aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (14 page)

“You
can’t sleep there.”

Kimi
spread the blanket over herself. “Why not?”

“You
don’t know anything about him.” Jake’s voice was incredulous. “He’s a
stranger.”

“I
know enough.” Kimi put her head on the edge of Niail’s pillow.

“He
could be a psychopath for all we know.”

“He’s
not.”

Kimi
snuggled into Niail’s side. A sense of belonging pulsed through her when she
heard him sigh. This was where she wanted to be. She wasn’t going to argue with
Jake or anyone else about it. The floor was hard, but after a few minutes, the
rest of the world faded as sleep claimed her.

She
woke to dark eyes staring down at her.

Niail
was awake.

“How
do you feel?” Kimi covered her yawn with her hand.

“Better.”
Niail sat up and looked down at his side. “Did you put this on?

“You
collapsed.” Kimi scooted upright. “The towels were soaked through. There was
blood everywhere.”

Niail
grimaced. “It should have held.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me?” A shiver went through her. “You probably made it worse.”

“There
was no time.”

Niail
stood. For a second she thought he might fall again as he grabbed the back of
the couch. After a couple of deep breaths, he eased away. She got up and folded
the blankets. The fire had died down, and there was no sign of Jake.

She
frowned and went to the bedroom. The door was still closed. When she opened it,
neither Mark, nor Jake was there. Where had the two of them taken off to? She
turned back to Niail, who had pushed aside the curtain on one of the windows
and was looking outside.

“It
is daylight.” He let the curtain fall back into place. “Where is your brother?”

“He
said he was taking the first watch. Mark was supposed to be sleeping.”

Niail
raked his hands through his dark hair. “I have never been felled by an injury
before. I failed you.”

Kimi
went to him and put her hand on his arm. “You should have told me earlier how
seriously you had been injured.”

“We
needed to get away.”

Niail
clasped her hand and she felt a surge of warmth sing through her body. What was
it about this man that made her feel weak, and then strong, at the same time?
He looked like a regular man, but he talked, and acted like someone from
another place. She had always believed that the Star People were spirits sent
to guide humans. Now she knew that they were living, breathing beings, just
like humans.

“You
lost a lot of blood.” Kimi led him to a table chair. “You should sit.”

Niail
shook his head. “I will rest when I know where the others are.”

“My
brother would never hurt us.”

“I
trust no one.” Niail opened the door. He took the key from its hiding place and
put it in his pocket. “I will be the only one who can enter. Lock the door
after me.”

Kimi
watched him walk toward the trees that surrounded the cabin. She bolted the door
and then turned back to the room. There was a chill in the air. She banked the
ashes of the fire and laid some larger logs on top of kindling. Within minutes,
it was a blazing glow of flames. Now all she needed was water.

She
pulled the water jug off the counter and put it by the door. When Niail
returned, she would get water. She rummaged through the cupboards. There were a
few tins of beans and canned meat. She had brought some energy bars in her bag,
so she put those on the table. By the time she had finished organizing the
supplies Niail had been gone for over half an hour.

Panic
clenched at her chest.

Where
was he?

At
that moment there was a loud retort from outside. She ran to the door, and was about
to turn the lock when she remembered Niail’s words. She was unarmed so storming
out wasn’t an option. She glanced at the bedroom door and made her decision.

She
ran into the room and crouched down beside the furthest bunk. It was the
closest to a window. She heard the rattling of the front door. Niail should be
the only one with the key, unless he had been shot. Kimi’s heartbeat faltered
at the thought. She held her breath when she heard the unmistakeable sound of
the door opening.

Someone
was inside the cabin.

A
second later, the bedroom door opened.

“It
is safe.”

A
surge of relief flooded her. It was Niail.

“That
sounded like a gunshot earlier.”

“It
was.”

She
stood and went to him. She forced herself to walk even though she wanted to
rush into his arms. She needed him near.

“Who
was shot?” Her eyes narrowed as she examined him. “Not you?”

“I
am unharmed.” Niail opened the door wide and waited for her to enter the main
room.

Jake
was sitting at the table. Beside him was Mark with his hands tied behind his
back. Kimi’s eyes widened and she looked back at Niail for an explanation. His
face was emotionless. He grabbed the water container at the door.

“I
will fill this.” He opened the door. “It would be best for your brother to
explain.”

Kimi
looked back at her brother. She heard the door close. Her gaze didn’t leave
Jake. He wiped a hand over his face, before looking up at her. His shoulders
sagged, and there was an air of defeat about him. She went to the table.

“I
didn’t know.” Jake leaned back into the chair. “I thought I could trust him.”

“How
long before they find us?” Kimi kept her voice low.

“He
didn’t have a chance to call anyone.” Jake pulled a cell phone out of his
pocket and put it on the table. “There’s no reception here. I caught him trying
to sneak away in his car.”

“Who
fired the shot?”

“Mark
did.” Jake looked down at the table and shook his head. “If Niail hadn’t come
up from behind, I would be dead.”

Kimi
turned to Mark. She drew in a slow, steady breath. Now wasn’t the time to lose
control. They needed their wits about them if they were going to get out of
this alive. Who knew what information Mark had passed on to Kowal’s men before
he had met up with them?

“Why?”

Mark
rolled his eyes. “You can’t be that stupid.”

“I’m
assuming you needed money, but why try and kill us?” Kimi crossed her arms over
chest, keeping her clenched hands hidden.

Mark
shrugged. “We wanted the Hunter. He won’t stop coming after us, so we have to
be certain he doesn’t live.”

“You
know what he is?” Kimi kept her tone calm. She longed to yell at Mark, but that
would get them nowhere. They needed information.

Mark
frowned. “It’s not exactly a secret. They advertise on the internet.”

“There
are actually people out there called Hunters?” Jake shook his head. “Why
haven’t I heard of them before?”

“You’re
obsessed with catching Kowal.” Mark twisted his shoulders. “These guys have
rules. All bets are off if you break them.”

Jake
snorted. “Let me guess, Kowal hired them, but left out the part about him
trafficking in drugs.”

“Niail
said it was dishonorable.” Mark spat the words out as if it left a bad taste in
his mouth.

“That
sounds like him.” Kimi smiled. “Was he alone?”

“He’s
the only one that showed up.” Mark heaved a sigh. “It got messy after that.”

“How
messy?” Jake leaned on the table.

“He
injured quite a few of Kowal’s men before they overpowered him.”

“Then
what happened.” Jake’s voice had a hard edge to it.

Mark
shrugged. “He was taken away. We assumed he was dead, until Kowal went back for
the body and it was gone.”

“Bobby
found him.” Kimi shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if he
hadn’t.

“It
didn’t take long to figure out where Bobby had taken him.” Mark’s voice was
dry.

“That’s
why Kowal sent men to my house.”

Mark
grunted. “Kowal could have handled all of this on his own. There was no need to
get outside help.”

“Then
ask them to leave.” Jake rolled his eyes. “If you can find these guys on the
internet, surely you can get rid of them?”

“You
don’t understand.” Mark’s voice went low. “If you lie they won’t stop until
you’re dead. It’s something about honor.”

“So
now Kowal has a group of mercenaries tracking him.” Jake’s tone was doubtful.

“Not
yet, but if he doesn’t kill Niail soon, he will.”

“That
doesn’t explain why you staked out my house.” Jake’s voice was a growl. “I’m
not involved in any of this.”

Mark’s
gaze skittered away from Jake. “Kowal wanted you dead.”

“That’s
why he hired Niail?” A nerve pulsed at the side of Jake’s face.

Mark
nodded. “He refused to do it.”

“Nice
to know.” Jake’s voice was dry. “Does Kowal know where you are?”

“I
left a message that I was meeting you.” Mark heaved a sigh. “You didn’t tell me
where we were going.”

“And
you expect me to believe that?” Jake slammed his hand on the table. “You tried
to kill me.”

“Anger
is not a solution.”

Niail
spoke from the door. While Jake had been yelling, he had come inside. Kimi’s stomach
fluttered and her breath caught in her throat. The control he had over his
emotions was amazing. If Mark spoke the truth, then he was a mercenary for
hire. That didn’t fit with what she knew of him. Perhaps the concussion had
destroyed more than just his memory.

Niail
took the water to the counter and filled a kettle and then set it on the
woodstove.

“I
told my sister what happened, but there’s something I don’t understand.” Jake
crossed his arms over his chest.

“It
was simple. Mark aimed a gun at you and I took it away before he could kill
you.”

“That’s
not it.” Jake’s eyes narrowed. “He says you had plans to kill me.”

Niail
shrugged. “I have already told you what I am. I would not have killed a police
officer without a valid reason.”

“He
says that you are for hire.”

“We
help people.”

“So
you answered a request from scum like Kowal?”

Kimi’s
stomach clenched. Niail didn’t deserve Jake’s scorn. He had already proven
himself. He had saved their lives more than once and he was wounded. He should
be in a hospital, not answering Jake’s accusations.

“Sit.”
Kimi pulled out a chair. “Jake can get longwinded.”

Niail
obeyed with a heavy sigh. “We live by honor. Kowal pretended he was a man with
a just cause. We always investigate before we carry out a request.”

“That’s
what you were doing?” Jake threw his hands up in the air. “What if your
investigations aren’t thorough? That means anybody can ask you to kill someone
and you’ll do it?”

“I
follow orders.” Niail’s tone was calm. “I can’t remember the details of my meeting
with Kowal, or even if I did meet him. You only have your partner’s word for
that.”

Jake
looked from Mark to Niail.

Kimi
knew her brother couldn’t decide who was telling the truth. That meant he was
going to take both of them into custody. She moved closer to Niail .She wasn’t
going to allow Jake to arrest him. He didn’t deserve to be treated like a
criminal. He was the victim.

Before
Jake could speak they heard the loud backfire of an engine.

Someone
was coming.

Niail
motioned Kimi into the bedroom.

He
moved to the door and waited.

Like
a thousand times before, he braced himself for battle. He steadied his
breathing and slowed his heart rate. There was the sound of stomping feet, then
a pause, before the door handle turned. He pulled the door wide as it was
opened and blocked the intruder before they could step into the cabin.

An
elderly man with grey hair tied into two braids stood there.

He
took a step back. The man raised an eyebrow. Niail tilted his head and then
motioned the stranger into the cabin before shutting the door.

“Grandfather!”
Jake pulled the man close. “I thought you were in Billings.”

“I
am here now.” The old man’s eyes roamed the cabin in a slow perusal before
coming back to Jake. “Why is your partner tied up?”

The
old man turned to Niail. “Who is he?

Kimi
stepped out of the bedroom. “This is Niail, Grandfather. Niail, my Grandfather,
Eluwilussit.”

Niail
nodded at the old man. Steady brown eyes were turned on him; intelligence shown
from their depths. Niail’s respect for the man grew. The man turned to Kimi.