aHunter4Gotten

by Cynthia A. Clement

  He took the knife and in the narrower beam of the flashlight, he cut into his left forearm and dug out the tiny device. There was a small trickle of blood that he wiped away with the back of his hand. He ripped a long strip of material from the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it around the incision and his forearm. Experience had taught him that the wound would be healed within hours. That was one of the benefits of this planet.

  He didn’t feel any immediate change in his body. Knowing that he was no longer controlled by outside forces sent a surge of relief through him. He was in charge of his own fate for the first time in his life.

  His destiny was with his fellow Hunters.

  Time was important if he was going to escape.

  He placed his implant into the pocket of the dead man’s pants. The man was shorter than he was, so he couldn’t exchange clothing with him. He put his shirt and jacket back on. There was no ammunition left, so the guns were useless for protection. He would rely on the confusion of the battlefield to mask the truth of his desertion. He didn’t want the Albireon security forces to know he was still alive until he could get the main implant in his neck removed.

  He kept low as he hugged the building and moved away from the fighting and back to the border. He had no bullets left so he threw his weapons away and made a dash for safety. He could have stayed and fought until the last man was dead, but he had no reason to.

  His only goal was escape.

  The details of the attack suggested that the ambush had been set up to guarantee that no one survived. They expected him to be killed along with the others. The odds were too great for anyone to survive. It wasn’t the first time the Albireons had underestimated the fighting expertise of a Hunter.

  He hiked west and headed for the road once he crossed the border into Turkey. The nearest city was Sanliurfa. It had an airport and he might be able to get a vehicle. His chances of escape decreased the longer he traveled by foot. He reached a highpoint of ground and stopped to survey the area behind him. The guns were silent and he could see the glow of a giant fire.

  They were burning the evidence.

  They didn’t want anything left in case there was an official inquiry.

  They would assume that he was killed with the rest of the men. His freedom wouldn’t last long, though. Daylight would bring in another team to assess the situation from the ground and that would expose the truth of his desertion. At most, he had five hours before they suspected he was still alive. The destruction of the one implant and the possible tracking devices in his clothing would confuse them.

  They would only access the implant in his neck if they suspected he was alive. A signal would be sent from his handlers in Australia to confirm he lived. He needed to remove and destroy it as soon as possible. Otherwise, they would know that he’d survived and trigger the self-destruct mechanism. The location of the last implant meant he needed help with its removal. He needed to find his fellow Hunters quickly.

  He found the road and started toward the lights on the horizon. It would take at least an hour to reach the city and that was going at a steady jog. He focused on survival as he let the rhythm of his boots stomping on the packed surface of the roadway guide his journey. Dwelling on what he couldn’t change was useless. If death found him this night, so be it. At least he would die a free man.

  When he reached the outskirts of Sanliurfa, he took a side road that went around the city. He couldn’t risk surveillance cameras finding him before he’d reached the airport. By then, it would be too late for them to react to his escape. Once he was out of Turkey, he’d have help from his fellow Hunters.

  He jogged north when a loud cracking noise stopped him.

  Someone had fired a pistol.

  He turned in the direction of the blast. No other sound reached him. He continued forward when a woman’s scream ripped through the silence. Her shriek was filled with fear and terror.

  Eogan halted.

  He couldn’t leave a woman in distress. It was against every tenet of the Sacred Code. His eyes scanned the horizon looking for some indication of where the noise had come from. A slight flicker of light reflected off an object. He edged nearer to the light when the scream came again. It came from the same spot where he’d seen the light. He increased his pace.

  The blast of a gun ripped through the night again. He stopped and waited. The woman shouted again. This time he could make out her words.

  “You killed him.”

  The next sound was men’s voices talking in a language he didn’t recognize. Laughter followed and their tone was enough to let him know that the woman would be next. Time was of the essence if he was going to save her.

  He ran.

  He found them in a dip of earth off the main roadway. The lights of a jeep were trained on a group of men surrounding a woman. Six men in total were laughing and poking at her as she tried to stay out of reach of their hands. Outrage filled him. No man should disrespect a woman, much less terrorize her. They violated every law that Eogan had been bred to obey. He had no other option but to exact justice.

  The Sacred Code was very clear about the penalty for hurting a woman.

  These men must die.

  He searched for a weapon to use. There were three dead bodies on the ground, but none of them were armed. Eogan clenched his hands and eased his breathing. He would have to kill some of the men with his bare hands. Silence and surprise, were his best strategy until he was closer to the woman. Eogan crouched and edged forward. He used the cover of the jeep to sneak up to the first man.

  He grabbed him around the neck, covered his mouth, and twisted.

  The crunch of breaking bones was masked by the laughter from the others.

  Eogan eased the dead body to the ground before moving to the next man. He killed him in the same manner. This time, the sound of the body dropping to the ground alerted the rest of the group to an intruder. Eogan reached the third man just as a shot was fired. He spun around so that the bullet hit the man he was holding. He used the dead man’s body as a shield as he rushed toward the shooter.

  Bullets whizzed past him.

  Eogan reached the shooter and clutched his hand and gun.

  He twisted the weapon backwards just as the next shot rang out.

  The man slumped to the ground. Eogan dropped the body he’d been using as a shield and grabbed the gun. He fired in quick succession killing the last two men before either was able to aim their weapons.

  He glanced around the area to be certain everything was safe. The woman he had rescued was standing in the headlights. Her hands were clenched at her sides and she was staring down at one of the dead men. She was short and plump, wearing jeans and a hip-length jacket. She had heavy-rimmed glasses, but the rest of her face was covered by strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail.

  He had the urge to gather her into his arms and assure her that she was safe.

  He pushed the impulse away.

  He was a Hunter and women were forbidden. He took a deep breath. Escape was his goal, and he had to focus on the best way to do that. He went to one of the dead men and picked up his gun. He wasn’t certain what was ahead, but facing it armed would be easier. He turned to walk away when the woman yelled.

  “You can’t leave me here.”

  Chapter 3

  Hester’s father had always said that her curiosity would get her killed one day, and he was right. Seconds ago, she’d been in danger of being raped and murdered. Now, she was staring at the man who had just walked into the group of thugs and eliminated all of them. He gave her a quick glance and then turned back toward the road.

  She could see her rescuer in the jeep’s headlights. He was tall and very muscular if the tightness of his clothes were any indication. The ease and skill he’d used to dispatch those men had been frightening, but he hadn’t touched her. His actions had saved her life, and right now she was out of options. She had to trust him. She was alone and defenseless.

  She couldn’t
stay on this isolated road.

  It was a crazy position to be caught in, especially in a country where women were still expected to live by very conservative values. She wouldn’t last an hour, much less long enough to find the airport and leave this place.

  “Take me with you.”

  “A warrior does not associate with women.” His deep voice echoed through her body. A shiver went through her at the coldness of his words as he turned back to the road.

  “You just saved me from death.” Her voice sounded desperate, but she couldn’t stop the fear that was coursing through her. “At least take me to the airport.”

  The man stopped and pointed to the jeep. “Is that your vehicle?”

  “No. Those creeps came in it.” Hester trembled as she remembered the moment the men had prevented their escape and then surrounded them. “Two of the other guys I came here with, took off in our van.”

  “They had no honor if they left you here to die.”

  “That was the least of their downfalls.”

  Hester’s teeth chattered and she rubbed her arms to try and ease the aftereffects of fear that still coursed through her body. The first chance Steve and Franklin had, they’d reversed the van and raced away from the jeep that had blocked them. There hadn’t been a backward glance for her or the others who were left on the roadside.

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’m an archaeologist and I was trying to explore Gobekli Tepe.”

  She glanced behind her shoulder. It had been a crazy idea to visit the site at night. She’d known it the first time Steve had suggested it, but she couldn’t resist the lure of exploring some of the pillar markings up close and without supervision. She’d thrown logic and commonsense out the window and had eagerly agreed to join their expedition.

  “Would it not be easier to view in daylight?”

  Hester could almost see the lift of his eyebrows at how ridiculous her plan sounded.

  “They said that we wouldn’t be able to get near enough.” She swallowed back her nausea. “Now the others will never see it.”

  “It was foolish to travel with men who could not defend you.” The man’s voice held no sympathy.

  “We didn’t expect to be attacked.” Hester’s voice rose in defense. “It’s not like I woke up this morning and decided that a gang of thugs was going to stop our vehicle and kill us.”

  “Why?”

  Hester frowned. “Why didn’t we plan to be ambushed?”

  “Why did they force you off the road?” The man turned to her and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Were you doing something that made you look suspicious?”

  “Samuel said it would be fun to drive beside the road. He thought we might be able to pick up some artifacts.”

  “That doesn’t sound legal.”

  Hester’s face flushed.

  Thankfully it was dark. Her rescuer didn’t need to know how embarrassed she’d been at the antics of the guys she’d hitched a ride with. It had been a mistake from the moment she’d jumped into the van. They were ufologists and told her that they’d been to Gobekli Tepe before. They hadn’t mentioned that they liked to break the law.

  “It isn’t.” Hester’s voice cracked. “I didn’t know they were going to do it.”

  “Where did these other men come from?”

  Hester shook her head. “One moment I was trying to jump back into the van, and the next, these bright lights were blocking our way. They just appeared.”

  The man took a couple of steps closer. “They were waiting?”

  “It seemed like it.” She bent down and picked up her leather backpack. The men had taken it from her and tossed it around so that she couldn’t reach it. Her stomach clenched at how helpless she’d been. It had been reminiscent of recess in grade school when the other kids had relentlessly teased and bullied her. She’d thought she’d put those memories behind her long ago.

  “There is no reason for a vehicle to be waiting here. It is not a well-traveled road and is far from the city.”

  “You’re forgetting the ruins.” Hester didn’t hide her awe. “I’ve wanted to explore the stones since I learned about it in undergraduate school.”

  “It seems you did not choose the right time.” The man crouched over a body.

  “I thought visiting the site with fellow enthusiasts would be the best way.” Hester knelt on the ground and then leaned back against her feet. “They said they’d been here before and never had a problem. They come here frequently to look at the carvings and search the skies for UFO’s.”

  The man looked up at her. “You were looking for these objects too?”

  “No.” Hester opened her pack and pulled out a bottle of water. “It’s not that I don’t believe, because I do. I just wanted to see the Gobekli Tepe engravings up close. I don’t think that they’re remnants of a temple like the current academics believe.”

  “What do you think they are?”

  “Evidence of Ancient Aliens.”

  There was a long pause before the man spoke. “That doesn’t seem to be a reasonable belief given the fact that you said you were an archaeologist.”

  “Exactly.” She twisted the lid off the bottle. “Now you know why I was willing to go with those guys.”

  “You were here in secret.” The man stood and walked over to one of the other bodies. “These men are military.”

  “Turkish?” Hester took a sip of the cool liquid.

  He shook his head. “European or American.”

  Hester choked and spit her water on the ground. “Why would the United States Armed Forces be interested in a bunch of UFO enthusiasts? Unless this means aliens are on Earth.”

  “Soldiers in an allied country is hardly evidence of aliens on the planet.” His voice was dry. “We need to leave before their commander wonders why they’re not communicating with him.”

  She stood. “So you’ll take me with you. Great. I’m Hester Adams by the way.” She held her hand out to him.

  He looked down at her hand and then up at her. “I am Eogan.”

  Her arm dropped to her side. Men usually ignored her, but they didn’t go out of their way to be rude. He’d saved her life so she would forgive his behavior. Before she had a chance to say anything else, Eogan sat on the ground and unlaced his boots. He went over to one of the dead men and measured his foot against his. Then he pulled off his shirt and jacket and stripped out of his pants and underwear.

  Hester’s eyes widened. She’d seen nude men in magazines before, but never in real life, and never anything as wonderfully fit as Eogan. He was spectacular. He was also unaware of her scrutiny. With a gasp, she remembered her manners and turned around.

  “Are you hurt?” Eogan asked.

  Hester shook her head. “I’m giving you privacy to change.”

  “That is not necessary.” Eogan’s voice was low. “I’m used to being watched.”

  “By lots of women I bet.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

  “No.” His voice sounded puzzled. “Why does it matter who watches?”

  “I shouldn’t have assumed that you were heterosexual.” She wished the ground would drop away and bury her. She hadn’t felt this foolish in years. Just because he was a hunk didn’t mean he preferred ladies. “You’ll have to forgive me. I talk too much when I’m nervous.”

  There was a loud banging.

  Hester turned around to see Eogan beating his clothes with a giant stone.

  “Is there an insect on it?”

  “Possibly a tracking device.” He slammed the rock down on his boots. “I don’t want to risk them finding me too soon.”

  “Are you in trouble?” Hester’s words were hesitant. “I hope stopping to help me didn’t make it worse?”

  “It is my duty to protect women and children. Only a man with no honor would have walked away.”

  “Thank you for rescuing me.” Hester knew that she was babbling, but she didn’t want Eogan to leave witho
ut her telling him that she was grateful he’d saved her life. “Those men did not intend to let me live.”

  “No.” Eogan buttoned the shirt he’d taken from one of the dead men. “They had no honor.”

  “I don’t want to think about their intentions.” She shivered. The paralyzing fear of knowing that they had intended to rape and kill her would linger in her psyche for days.

  “I must go.” He turned.

  “You can’t leave me out here.” Hester ran up beside him. “At least take me to Sanliurfa.”

  “It would be dangerous for you to be with me.” He motioned behind him. “I believe those men were waiting for me, not you. You and your friends were only a diversion.”

  “What if others like them are out here?” Hester shuddered. “I’ll be safer with you.”

  There was a few seconds of silence before he replied, “True.”

  Eogan went to the jeep and shut the lights off. Darkness enveloped them. The only illumination came from the stars in the sky. He climbed behind the wheel and paused. He seemed to be debating whether to let her join him, when she noticed a bright light in the distance. She squinted her eyes and adjusted her glasses higher on her nose as she tried to make out what was headed toward them.

  Eogan turned in the direction of her gaze.

  He gave a low growl and pointed to the passenger door. “Jump in.”

  Hester didn’t wait to be told twice. She ran around to the other side and climbed into the jeep. She wanted to get as far away as possible if others were coming. The problem was they were blocking the way to Sanliurfa. There was only one direction for them to go and that was toward the ruins.

  Eogan turned the key in the ignition and drove the vehicle away from the town. He avoided the road and kept the headlights off as he sped away.

  “I hope you’re familiar with this ruin of yours because we’re going to hide there.”

  Hester hung onto the side of the jeep as it rocked over the rough terrain. “We won’t have a problem finding a safe place. I’ve only seen pictures and videos, but it’s a large area with some covering.”