aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) (7 page)

Then,
why did she feel so empty?

Seeing
him was as if the past years hadn’t happened. She longed to throw herself into
Catal’s
arms and let him take care of everything. It was
just a throwback to when she had been young and trusted in true love. She
wasn’t that person anymore.
Catal’s
betrayal had
forced her to grow up. That and finding out she was pregnant a month after
arriving in the United States.

There
was a sharp knock at her door and then it opened. Steve Walters came in and
slammed the door behind him. The dishes in her cupboard rattled and Selena
backed up a step.

“How
dare you bring criminals into my home?” Steve’s hair was disheveled and he
looked as if he’d spent a sleepless night too.

Selena’s
heart raced at the thunderous expression on his face. “I asked for help.”

“From
known criminals and mercenaries?” Steve’s nostril’s flared. “Why didn’t you
just ask one of the gangs from south LA for help? You would have got a better
response.”

Out
of the corner of her eye she saw
Firbin
stand. “These
guys will find the boys.”

“The
FBI have it under control.” Steve took a step toward her. “I want to know how
long you planned on hiding your background from
us?
”

“My
past life has nothing to do with the kidnapping.” Selena took a deep breath. “I
left that behind years ago.”

“Don’t
you think it was something you should have told Nikki before you accepted the
job?”

Selena
held Steve’s gaze. “Nikki knew that I had a past I was running away from when
she hired me.”

Steve
shook his head. “I told her at the time that she couldn’t just pick a nanny up
off the street, but she defended you.”

“I’ve
done nothing wrong.”

“What
about this criminal brother of yours?” Steve’s voice rose. “The FBI seem to
think he might be involved.”

“Juan
doesn’t know where I am.” Selena fought back the pain of leaving her brother.
He had been more of a father to her until his need for vengeance had taken
control of him. “I haven’t spoken to him in years.”

“But
you know where he is.”

Selena
shrugged. “I’ve heard rumors. Believe me, he’s not involved in this.”

“Why
should I trust you?” Steve leaned close. “You put on this goody
goody
act, but all the time you’re nothing but a piece of
trash that Nikki picked up on the street. Just having you in the house has put
Gates life at risk. I should kill you for that.”

Firbin
reacted with a speed that took Selena’s breath away. She’d forgotten how
quickly a Hunter could move.
Firbin
held Steve
against the wall by the throat.

“I
will kill you for disrespecting a woman.”

Steve
struggled, clawing at
Firbin’s
fingers.

Firbin
tightened his hold.

Selena
grabbed
Firbin’s
arm. “Put him down. He is angry.
Steve would never hurt a fly.”

Firbin
looked over at her. “You are
Catal’s
pair bond. I
will protect you with my life.”

Selena
swallowed the lump in her throat. Would
Firbin
still
protect her if he knew how she felt about Catal? She doubted it.

“Put
him down.”

Firbin
released Steve. He fell to the floor in a slump. He glared up at her as he
rubbed his neck.

“These
men are beasts.”

“We
are warriors.”
Firbin
took a step back. “We do not
allow women to be disrespected. It goes against the code we live by.”

“So
you just kill anyone who violates your code?” Steve’s voice was sarcastic as he
stood.

“Yes.”
Firbin
crossed his arms. “If you wish to speak to
Selena, then do so in a civil voice.”

“She
put my son at risk by being in my house.” Steve pushed away from the wall.
“Isn’t there a rule about that in your code?”

“She
did not harm your son.”

“She
knows people who could.”

“That’s
unfair,” Selena protested. “My son was taken too. All I want is for them both
to be found. You know I love Gates too.”

“Then
you should never have accepted Nikki’s offer to be his nanny.” Steve rubbed his
throat.

Selena
shook her head. “I’ve been a good nanny to him.”

“You
pretended.” Steve went to the door. “Just like you faked being such a good
person, insisting you didn’t want a man in your life. That was all for show.”

“You
mean because I refused your advances?” Selena’s voice was low. “Nikki is my
friend. How could you even think I would sleep with you?”

“The
offer no longer stands.” Steve sneered. “I wouldn’t touch you now that I know
your background.”

“I
didn’t ask.” A shiver of revulsion skittered across Selena’s back. “You should
be with your wife, not harassing me.”

“You
just better be certain you’re not the reason Gates was taken.” Steve opened the
door. “I’ll have the courts throw you so deep into jail that you’ll never see
the light of day.”

Steve
slammed the door shut behind him. Selena blinked back her tears and rubbed her
arms. How could he even suspect her of being a part of the kidnapping?

“The
man has no honor.”
Firbin’s
deep voice spoke from
beside her. “How did you come to live in such a house?”

“I
had no job and a baby on the way.” Selena sighed and sat. “When I ran into
Nikki at the park, it was heaven sent.”

“Nikki
hired you as a nanny right away?”

“She
had a big acting job and a new baby.” Selena shrugged. “She was desperate.”

Firbin
nodded. “This is how humans find work.”

Selena
frowned. “Not usually. We talked for a couple of hours. I loved Gates on sight
and I had nowhere to go. She offered me a job and a home.”

“You
have been here many years. They do not treat you right.”
Firbin’s
voice was stern. “There is no trust or honor.”

“I
had nothing to do with the kidnapping. I would never hurt Gates or my son.”
Selena fought back her tears. “I just want the boys found.”

“You
are wasting energy.”
Firbin’s
voice was firm. “Catal
and the others are dealing with it now.”

“I
can’t rest until
Tarrin
is back with me.” Selena’s
voice cracked. What did this man know about her fears?

“We
will find the boys.”
Firbin
nodded. “Catal is very
familiar with the ways of your world. He will find them.”

Selena
frowned at
Firbin’s
choice of words. “You mean he
knows about Hollywood and the stars?”

“I
mean Earth. You are his pair bond. You know how difficult
Catal’s
life on this world has been. It has made him strong.”
Firbin
grinned. “He is very good at getting information and working outside of your
laws. He has helped us since the beginning.”

Selena’s
breath caught in her throat. How long had Catal been with these men? They
looked like the other Hunters who’d been in
Catal’s
unit in Columbia, but they didn’t sound the same.

“By
beginning I take it that means when you met. When was that?”

“About
eight months ago.”
Firbin’s
voice turned serious. “We
were destined for execution and instead, our leader,
Ardal
ordered us to fight. We killed our captors.”

It
figured that these guys would get caught sooner or later. You couldn’t go
through life as a hired soldier and not upset some government along the way.
Selena shivered with remembered fear. She’d always worried about the life of
danger Catal lived.

“And
Catal found you?” Selena hoped he hadn’t help with the killings, but she knew
that wasn’t likely. Death followed mercenaries.

Firbin
shook his head. “Not right away. He and his unit found us after we crashed on
your planet.”

“An
airplane crash?”

Firbin
grinned. “No.”

“I
see. So Catal helped you?” Selena forced her voice to stay calm.
Firbin
couldn’t be serious about crashing on Earth. They’d
talked earlier about being from another planet, but that was a joke. It had to
be a misunderstanding. Even if
Firbin
thought he
wasn’t from Earth, she knew Catal was human. She’d made love to the man, and
aside from being very large, he was human.

“He
was one of the older Hunters who saved us.”
Firbin
walked into the small kitchenette. “Coffee? It is one of the great pleasure of
this planet.”

Selena
shook her head. “How did Catal help you?”

“They
rescued our leader from the government agents who wanted to kill him. After
that Catal stayed with us, helping us create new identities and lives. He is
very knowledgeable.”

“Why
would he do that?” Selena couldn’t keep the confusion from her voice. This
didn’t sound like the man her brother claimed deceived them. Juan had insisted
that someone had made a higher offer for
Catal’s
services. He had betrayed Juan and slaughtered everyone.

Firbin’s
eyes widened. “Hunters help each other.”

“So
you just announced that you were part of his organization and they accepted
that?” Selena frowned. “There had to be some other reason.”

“He
is one of the brotherhood. Even though he crashed landed on this planet when he
was ten, he is still one of us.”
Firbin
turned back
to the coffeemaker. “His training was interrupted, but he learned many excellent
skills surviving on Earth.”

Selena’s
legs felt weak. She sat on a nearby chair and put her arms on the table. “So
Catal is from the same place as you. That means you knew him before you came
here.”

“No.
He is clan
Saidir
and older than me.”

“Did
you all grow up in the same town?” Selena’s head started to spin and she
gripped the edge of the table to stay upright.

“All
Hunters are trained on
Beligia
which is an outer moon
of Cygnus.”

“And
that place isn’t on Earth.” Selena forced back her hysteria.

Firbin
swung around. His eyes scanned over her face. “You did not know.” It was a
statement, not a question.

“He
forgot to mention that detail.”

“He
said you were his pair bond.”
Firbin
sat beside her
and took her hands in his. “I assumed you would know this about him.”

Selena
shook her head. “He never told me anything about himself or his true mission
when he was fighting in Columbia. He pretended to be working with us, but all
along he was our enemy.”

“I
do not know what his assignment was.”
Firbin’s
eyes
narrowed. “I do know he would not do anything dishonorable.”

“How
can you be certain?” Selena’s voice was low. “You didn’t know him then.”

“He
may have been a mercenary, but he still had honor. He would not have been
disloyal to those who hired him.”

“What
if the people who really hired him were a government agency that wanted to
destroy my brother and other paramilitary groups?”

Firbin
looked at her for several seconds and then shrugged. “This is something you
need to ask him. Catal acts with honor now and I know he would never betray his
pair bond. No Hunter would.”

At
that moment Selena heard a buzzing noise. It seemed to be coming from
Firbin
. He reached up and hit what looked like a mini
blue-tooth communicator on his ear. He frowned and then hit it again.

“The
FBI have news.” He stood and walked to the door. “You can stay or come with
me.”

“It’s
about my son.” Selena pushed the chair away. “I want to know what is
happening.”

Firbin
moved to the front of the house, but kept Selena behind him. When they reached
the room where Nikki and Steve were, there was a cluster of agents already
there.
Firbin
let Selena move to the front of the
crowd, but he kept her within arm’s reach.

Agent
Kelly was speaking. “They have decided on a ransom drop. They’ve set it up for
this afternoon.”

“That’s
not enough time to get that amount of money together.” Steve’s voice was
frantic. “The bank just told me that they couldn’t help.”

Agent
Kelly held out her hands in a conciliatory manner. “We told them that when they
called, so they’ve decided to lower the ransom back to ten million dollars.”