Justice (Moon Hunters Inc. Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter 5

Going In

Justice stretched out his legs sticking his booted feet on the table in front of him. Hanging out at bars on Earth was getting old, but tonight he was going to make his move. Just a few more hours and this nasty backward planet would be seen in the rear facing window on some space ship. He had definite thoughts about telling Cash not to send him here again. There were only a couple places considered worse as far as assignments went. As a mercenary, he’d been to all of them and personally considered this the worst.

Another female looked ready to approach him so he growled. She backed off quickly and ran back to the protection of the table filled with females. Hmpf, as if he couldn’t take on all of them and win. Even Cyn, with all her training and incredible flexibility and grace, was no match for his strength and speed. He downed the last of his beer. He’d get a couple hours sleep, clean up, and move on to his target. The funny feeling he was getting in his belly and the tingle between his shoulder blades was new. Not sure what it meant, he was certain it boded ill for someone. Hopefully, that someone wouldn’t be him.

The hotel he was staying at was a dump. If he was honest, it made dumps look good, but they asked no questions and payment was up front. There was no deposit, no ID required and that was what counted to him. Someone, probably the hotel manager’s pretty daughter, made an attempt to keep things clean and odor free. He’d leave a tip for her to show that even hard men can notice a good effort.

Pushing the door open, he stepped quickly to the side. Hearing no shots or sounds of any kind, he cautiously entered his room. A deep breath told him that only a female had been in here. The cleanliness of the room confirmed it was the maid. It was the way he always entered hotel rooms like these. Not just for any enemies that might have tracked him here, but the neighbors were untrustworthy and might kill him, just for the chance at his possessions or any money he might carry.

Lately, certain aspects of his chosen career had begun to grate on him. Maybe part of it was seeing all the bliss among newly mated Mazlans. There was something to say about having a lovely and comforting woman at home waiting for you. Justice had even begun to think about a child or two. He knew he shouldn’t, his life was too dangerous. It just seemed nothing he told himself stopped the thoughts of a happy home life from entering his head.

Maybe once this job was done, he’d step back from the Moon Hunters and run a business of his own. Many times he’d thought about opening a self-defense school. He’d still work a few jobs a year like his contract called for and training others would keep him sharp and in shape. This wasn’t the first time he had thought of becoming more respectable, but the need had never manifested so strongly.

Once he was in his room with the door closed and security measures in place, he showered with unscented soap. It was just a precaution since few had the sense of smell he, his fellow mercenaries, and the Mazlans did. He dried off and brushed his teeth with plain toothpaste that would remove any scent of the beer he’d recently drank. Pulling a special bag from his case, the clothing inside had no scent either. Justice didn’t worry about his boots, they smelled like dirt.

Now it was time to gather everything from the room including the key. It was a safety measure so he’d have someplace to go if he needed it in a hurry or if he failed to get the target on the first try. His motto was always have a plan B.

Once everything was packed, he attached it to the special carrier on the back of his bike. His weapons were loaded too, all over his body. There was something for any situation, he just hoped he wouldn’t need them. This was one of the times he didn’t want any proof of his presence left behind. The son would suspect, which Razar hoped would send a message. Justice was pretty sure it would not have the desired effect. Before long someone would be making the trek back to Earth to finish the job. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be him.

Starting his bike, he took off gliding over the barely visible trails. The wind in his hair, the open road at his back, he should want to just keep riding, but he was oddly drawn to the compound. The house was his goal for more reasons than one. Maybe it was his need to save the young girl the witchy woman wanted freed. Justice parked just beyond the scope of their security. He knew where the alarms and the cameras were and made sure to avoid them. In his opinion the security sucked, but that was a good thing for him.

Peering around, he looked into the deepest shadows and saw everything. He pulled in a deep breath and he could tell who was nearby, as well as who had been here recently. Listening intently, he could hear the guards in the distance talking and joking. Their minds weren’t on business and it would be to his advantage. Slipping up to the wall, he was like a shadow up and over. Sticking to the wall, no one here would see him at all. Taking in the lay of the land, he moved to the main building, the home of his target.

He’d heard the workers call him the boss or master. Now, they would call him dead. The first door he came to was easy to get in. The assumption that no one could get by the outside guards was not a wise one. Breathing in deeply, the smell of death walking hit him. It was softened by the sweetest aroma he’d ever smelled. It was like magnolia with vanilla and a touch of sweet female. His mouth watered and for the first time in his life, his mission was a secondary concern.

Instead of moving where the target was supposed to be, he headed toward the scent that lured him in. Down the halls and deeper into the house than he’d intended to go, he stopped in front of a closed bedroom door. He was unsure what to do next for the first time in his life. His hand was on the doorknob ready to turn to when voices came down the hall. Quickly, he moved around the corner and waited.

Two males, armed with a gun in the holster and a stun gun clipped to their belts. “Stan, you need to stay away from her. Things happen to the men that bother her. They disappear and aren’t seen again.”

“C’mon J.J., she likes me. She’s lonely and wants some manly company.” Stan responded. “You’re married so you wouldn’t understand.”

Justice peered around the corner. He almost snorted and laughed. Stan was a bean pole with stringy brown hair. If he had a muscle on him, it was in hiding. J.J. was the opposite of his partner. Where Stan was fairly tall, J.J. was short and plump.

“I understand alright. What I see is a deadly temptation and she doesn’t like you, man. The lady is polite to everyone. Leave her be and we’ll all be better off.”

Stan ignored him and went to open the door without even knocking. It was locked and no matter how much he tugged and pulled on it, it refused to open. “We need to get this door open. What if she needs something or she’s ill?” Stan asked.

“She has a com for just that purpose. The lady locked you out for your own good.” J.J. said.

“See, she does like me if she’s worried about my welfare.”

“Damn it, Stan. You’re going to get us killed and her punished.” J.J. dragged his partner away. Justice saw them headed around the next corner. He listened to J.J. trying to talk some sense into his younger partner. It didn’t sound like he’d listen.

Justice stood where he was trying to figure out what was making him act so out of character. This was a job, nothing more. It needed to be finished before he was discovered. Earth was not a planet he wanted to be stuck on. No matter what he told himself, he couldn’t leave before he discovered what was behind that door. Staying on the dark edge of the hall, he worked his way back to the door. The lock looked like a simple old-fashioned one that he could easily pick.

The guard seemed to have had no skills and little strength if he couldn’t get in this door. Pulling out his multi-tool, he had the lock opened in seconds. Justice couldn’t say what he expected to find behind the locked door, but it wasn’t what he found. Sure, he’d expected a female and even an attractive one, but this female got right to the heart of him.

“You need to leave before you are killed.” She said without even looking up at him.

“I’m rather hard to kill, if I do say so myself.” His deep voice rumbled and now she looked up.

Her eyes were incredible, a mix of blues, greens, and browns the like of which he’d never seen. Her hair was black as ebony and her skin a mocha he just wanted to taste. Her lips were plump and begging to be kissed. Her body an hourglass with full breasts and lush hips to hang on to. He was a goner, the mission barely a memory as he stared at this female. All he was sure of was that he had to have her. Nothing would stop him, no one had better try. Stepping closer, her scent nearly knocked him to his knees.

“Who are you?” She asked softly. On her face, he saw her attraction to him.

“I am Justice.”

“That’s a rather large claim.”

“No, it’s the name my mother gave me. I’ll admit at times it is hard to satisfy the expectations, but I try to be fair. Sometimes fair is harsh.”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here to carry out a mission,” Justice answered as truthfully as possible.

“You’re here to kill the master? That would be a priceless gift to all who live here.”

“That old man on the edge of death is no one’s master, especially not yours.”

“He may be old and sick, but he still holds the lives of everyone in this house and those who work for him in his weak and shaky hands.”

“Not for long, soon you and the others will be free.”

“If they suspect he’s been killed, they will hunt down and exterminate all of us. Our lives have no value to them. A caretaker who doesn’t care and guards who can’t protect, we’ll be slaughtered.”

“No, I would never allow that. It will look as if he went to sleep and his body just gave out. I’ve heard his son calls every day to see if he still lives. No one will be surprised to find he’s gone.”

“You would do that for me?” What might he want for such a gift? What wouldn’t I give him in return?

“I would, but that was the plan all along.”

“An assassination no one knows about? What can this possibly do for your clients?”

“He needs punishing, but the son will suspect his death was helped along. If he doesn’t become a changed man, his death will be next.”

Envy stepped closer looking up into his eyes. “A man pays a price with every life he takes. Don’t let it steal your soul, Justice.”

He shivered at the words. This man was evil and the taking would hurt less than most. “Someone has to carry out the sentence.” He looked at her and saw something in her eyes, something kind and giving.

“It doesn’t always have to be you.”

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. His body felt the heat of desire immediately and hers did too judging by the sweet scent of her need. A female like this could soothe a multitude of hurts. Her perfume seemed to cloud his thinking and he rained kisses down on her. It didn’t matter why, it only mattered that all of him, his inner animal and his human brain, all wanted her now. This was something that couldn’t wait.

The mission? What mission? This female was filling all his senses like a witch that cast a spell on him and right now, he didn’t care. He would worry about the fall out later. Once he sated both of their needs and he could think clearly, he would finish his task and move on.

“Are you sure?” He asked giving her a chance to change her mind. She was so full of sweetness and innocence.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for you, for this moment, all of my life.”

“Foreseeing?”

“No, I just trust my sense of what is right and this feels right.”

He returned to kissing and stroking her. A low moan worked its way to the surface. It had to be her since it sounded too sweet to come from his mouth. His hands were full of her curves and satiny skin that begged to be touched. His lips dropped back to her mouth ready to ravish, when he heard sounds in the hall. The foolish guard was back and his buddy had no luck in detouring him from his goal.

Justice made sure the door was closed and locked, then he leaned against it. The weak fool would have no luck opening this door. It didn’t seem to deter him from trying. Stan didn’t seem to worry about what might happen if the door broke and he had to explain why. The stupid guard put everything he had into the door.

“Master had special locks put on the door, Stan. You’d best not break them.” Envy said hoping he would stop testing the door.

“Don’t you want to get out? I’ll take you away from here.” Stan insisted as he continued to push against the door with no results.

“Go away, Stan, before you get us all killed.” She directed.

“Come on, Stan. Think, dammit!” J.J. urged. Their voices faded as they moved away.

“That man is a fool. If we’re not careful, he will bring us trouble.”

“He’s gone and once you deal with the master, I will be far from here.”

“Don’t call him master. He’s no longer even the master of his own fate.”

“He is until he’s dead.”

Justice dropped his lips to hers telling himself he would just take a taste, just to hold him until the deed was done. The mission must come before everything else, but as soon as he tasted her sweet flavor, he was lost in the kiss forgetting all the things he had to do. The overwhelming need to lose himself in her overcame him. His hands stroked her silken flesh and he slid her gown off her shoulders leaving her standing before him naked and unashamed.