aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (9 page)

Ardal
nodded his understanding and then followed her into the small store. She pulled
out five twenty dollar bills and paid the attendant. After that she went to the
back of the store where there were a number of tourist items, including tee
shirts and hoodies. She pulled off a 2XL sized hoodie and held it up to Ardal.

“This’ll
fit.” She then grabbed two other hoodies and three tee shirts. “You guys need
to fit in. These should help.”

They
walked back to the front and Fiona noticed that Ardal kept in front of her the
whole time. There was no way the security cameras would be able to see her
behind his huge body. She paid and as she waited for her change, she glanced down.

Her
eyes roamed the rows of candy and chips. She was a sucker for junk food,
especially when she was stressed. Her hands hovered between a chocolate bar and
a pack of chewing gum. Chocolate won out. She glanced at Ardal who seemed
fascinated by her choice.

“What
is that?”

“Chocolate.
It’s sweet, decadent, and definitely not good for you.” Fiona smiled and picked
up four of the bars. “We deserve this.”

Once
they were back in the truck, Fiona handed out the clothes. “Put these on. When
you have to go outside it would be best to put the hood up over your heads.
That should make it difficult for the security cameras to pick out your faces.”

“Are
there lots of these cameras?” Ardal pulled the hoodie on, stretching it over
his bulging muscles.

“More
than you’d think. If it isn’t store owners, it’s the government.” Fiona winced
as she remembered her first attempts to escape David.

“I
will warn the others.”

Fiona
nodded. “The government or even a person who is internet savvy can tap into any
of these systems and find people they’re looking for.”

The
others were now in their new sweatshirts and Fiona nodded her approval before
handing out the chocolate bars. The men hesitated and watched Fiona rip open
the wrapping and take a bite. Gooey caramel dripped down her chin. She wiped it
away with a finger. She leaned back and closed her eyes. After the day she’d
had, this was heaven.

Jehon
was the first to try it. “It is too sweet to eat.”

“That’s
the point.” Fiona grinned. “Nothing about this is good for you, but isn’t it
fun?”

“Will
we be ill?” Firbin piped up from the back.

“Not
unless you’re allergic to chocolate.” Fiona looked back at him and watched as
his eyes widened after his first bite. “Addictive isn’t it?”

Ardal
sat beside her with his eyes closed and arms crossed. She was going to nudge
him, but Jehon stopped her. He shook his head and she realized that somehow he
was communicating with the others. She went back to her chocolate bar.

Jehon
started the truck. When Ardal relaxed beside her, she offered him his chocolate
bar, but he shook his head. His jaw was still clenched and his eyes were
furrowed in a frown. Definitely time to give the man some space.

Fiona
dozed throughout the trip. Jehon seemed tireless. He drove nonstop without a
break. Her stomach started growling in the early evening and her bladder was
screaming. The men seemed unaware of her discomfort.

“Are
we stopping soon?” She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“Why
would we stop?” Ardal looked down at her with a frown. “Jehon thinks we might
be able to reach the city by morning.”

“Don’t
you guys ever have to relieve yourselves?”

“Relief
from what?”

“Not
relief, relieve, as in empty your bladder?” She almost screamed when she caught
Ardal’s look of confusion. “I need to go to the washroom.”

“You
wish to wash yourself?” Ardal’s eyes widened. “Of course, the chocolate bar has
made you dirty. Jehon has a cloth for you.”

“I
have to pee.” Fiona groaned. She wanted to hide her face from the
embarrassment. Talking about this with a bunch of men was bad enough, but to
have them totally misunderstand was beyond the limit. Ardal still looked
dumbfounded.

“When
you drink water on your planet how does your body get rid of it?”

Comprehension
suddenly dawned on Ardal. His face turned a ruddy red and he lowered his eyes.
“Hunters do not discuss such matters.”

“I’m
trying not to discuss it.” Fiona glanced out the window. “There’s a restaurant
over there.
Stop.”

Jehon
slammed on the brakes so fast that Fiona would have gone through the windshield
if Ardal had not put out his arm to stop her. These guys had phenomenal
reflexes. Fiona rubbed her sides. At least her ribs were still intact.

Jehon
pulled into the parking lot and then turned to her. “What do you want?”

Fiona
rolled her eyes. It was obvious that she was going to have to explain
everything to them. “I want to use the washroom and then get something to eat.
You might be able to go without food for days, but my stomach is protesting.”

“Your
stomach has been talking to all of us.” Ardal’s tone was dry, his face
impassive, but there was a sparkle in his eyes.

“You
just made a joke.” Fiona laughed. “And I thought you didn’t hear it growling.”

“That
is an apt name for what it was doing.” Ardal pulled his hood over his head
before leaving the vehicle. “It seems we are hypersensitive on this planet.”

“Good.”
Fiona scooted along the truck’s bench seat and then jumped down. “Next time
you’ll know what it means and stop before I go through the windshield.”

Firbin
squeezed from the back and eased himself outside. “A Hunter never fails in his
protection. You were safe.”

“Tell
my ribs that.” Fiona rubbed the still sensitive muscles. “You don’t know your
strength, or else it’s another thing that earth has made extraordinary.”

Ardal
shrugged.
“Perhaps.
We will test it later.”

Jehon
came around the front of the vehicle and looked at the front of the truck stop
diner. “Is this a good place to stop?”

“No
worse than most. I’m glad you’re with me, though. This is trucker territory and
I hate having to walk into a place like this on my own.”

Fiona
started toward the restaurant. Truckers were usually men. They were polite and
kept to themselves, but even though she had stopped at places like this before,
she was never alone. There was safety in numbers.

When
she got closer to the entrance she noticed a number of motorcycles parked
together. Great! This must be a local hangout. It was worse when she opened the
door. Everybody and their brother had decided to stop and eat. The place was
packed. She pushed back the panic she felt at having to face such a large
number of men at once.

“It
must be a good place to eat.” She kept her voice steady as she looked around
for the washroom sign. She was rewarded immediately. “You guys can either go
and find an empty table, or wait for me here.”

“It
might be best to find a place to sit.” Ardal glanced around the crowded dining
area. “Is this how people eat here?”

“Only
when they’re travelling.”
Fiona kept her voice low.
“Truckers are travelling all the time because they’re carrying goods in their
vehicles and they have to get from one place to another. There are also people
like us here.”

“They
are hiding?” Jehon’s voice was doubtful.

“I
meant they’re hungry.” Fiona moved toward the washroom. “Just behave until I
get back.”

The
restroom was clean. That was the best thing she could say about it. It was a
relief to be alone. As much as she liked people, it had been months since she’d
been around others. Her enforced isolation had made her more self-reliant. She
refused to consider she’d also been lonely and bored. She’d been safe. That was
all that mattered.

Ardal
and his men weren’t in sight when she came out of the restroom. They must have
sat at a table so she made her way into the dining room. It was a sea of faces
and it took her a while to find the men. They were in a back corner booth
glancing at menus. She wondered if they could read.

A
smile flickered across her lips. What a terrible thing to think. If she were in
a foreign country, not even a different planet, she’d be totally lost.

“Are
you looking for company, little lady?” A man in full leather jacket and pants
was standing in front of her. A band of orange was engraved on the leather of his
sleeve and the strong odor of cigarette smoke clung to him.

“I’m
meeting friends.” Fiona tried to go around him, but he sidestepped to block
her.

“I
was asking politely.”

“And
I answered you politely.” Fiona inhaled to settle her rapid heart rate. “My friends
are in the corner.”

The
man looked over his shoulder. “Hear that boys? This lady doesn’t want to spend
time with us.” The biker turned back to her. “You’ll be sitting with me, and
you’ll like it, sweet thing.”

A
man with a full beard and baseball cap turned and spoke from the nearest table.
“The lady said no.”

“Stay
out of this Grandpa.” The biker didn’t take his eyes off Fiona. “I’d hate to
see you regret your words.”

“If
that’s what it takes to make you boys understand.” The man stood up and a
couple of his neighbours joined him.

Horror
raced through Fiona’s body. She didn’t want a war between these bikers and
truckers. “Please,” she pleaded. “I just want to go and eat.”

“Then
you’ll have no problem doing it with me.” The biker’s voice was a threat.

Just
as the older trucker and his friends moved to block the man in leather, someone
grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the floor. She had barely registered
that Ardal had come to her rescue before the man was sent flying against the
wall. His body slithered to the floor. His face was red with anger as he jumped
up and came back at Ardal full speed.

Ardal
blocked him with one hand and sent him flying again. “Stay.”

For
a second it looked as if the biker was going to refuse, but then his mouth
thinned and he nodded. “I’ll see to you later.”

Ardal’s
eyes hardened. “It would be a mistake.”

The
trucker cleared his throat. “Nice throw, young man. Glad to see the little lady
has some protection. It doesn’t do for one so pretty to be alone.”

Fiona
gave the man a faint smile. “Thank you for trying to stop it from getting out
of control.”

“No
problem.” The man nodded to the waiter standing a few feet away. “Anything
serious happens and old John there would have called the cops.”

“I’m
glad that wasn’t necessary.” Fiona forced her voice to relax. “I’m too hungry
to wait for the police.”

Ardal
moved to let her pass. She started to walk, but realized that he’d stayed
behind to talk to the trucker. When she got to the table, Jehon and Firbin
stood and waited until she was seated before sitting themselves. Ardal followed
a few minutes later.

“What
did the trucker say?”

“He
warned me that the fellow I threw would probably kill me.” Ardal grunted. “I thanked
him, but said I had many years of training. He said he guessed I was probably
in the Special Forces. It seems he spent some time there and would be happy to
help me if I needed it.”

“What
did you say?” Fiona forced her jaw closed.

“I
said that I had friends with me.” Ardal picked up the menu. “What are Special
Forces?”

“I
suppose it’s our planet’s equivalent of an elite soldier.” Fiona studied
Ardal’s face for a second, noting his strong jaw and straight nose. An air of
confidence and command surrounded him. No wonder the older man had associated
him with a Special Forces background.

Ardal
nodded. “The man was very observant.”

“I
think they’re trained to be.” Fiona sighed and picked up her menu. “Thank you
for saving me.”

“I
thought you did not want trouble. I see the rule does not apply to you.”

Fiona
opened her mouth to defend herself when she noticed the sparkle in Ardal’s
eyes. “You’re joking again.” She pushed against his arm. “I thought you didn’t
understand sarcasm.”

“It
is fun to make you blush.”

Before
Fiona could say anything, the waiter was at their table. He brought four
glasses of water and then stood back with his pad, ready for their orders. She
grabbed the menu and made a decision for the broasted chicken.
Chocolate and now fried food.
Her diet was going for a
tumble, but what the hell. At the rate that she was going, she might not live
to see the end of the week, much less old age.

When
the waiter looked at Ardal, she noticed a tightening in his jaw. She was right,
they couldn’t read. She grabbed the menu from him. “Let me guess, you’d like a
steak.” She glanced at the Jehon and Firbin across the table. “You guys want
that also?”