aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire)

by Clement, Cynthia

  “Thank you,” Fiona said in a shaky voice.

  Ardal suppressed the sudden urge to pull her close and kiss her. He inhaled a steadying breath and released her hands. This attraction was insanity. Never had he felt the smallest inclination to be close to a woman before.

  Before he could consider how to distance himself from Fiona, the truck lights outlined several vehicles in the center of the highway. Jehon slammed on the brakes and they came to a skidding stop. All senses were alerted to trouble before he saw the first of the leather-clad bikers.

  They had been ambushed.

  Chapter 10

  “Let us handle this.” Ardal’s voice seemed loud to her ears.

  “There’s too many.”

  Fiona couldn’t think past the number of gang members who were blocking the highway. There had to be thirty or more. There was no way that Ardal and his men could defeat them.

  “A Hunter has many talents.”

  Fiona’s eye widened as Jehon stomped on the accelerator. He revved the engine of the truck until it sounded like a hurricane and then he released the brake. The vehicle went skidding and spinning toward the bikes on the road.

  There was no mercy in his attack.

  He sent five bikers flying across the front of their vehicle. Their bodies hit hard. The echo of the men crashing against the truck’s metal reverberated in Fiona’s ears even as she felt their bodies slamming against the road. The ones that were wearing helmets might live, but not the others.

  Jehon broke through the barricade.

  He spun the truck around.

  Before the gang could react, he turned into a side road. He drove for several hundred feet and cranked the wheel so they faced the highway and then stopped. Ardal reached for a weapon from Firbin and opened the door.

  “Stay.”

  He spat his order even as he leveled his gun at the first of the bikers roaring into the enclosed space. Firbin threw a weapon at Jehon and jumped the seat to follow Ardal.

  Jehon grabbed his firearm and started out the door. “You will be safe,” he said before leaving the truck.

  How was that possible? In just a few seconds she’d seen more violence than she’d watched at the movies. To be fair, she only watched romantic comedies, but still, this was real life. These men were ruthless.

  The FD Warriors had regrouped and were racing toward Ardal. He stood in the middle of the lane, his weapon extended. He didn’t wait for the bikes to stop. He shot as they approached. His aim was deadly. One after another slumped on their machine and skidded off the road.

  He walked straight into the moving bikes, Firbin and Jehon bringing up each side. They were merciless in their precision. They had killed about twenty more of the bikers before the pile of bodies and machines prevented the others from rushing them. The remaining FDs got off their bikes and walked through their fallen comrades toward the Hunters.

  Ardal flexed his neck from side to side and stood with his legs apart, arms crossed over his chest, weapon in hand. His men were about ten feet away on either side, their stance mirroring their leader. They waited in silence until the remaining eight FDs stood in front of them.

  “Impressive.” The biker who’d accosted Fiona in the diner, kicked the bike of one of his fallen comrades. He pointed a gun at Ardal’s chest “We’re still going to kill you and take that sweet morsel of a female for our own.”

  “Walk away.” Ardal’s voice was a low growl.

  He laughed. “You must be crazy.”

  “No, we are Hunters true and right.” Ardal nodded to Jehon and Firbin.

  The leader laughed and then took a few steps back so that his men could move forward. “Kill them,” he yelled.

  Before the man in front of Ardal could pull his trigger, Ardal had grabbed his arm and wrenched it up and then backwards with a bone crunching snap. The man screamed his agony just as Ardal shot him twice in the heart and silenced him.

  The next Warrior rushed Ardal with a knife. He dodged the attack and then captured his opponent’s hand and twisted it behind his back. A second later the knife was sticking out of the biker’s back as he fell on the pile of dead.

  The last man shot his gun at Ardal, but missed. The bullet hit the truck and Fiona couldn’t stop her scream. Ardal looked back at her, his eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, before turning and killing the man with a shot to the forehead.

  Firbin and Jehon killed their opponents as easily as Ardal. All that remained was the leader. His eyes widened and he shook his head at his fallen comrades. He raised his gun with a shaky hand and then stumbled backwards. He ran to the highway where a tractor trailer truck had screeched to a stop near the bikes on the road.

  “He is mine.” Ardal threw back at Firbin and Jehon. “Gather the dead.”

  Fiona scrambled out of the truck. She couldn’t stay there a second longer. The horror of the deaths was bad enough, but the thought that Ardal would leave her alone, she couldn’t handle. Even dead, these monsters terrified her. She had to be with Ardal.

  She had to feel safe.

  Fiona caught up to Ardal at the highway.

  The lights from the semi illuminated the scene. Ardal was at the far side of the truck where the door was wide open. The leader of the FD Warriors was nowhere in sight. Neither was the driver of the transport. Fiona skidded to a stop. Her chest hurt and she bent to catch her breath.

  Cold metal pressed against the side of her head.

  Then her body was jerked upward.

  Rough arms encased her and pulled her close. She was forced to the truck. “Now who wins?” Fiona shivered with revulsion as the biker’s breath skimmed her ear.

  Ardal stepped from behind the side of the semi. The old trucker, George, was with him. The two men advanced a few steps until they were in front of the biker. Fiona forced herself to breath. She needed to be ready for whatever happened.

  “Only a coward stands behind a woman.” Ardal’s voice was scornful.

  “Who cares? I get to leave.”

  “She will not protect you.” Ardal wiped his bloody hands on his thighs.

  “You’re crazy, man.” The biker pulled her closer and waved his gun in Ardal’s direction.

  Ardal didn’t hesitate.

  He grabbed the hand holding the pistol and twisted it back until Fiona heard the cracking of bones. Then he plucked the weapon from the biker’s limp wrist. The man screamed his pain. Ardal’s jaw tensed as he yanked him away from her. She stumbled backward and was caught by George.

  Ardal picked the man up with one hand clasped around his throat and squeezed. The biker clawed at his hand; his frantic attempt to get loose useless. Ardal didn’t release him. The Warrior’s face turned blue and his eyes bulged as the life slowly ebbed from him.

  Fiona shut her eyes and put her hands to her ears to block out the sound of the man’s last breaths. She turned away, closing her eyes to the horror, but knowing it would never leave her. She’d replay the violence she’d seen for the rest of her life. She understood the need to kill the man, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

  Ardal threw the man’s body to the ground.

  He turned to Fiona. “It is done.”

  Fiona shook free of George and ran to him. Her hands fluttered over his arms and chest, as she checked for wounds. There were none. The blood was from the bikers. With a sigh of relief, she put her forehead on his chest.

  “You’re not hurt.”

  “Hunters do not fall easily.”

  Ardal soothed her back with his hand, sending warmth through her body. It eased the coldness that the violence had left inside her. No matter how much she’d abhorred what had happened here, he’d been protecting her. She’d been stupid and allowed herself to be caught.

  “It’s my fault that he’s dead.” Her words were little more than a whisper, but he looked down at her.

  “He threatened you. He was a coward and cruel.” Ardal tilted her chin so that she could look into his eyes. “He gave me no choice. He
caused his own death.”

  “If I’d stayed in the truck, he wouldn’t have caught me.”

  “I would still have hunted him until I killed him.” Ardal’s voice was emotionless. “I could not allow him to live.”

  “I don’t usually agree with killing, little lady, but that man wouldn’t have stopped.” George cleared his throat. “The world is a better place without him.”

  Fiona wished she believed that in her heart. Logically she knew they were right. There’d been no choice. It was either kill or be killed. Why did everything have to be so complicated, though? Life would be easier if there was only right and wrong.

  Ardal cleared his throat and eased away from her. “The man had no honor.”

  He pulled the biker’s body off the highway. He also pushed the fallen bikes to the edge. When the highway was cleared George returned to his truck. Ardal and Fiona followed him.

  “I wouldn’t stick around too long,” he said as he climbed up to the cab of his vehicle. “I came to warn you that a couple of people were talking about calling the police out. They were afraid what the FD Warriors would do.”

  “We leave immediately.”

  “You take care of that young lady.” George’s voice was gruff.

  “Always.”

  “I’ve never seen the likes of a fighter like you. That might get you into trouble one of these days.” George held out his hand. “If you ever need anything, just ask for old George at any of the stops along this run. I’ve been doing it for years.”

  “I will.” Ardal shook his hand and watched as the semi moved onto the highway.

  When the taillights had disappeared, Jehon and Firbin joined them. They all helped move the dead bodies and motorcycles to the side road and down to their truck where there was already a pile of bodies.

  “Light it.” Ardal’s voice broke the silence.

  Fiona glanced over her shoulder and saw the bodies set on fire. All evidence would be gone, but would she forget? The men didn’t seem to have the same concerns. They stood with arms crossed and watched the flames consume the bodies.

  It was over in a matter of minutes.

  The bikes were also put together and Firbin pulled a bottle of fluid from the box of the truck and spilled it over the metal. He threw a match on it and it sparked into flames. It burned with a bright white light that sizzled and spit until it extinguished itself along with evidence of the bikes.

  Daylight and closer scrutiny might show traces of melted metal, but someone would have to know where to look. This was probably how they’d disposed of the debris of their crash.

  Ardal gave a final inspection of the site and then nodded to Jehon. Firbin climbed into the back and Jehon started the vehicle. Ardal waited for Fiona to sit down before squeezing in beside her.

  They had only been driving a couple of minutes before the flashing lights of a patrol car shone through the windshield.

  “It’s the police.” Fiona’s heart started pounding.

  “What will they do to us?” Ardal kept his eyes focused on the vehicle moving toward them.

  “Nothing if we keep moving.” Fiona bit her lip. “We broke all the rules. I should have known better than to stop and eat.”

  “You were hungry.” Ardal gave her a brief smile. “We are the ones who made trouble.”

  “That’s sweet of you to take the blame, but it was the Warriors.” Fiona sighed. “If it wasn’t for me though, they wouldn’t have done anything.”

  The vehicle with flashing lights sped past them. Fiona turned around and watched it disappear in the night. There had to be something that could be done. To just sit and wait for the police to catch them seemed wrong. After all, they were the victims here.

  “You guys are supposed to be hunters on your planet, right?” She couldn’t believe she was going to ask this. “What do you do when you’re chased?”

  “Hide.”

  “Well I know that.” Fiona let out an exasperated breath. “How would you do it in this situation and would it be legal?”

  “Anything a Hunter does is legal.” Ardal straightened his shoulders. “A Hunter only acts when someone has broken the codes, or under the orders of the Kaladin.”

  “So no one questions what you do?” Well that explained the devil may care attitude toward killing someone. If no one came after them they could do whatever they wanted. “Do you ever have a situation that isn’t so easy?”

  “Frequently.” Ardal gave her a hard stare. “Hunters are used when things go wrong. We make situations right. We make things disappear.”

  “Really?” Fiona’s voice sounded like a squeak. These guys sounded like CIA Black Ops or something. “How does something disappear?”

  “You erase all traces of it.” Ardal’s voice sounded bored. “It is what we are trained for. We hunt what is lost or hidden, and we make what is a problem disappear. The disappearance of the bikers was not one of our best efforts.”

  “They took us by surprise.”

  “That is not the reason.” Ardal spoke without emotion. “We were rushed and being chased by the authorities. Our disposal of the bikes was sloppy. On Cygnus our carelessness would not have been tolerated.”

  Fiona’s heart was starting to beat rapidly. Just who the hell had crashed on her property? These guys sounded like someone’s worse nightmare. And yet they had protected her. They seemed to have a code they followed and rules were important to them.

  Their rules didn’t mesh with the laws on earth, though.

  It would only take the police a short time to figure out they’d passed them or the FD Warriors on their way to the diner. Soon there would be a lot more squad cars looking for them. Perhaps now was the time to take her therapist’s advice and risk believing in someone.

  She needed to trust Ardal.

  She took a deep breath. “What would you do in a situation where you were being hunted?”

  The muscles in Ardal’s jaw tightened. “Are you giving us permission to take action?”

  “That depends on whether it’s illegal.” Jail wasn’t her idea of a holiday.

  “We kill only when necessary.” Ardal spoke in a low voice. “I do not know what is criminal here.”

  “Fair enough.” She knew what happened in the next few minutes would change her life forever. Fate was rushing at her headlong and she was incapable of stopping it.

  “Please get us out of this mess.”

  “You will not hinder us?”

  Fiona started to shake her head and then stopped. “Tell me I won’t regret this.”

  “You will be safe.”

  “Not quite the same thing.” Fiona bit her lip and then nodded. “Do what you have to. I won’t interfere and I’ll try to help if possible.”

  Ardal nodded. “Jehon. Find a new vehicle.”

  Within minutes Jehon had pulled off onto a side road and parked the truck. “I will return shortly.”

  The darkness of the night enclosed them. Fiona opened her mouth to speak and Ardal put a finger over it. Her eyes opened wide and she looked over to see what the problem was, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was watching something in the darkness.

  Surely Hunters couldn’t see in the dark.

  Jehon took ten minutes to return. He tapped on the truck window and then started grabbing stuff from the back of the truck bed. Fiona jumped out of the vehicle and stretched her body. The tension of waiting had seeped into her muscles. Would anything in her life be normal again?

  Jehon was bent over the front of the truck and it took her few seconds to realize he was removing the license plates. How on earth had he figured they were a form of identification? She really hadn’t given these guys enough credit.

  She took her bag from Firbin and followed the men to a small widening in the road. An SUV was parked there. Within seconds, they were back on the highway. This time Fiona was sitting in the back with Firbin.

  They drove with the headlights off.

  “Can you guys see in the dark?” Fio
na held the edge of her seat. They were going at least two times the speed limit.

  “Our eyes have adapted.” Ardal looked back at her. “You seem frightened.”

  “I am.” The road was rushing by so fast that she was going to be sick. She shut her eyes. “You do realize that there are animals that sometimes cross the highway at night. If you hit something as big as a deer or a moose we could be killed.”

  “We can avoid it.” Ardal glanced out the window before turning to Jehon. “Look for a place to spend the night.”

  Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. “A hotel sounds wonderful.”

  “We won’t be staying inside.” Ardal gave her a brief smile. “We are evading capture. We will stay away from places that would be easy to locate. I am assuming these hotels are at the edge of the road?”

  “Yes.” Fiona crossed her arms and leaned back in the seat. There was no point in arguing. Comfort was something they wouldn’t understand.

  “Your authorities would probably search there first.”

  Fiona glanced out the window before shutting her eyes. “Wake me when we’re there.”

  The world whizzed by as sleep escaped her. The men must have thought she was napping because they were talking in their own language. It had a musical quality about it.

  About an hour later the vehicle turned off the road and started down what was little better than a cart track. The road jostled and bumped her around until she was bruised. They came to a stop after about five miles.

  Ardal stepped out and motioned for the rest to stay. He walked into the dense forest and disappeared.

  “Will we have to wait long?” Fiona couldn’t keep the panic from her voice. She hated the dark and the uncertainty of what was happening. Old fears were hard to put away. Even worse, she had anxiety about being separated from Ardal.

  “Ardal is the finest Hunter and leader of all. The Kaladin high council trusted him to protect them. Few Hunters were given such honors.” Jehon’s voice was a low whisper.

  “So he’s good?”

  “The truest.” Firbin’s voice held a note of reverence. “He is the only Hunter to fight the extinction orders. He brings honor with everything he does.”