat before dying.

Captain
Wilson grabbed Fiona and used her to shield himself.

Ardal
snapped the Colonel’s neck and threw him down. “Hiding behind a woman holds no
honor.”

“Guard,”
Wilson yelled.

Wilson
backed away with Fiona firmly in front of him. He was headed toward the door.
“The MP’s will be here within seconds.”

Ardal
kept pace with them. He glanced down at Wilson’s knee and back up to Fiona. She
looked at him for a second and then she acted. She heaved back her foot and
booted the man’s leg. He stumbled, but before he could recover Ardal had his
hands around his throat. His neck was broken before Fiona could move away.

Ardal
pulled her close.

He
could hear men running in their direction. He had to make Fiona safe. He
grabbed Wilson’s weapon from his side before taking the other two men’s guns.
He handed one to Fiona.

“Do
you know how to use this?”

She
nodded before explaining.

She
held it away from her. “Release the safety.” She pushed a button in.

“Cock
it.” She pulled back on the upper end of it.

“The
trigger releases the bullet.” She put her finger on a curved area.

“All
you need to do is point and shoot.”

Ardal
shoved one of the guns in his waistband before following Fiona’s instructions.
Primitive it might be, but as long as it stopped the men, he was not going to
complain.

“You
can’t leave me here.” Eamon’s voice was a low whine. “They’ve threatened to
dissect me.”