The Wanted

by Rory Miles

  “Wow.”

  Corban’s arm came around my shoulder. “I knew you’d like it. Almost dying was totally worth it.”

  I snickered. “You’re crazy if you think I’m climbing down this tree in the dark.”

  A devilish smile crawled over his face. “I brought some blankets.”

  “Rather presumptuous of you.”

  He shrugged. “I’m a planner. I thought it would be nice to spend the night if we were enjoying ourselves.” He unwrapped a plate with crackers, cheese and meat, then unwrapped the other one with fruits.

  I popped a grape into my mouth, smiling as I gazed over the forest.

  “I’m not going down until I see the sunrise, because once I get down, I’m never coming back up.”

  He laughed, resting back on an elbow. “Fair enough.”

  We ate without talking, just enjoying the scenery and each other’s company. When the sun fell below the horizon, the stars came out to play, shining and winking at us from high above. Corban grabbed some pillows and we lay down, gazing at the stars. He laced his fingers through mine.

  I turned my head to look at him. “Thanks for making me come up here.”

  He smiled. “You’re welcome.” His head rolled back so he could continue staring at the sky.

  The lack of conversation might have bothered some women, but I enjoyed the silence. Somehow, being able to just relax in his presence made me feel closer to him. Like we’d passed through all the normal bullshit of getting to know one another and were at the point of just being together.

  When we were ready for bed, he set up a blanket in the center of the platform. The little railings on the side should have been enough to prevent someone from rolling off, but I wasn’t about to chance it. Snuggling down in the safety of his arms, I fell asleep without worrying about the height.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  More jobs than Flynn and I could handle alone suddenly flooded my door. Knock after knock revealed yet another mark. Flynn had taken most, but a few lesser-known bounty hunters made their way to my doorstep. After careful consideration, I gave an easy mark to a guy who was greener than the treetops of the forest.

  A woman showed up too, her septum piercing glinting in the sun.

  “Hey. Heard you need some help.” The way she smirked at me reminded me of Flynn. Mischievous brown eyes watched me, like she was seconds away from causing trouble. I liked her. With the right skills she’d be a great addition to the team.

  “Depends on what you can do.” My right hand rested on my hip as I looked her up and down. She kept her hair on the shorter side like me, but her part was straight down the middle rather than side-swept like mine, the front pieces of her bob coming to a sharp point. Her skin was olive where mine was pale and white. She looked strong, her arms and legs defined but not hard enough to look manly.

  “I’m formally training in defensive combat right now, but I’ve had my fair share of practice. My older brother used to let me come on jobs with him.”

  That was dangerous. She couldn’t be older than eighteen. Letting someone so young run around after dangerous marks wasn’t smart. Perhaps she wouldn’t be a good fit after all.

  “You might know him,” she continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “His name is Orval.”

  I dropped my hand from my hip and stepped closer to her, grabbing her chin and tilting her head back and forth.

  Shit. She was a lot smaller than her mountain of a brother but she looked enough like him to give her story credit. She smacked my hand away, making me smile.

  “Space is kind of important to me.” Her fingers ran through her hair, revealing small gauges in the shape of daggers stabbed through her ears. Or rather, it looked like it’d been stabbed through her ears. But if I knew Orval, he’d helped her stretch out her ear holes so she could prance around wearing those. Those earrings marked her as family. Orval had a much larger set of daggers. Any criminal or bounty hunter who knew anything about anyone would know who she was, or at least who Orval was.

  Orval was one of the best bounty hunters across all sectors. His tracking and magic skills were second to none, and I’d had the misfortune of running the same job as him a time or two. Let’s just say I didn’t get the mark on those jobs. Even Lumi couldn’t help me beat him. Not that I tried; I’d heard plenty of stories before I met him. I had backed away slowly and high-tailed it out of there, leaving the mark to him.

  “Why are you coming to me?” I laughed in disbelief, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorjamb. Orval could help her find all the jobs she could handle.

  She sighed, pouting her lip like a petulant child. “Orv won’t let me do them alone. He says it’s too dangerous.”

  My forehead wrinkled as I raised my eyebrows. “But he took you on jobs?” Orval rarely took a mark that wasn’t a violent criminal.

  Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.

  A groan left my mouth. If I gave her a job, I ran the risk of Orval paying me a visit. If she went with him to hunt marks, she was probably just as qualified as Flynn or me.

  “Hold on.” I shut the door on her face, racing to the kitchen where Erik was eating an apple. “You. Come here.”

  His eyes lit up for all the wrong reasons. I tried not to laugh, hoping she wouldn’t whoop his ass. When I led him to the door his eyes clouded with confusion.

  “Erik, meet—”

  “Red,” she supplied when I glanced at her.

  “Hi?”

  “You two, follow me.” I didn’t glance back to make sure they followed as I headed to the path between the yard and the forest. When we got to a little clearing I turned, gesturing for them to stand across from each other. Erik gave me an amused look.

  “Red, hit him.”

  Not missing a beat, she grinned and raised her hand.

  “What?” Erik squeaked, throwing up a shield seconds before Red’s thread of sleep magic hit him.

  She didn’t relent, using debilitate next. Her red X of power—desert magic and further proof she and Orval were related—dissolved the shield. They engaged in a fierce battle, his ruination sword, forged with his brown magic, clashing with hers. Their powers were equal; only his superior physical strength made her retreat, ducking under his sword and kicking at the back of his knees. Erik growled, spinning to face her.

  “Goddess, Winter. Did I forget to clean out the washbasin again? Whatever I did, I’m sorry!” Erik yelled at me, countering another attack by Red with one of his own. Surprisingly he finally hit her with a fainting spell. Her body thudded to the ground, making me wince.

  “What the hell?” Erik shouted, coming over to shake me by my arms.

  Laughter bubbled out of me. He looked at me like I’d gone mad.

  “You did fine.”

  “That’s not the point. Why did you have her attack me? I’ve been good!”

  “I’m sorry! I had to see if she could hold her own.” I glanced down at Red, who groaned as she shifted onto her arms and glared at me.

  “Well?” she demanded.

  I bit back a smile. “I have a job for you but if your brother comes looking for me, you and I will have words.”

  She stood, picking twigs and leaves out of her hair. Erik watched her, shoulders tense and ready for a fight. I pursed my lips, hoping he wouldn’t make me work too hard for his forgiveness. Two things were learned today: 1) Red held her own, and 2) so did Erik. Red’s brother accounted for her skills, but why Erik could fight the way he did remained a mystery. One I planned on finding out very soon.

  After she left, I turned to Erik.

  “Let me change and take you to get muffins and coffee.”

  He followed me toward the house. “Muffins? That isn’t going to make up for what just happened.”

  “Muffins and coffee.” I shot him a wink over my shoulder, using my hip to help push the door open.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, promising revenge, before they flicked down my body. Part of me wondered if I should be worried. The o
ther part couldn’t wait to see what he did, him seeking retribution becoming a strange sort of foreplay. Noticing my smile, Erik growled and made to grab me. I squeaked, running into the living room and crashing into Bron’s solid chest. His arms slid around my waist to pull me close.

  “What are you doing?”

  Erik laughed, holding up his hands. “Nothing she didn’t start.”

  I turned in Bron’s arms, the back of my body pressing into his front.

  “You didn’t enjoy it?” I asked around a smile.

  “Oh yeah. I love getting my ass kicked by someone I don’t know because my girlfriend told her to. Real fun.”

  Girlfriend? I liked the sound of that. My smile widened even further and my cheeks started to ache from all the goofy grinning I was doing. One simple label and here I was beaming like an idiot.

  “See? I knew you could handle it.”

  Bron cleared his throat. Always serious, that one.

  “What are you talking about?”

  I tilted my head back. “In short? I had Red kick Erik’s ass.”

  He furrowed his brow. “Who is Red and why?”

  “My new employee, and to see if she had what it takes to join my team.” It really wasn’t as complicated as they were making it seem. “Now, unhand me. I owe him muffins and coffee.”

  Bron gripped my chin, tilting it up and dropping his mouth onto mine. My hand came up to rest on his cheek, kissing him back just as fiercely despite the awkward angle.

  “Don’t get into trouble.” He whispered the words against my lips.

  My mouth curved. I wouldn’t actively try to find trouble, but it did have a strange affinity for finding me.

  “Two Berry Berry Muffins and two coffees.”

  Sammie handed over the goods. Ezme didn’t work today. If she had, I wouldn’t have brought Erik here. We found a table for two near a shady tree. As an open space bakery, all the tables sat on the forest floor. Only a few wooden posts marked the outline of the bakery, giving passersby enough indication to move over.

  Erik made a delighted noise when he bit into the muffin, closing his eyes and scrunching his face. “Goddess, that’s good.”

  “Don’t I know it?” My muffin disappeared moments later, finding a new home in my stomach. A cozy, happy place. Coffee and muffins were always the perfect way to start the morning.

  “Sorry about earlier. I needed someone who could wield magic to fight her.”

  “It’s fine, just give me some warning next time.”

  “Okay,” I conceded. “So,” I began while Erik finished eating. “Tell me about how you met the others.”

  He shook his head at me while he chewed. “You don’t forget, do you?”

  “Nope.” The ‘p’ popped and I smiled. “Please?”

  After an annoyingly long sip of coffee, he sighed. “All right. I’ll tell you some.”

  He gave me a warning look, letting me know I was pushing boundaries.

  “Sloan and Shawn lived with their parents in the cottage. After they were born, Mom couldn’t have any more kids. She and Dad adopted me as a baby when the twins were two. Noah and Corban were our friends growing up. They gained a permanent place in our family when their parents died. Noah’s died a week after Corban’s.” His voice didn’t hold any emotion. I swallowed my sympathy, knowing if he sensed it, he would end story time.

  “Kace and Bron . . . Well. They had it rough. Bron’s mother was an alcoholic prone to violence, and Kace’s stepfather never liked him. One day they never went back and nobody seemed to care. Mom and Dad welcomed them even though we’d long outgrown the space.” He paused, glancing away from me.

  I took a drink of my coffee, letting him continue when he was ready.

  “Dad worked two jobs one summer, saving up enough money to commission that giant bed for us. I never understood why he didn’t get seven cots made; the twins and I hated sharing a bed when we were younger. It probably seems strange to you, most of us sleeping in that bed. When Mom and Dad passed, we couldn’t get rid of it or the cottage. Somehow it feels like keeping the bed keeps their memory alive. Every time I wake up next to my brothers, I feel their love.”

  I smiled, trying to hide the longing in my eyes. I’d never again sleep in my childhood bed. Never be in the house where my mother had sung to me, or read me stories. Held me when I cried as a little kid. All those memories were tarnished by her rejection. She loved me before everything happened. Why hadn’t she still loved me as a latent? It wasn’t like being latent was contagious. Did she really care so much about what other people thought of our family?

  “That sounds nice,” I finally said, twisting my coffee cup on the tabletop. “Having such a strong connection to them still.”

  He dipped his head, smiling. “It is.” His voice grew thick with emotion.

  “Tell me about your job.”

  I guess the change of subject erased any sadness he’d been feeling because he sighed in frustration.

  “I can’t tell you any of that.”

  I clamped my lips together in annoyance. No more story time. A flash of brunette hair caught my attention. Ezme was walking toward the inn, lost in thought.

  “Stay here.” I said, not so much a request but a command. Slipping out of the bakery area and into the crowd, I hurried to catch up. I bumped into her when she wasn’t looking.

  “Sorry!” I shouted, making my voice higher than necessary.

  Recognition flickered in her eyes. Her brow shot up.

  “Are you following me?”

  I let out a strangled laugh, hoping it sounded more nervous than deranged.

  “Oh goodness. No. I’m just going home.”

  “Hmm.” She looked me up and down, trying to figure me out.

  I widened my eyes and quirked my lips, going for harmless. “We must be on the same schedule.”

  “Well, I really am tired of getting knocked around.” Her nose wrinkled, as though I’d greatly offended her.

  Not really sure how to respond to that without telling her she hadn’t seen nothing yet, I ducked my head and hurried away, hoping my quick escape passed for embarrassment. I heard her huff out a breath but I didn’t look back. My next move would need to be different. Otherwise she’d spook.

  “Who was that?”

  I yelped, cursing at Erik when he fell in step with me. Rule number one: Always be prepared.

  “No one.”

  “Hm. Okay, if you say so.”

  There was no reason to keep the truth from him. “She’s a mark.”

  “Why didn’t you take her?”

  “I’m trying to figure out her story.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because the bounty didn’t make sense.”

  “Oh.” He paused. “So you are figuring it out now?”

  I let out a sigh. “I’m trying to.” Still, I hadn’t learned much. I sure as shit didn’t know why Flynn was still waiting around. Why hadn’t he brought her in? Something just wasn’t adding up.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  A week later I still didn’t have any answers. Flynn had been suspiciously MIA, giving Red the opportunity to take more jobs. She had done remarkably well, almost as good as Flynn, in fact. She wasn’t quite as fast as he was, though. Still, Forest City Bounty had had no incidents since the first mishap, giving me hope for the future. If we continued to deliver marks without issues, maybe we could get funding to build our own office.

  I pulled on my new blouse, a dark red silk tank top with a V-neck, and shimmied into a clean pair of my nicer dark black shorts. Black flats completed the look for my dinner date with Sloan. I fixed the piece of hair that got messed up when I put the shirt on, smoothing the swoop of bangs that covered part of my right eye.

  Walking out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, I spotted Erik, Noah, and Corban. Why were they still here? We’d arranged to have the cottage to ourselves for the dinner Sloan wanted to cook me.

  “This is ridiculous.” I stood, arms cro
ssed, frowning at the four of them sitting around the kitchen table. They were all dressed up and ready for the date. My date with Sloan.

  “Oh, don’t be so worried. It’ll be fine.” Sloan winked at me, coming up to kiss my cheek. His hand grasped my hip as he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Play nice and I’ll reward you.”

  His breath teased the hairs on my neck. Shivers rippled down my spine. He grinned down at me.

  I pouted. “I’m not sharing the food.”

  Erik laughed. “Don’t worry, we won’t make you share that part.”

  “What?” I asked.

  He smiled but didn’t answer the question.

  Sloan cleared his throat, tugging on the collar of his button-up shirt.

  “I made enough for everyone.”

  My eyebrows nearly hit my hairline. Had he planned on them joining? They’d been open to the idea of me dating each of them until I made a decision, but a joint date? That was another level of complicated I wasn’t ready to manage.

  Corban patted the seat next to him. “Come sit down.”

  I shuffled over, pulling out the chair and sitting down. Noah sat across from me with Erik on his right. Sloan carried over plates piled high with food. Fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, baked carrots, and homemade gravy. My mouth watered. It wasn’t a delicacy but I’d take Sloan’s fried chicken over fancy food any day.

  I heard chuckling mid-bite. I looked up, noting that they were all watching me. I stuffed the fork full of carrots in my mouth, narrowing my eyes at them.

  “What?” I asked when I’d finished chewing.

  “You’re beautiful,” Noah said, eyes crinkling.

  Corban and Erik hummed in agreement.

  I sat back in my chair. “Why are you guys being so weird?”

  “Does it make you uncomfortable when we compliment you?” Corban asked, tilting his head. His blue eyes searched mine.