aHunter4Trust

by Cynthia A. Clement

  Darrogh turned away from the window. “Are you working with us?”

  “Yes.” Peter held up his hand. “Remember, I’m doing this willingly, so no rough stuff.”

  “You have my word as a Hunter.” Darrogh crossed his arms over his chest.

  Peter laughed. “Are you really a Hunter?”

  “I do not lie.”

  Peter stood. “I thought you guys were an urban legend.”

  “We are real.” Firbin grinned.

  “Better working with a Hunter than against one.” Peter straightened his overcoat. “Where do you want to begin?”

  “Your apartment.” Darrogh walked toward Peter. “We need to look at those other photos.”

  “What about the guy I’m working for.”

  “We will trap him.” Darrogh nodded to Kerm and Savis. “Take him down to the van. I will be with you shortly.”

  Firbin, Breanon, and Jehon went into the kitchen.

  Tamsin was left alone with Darrogh.

  She braced herself for an argument. She clasped her hands together and stood when he approached. He might not like her interference, but this was still her house, and technically, these guys worked for her. Besides, Peter Newton was now cooperating with them.

  “Can you afford to pay Mr. Newton that much money?”

  Darrogh’s question and concern took her by surprise.

  She nodded. “He operated under your radar for a week, so he must be good. He can help you for as long as you need him and then I’ll find a job for him at the Bank.”

  “Thank you.” Darrogh hesitated for a second. “I would have retrieved the information from him.”

  “I gave him an incentive to help.” Tamsin rolled the tension from her shoulders. “It saved time.”

  “Everyone on this planet wants something.” Darrogh sounded cynical.

  “You’re being paid by my father. How is that different?”

  “Your father can afford it and he offered.” Darrogh held her gaze. “If you were in danger and had no money, then we would still protect you. We are here to right wrongs and provide justice.”

  “You hire out your services. That makes you mercenaries.” Tamsin hadn’t forgotten what her father was paying for her protection.

  “We are warriors.” Darrogh’s voice was low. “We have been trained to defend and protect. We do that for anyone who is in need, not just those who can pay.”

  “That’s not what my father suggested.”

  “You father is a desperate man who will do whatever he can to protect you. He heard of us and asked for our help. He does not believe in what we do.” Darrogh crossed his arms over his chest. “He only cares about results.”

  Tamsin rubbed her forehead. Talking with Darrogh was like walking on egg shells. She didn’t know what would offend or please him. It was all too much. She was tired and still feeling the aftereffects of the Rohypnol that she’d ingested the night before. She needed sleep.

  “Go rest.” Darrogh spoke in a soft voice. “I do not wish for you to be upset. We will talk when I return from Mr. Newton’s house.”

  Tamsin moved toward the stairs. “I have so many questions and everything is happening too fast for me.”

  “I will tell you whatever you want to know.”

  Darrogh reached a hand out to her.

  The breath caught in her throat.

  She waited for his touch, anticipating the shock of awareness that would pass through her body. Instead, he dropped his arm and took a step back. His eyes searched hers for several seconds before he turned, and left the house.

  Tamsin watched him until the door closed and then she headed up the stairs. Whenever he was near she felt a quivering in her stomach and a tightness in her chest. Her mouth went dry and she had to force herself to look away. She recognized the signs. She was attracted to him. It was ludicrous because he certainly hadn’t given her any indication that he was interested in her. His actions suggested that the last place he wanted to be was near her.

  That’s not how he’d looked in the picture.

  The way he’d held her close and the concern on his face were at odds with his usual behavior. Tamsin picked up a throw and stretched out on the settee in her bedroom. None of the men had shown any interest in women. She’d dragged them around to enough nightclubs this past week to know. Women threw themselves at the men, but they ignored them.

  It was a wonderful quality in a bodyguard, but abnormal behavior for a man.

  That wasn’t the only strange thing that she wanted to discuss with Darrogh. He spoke of Earth as if he was separate from it. He referred to it as this planet. What other planet was there? It made no sense. As soon as the men returned from Peter’s house with the photos, she would insist that Darrogh explain.

  Another remark had caught her attention.

  Peter mentioned that the Hunters were an urban legend? Tamsin grabbed her laptop and typed in Hunters. The usual information about animals and equipment came up. She then tried Hunter protection and that’s when she saw the website aHunter4Hire.com.

  A shiver went up her back when she read the comments that people had written. Most were treating it as a joke, but there were some testimonials that sounded very real. Stories of being rescued from kidnappers, lives being saved, and murders avenged.

  It was not the website of a security company.

  This was a site for vigilante justice.

  Chapter 11

  Peter Newton lived in a studio flat that was large enough to contain his computer equipment, and little else. Darrogh looked at the cluttered room and fought back his frustration. It would take time to sort through everything and find evidence that led to the people who were threatening Tamsin and her father. Peter’s photos were their best chance of doing that.

  It was worth the effort.

  “Where are the pictures?”

  “You’re impatient,” Peter muttered as he moved his cat off a large table and turned on his computer. “I told you I had everything in order.”

  Darrogh hoped it was better organized than his flat. The orange cat sidled up to him and rubbed against his leg. He did not comprehend why humans insisted on letting animals live with them. He could understand if they were using them for sustenance, but that was not the case with cats.

  “Here they are.” Peter spoke from behind a large monitor. “I’ve been following Miss Creighton long before you came on the scene.”

  “We need to see everything from the beginning of your surveillance.” Darrogh motioned for Savis to go to the computer. “There may be something in the pictures that you have missed.”

  “I doubt it.” Peter pushed away from his desk and let Savis take over. “Do you want anything to drink? I have tea.”

  Darrogh shook his head. “Where are the written instructions that your client left you?”

  Peter took off his coat and tossed it on his futon before going into the small alcove that served as a kitchenette. He filled a kettle with water and plugged it in. “I threw everything out. The envelopes were hand delivered to the postal box, so there were no stamps on them that would have helped with locating where they were mailed from.”

  Darrogh started shifting through a pile of printed photos that were on a side table. “Are these from your investigation of Tamsin?”

  Peter shook his head. “Not really. I took a few photos of the bank. It’s a pretty famous institution. The building dates back to the Victorian age.”

  “Is that old?” Kerm had sat beside Darrogh and was leafing through another stack of photos.”

  “Old enough.” Peter shut off the kettle and poured boiling water into a floral china teapot. “Is the stuff on your website true?”

  “A Hunter does not betray his word,” Kerm said. “We do not lie.”

  “How about exaggerating the truth a bit.” Peter searched through his dish-cluttered countertop for a mug and rinsed it. “Some of the feats that your previous clients claim seem impossible.”

  “An exaggerati
on would be a lie.”

  Peter filled his mug with tea and pulled up a wooden chair to sit on. “You’re very literal. Do you see everything as black or white?”

  “We see all colors.” Darrogh frowned down at a photo. “If we were defective, we would have been killed at birth.”

  Peter choked on his tea. “You’re kidding?”

  Darrogh shook his head. “A warrior cannot be physically flawed. Hunters have been bred and trained to fight. If we are unable to do that, then there is no reason for us to live.”

  Peter looked over at Kerm. “Is that what you believe?”

  “We are brothers.” Kerm’s voice was gruff. “What is true for one, is true for all.”

  “You guys take this soldier stuff seriously.” Peter nodded. “I wanted to enlist in the army, but they said I didn’t meet the height requirements.”

  “Then you understand the need to be physically perfect.” Darrogh shoved the picture in his hand at Peter. “Where did you take this?”

  Peter squinted. “That was in the back alley behind Creighton’s. It used to be the mews. Now there are little shops and restaurants that cater to the office workers.”

  “These men stand out.” Darrogh pointed to two men with dark coats, sunglasses, and fedora hats.”

  “They do seem a bit unusual.”

  “When did you take it?”

  Peter shook his head. “There’s no date stamp on it, but I probably have it in the computer.”

  “Why did you print this one?”

  Peter pointed to a figure in the foreground. “Sir Robert Creighton had walked outside with another man. I thought I might be able to sell the photo. None of the papers were interested.”

  “Sir Robert is with his assistant, Henry Kingsley.”

  “If you say so.” Peter handed the picture back to Darrogh. “I never met the man.”

  “What about the men in black?”

  Peter started to laugh. “Don’t tell me you think this has something to do with aliens and UFO’s.”

  “Why is that funny?” Savis looked up from the computer.

  “It’s ridiculous.” Peter snorted. “How would they get here?”

  “On a ship.” Darrogh’s voice was dry. “This is not the only inhabited planet in the universe.”

  Peter stopped laughing and looked from one of them to the other. “You’re serious.”

  Darrogh did not bother answering. Humans were egotistical enough to believe that they were the only intelligent life form in the universe. It was a mistake. That was what had made them so vulnerable to the Albireons. Their presence on the planet was shrouded in secrecy and that would lead to the destruction of the human race.

  He stood and passed the photo in his hand to Savis. “Find the date on this one.”

  “It is not the only one showing them.”

  “The men dressed in black?” Peter put his tea down and went over to the computer.

  Darrogh watched as Savis brought up dozens of photos with the same men in them. There was no mistaking what he was looking at. Partlan, another Hunter, had recently escaped from the clutches of men dressed exactly like this.

  They were not human.

  They were Albireons in disguise.

  Darrogh pointed at one of the pictures. “Did you realize you were being followed?”

  Peter’s mouth had dropped open. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice them.”

  “They did not want to be seen.”

  Savis hit a button and another screen pulled up dozens of more photos. There was a man in each shot, always several hundred feet away from Tamsin. It was Henry Kingsley, Creighton’s assistant.

  “It cannot be a coincidence that he is frequently near Tamsin.” Darrogh fought to keep his voice normal. Anger that Henry Kingsley had been so close to Tamsin ripped through his body. He should have realized that Sir Robert’s assistant might be more involved than they had suspected.

  “These were taken before we came to London.” Savis’s voice was low. He looked up at Darrogh, “This past week he has not been near. We did not miss him.”

  “Good. Continue looking for patterns of people near her.” Darrogh exhaled through gritted teeth. “We need to do better in the future.”

  “I looked at these pictures every day and I didn’t notice.” Peter swatted Darrogh on the back. “From what I’ve seen, you guys are taking good care of her, especially last night.”

  Darrogh flinched at Peter’s words. It was a reminder of how he had failed to protect Tamsin. She had nearly died. They thought they had covered their tracks and now there were photos showing them at Saxby’s building.

  Those pictures had to be found and destroyed.

  “Last night did not happen.” Darrogh’s voice was serious.

  Peter took a step back and nodded. “Understood. I already sent those photos off. What happens to them is out of my hands.”

  “We will need to trap your client.” Darrogh crossed his arms. “He is a threat to Tamsin’s safety.”

  “You’re the boss.” Peter shook his head. “I don’t know how you plan on doing that, though.”

  “You will leave him a message that you need to meet.”

  Peter shrugged. “That might work. Then what?”

  “Once we know who he is, we will take care of him.”

  Peter frowned as he looked at each of the men. “I hope you don’t plan to kill him.”

  Darrogh shook his head. “He will only die if he threatens us.”

  “He might be angry that I’ve trapped him. What if he comes after me?”

  “We will protect you.”

  “That won’t help if I’m dead.”

  “Are you refusing to meet him?” Darrogh held back his anger. “You agreed to do that for Tamsin.”

  “I agreed to help find the person. That doesn’t mean we need a face to face.” Peter ran a hand over his bald head. “Why don’t I leave a note for him and we’ll watch the mailbox to see who picks it up?”

  Darrogh considered Peter’s plan. It might work. They needed more than the person’s identity, though.

  “We have to meet with this person to ensure that they will not hurt Tamsin.”

  “We can set up a camera outside.” Peter suggested. “Once we have their face, we will be able to identify them.”

  “That will not tell us who opens the box.” Kerm’s voice was quiet. “We need a camera on the box itself.”

  Peter sank back in his chair. “I have small remote cameras. I could set one up inside the mailbox.”

  “He will see it when he reaches for your note.” Darrogh shook his head. “The camera has to be located where the box is visible.”

  “I could hide the camera on the underside of the checkout counter,” Peter suggested. “A remote signal will tell us who it is and then you can follow them.”

  Darrogh nodded.

  It was a good plan.

  “Copy those photos onto a memory stick and then erase them from Peter’s computer.”

  “Hey,” Peter objected. “Those are my livelihood.”

  “Tamsin is paying you a bonus for them. We can do as we wish.”

  Peter grimace. “I’ve nothing to show for all of my time.”

  “You have been paid by your client and by Tamsin.” Darrogh raised an eyebrow. “That is more than enough for an honorable man.”

  Peter sighed. “Why do you guys make so much sense? Just make sure you leave all the rest of the photos on the computer.”

  “I have done so.” Savis stood. “It is time to contact your client.”

  “Write him that you have something that needs to be handed to him in person.” Darrogh advised. “If we miss him at the mailbox, then we can catch him at your meeting.”

  Peter jotted down a message on a piece of paper then he shoved his arms into his overcoat. “You better know what you’re doing. The last thing I need is a bullet in my head.”

  The ride to the mailbox rental business was quick. It was close to Peter’s fla
t. When they had stopped the van, Savis pulled out a small button camera and handed it to Peter.

  “Attach this to the underside of the countertop.” He pointed to a paper cover on the bottom. “Take the paper off and it will stick to anything. Aim it at your box.”

  Peter grabbed the small device. “This isn’t the first time I’ve planted a hidden camera.”

  “It is the first time we are trusting you to do it.” Darrogh looked at Peter. “Savis will make certain that the feed is working. Do you have the message?”

  Peter patted his upper jacket pocket. “I’m ready.”

  Darrogh nodded. “Kerm will go in with you.”

  “Watch that he does not signal anyone.” Darrogh commanded Kerm through mind connect.

  When the two men had left the van, Darrogh turned to Savis. “Will this work?”

  “Yes.” Savis pointed to the monitor. “The camera is already transmitting.”

  “Good.” Darrogh leaned his head against the side of the vehicle. “I cannot believe that we missed Peter last night. I was responsible for keeping her safe, and now there are photos of us leaving Saxby’s building.”

  Savis cleared his throat. “Those pictures of you carrying Tamsin were telling. The team has suspected that you were affected by her for a while, but those shots show it clearly.”

  Darrogh was not surprised that his behavior was causing his fellow Hunters concern. He had been wrestling with his strange awareness and attraction to Tamsin for days now. Last night had been the turning point for him. He could no longer deny that she had a hold on him.

  “I have no wish to be pair bonded.” Darrogh did not hide his hesitancy. “I truly believe it is wrong for a Hunter to be with a woman.”

  “You are not the first to have this happen.” Savis’s voice was quiet. “Bonding is not meant to be a burden.”

  “It is for me.” Darrogh clenched his hands into fists. “I have spent my life on the front lines and in constant battle. What do I know about women?”

  “I do not believe any man understands women.” Savis punched a few strokes into the computer. “Part of the bonding is learning to appreciate each other.”

  “You think I should accept this?”