aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (11 page)

“Maybe,
but where else will you be safe.”

“Will
your brother, Jake, help?” Niail touched Wil’s shoulder as the boy ran up to
him. “I can take you there. Or is there someplace else?”

“What
about you?” Kimi picked up the sweatshirt she had pulled from the closet and
handed it to Niail. “Your head still isn’t right, plus you have all those other
injuries”

“I
heal fast.” Niail picked up another towel and turned away from Kimi before
pulling the clean shirt on. “My head injury is no reason to endanger you any
further.”

Peta
put her backpack on. “Should we call Uncle Jake first?”

“We
can’t stop to make a call. Time is important.” Niail handed Wil his pack. “What
about you, Bobby?”

“I’m
heading to the bush.” Bobby shrugged. “I don’t trust anyone now.”

“I
understand.” Kimi grabbed her bag. “Are you taking your vehicle?”

“I’m
leaving it on the road.” Bobby started out the door. “I’ve got emergency gear
in the back. It’s not safe to go near my house.”

“That
is wise.” Niail steered the children out of the house.

“We
need a boost.” Kimi pulled out her keys. “The battery in my truck is dead.”

“No
problem. I’ll pull up in front of you.”

Niail
took the lead to Kimi’s truck. “How will you know when it is safe for you to
return?”

“I’ll
keep in contact.”

Bobby
jumped into his vehicle and drove it close to them. He pulled the hood latch
and then jumped out with cables in his hands. Within a couple of minutes Kimi’s
truck was running.

Bobby
jumped back into his vehicle and leaned out the window. “Good luck.”

“Thank
you.” Niail opened the truck door for Kimi.

Kimi
settled behind the wheel and waited until everyone was in before putting the
vehicle in gear. Jake’s house was about forty-five minutes away in Cut Bank.
When they reached the main road, she turned the radio to a country station. The
music had the desired effect. It wasn’t long before the kids were asleep in the
back.

Kimi
cleared her throat. “I think that I should take the kids to my friend Ann’s
house until we’ve spoken with Jake. There might be delays once the authorities
are involved. At least at Ann’s they will get their sleep.”

“Will
they be safe?”

“No
one will look for them there.” Kimi spun the wheel of the truck around and
headed toward her friend’s house. “Tomorrow is Sunday so I don’t have to worry
about them missing school.”

“I
wish I could remember why those men were after me.” Niail spoke in a low voice.
“I never meant to endanger anyone.”

“I
know.” Kimi reached over and clasped his hand, almost reeling from the surge of
electricity that coursed through her. “I wouldn’t have turned you away even if
I had known what was going to happen. It’s not your fault.”

“Your
brother won’t think so.”

“Leave
Jake to me.” Kimi smiled. “He’s been different since he came home, but he’s
still my brother. No one knows him better than me.”

“It
is comforting to have a brother you can rely on.”

Niail
looked out the window. The dark night outside made the reflection of his face
clear. His features were grim. Kimi knew he was thinking of the other men he
had been trying to contact today.

“You
will find them.” Kimi cleared her throat. “You’re not alone. I’m here for you.”

Niail
turned back to her. “That gives me great pleasure.”

Kimi
frowned. “I shouldn’t have insisted you stay with me. It was selfish.”

“It
was necessary. Those men would have killed you and the children.”

Kimi’s
breath caught in her throat. “You can’t be sure.”

“I
have dealt with men like that my whole life.” Niail’s eyes narrowed. “They have
no honor. It would have been easier to defeat them if my brothers had been
here.”

“You
handled it fine on your own.”

“It
was sloppy.”

“How
many other Hunters are there?”

“We
were a full unit when we crashed.” Niail’s voice was grim. “Not all of us
survived.”

Kimi
bit her lip. What the heck was she to make of that? He had killed six armed men
by himself? What would a whole unit of Hunters do? The world couldn’t handle
that much violence. He had said he would protect her and the children, but what
about other people?

“We
are not a threat to humans.”

Her
eyes widened and she turned to look at him. “How did you do that?”

“What?”
Niail leaned his head against the headrest.

“It’s
almost as if you read my thoughts.”

“My
head hurts too much for that.”

“Does
that mean you can read our thoughts normally?”

Niail
shook his head. “No. Your face is very expressive. I have some training in reading
people’s expressions and words.”

Kimi’s
grip on the steering wheel lessened. He was observant. She would have to watch
out for that in the future. She needed a poker face. She had one small problem,
though. She didn’t lie and she wasn’t going to start now. She glanced over at
Niail. His eyes were closed.

She
drove to Ann’s house in silence.

She
pulled up to her friend’s small bungalow and shut the engine off. The lights in
the house were on and Ann’s car was in the driveway. Peta stretched her arms
over her head and unclipped her seatbelt. She leaned over the front seat.

“This
isn’t Uncle Jake’s house.”

“No.
We’re at Ann’s house.” Kimi pulled the keys out and looked over at Niail. “Keep
the kids here until I come back.”

Niail
nodded. “We will wait.”

Ann
would be curious, but the less she told her the better. The kids needed
someplace quiet and safe for the evening. She couldn’t trust that Jake would
provide that. The door was opened before she even rang the bell. Ann was in her
pajamas, with one hand on her hip and a wide grin on her mouth.

“Don’t
tell me things got too hot with your guest.” She squinted at the car. “Is that
him?”

“Yes.”
Kimi cleared her throat. “Could you take the kids for the night?”

Ann’s
eyes widened. “You need privacy already?”

“It’s
not like that.”

Ann
pulled her friend into the house, but left the door open. “Then how is it?”

“It’s
a bit difficult to explain, but I have to go to Jake’s and I don’t want the
kids’ sleep disturbed any more than necessary.”

Ann
crossed her arms. “Are you in trouble?”

Kimi
shrugged. “I won’t know until I’ve spoken with Jake.”

Ann
bit her lip and glanced out the door before looking back at her. “It sounds
serious.”

“It
is. The less I tell you the safer you’ll be.” Kimi’s voice dropped to a
whisper. “I need to be certain the children won’t be harmed. Can you watch them
for me?”

“Don’t
worry about anything.” Ann hugged Kimi. “How long before everything is
straightened out?”

“Tonight
for sure.” Kim bit her lip. “I don’t know about tomorrow. I’m hoping Jake can
sort this out quickly.”

“I
can take them to school on Monday if necessary.”

“Would
you?” A weight lifted off Kimi’s shoulders. “I would feel better knowing they
were with you.”

“Consider
it done.” Ann leaned out the door and waved at the truck. “Bring them in.”

Kimi
went back to the vehicle and opened the door. Niail was already standing
outside. “Will you carry Wil in?”

“I
must check the house first.”

He
went to the front door and walked passed Ann, disappearing into the darkness,
before Kimi could stop him. She shook her head. What could possibly be wrong?
Ann was a well-respected teacher, who never got into trouble. But then, so had
she been, until tonight. She leaned back against the truck. No point in
arguing.

“He
just wants to be sure we’re safe.” Peta’s voice was close to her ear.

“I
know, honey.” She leaned down and kissed her daughter’s cheek. “The sooner we
get you to bed, the better.”

“You’re
going to Uncle Jake’s without us.”

“Yes.
I hope we can get things straightened out soon.”

Niail
came out of the front door and walked to the truck. “It is safe.”

He
gathered Wil in his arms. Peta jumped out beside him and took both backpacks
with her. Kimi brought up the rear. Niail waited for Kimi at the front door.

“What
have you told your friend about me?”

“I
said you were injured.”

Niail
grimaced. “Perhaps that explains her strange conduct.”

“I’ve
known her for years, and nothing explains her behavior.”

Ann
was waiting for them in the living room. “You can put them in the guest room.
It has two twin beds.”

Niail
followed Ann’s direction and went into the room with Wil. Kimi led Peta to the
opposite bed.

“You
children should sleep now.” Niail pointed to the first bed. “Climb in.”

Wil
tugged on his shirt and reached up. Niail hugged the boy and watched as he
scrambled into the bed.

“Don’t
let Uncle Jake arrest you.”

“I
will be careful.” Niail pulled the covers over Wil. “It is certain death if a Hunter
is caught.”

“So
you’ll leave us?”

“I
cannot stay here. You are in danger if I do.” Niail perched on the edge of the
bed. “I will be close by. I promised to protect you and your mother. I will not
go back on my word.”

Wil
nodded and pulled the blanket under his chin. “That means I’ll see you again.”

“Yes.”

“I’m
glad.” Peta’s sat on the opposite bed. “I like you.”

“I
like you too.” Niail stood. “Go to sleep.”

When
they entered the living room, Ann was waiting. “I have to talk to Kimi for a
second.”

“Do
you have a phone I could use?” Niail glanced around the room.

Ann
picked up a cordless phone and handed it to him. “Be my guest.”

When
Niail started to dial, she grabbed Kimi and pulled her into the kitchen. “Why
didn’t you tell me he was such a hunk?”

“He
was injured.” Kimi shook her head. “That was the last thing I was thinking
about.”

“Injured
or not, that man is nice eye candy.”

A
cough from the doorway sent heat to Kimi’s cheeks. When she looked at Niail,
she knew from his expression that he had heard Ann’s comments.

“We
need to leave.”

Kimi
nodded. “I’ll phone you when I can.”

“Don’t
worry. The kids will be fine with me.” Ann led the way to the front door. “You
take all the time you need to straighten out this mess.”

They
went back to the truck in silence. It wasn’t until they were on the road to
Jake’s that Niail spoke. “Your friend has strange ideas.”

“She
means well.” Kimi glanced over at Niail. “I didn’t tell her the whole story, so
she’s bound to come to conclusions on her own.”

“Are
you certain the children will be safe?”

“Ann
will take good care of them.” Kimi turned back to the road. “Were you able to
contact the other Hunters?”

“No.”
Niail glanced over at her. “The telephone number I have for them is not in
service.”

Kimi
frowned. “Why would that happen?”

“It
is standard practice to disconnect cell phones if they have been compromised.”

“You’re
alive, though.”

Niail
cleared his throat. “If one of us is captured there is always a remote chance
that we will talk under duress.”

A
shudder went through Kimi. “Are you talking about torture?”

“It
has been tried in the past.”

“Not
on this planet I hope.” Kimi took her eyes off the road and looked at Niail.
His jaw had tightened and he was looking straight ahead. His silence told her more
than she wanted to know.

Kimi’s
hands tightened on the steering wheel. “If you can’t use the phone, there must
be another way to contact them.”

“I
can use the internet.”

“We
should be at my brother’s in another twenty minutes.” Kimi stomped on the gas.
“After Jake sorts this out we’ll use his computer.”

When
they arrived, she parked the truck in front of the door. They went up the front
steps together. She rang the doorbell and waited for Jake. He pulled the door
open a couple of seconds later. His eyes widened when he saw who was there and
then he unlatched the screen door.

“Come
in.” His voice was harsh.

Kimi
dropped her bag in the living room. “We need to talk.”