aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (26 page)

“What
about you?” Wil’s voice was a low whine.

“I
have work to do.” Niail grinned. “When I am finished I will see you both.”

“You
mean you have to do superhero stuff.” Wil nodded. “Be careful. Those men have
bad medicine.”

“I
will remember that.” Niail stood. “Now go to the car. Your mother is waiting.”

Peta
led her brother away. Niail’s chest constricted as he thought about the
children and their obvious fear. There was nothing he could do to reassure
them. Instead, he focused on what he needed to do.

Kill
Kowal.

He
moved his neck from side to side and eased his breathing. Each step forward was
one closer to his goal. His honor, and the honor of all Hunters, was at stake.
He would not fail.

“Don’t
move any closer.”

Niail
stopped.

“I
want to see your hands in the air.” The gruff voice again. “I’m not a fool.”

Niail
shrugged. He put his hands in the air and waited. He was fast. Faster than any human
and no matter how many bullets they might fill him with, he knew where the
voice was coming from. His aim would be true. He might not survive their
firepower, but Kowal would be dead also.

A
man holding an assault rifle came out of the darkness. He walked toward Niail.
His weapon never wavered from Niail. Behind him, Niail heard Ann’s vehicle spin
around, and speed off. Relief and resolve filled him. They were safe. Now he
must finish this job.

Once
the man was within a few feet of him he stopped. His rifle poked him in the
stomach. “Move.”

That’s
when Niail heard Ann’s car screech to a stop. He looked behind and saw more
headlights. They completed a ring of light. Ann’s vehicle was being forced to
stay within the circle. They were blocking Kimi and the children’s escape.

There
was no time.

He
had to act now.

Niail
dropped his right hand and grabbed the rifle. He lifted the weapon into the air
and pulled the gunman against him at the same time. He hauled his opponent into
a neck hold. Shots rang out, but Niail ignored them. He kept the man tight to
him as he lowered the firearm and turned it on the headlights shining at them.
He kept pressure on his captive’s trigger finger and held the gun steady as it
fired.

The
automatic rifle made short work of the lights. That leveled the field for
Niail. His vision was better on this planet. He took aim and started shooting
at the men who were now scurrying to hide behind the vehicles. One by one, they
dropped.

As
they ran for cover, Kowal’s men returned fire. Niail’s captive bore the brunt
of their bullets. The man’s body sagged against him and his hand released the
rifle. Niail dropped to the ground and used the dead man’s body as a barricade.
He leaned the gun against it and started shooting.

From
behind him, he could hear cars racing toward him, but he did not stop firing.
Kimi and the children’s lives depended on his accuracy. Never before had it
mattered so much.

A
bullet hit the dirt beside him.

It
had come from behind.

Niail
flipped over onto his back and raised the rifle. He pulled the trigger and
nothing happened. It was out of ammunition. He threw it away and reached for
his pistol. He sat to take aim, just as the gun was kicked out of his hand.

Before
he could stand four men held him down.

He
was captured.

Relief
and anguish pounded through Kimi’s veins when Wil and Peta jumped into the
backseat. Their eyes were round with fear. She grabbed them close and kissed
both of them. They were safe, but there was no time to waste.

The
car was thrown into reverse.

She
stomped on the gas pedal.

Kimi
spun the car around and started driving away the second the rear door shut.
What was left of her heart was pounding in her ears as she raced away from
Kowal’s ambush. She held back her sobs and kept praying that Niail would be
able to get through this alive.

She
wasn’t a fool. There was no way one man could take on the number that those
headlights represented. It wasn’t possible, unless a miracle happened.

“Is
Niail going to come?” Peta’s voice was small and scared. “Shouldn’t we wait for
him?”

“He
will meet us later.” Kimi glanced over her seat. “He wants you to get on the
floor. Ann will make sure you’re covered up.”

Just
then headlights blinded her through the front windshield. For a second her mind
refused to believe what she was seeing. Her heart raced. There had been nothing
here when they’d driven into the clearing. Where had these vehicles come from?
Her chest tightened and she had to stop herself from screaming. There was only
one explanation.

They
had been led into a trap.

“Keep
the children down, Ann.”

Kimi
tightened her hold on the steering wheel. She wasn’t going to let Niail’s
sacrifice be wasted. She would get them out of this. She steered and maneuvered
around the vehicles coming at her. When she skirted around one, another blocked
her exit. No matter how she twisted and directed the car, she couldn’t escape.
There didn’t seem to be any way through them. Kowal had thought out his
strategy well.

A
vehicle raced directly at her. Visions of playing chicken flashed through
Kimi’s mind, but she couldn’t risk it with the children in the back. The
oncoming truck swung sideways in front of them.

She
had no choice but to stop.

That’s
when she heard the gunfire.

Shots
were firing in a rapid succession behind her. She winced as each blast was met
with a scream. Her body shook. What if that was Niail getting hit. She fought
the urge to go back and get him. Instead she banged her hands against the
steering wheel. She had to get the children to safety.

“This
is what he wanted you to do.” Ann’s voice was a quiet reminder. She pointed to
Kimi’s left. “Is there any way to go through those cars?”

Kimi
steadied her breathing. She couldn’t afford to panic. Too much was at risk. She
inhaled and pointed the car at a space between two of the vehicles. She would
just skim past the front end of the truck in front of her.

She
slammed one foot on the brake and the other on the gas pedal. The engine revved
at a high pitch. The back wheels of the car almost lifted from the dirt road
and she could hear the gravel spitting up behind her.

The
silhouette of a man darkened the beam of one of her headlights. He was coming
toward them. She wasn’t going to let him stop her. She gave a quick glance in
the rear view mirror. Ann’s eyes were wide, but when Kimi quirked an eyebrow,
she nodded.

Her
hands clenched the wheel and then she released the brake. The car jumped
forward just as a man was within yards of them. He jumped out of the way. The
steering wheel bounced in her hands as she drove off the path onto the bushy
terrain beside the road. She held the car straight.

The
light from one of the trucks veered her way. She glanced to the side. It was a
giant off-road vehicle with wheels as large as the car. It was headed straight
at them. It was going to ram the side of the car and continue right over the
top. There was no way they would survive.

She
slammed on the brakes.

The
truck flew past them.

She
threw the car in reverse and then leaned over the back of her seat so she could
navigate the vehicle. She swung it in a circle and then geared into drive. She
gave the wheel a sharp turn to the right and was heading back to the main road.

The
monster truck had left a space.

She
steered for it.

The
off-road vehicle that had tried to squish them was spinning back toward her. It
was going to be too late. She kept the car on course. Within seconds, she had
passed the vehicles that had kept them captive. The road and freedom was just
ahead.

Out
of nowhere, another set of lights blinded her. She steered away, but loss
control on the rocky edge of the dirt track. The car spun around and came to a
stop. The engine died. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn’t giving up. She
tried the key in the ignition and pumped the gas pedal.

It
refused to start.

A
man was walking toward them.

She
grabbed the gun that Niail’s had left, just as her door was pulled open. She
aimed the pistol and pulled the trigger.

Nothing
happened.

The
safety was on. She could have cried with frustration. The weapon was wrenched
from her hands, and she was yanked out of the car. He dragged her away from the
vehicle and shook her.

“You
bitch.” The man’s voice shouted at her. “It’ll be a pleasure to kill you.”

Kimi
swung her legs out to kick her attacker. He held her at a distance so none of
her blows hit him. She struggled to twist herself out of his grasp. He held
tight. When she was panting from exhaustion, he gripped both of her arms around
her waist and pulling her close to him. He chuckled close to her ear. His stale
breath gagged her.

“You
can’t win. I’ll...” His words stopped mid-sentence. She heard the sickening
crunch of a bone breaking and then his hold on her arms slackened. She pulled
free just as his body flew past her on the right. Another man stood before her.
He was a giant.

“Are
you hurt?” A familiar voice asked.

“Partlan?”
Kimi sagged against the car hood. “When did you get here?”

“Just
in time, I would say.”

Partlan
took her arm and led her to the passenger side. He opened the door and helped
her into the seat. She sagged back against the head rest. Her body was shaking
with the after effects of adrenaline and fear. Partlan went around the car and
slid behind the steering wheel.

“Are
you here alone?” Kimi hardly recognized her voice it was so weak.

“The
others are with me.”

“Niail
is back there.”

“We
are aware.” Partlan glanced over at her. “You and the children are our first
priority. Niail knows this.”

Kimi
forced back a sob. She wanted to yell at him to save Niail, but she knew he
would follow the code he lived by. A flicker of hope burned within her, though.
There was a chance that Niail might live.

“Hold
on.” Partlan turned the key and the engine started.

He
drove straight at the vehicles holding them captive. He came to within a few
feet of them, and then slammed the brakes on. He opened the door and looked
over at her.

“Get
behind the wheel. Drive around the truck and leave if I don’t return.”

“Where
are you going?” Kimi’s voice shook.

“I
need to remove the obstacles blocking your escape.” Partlan shut the door and
walked away.

“You
had better do what he said.” Ann’s voice was calm, almost surreal from the rear
seat. “I don’t know who he is, but he’s big enough to scare those guys into
leaving.”

Kimi
giggled. It was a delayed reaction to all that was happening. It was
inappropriate, but she couldn’t help herself. Partlan would do what he said.
Just like Niail was doing what he had promised her. He was protecting her and
the children even if it meant he would die doing it. She scooted to the
driver’s side and started to rev the engine.

One
by one the headlights went out.

Partlan
had made escape possible.

She
threw the car into drive and drove past the trucks. She stopped when Partlan
appeared in her headlights. He came to the driver’s window.

“We
are going back for Niail. Go to your house and wait for us there.”

“How
will I know if he’s safe?”

“You
are his mate. Focus and you will know.” Partlan moved away.

‘Stop.’

The
word reverberated through Niail’s head causing splinters of agony to shoot across
his skull. When the pain lessened, relief coursed through him. It was his
fellow Hunters speaking to him. He could hear his brothers through mind
connect.

“What
took you so long?” Niail spoke in a hoarse voice.

“We
had to rescue your mate first.” Partlan eased his hold on Niail. “She is safe.”

“Good.”
Niail shook off the hands of Gur, Turlo, and Malac. “I heard your voices. It
caused discomfort, but it is the first I have connected since my accident.”

Partlan
grunted. “You will heal fully. Now we must finish this. Here is another
weapon.”

Niail
grabbed the assault rifle and checked the magazine. It was half full. Just
then, an SUV with its headlights turned off, shot past them. He raised the
rifle to shoot the tires, but Partlan motioned him to stop.

“We
finish here first.” Partlan threw a set of keys at Gur. “Follow him and wait
for us to join you.”