by Dena Christy
He put his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the door of the apartment. At least he wasn't the type to gloat over his victory over her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and his face was impassive as he took a gentle hold of her arm and escorted her down the hall toward the door to the street.
Together they walked out of Broge's building. A disheveled looking man shuffled toward them, and the bounty hunter stiffened beside her.
"Spare some money, citizen?" The man approached with his hand out, and elation went through Cheria. This was just the distraction she needed.
While the alien's attention was on the vagrant, she ripped her arm from his hold, made sure her duffle was secure in her grasp and ran down the street. She moved as fast as her legs could carry her, and fought the urge to congratulate herself. She wasn't away yet.
There was no sound of pounding feet behind her, but she dare not look back to see if the alien was giving chase. He'd be stupid not to run after her and looking back would only slow her down. She turned down an alley to her left and pain, hot and electric shot through the wrist that was encircled by the bracelet.
A screamed ripped from her throat as her knees hit the pavement. Her duffle bag fell to the pavement as she dropped it. The pain was unrelenting as she fought to get the bracelet off. It was snug around her wrist and there seemed to be no way to remove it.
She fell to her side and curled in a ball. The agony dissipated as the bounty hunter stepped into the alley and stood over her. She lay panting, curled in a ball on the pavement. No wonder she hadn't heard him running after her. The bracelet he'd put on her was so effective in stopping her that he hadn't needed to expend the energy to go after her.
Chapter 8
He could almost feel sorry for her as she lay prone on the pavement. She was having a rough go of it, but she was bringing pain on herself by her actions. If she'd come along with him quietly there would have been no need for him to trigger the cuff. He knew as soon as the stranger had shuffled toward them that she would try to run, and he'd let her go. The best way to illustrate to her that there was no way she was going to get away now was to let her run.
Once he'd judged that she was far enough away to give her hope, he'd yanked it out from under by pressing the button that would activate the cuff and stop her in her tracks.
"I hope you can see now the futility of running."
"I hate you." Her voice was a venomous hiss, and he almost smiled when he heard it. At least her predicament hadn't crushed her spirit.
"I know. Come on, time to get up."
She rolled so she was sitting up, and rubbed her wrist as she looked at him resentfully.
"I thought you weren't going to hurt me. So what's the story with the jewelry?" She held up her hand and shook her wrist.
"It is not jewelry. It is a restraining cuff. As long as you wear you will not be able to run from me. As has been illustrated for you, it will be painful for you to do so."
He reached down and held his hand out to her so he could help her to her feet. She slapped at it while turning her face away, and he lost his patience with her. At this rate it was going to be the middle of the night by the time he got them off the street.
He grasped her arms, pulled her to her feet and picked her up so she was draped over his shoulder. Her head dangled down his back and she squawked in surprise.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing? Put me down."
"I have grown tired of your nonsense, woman." For a moment he was tempted to leave her duffle bag in the alley, but the trip with her to Tusko M'Kedi would take a few days and perhaps having her things with her might earn him some goodwill from her. He picked up the bag, slung it over his shoulder and he turned on his heel and marched out of the alley. He tightened his arm around her legs to prevent her from kicking.
"Put me down or I'll scream my head off."
He had no doubt that she would do it, but he wasn't about to let her think she could get the upper hand.
"Go ahead. Scream all you like." She'd soon learn that he had all the advantages in this situation while she had none. Perhaps she needed yet another lesson in the futility of fighting against this before she resigned herself to her fate and settled.
"You asked for it." He heard her draw in a deep breath. "Help me. Somebody please help me."
Rone continued down the street, undeterred by the sound of her yelling. They were drawing a few looks now that he was carrying her down a busier street than the one where she'd run from him. He knew that sooner or later someone would get the courage to try to help her, and he welcomed the opportunity. She needed to learn that he had won and the sooner she did that the easier it would be for both of them.
A man stepped in front of him, and while he had a large frame and a muscular physique, he was still smaller than Rone.
"Can I help you?" Rone spoke to the man with a pleasant tone. There was no need to be hostile to this man, since he was only doing what any honorable man would do, seeking to help a woman who appeared to be in distress.
"You need to let her go. Obviously she doesn't want to go with you."
"That's right. I don't. He's kidnapping me." Cheria's voice sounded like she was a helpless female, and Rone marveled at her acting ability. Listening to her no one would guess that she left three dead bodies in her wake already today.
"It is inadvisable to listen to her. She is a wanted fugitive." Rone reached into his pocket and pulled out his official government ID. He kept a firm hold on her legs as he flipped open the leather case to show the man that he was an official bounty hunter sanctioned by the government. "As you can see, I am a bounty hunter and it would be in your best interest not to interfere. You should be aware that the penalty for hindering a bounty hunter engaged in his official duties is severe. You will be considered an accessory to her crimes and if found guilty you could face up to twenty years hard labor on a penal colony. Are you certain that a woman not known to you is worth it?"
The man's face paled and Rone knew that neither he nor anyone else that had gathered close by would cause him any trouble.
"Sorry. I didn't know." The man's eyes dropped to the ground as he stepped away from Rone.
Rone continued on his way and nothing but silence came from Cheria. Once he was a block away from where they'd been stopped, he came to a stand still.
"As you can see, resistance is futile. If I let you walk on your own, do I have your word that you will not cause any more trouble?"
"Yes." Her tone was subdued and quiet, and he knew that at least for now she would be cooperative. He was certain that she had not given up, because in the little time that he'd known her, he'd seen for himself that her will to survive was strong. But it was going to take her some time to regroup, and if luck favored him he would have collected her bounty by the time she'd figured out a way of escape.
He bent forward and set her on her feet. He put his hand on her arm to steady her while she got her bearings. It told him just how subdued she was when she didn't fight his hold.
"Are you ready to go?" He handed her the duffle bag and she clutched at it like a life line.
"Where are we going?" Her voice was subdued and although it was what he needed to get her to cooperate, he was saddened by it. She was a spirited woman and he had enjoyed trying to guess what she would do next. But it was also exhausting and a cowed Cheria would be much easier to deal with than the one he'd known so far.
"For now, I want to rest. I will be taking you to my home for the night. We will need to go in to my boss' office to get the bounty paperwork. It's too late to do that now as Angis will have gone home."
And Rone was surprised he had not heard anything from him. He wasn't under any delusions that he would not be receiving a call from him soon.
She didn't say anything more, and they walked down the street in silence. He was tired so he decided that they weren't going to walk all the way to his home. They'd take one of the inner-city shuttles. Hopeful
ly she could be persuaded that it was in her best interest to behave herself.
"My home is still some distance away. I have no problem walking but it will take some time. Do I have your promise to behave if we take a shuttle?"
She huffed out a breath and looked up at him.
"Obviously you have the advantage over me. Even if I do get away from you this thing isn't going to let me get very far." She held up her wrist with a sour twist of her mouth. "And you're not the only one who's tired. I'd much rather ride to your house than walk."
They walked a short distance more until they got to the shuttle stop and he pulled out two tokens. He gave one to Cheria and held on to the other. After a short time, a blue and silver shuttle glided to a stop and lowered down near the sidewalk.
Rone allowed Cheria to go ahead of him and she put her token in the fare box.
"Do you require a transfer?" A computerized voice spoke and Cheria looked at Rone. He shook his head.
"No."A beep indicated the turnstile was unlocked and she went into the body of the shuttle.
It was the same for Rone when he put his token in the box and once through the turnstile he followed her to where she was sitting.
There was no driver on shuttles. They were all computer navigated and each one covered a different route in a continuous loop through the city. Each route the shuttle took was indicated by its color, and fortunately this one would go to Rone's neighborhood so it was the only one they had to ride.
The shuttle gently lifted and glided away from the stop. There were a few passengers riding with them but they made certain to avoid looking at either of them. He sat silently beside her.
"How did you find me?" Her voice was quiet as she stared straight ahead. He knew this question would arise sooner or later. Telling her would finally show her that running from him was futile because he would always find her.
"How much do you know about my species?"
"Not a lot. I know that you are reputed to be good fighters and usually hold jobs of body guards or bounty hunters. Other than that, I'm sorry to say I haven't paid much attention."
"My kind has a gift, one that makes us extremely good hunters. I have an enhanced sense of smell and once I lock on to a scent, I can follow it to find the person I'm hunting." He looked over at her and saw her blinking for several seconds as what he told her sank in.
"Does that mean you'll be locked on to my scent for the rest of your life?"
"No." Rone shook his head. "I will have your scent in my head until I complete my mission. Once I've done that, I have a series of things I do to clear a scent from my brain. When you are the bounty holder's problem and not mine, I will do what I need to do to unlock your scent from my brain."
She turned her head to look out the window of the shuttle. The rest of the trip to his neighborhood passed in silence.
* * *
By the time she and the bounty hunter got off the shuttle, Cheria felt like a rung out dish rag. She was caught and there would be no escaping him, at least not while she wore the bracelet and while he could find her by scent.
That was mind boggling. And it told her that she hadn't had a chance against him if he could track her down by scent alone. She wasn't prepared to give up completely, but for tonight at least, she was going to be his prisoner. At least in his hands there was no chance he was going to kill her. The same could not be said for the other man who stalked her, so at least tucked away in the bounty hunter's home she'd be safe enough to regroup and come up with a plan to get out of this.
The walk to his home didn't take long, and she glanced around to get her bearings. They were in a quiet neighborhood, not too affluent but comfortable. It was on the fringes of the city and she knew it held hardworking people who mostly kept to themselves.
He cupped her elbow as he led her into the building and she didn't offer any resistance. There was no point. She'd fought against him enough today and her efforts had gained her nothing.
They came to his apartment, and he let her go to put his hand on the bio scanner, leaned forward so the retina scanner could scan his right eye.
She glanced at the other doors along the corridor and noticed that they had the same keycard and pin pad set up that she had on her apartment.
"State your name, please."
Cheria gave a startled noise when the door spoke to them.
"Rone Tazo."
So his name was Rone. It seemed like a nice name, direct and to the point.
"Voice recognized. Entrance permitted."
The door gave a double beep and Rone grasped the handle and opened it.
"Why is your set up different from everyone else?"
"Because the keycard and pin pad is easy to bypass if you have the right equipment. I paid to have the set up changed and no one is getting in here unless I allow it." Which explained how he'd gotten into both her apartment and Broge's. "After you."
She walked through the door and as the door closed behind them an odd feeling of being safe came over her. She might be his prisoner, but excluding the incident with the cuff, he'd proven he had no intention of hurting her. At least here she was not a target for the killer.
"Make yourself at home. We won't be leaving until morning." He paused by the closet and shrugged out of his jacket. He hung it up and held his hand out to her for hers.
She handed it over to him while her eyes were glued to the blade strapped to his back.
"Have you ever had to use that while out on a hunt?" There was a beauty to it now that it was not directed to her. There were intricate etchings on it and it was curved and got wider just before it scooped back in to its point.
"No, the hunts I have been on have been very straight forward and have presented little problem for me." He reached up and pulled down a metal box that was attached to the wall by a pair of scissoring brackets. It had the same sort of scanning lock that her lockbox had and the lid opened once he pressed his thumb on the scanner.
"So no one has shot you with a stunner while you were trying to apprehend them?"
He glanced over at her for a second as a soft smile spread across his face. It softened him, and she swallowed when she noticed for the first time how good looking he was, in his own unique way.
"Not until you." He turned back to what he was doing and unstrapped the sheath that held the blade to his back and set it inside the box. He closed the lid and moved the box back to where it had been. "My quarry are usually easily subdued."
He closed the closet door and cupped her back as he guided her into the main part of his living quarters.
"Why have I been the exception?" Surely she wasn't that unusual. She couldn't imagine giving up easily just because of how he looked. And she couldn't imagine him being cruel to the other women he'd hunted. Surely they would have taken advantage of that in a bid for freedom.
"You are the first female I have hunted. Because of that I did not deal with you as I would have had you been male."
She looked around his living room and there seemed little of his personality stamped on it. The furnishing seemed oversized to her, but she supposed they would need to be to accommodate his much larger frame.
She sagged down on the sofa, grateful that she could sit after all the running she'd done today. Exhaustion hit her. She wouldn't give him any more trouble tonight if he pointed her to where she could sleep.
He walked over to the wall opposite the sofa and waved his hand in front of the sensor. Part of the wall opened to reveal a large view screen. She had something similar in her apartment, although she rarely watched it.
"It is my habit to watch the events of the day before retiring. I hope you do not mind."
"It's your home, do what you like." She sank back into the sofa as he came to join her.
He picked up the remote control and turned on the screen, scrolling through the menu until he came to the channel that broadcast the new all day, every day. The volume was low and Cheria paid little attention to it. It looked like noth
ing out of the ordinary was going on.
At least until a grainy surveillance photo came on the screen and her stomach dropped down to her toes when she recognized herself.
"Authorities say there is a suspected murder on the loose in the city tonight."
Suspected murder? Who the fuck was she supposed to have killed. Her photo remained on the screen for a few more seconds and it was of her in her blonde wig with her face turned slightly away from the camera. She closed her eyes for a second. That picture was from the hotel and it was obvious that the authorities believed that she had killed her client.
"Juno Moneta is a suspect in the murder of a man who has yet to be identified in the Kestral Hotel. Authorities say that she is extremely dangerous and citizens are warned to be on the look out. Do not try to approach Citizen Moneta, instead if anyone should encounter her they are encouraged to notify their local authorities. Now in other news--"
"Turn it off please."
Cheria turned her face away from the screen as he turned it off. So now her face was being plastered all over the news and everyone in the city was on the look out for her. So even if she managed to escape the bounty hunter, which seemed impossible, she wouldn't get far without someone calling the authorities.
And her day had started off so well. It was funny how fast things could turn to shit.
Chapter 9
Rone glanced at Cheria who had her face turned away. The news report had certainly made his job a little easier. She had to know that escaping him would only get her put into the custody of the local authorities. Perhaps now there wouldn't be any more attempts on her part to escape him.
A chirping sound came from his pocket and she looked over at him, her face pale. He could almost feel sorry for her if she hadn't brought this all on herself by murdering someone.
"If you will excuse me, I need to take this call." He stood and moved out of earshot of her. It was most likely Angis finally calling him for an update.