Rising Bounty

by K. D. Jones

  “On my way.”

  Shy came on the line. “Heads up you’ve got company.”

  Two large men came stumbling out of the bar. They looked at the woman on the ground and then at Abe. “Hey, what are you doing to that woman?”

  “It’s okay, my girlfriend here had too much to drink.” He tried to get the woman to stand up but she caught sight of her only chance of escape.

  “Help, he’s hurting me!” she called out.

  “Blimey!” Abe released the woman just in time to block one of the men as they rushed him. They blocked him in and began swinging at him. He kicked out and got one of them in the knee, making him buckle down, all the while holding onto the other handcuff. Where the hell was Isaac?

  The woman rolled under his knees making him lose his balance and fall. The man still standing kicked him in the face.

  “Bloody hell!” The woman was using her other hand to try to get the release button to the cuffs from his belt. She bit his hand when he tried to shove her away.

  He was preparing for another hit from the man standing over him but the guy’s face suddenly displayed a strange expression before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell sideways onto the ground.

  “You couldn’t wait for me before you had all the fun?” Shy asked, tucking her stun gun back into the inner pocket of her leather jacket. He got an eyeful of her sexy, skin-tight t-shirt before she zipped up the jacket. Shy was a gorgeous blonde, sex on heels, and the best distraction the bounty hunters had. She could also stir up trouble quicker than anyone could blink. Add to the mix that she was deadly with a knife or a gun. Shy was a walking violation in tight leather and heels, but she was also smart. She played it down to her advantage but he caught glimpses of just how intelligent she was here and there when they were trying to find a perp and she narrowed down their possible hideouts. Whether she knew it or not, she was an invaluable part of their team.

  “What took ye so long to get out here?”

  Shy shrugged her shoulders. “I had to get rid of three men who wanted to buy me a drink and take me out back for a—good time.”

  As expected, Shy couldn’t go anywhere without causing men around her to clamor for her attention. Unfortunately for them, she never actually wanted their attention. Shy knew how to use her sex appeal to get in and out of sticky situations but more often than not her sex appeal caused even more problems.

  He stood up and dragged the handcuffed woman with him. “Turn around,” he ordered the woman.

  She reluctantly did and he was finally able to put the second cuff on her other wrist. At that moment, Isaac pulled up with the black van they were using. The side doors slid open automatically.

  “Where the hell have ye been?” Abe demanded.

  “Sorry, I had to wait until Shy was out of the bar so I could access the electronic door locks to keep anyone else from coming out and helping the guys who were beating you up.”

  Abe snorted. “Let’s get her loaded up and then get the hell out of here.” He pushed the woman into the van and Shy followed her in. She sat across from the woman. He shut the door behind them.

  He climbed into the passenger’s side and closed the door. Abe shook his hand and rubbed the mark where the woman had bit him.

  “Did she bite you? Kinky,” Isaac remarked. He chuckled when Abe growled at him.

  “Shut ye yap and drive.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Abe leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He just needed a few hours of sleep, just a few. His phone rang. Groaning, he answered it.

  “What?”

  “Did you get the bail jumper?” his boss Vic asked.

  “Yes, we’re on our way to the local authority to drop her off.”

  “Good, could you bring your team by Lexi’s nightclub on your way back?”

  “Why, what’s up?” He really didn’t feel like going to the club, plus it was after hours so no beer would be available.

  “The club was broken into and I wanted Isaac to go over the security feed and have extra hands here to help me check over the place.”

  “Sure, we’ll be there as soon as we drop the woman off.” He hung up and looked at his team. “Vic needs us to go to Lexi’s club when we are done with her.”

  The woman pleaded her case. “Please, let me go. I’m innocent.”

  Abe snorted. “Aye, right. Let me guess, someone else did it, not ye.”

  Shy winked. “I bet someone set you up.”

  Isaac joined in. “We’ve got the wrong person, right?”

  “Assholes!” The perp swore at them as they laughed at her.

  Abe closed his eyes again when he heard the perp swear at them. She was a liar, like so many he had met before. This perp lied when she was caught smuggling drugs onto the planet. She lied to the judge about where she got her supply; she lied about just about everything on her bail bond application except for the color of her eyes. Some people lived on their lies. If there was one thing that Abe Connor hated, it was a liar.

  Funny enough, the first person who had ever lied to him was his own grandmother. His mother had been a troublesome human teenager from New Earth, who had gotten pregnant with a bazinoid baby. She wasn’t ready for motherhood, especially one that advanced so quickly because of his alien DNA. His mother had abandoned him dumping him on his human grandmother as soon as he had been born.

  His grandmother, Bridget, had been a force to be reckoned with. She came from old Earth’s Scotland. She didn’t hesitate to take him in and care for him and love him the best she could the first ten years of his life, but she didn’t know much about Bazinoids. The older he got, the more his characteristic alien traits developed — temper, size, aggression. To help control his rapidly changing demeanor, she reached out to a couple from the planet Bazin and asked them to foster him.

  He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but she told him that he could possibly get to meet his father if he went with the couple. It was a lie; she had no idea who his father was or how to get in contact with him. He knew right away it was a lie; something about his Bazinoid DNA helped him hear the truth or the lie. He loved his grandmother, but he couldn’t understand why she wanted him to live with strangers. As a young boy already abandoned by his birth mother, he felt like his grandmother was abandoning him too. She visited him several times a year when she had the money.

  His grandmother hadn’t been the last person to lie to him, but she was the only person he had ever forgiven for it. When he was a troublesome twelve year old, he overheard his foster parents talking about sending him back. That’s when he discovered that his grandmother had become sick with cancer. She petitioned the Bazin government to find him a foster home. She was worried that she would die and he wouldn’t have anyone to care for him.

  His attitude changed after that. He understood that his grandmother loved him enough to send him away to be protected.

  Once he turned fourteen, he got a part-time job and used his own money to pay for her visits until she was too sick to travel. By the age of sixteen, he was considered an adult on Bazin. Using his own money, he moved back to old Earth to be closer to where his grandmother was and took another job to help take care of her. He was glad that he had forgiven her before she breathed her last breath. Grams Bridgett had been one of a kind and he missed her every day..

  Chapter 3

  Roxanne wrapped her arms around herself to try to keep from shaking. When the alarm for the nightclub went off, it freaked her out out. She had panicked until she realized it was the club’s alarms. She reached for her phone and called the club’s owner, Lexi.

  Lexi would have to be the one to deal with the authority; she couldn’t talk to the police and risk that they discover her real identity. She woke up her mother and daughter and headed for a hotel. A few hours later, Lexi called her once the authorities were done investigating the premises and told her it was safe to return.

  Now she stood behind the bar with her pen and pad, taking inventory. “This
doesn’t make any sense.” She shook her head, confused.

  “What’s that, beautiful?”

  She jumped in surprise at the male voice so close to her, too close. She turned around and glared up at the sexiest man she had ever seen. Her eyes couldn’t help but go straight to the kilt he was wearing. His strong muscular legs peeked out. She licked her lips. Who knew she had a thing for men’s legs.

  “Eyes up here, lass.” Abe smiled at her and winked.

  She blinked, looking up at him in embarrassment for having been caught ogling him. “What are you doing here?”

  Abe leaned his hip against the bar counter crossing his ankles and folding his arms across his chest. “Vic called some of us in to help look for clues to who broke into the club.”

  “Shouldn’t that be the authority’s job?” She hated how small she felt next to him. It wasn’t his fault; he was just tall and muscular while she was short and petite. She had some curves and was pretty even with the dyed black hair she had. Men and even some women often hit her on but she always turned them down. She just didn’t see how she could allow someone else into her life who could possibly jeopardize her daughter’s safety.

  Lexi knew enough about her past that it put her in danger of getting in trouble with the authority for aiding Roxanne. Roxanne still kept her at a distance to protect everyone. It had to stay that way, or it would be time for her to move again. She didn’t want to do that to Cici, not now that she was finally settling into school and had friends for the first time. Cici deserved this chance to have a normal childhood.

  “The authority didn’t find anything. They’re useless to help. Vic knew we would be able to find out more. What did ye tell the authority when they questioned ye?”

  “I didn’t talk to the authority.” She looked away and bent down to pick up a bottle that had been broken. Other than a few broken bottles and tables turned on their sides, there really wasn’t much damage done to the club at all. Nothing was stolen either. The safe in the office was untouched.

  “Why didn’t the authority demand a statement from ye?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I wasn’t here when the authority came.”

  He reached for her arm, grabbed her, and pulled her to the office behind the bar. He closed the door. “Where were ye? Who were ye with? Did ye hear something?”

  “I don’t have to answer to you.” She pulled away from him circling around to the other side of the desk keeping it between them.

  “Ye do have to answer to me, since Vic asked me to help him investigate this break in. Where the hell were ye and why would ye leave your kid?”

  “I didn’t leave my child. I took her and my mother with me to a hotel.”

  “Why?”

  She shook her head. She couldn’t tell him the truth even though a part of her wanted to. He seemed to see through every untruth and she was sick of all the lies. All she wanted was to confide in someone she could trust. “We just wanted to get away for a night.”

  “Ye are lying to me. I hate when people lie to me.”

  “Tough. Get over it.” She started toward the door but he blocked her.

  “Did ye have anything to do with the break in? Is that why ye took yer family away so that ye all wouldn’t be witness to yer boyfriend coming and robbing the place?”

  “That’s ridiculous! I don’t even have a boyfriend and I would never steal from Lexi. She’s my best friend.”

  “Maybe yer boyfriend has a drug problem or gambling debts. People lie and steal for a lot of reasons.”

  “I—don’t—have—a—boyfriend!” She took a step closer and jabbed her finger in his chest.

  “Then why weren’t ye here in yer apartment during the break in?”

  “I was here!” Shit, she just admitted to being here.

  He raised his eyebrow at her. “Then ye left during the break in.”

  She sighed. “The alarm to the club went off. It took me off guard but once I realized what was happening, I called Lexi.”

  “You called Lexi instead of the authority. Then ye took your family to a hotel—why?

  “I didn’t steal from Lexi.”

  “It’s a moot point, lassie, nothing was found missing. However, moving to a hotel is very suspicious. Ye obviously don’t want to be confronted by the authority. If ye won’t tell me why, I’ll just have to find out for myself.” Abe turned and opened the door to the office to leave.

  “Shit.” She sank down on a nearby chair. What was she going to do about Abe? If he pressed this, he may force her to run again.

  *****

  Abe ran a hand through his hair with frustration. Damn woman was lying and he smelled the scent of her fear grow the more he pressed her for answers. He walked to the other side of the club and moved up the stairs that led to the second level where his boss Vic was standing on the landing watching everything. He paused to look over at Roxanne as she came out of the office. Her face held a worried expression. What was she hiding? His suspicion must have shown on his face.

  “Roxanne didn’t have anything to do with the break in,” Vic said as Abe reached the second level.

  “She’s hiding something.”

  “I know, I mean, I don’t know what she’s hiding but I do know she is hiding a past she doesn’t want to come to light.”

  Abe looked at his friend and boss. “What past?”

  “I don’t know. Lexi wouldn’t tell me everything. I noticed early on that things were off with Roxanne.”

  “Off how?”

  “She’s not on the payroll. Lexi pays her under the table. Also, I noticed that she dyes her hair.”

  “Dyeing hair isn’t suspicious.”

  “Not just her hair, but her daughter and her mother also dye their hair when I first met them and I’ve caught the mother calling Roxanne other names —Roseanne or Rosie.”

  “I’m going to look into it.” Abe made up his mind he wouldn’t let this go.

  “Abe—she didn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “Ye can’t ignore this, Vic. Whoever broke into the club didn’t take anything and the damage was only minor, like it was done to purposely throw people off. These people were looking for something or someone. That someone could be Roxanne. What if Lexi had walked in on whoever this was? She could have gotten hurt.”

  Vic growled. “Fine, but keep your investigation on a low profile. I don’t want Lexi to know what you’re up to or she will have my ass.”

  Abe snorted. “She already had your arse if the rumors around the office are true.”

  Vic swung around and punched him lightly. Vic could really hurt someone if he was in a full Decaros rage. Vic’s horns weren’t showing and smoke wasn’t coming from his head so Abe felt he was safe.

  “I’ll keep my investigation quiet,” Abe promised him.

  “Thanks.” Vic nodded his appreciation. “Come on, let’s see how Isaac is coming along with the security feed.”

  *****

  “Yes, sir, we did just like you said. We didn’t take anything but we broke things so that everyone would think it was vandalism.” A man with a baldhead sat on the end of his bed in the motel room, talking on the phone while his two friends sat and ate at the nearby table.

  “Did you see her at the Club, Wes?” Darryl Hadley asked over the phone.

  “No, we didn’t see her.”

  “Are you sure you have the right woman?”

  “Yes, sir, she dyed her hair black and it’s shorter, but it’s definitely her. We caught sight of her bartending a couple of weeks ago. Her schedule alternates but I know she works there.”

  “Did you see my daughter?”

  “No. We tried to follow your wife when she got off shift but she is good at losing us.”

  “She is,” Darryl admitted. His wife was giving his guys a run for their money. He would make her pay for that when he finally caught up to her. He had plans to punish her for running from him and for taking what belonged to him. When he was done with her, s
he would never run from him again. She’d be lucky to still be breathing.

  Chapter 4

  The next morning

  Abe followed Roxanne as she dropped off her little daughter at school. He had to admit, the kid was cute. She had the same eye color as her mother. Her eyes were soft and a pretty blue but with a touch of sadness to them. What could make a child that young look so sad? What had happened to her and to her mother to put that look of fear on their faces? They both looked like they were ready to bolt at the drop of a hat. He was determined to figure them out.

  Roxanne didn’t have transportation of her own so she always took public transportation. She stood there alone by the steps leading up to the school and waited until some teachers escorted her daughter into the building. She looked around the parking lot. What was she looking for? He kept his distance and made sure she couldn’t spot him. She was definitely checking the perimeter of the school. Thirty minutes later, after circling the block a couple of times, she seemed satisfied that the school was secure and went to the bus stop to wait for transportation.

  He followed her around town as she did errands. She bought discount clothes, groceries, and indulged in a cup of coffee from a vendor. None of that was strange but what he did find interesting was that each time she purchased something, she paid in cash. She never went to the post office or the bank.

  So many things just weren’t adding up. She had no car, which probably meant no license, got paid under the table and used cash instead of credit cards; it was like she didn’t want to leave a paper trail or a way for someone to track her. She was better at subterfuge than some of the assholes he chased, but she wasn’t completely flawless.

  As careful as she was, her biggest mistake was enrolling her daughter in a school. This one in particular required identification and background checks. How did she get past all the government-required paperwork? Once he asked for Isaac’s help, he would have their computer system hacked in a matter of minutes.

  Her other mistake was leaving anything lying around that would offer up fingerprints. He waited while she threw the coffee cup away before she climbed up on the next bus. He walked over to the trash receptacle and pulled the cup out bagging it. He could have done it at the bar, but she always wiped everything down that she touched. This specimen would have fewer fingerprints to filter through.