Bounty Hunter

by Michelle E Lowe

  I hate you!

  Christ, could he ever return? If no one was willing to listen to him, how the hell could he mend the wound he’d helped create by not coming clean with Taisia to begin with?

  Thankfully, his distressing thoughts were interrupted by a knock.

  “Oi, ’bout time,” he grumbled, tossing his wet shirt over a chair while approaching the door.

  It wasn’t until he stumbled that he realized he’d drunk a tad too much on an empty stomach. He unlocked the door and flung it open. His irritation switched to shock.

  “Emma?”

  She stood in the hallway, dressed in a fine gown that hugged her perfect form. Somehow, she always knew how to find the right-sized clothing. Her dark, charming face, masked with a touch of makeup, enhanced her appealing features. She’d taken out the gears and sprockets from her short hair, which was now pulled back with some of it twirling in loose curls on either side of her face. The polka-dotted ribbon tied in her hair was long and hung over her bare, slender shoulders. She looked so beautiful, she appeared unreal.

  “Hola, Pierce,” she greeted him, stepping inside without an invite.

  Pierce was too awed to stop her. “Erm, hola?”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said, stopping close to the chair where his shirt hung.

  His thought process was blurred. Having a head full of wine didn’t help in trying to make things clear.

  He closed the door. “Umm. How did you find me?”

  She twirled around, the hem of the gown flowing with her movements. Damn, she looked unbelievable in that dress!

  “I heard you were staying here,” she confessed, folding her hands in front of her.

  Jaxton, Pierce thought. That bastard!

  “What brings you by?”

  Emma stared at his naked chest. He realized he needed to put on his shirt regardless of its dampness. He approached the chair and reached for it when she grabbed him by the wrist.

  “I want to be with you, Pierce Landcross,” she admitted.

  He looked at her, stunned by her forwardness. She kept her grip on his wrist. Her grasp wasn’t tight, and he could have easily pulled free, but that sweet fragrance emitting from her had paralyzed him on the spot. And those small auburn eyes of hers were draining him of all strength.

  “I can’t help it,” she explained at length. “You’ve affected me unlike anyone I’ve ever known. My heart swells whenever I see or even think of you.”

  She took his hand in both of hers and rested his palm against her cheek. She felt so soft and warm. She began moving his hand down to her neck.

  “Even if it’s only one night,” she said, “I will treasure it always.”

  His heart thumped with lust. The drink had numbed his sensibility. His hand cupped her breast, and she held it firmly over it. He drew closer to her, utterly lost in her longing gaze. She touched his chest and leaned in to kiss him.

  You betrayed me!

  The heat of desire washed away with a coldness that snapped him out of his passionate trance.

  “No!” he yelled, stepping back. “Emma, no. I can’t. We can’t.”

  Her disheartened expression made him take a breath.

  “Pierce,” she said, “we can be happy, you and I. We’ll travel the world, create new inventions and make beautiful children. As many as you want.”

  He shook his head and stepped around her to retrieve his shirt.

  “I’ve done my fair share of traveling, love. Been doing it all of my life. And inventing things doesn’t appeal to me much.” He slipped his arms through the damp shirtsleeves. “And most importantly, I already have a child on the way. He or she is growing within the womb of my beloved. And I will not betray her.”

  The gravity of his words weighed Emma down. She gasped with a hand over her chest before falling slowly into the chair. Her eyes shimmered. Shutting them tight caused the tears to stream down, smearing her makeup.

  “I’m such a fool!” she cried, planting her face in her palms. “You’ve been trying to tell me this all along, but I wouldn’t listen.”

  Emma had finally seemed to have grasped his devotion to Taisia. It also made him see that his love for her could overcome any obstacle. He had found a wife, and considering his past, he was damn lucky to have what he did.

  He gently grasped Emma by the arms and lifted her to her feet. “Oi, listen. You’re no fool. If anything, you’re a bloody genius.”

  She snorted. “Genius? I am not sure anymore.”

  “You are,” he declared, going over to the washbasin and taking the towel. “And you’ll continue on with your journey and create many wonderful things.” He handed her the towel to dry her tears with. “And if I might be so bold as to say it, you, Emma Rojas, will find a fine man to share your passions with.”

  She laughed, and more tears fell, but she quickly dabbed them away.

  “Perhaps,” she mused with a sniff. “Due to the circumstances, I don’t think I should join you and Jaxton on the manhunt anymore.”

  “Aye,” he agreed. “I think it would be best.”

  He walked her to the door and opened it. She stepped out into the hallway and turned to him.

  “Adiós, Pierce Landcross. I wish nothing but the best for you.”

  He gave her a wink. “You too. Goodbye, darling.”

  Emma kissed him tenderly on the cheek and left down the dim corridor. Pierce watched her leave until she vanished around the corner.

  * * *

  The sky glowed purple as dawn approached. Taisia had left the village while it was still dark and walked out to the grassy field to be alone for a while. She, yet again, had hardly gotten any sleep. It was beginning to take its toll on her and her state of mind. Regardless of how depressed she felt, she needed to take better care of herself. Her child depended on her.

  In the past few days, Taisia had been sick with dread over Pierce and what he could be doing with that woman. Now, she knew. Had she been fooling herself all along? Had Taisia really thought she actually knew Pierce? Taisia honestly believed she had. Was it only an illusion? Had she seen only what she wanted to see and ignored what she didn’t?

  She hated him. Hated him because of how much she loved him. While their child had grown inside her womb, Pierce had sought affection from another. The agonizing thought broke her down, causing her to fall to her knees, crying.

  “I can’t take much more of this,” she moaned miserably. Before she could even stop herself, she uttered, “Gog.”

  “Taisia,” came his wonderful, harmonious voice. “Why do you cry?”

  Strangely, Gog’s sudden appearance didn’t surprise her at all. Taisia had suspected all along that he was no mere mortal man. She’d seen it in the way he touched the world around him. Even now, she felt him filling her with an energy that sparked her soul, burning away her despair.

  He wasn’t wearing the hunting clothing he wore last time. Instead, Gog wore a red velvet jacket with a large paisley design embroidered on the left side. A cravat hugged his neck with an emerald jewel clasp pinned in the middle. His dark hair was pulled back.

  In that moment, he was the most beautiful living thing in the world.

  He gave her a handkerchief. It was made of silk and it was the color of crimson, her favorite color.

  She accepted it. “Spasibo.”

  “Pozhaluysta,” he said generously. “May I help you to your feet?”

  Taisia didn’t think she had it in her to stand. Her grief and lack of rest had rendered her weaker than she cared for. Yet, when he touched her, her muscle strength returned fully. She rose without any trouble.

  “What ails you, my sweet Taisia?”

  “I believe my husband has been unfaithful.”

  “Has he? What sort of man could betray a woman such as you?” His tone deepened. He seemed upset. “With whom has he been with?”

  Taisia began dabbing away tears. “With a woman named Emma,” she retorted bitterly. She hated saying h
er name. “I was told Pierce was with her during the races.”

  “And who knows how many times since,” Gog bluntly put in.

  Saying such a thing should have plunged Taisia deep into despair. Instead, it only made her angrier.

  “Da.”

  “Where is your husband now?”

  “He has returned to Guaymas.”

  “You mean he went to her.”

  He took her by the hands and pulled them against his chest. The pounding of his heart thumped strongly against her knuckles. He stared at her, not just into her eyes, but directly into her. She felt his gaze soothing all her worries.

  “This man of yours does not deserve you, Taisia Kuzentsov. But, I do. Come with me. I shall give you everything you wish. Together, we will travel this world and the worlds beyond.”

  She gasped at his offer.

  He touched her stomach. “I desire for you to be with me. All of you. I want you as my wife.”

  He drew her close, momentarily stealing her breath away again. He wrapped his strong arms around her and gently clasped her by the chin to tilt her head up to him. For the life of her, she could not pull away.

  “There is nothing I will ever deny you.”

  There was little time to react before his lips pressed against her lips. The softness of them ignited erotic pleasure in her as his tongue touched hers. How could she allow this to be happening? What sort of power did he have over her? She was unsure, but she found herself kissing him back.

  The sun crested over the Desert Mountains, shining its golden rays upon them and warming Taisia’s hands, which were gripping Gog’s back. Logic didn’t exist any longer. This kiss was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. He tasted as sweet as all of his promises.

  Then a spark of memory flickered to life. It started as small as a grain of sand and then expanded over her entire mind. She soon saw Pierce on their wedding day, standing under their makeshift altar in England. He stared directly at her, smiling and looking handsome in his black velvet suit and top hat with a bouquet of wild flowers stuffed into its band. So much trust and promise, and above else, love. It was all stored up inside him. He slipped the wedding ring onto her finger, signifying their union. They pressed their hands together, touching wedding bands, and knitted their fingers together. He mouthed the words I love you.

  A surge of loving remembrance filled her heart and soul. Was she willing to cast Pierce out of her life so easily? Tarak admitted seeing Pierce and Emma leaving together after the races, and yet there were some things that made no sense. Leaving Tarak, as the boy had claimed he had, didn’t sound like something Pierce would do. Pierce also mentioned that Emma had kissed him, not the other way around. At the time, she’d refused to listen, but now, since the rawness of her mood had cooled, Taisia decided she needed at least to hear her husband out, instead of allowing this other suitor to take her from him. This wasn’t fair to either of them, not to the family, and especially, not to the child she carried.

  “Stop it,” she demanded, breaking away from their kiss. “Let me go!”

  Gog did so immediately.

  She moved away from him, shaking her head. “This is wrong. Leave me be.”

  With that, she turned and ran toward the village. She almost expected him to run after her, but when she looked behind her, Gog was gone.

  * * *

  A clatter got Pierce to open his eyes. Everything was blurry, and it took a few blinks to clear his vision. Muttering from somewhere got him to roll his head over the pillow. At the table where he’d finally eaten his meal last night, sat a very short person. He was dressed in a dirty tan trench coat and pinstriped trousers with kneepads. He sat in the chair with stout little legs sticking straight out like a small tyke. He wore a gasmask with a long snout. It was made of old leather and corroded metal parts. The visitor was studying a mug. With a grunt, he tossed it over his shoulder.

  “Ba! Tin!”

  Other items were also scattered throughout the room. Mainly Pierce’s belongings, which he’d had inside his rucksack. It was apparent the cocker was searching for something. The intruder then dumped the leftovers off the plate and onto the floor.

  “Junk!” he yelled, throwing the plate. The ceramic crashed against the door.

  His rough voice sounded as though he was gargling gravel. Pierce immediately realized his pint-sized visitor was none other than their dwarf. The question of why he was there could wait. Pierce gathered his wits and reached under his pillow. The dwarf didn’t seem to notice as Pierce slipped his Oak Leaf pistol out and aimed it at him.

  “Stay right where you are,” Pierce demanded as he stood.

  The masked intruder turned his head with an eerie wheezing sound coming through the mask’s air filter.

  “There’s what I came for,” the dwarf stated.

  “Eh?” Pierce said, utterly gobsmacked.

  The dwarf jumped off the chair. His head barely reached the top of the table.

  “I like your gun,” the dwarf told him. “I’ve come to take it.”

  Pierce knitted his eyebrows together and glanced at his weapon. “My gun?”

  Another wheeze escaped the mask. “Yes. I want it. Give it over.”

  The dwarf was suddenly standing on the bed. It took Pierce a tick to catch sight of him from the corner of his eye. It was a moment too late. The dwarf leaped on him and tackled Pierce to the floor. The little bastard’s strength surprised him. As the dwarf tried pulling the gun from his grasp, Pierce punched him repeatedly in the arm, but it had a minimal effect. The cocker fought as if he felt no pain.

  “It’s mine!” the dwarf bellowed.

  He clocked Pierce square in the face. His nose gushed blood and the sharp pain nearly blinded him. It also triggered his rage.

  “Bastard!” Pierce screamed as his muscles hardened like ice.

  He grabbed the dwarf by the throat and started choking him. Frantic breaths hitched out through the air filter as he found himself struggling to breathe. Pierce hurled the dwarf across the room. He slammed against the wall, cracking the plaster, and landing with a thud on the floor.

  Pierce refused to allow the little cunt to pull any more tricks. He aimed and fired the moment the dwarf was on his feet. Blood spurted out of the gunshots in his chest and stomach. His back hit the wall and he stood a moment, gasping, before he slid down. He sat on the floor, pitching sideways with his stubby legs spread out. Pierce stood, wiping the blood from under his nose. It wasn’t broken, but it felt mighty close to it.

  “You’re no ordinary dwarf, are you?”

  Pierce kept the gun on him as he grabbed the snout on the mask and pulled it up.

  “Bloody hell!” he shrieked at what he saw.

  It was the most hideous face Pierce had ever seen, and he’d seen his fair share of ugly. The dwarf had skin like a hairless cat, pink and wrinkled, with a sphincter for a mouth and a long bumpy nose. Pointy ears, gnawed at the tips, and misshapen teeth that were the same egg-yolk yellow as his eyes.

  “I’ll be damned,” Pierce said, tossing the mask aside. “You’re a bleedin’ troll!”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  It Was a Lie

  Tarak returned to the village after staying the night with his cousin, Kuruk, whose job was to guard the Water Bowl. He’d needed a place to hide. He felt ashamed for the things he’d said to that nice woman, Mrs. Landcross, about White Horse. He couldn’t understand why he’d spouted off all those nasty lies. He just knew he’d be in trouble when he got home.

  “Back from the Water Bowl, I see,” his mother noted when he entered the hut.

  She and his stepfather sat across from one another on the floor, having breakfast. Of course, his mother already knew where he’d been. She’d had her spirits watching over him. The question was why she hadn’t come for him. By now, she would have learned what he had told Mrs. Landcross, and she would have wanted to ask him about it . . . right?

  “Did you have a good night’s rest, my son?”
she asked, passing a bowl of rice to her husband.

  His stepfather said nothing, only chewed his food as he listened to the conversation.

  “I did, Mother,” Tarak answered.

  “Is your head clear?”

  He took a moment to answer. The fuzziness in his head had cleared and the lies were gone. It appeared everything in his mind was as it should be. The fog had faded, and his thoughts and memories had returned to their proper place. But, when his mother inquired about it, he knew she was onto something.

  “My mind is clear, Mother. I . . . I have said some very wrong things yesterday.”

  His mother stood and said to him with grave sincerity, “My son, tell me the truth.”

  * * *

  Taisia approached her hut where Nona and Jasper waited for her.

  “There you are,” Nona sighed with relief. “We were worried.”

  “We understand you requested to be alone,” Jasper said, holding a plate of food, “but we thought to offer you something to eat.”

  A warm swell of love blossomed in Taisia’s chest. Ever since she’d met them, Nona and Jasper had been her family. She couldn’t imagine a life without them.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking the plate. “And I’m sorry if I worried you. I needed to take a walk, that’s all.”

  “It has been a trying few days, hasn’t it?” Nona pointed out.

  “Da,” Taisia agreed, taking a bite of the fry bread. “It has. I shouldn’t have yelled at Pierce the way I did. I drove him away before we could talk things over.”

  “Do you believe he has been unfaithful?” Nona asked with pain in her eyes.

  This was a hard conversation to have with them. They were, after all, his parents, and although they hadn’t seen Pierce for the better part of his life, they wanted to think better of their son. Taisia wanted nothing more than to believe that herself.

  “Tarak claims he has,” Taisia reminded them. “And yet, I feel he was wrong. I know my husband, and what we share is real. It’s not like him to betray me. I’m not completely sure. Perhaps I am only lying to myself.”