***
Panting, Narelle grabbed her clothes and jammed her legs into her pants then snatched the shirt over her head. She reached for the laser rifle Hunter had tossed toward her and spared one glance around the damage done to the room.
Terrorized didn’t come close to describing her feelings when the explosion rocked Hunter’s bedroom. She’d barely recovered from the high of her orgasm when he’d tossed her to the floor.
At first, she’d worried someone had burst into the room. Her first thought had been for Hunter’s safety, but soon the acrid smell of a shock bomb had reached her nose.
Nasty and sour the odor filled the room. Other than fragments of glass on the floor and the silver burned shell, there wasn’t much to see. The surprise of the attack probably accounted for the severity of her reaction. She inhaled sharply and focused on helping Hunter. She might not be a trained soldier, but she damn sure knew how to handle a weapon.
On that thought, she kicked away the broken pieces of the window then slid her legs through and took the rickety stairs to the bottom. She landed lightly on her feet and checked her surroundings. Nothing moved. No sounds disturbed the night.
Narelle took off toward the right, trusting her gut. This street led toward the main road and had to be the route Hunter used to track Lukain. She couldn’t imagine what the former soldier expected from his actions. Obviously he wanted to draw Hunter’s attention, but why.
She pondered this as she zig-zagged through the streets and hoped Hunter kept from running straight into a trap. The more she thought on it, the more worried Narelle became. Lukain did this to get Hunter out. Putting on a burst of speed, she ignored the responding twitch in her side from strained muscles.
Ahead Bogan let out a round of barking. A smile tugged her lips up. The deep sounds were full of menace and threats. She rounded the corner and jerked to a complete stop.
Hunter fought with two men in dark clothing while Bogan circled the trio, snapping and snarling at ankles as he darted back and forth.
“Bogan!” she called, fearful the animal would get hurt in his protective endeavors.
Bogan turned in her direction and yipped, but didn’t stop his lunge and retreat. Hunter threw a fist toward the man in front of him and jammed an elbow backward toward the one grappling around his shoulders. Both winced from his sharp blows. A frontal kick knocked the one down on his butt and Hunter spun to deal with the second guy still standing.
“Bewachen!” Hunter snapped as he dodged punches aimed his way.
The second guy was a more experienced fighter than his partner. Narelle noted his stance and the careful way he stayed just out of Hunter’s reach. Bogan ran around the two and charged the man on the ground, front paws slamming into the broad chest. The guy shrieked and raised his arms as if to fend off the attacking war mongrel, but Bogan thrust his jaw forward and clamped on his throat.
Narelle froze and the guy’s screams ended on a whimper as he went still. His arms dropped to his side, fingers twitching. Unfortunately, he’d distracted his partner who turned and provided Hunter the opening necessary to ram a fist to his face which had him folding to the ground in a sloppy swoon.
Hunter wasn’t done either. He dragged the man to his feet by his shirt collar and dropped him next to the other.
“Komm, Bogan. Sitzen.” After a slight hesitation, Bogan trotted to Hunter’s side and sat. “Gott, biet rel.”
The prone man sat up carefully and fingered his neck. Relief flashed over his craggy features. Seated together, they looked like what they were. Low rate and desperate. Even their clothes appeared cheap and worn. Neither attempted to stand. It probably had something to do with the intermittent rumbles from Bogan.
“Are you alright?” Hunter asked Narelle.
“Fine.” Her grip grew damp around the laser. Knowing these men had attacked with the intent to harm helped her maintain a steady aim.
After eyeing her from head to toe to assure the truth of the statement, Hunter nodded. The glare for their attackers ratcheted up a notch. “I can’t begin to describe how displeased I’d be right now if my lady friend had been hurt.”
Narelle’s belly tumbled. He always managed to say stuff that got to her soft side.
“She wasn’t the target. You were!”
When Hunter’s gaze darkened in their direction, Narelle almost believed she could feel the men mentally shaking in their boots.
“Wait! Wait! That’s not what I meant.” The designated speaker held out his palms in a stalling motion. “None of us want to hurt your girl.”
“Girl?!” Narelle sputtered in offense.
Hunter sent her a wink, a brief glimmer of humor flaring. The thieves barely flicked a glance in her direction fully focused on the true danger before them. Violence rolled from Hunter in a continuous wave. Bogan snarled, his stiff posture though seated, a mirror to the large man standing beside him.
“Who sent you?” Hunter snapped.
“Don’t know. Was paid credits to do a job. Said nothing about no woman. Gino and I don’t hurt women.”
So they hadn’t targeted her and weren’t aware she was with Hunter. That was a good thing. Although whether they knew of her presence or not didn’t matter. Narelle believed like Hunter that Lukain was behind the attack.
“Who paid you? Give me a name.”
“We don’t know.” The fearful cry rose on the end.
Slinging the rifle over her shoulder, Narelle folded her arms and waited for the answer to Hunter’s question. Gino, the one Bogan had pinned, glanced over at the war mongrel. Hunter murmured a command Narelle missed and Bogan snapped his jaws and rose from his crouch.
Gino shouted and crawled behind his friend’s back. “Tell them, Steiv!”
Steiv eyed Bogan and swallowed. “We didn’t get a name. It was all done over the comp on a site that offers pay for hire jobs.”
Narelle was aware of such sites. Before she’d been commissioned and joined the Retrievers Association, she’d used it. The site offered a viable means of making a lot of money fast.
“What were you supposed to do?” Hunter remained calm and didn’t display a reaction to anything the men said.
“Just scare you,” Steiv offered. “Get you out of The Zone.”
Hunter frowned and Narelle was confused too. They’d gone to a lot of effort to draw Hunter away and why?
“The Zone.” Hunter’s face drained of color. He turned to Narelle, but she had no idea what he’d say because Steiv jumped to his feet and grabbed Gino. They ran without glancing back.
Narelle wanted to give chase except Bogan took off like a shot after them.
“Narelle, don’t!”
“But Bogan.” She stared at the power and grace in each move the war mongrel made as he locked on the fleeing targets.
***
“Haltzo! Damn it, Bogan!” Hunter stood there unable to do anything as K9-15 ignored his commands to stop and disappeared down the street.
He wasn’t supposed to initiate a chase without a command. The scientist had it all wrong. All their testing and planning couldn’t prevent connections from forming between a K9 and the individual they bonded with. An animals’ instinct to protect and his drive to love surpassed any training.
The tan and black coat became a distant blur even with his eye adjustment.
“We should follow him.” Narelle touched his forearm, drawing Hunter’s gaze.
Hunter was torn between checking The Zone and pursuing the men for hire. He didn’t care about the bar for himself but he had workers who counted on the job, lowly though it may be. The Zone also served as a meeting spot for legal and illegal interactions. Hunter just pretended to be oblivious to what went on.
“I have to make sure Lukain didn’t do something to my place.”
“Bogan’s more important than a bar, Hunter!”
Flames of ire burned in her gray eyes. Hunter took a deep breath and tried to swallow past the thickness. “Don’t you think I know tha
t? The Zone serves a purpose, but that’s not the only reason I have to check it out. If Lukain left a surprise of some sort, I can’t have innocent customers hurt in the crossfire of our personal battle.”
Narelle ran a hand through her hair and nibbled her bottom lip. “Damn him”
Hunter fully agreed. As he turned back, he fervently hoped the foolish war mongrel made his way back to him unharmed. Every step in the opposite direction was a painful one. As Narelle followed him to his bar he continued to send commands from his biotronics to Bogan and failed to get a response.
This was not how he expected the night to end. He should have shot the bastards when he’d had the chance.
Narelle cut him a side glance. “Anything?”
Of course she’d realize he wouldn’t give up on Bogan that easily. The war mongrel had slipped into both of their hearts. He gave an abrupt shake of his head unable to answer.
When they reached The Zone it was pitch dark save for a dim light on the lower level. At least his busted window for the apartment above wasn’t as noticeable from the street.
“I’m going to contact Ezra to help. We’ll need to go over every inch of this place to make sure there are no nasty surprises left behind.”
Chapter 15
It took well into the early hours to clear his place and consider it safe enough to open. The artificial daylight had already started brightening the sky and letting in rays of faux sunshine. Lack of sleep and hunger left Hunter slightly on edge.
Narelle straightened from wiping down the last of the tables she’d checked over and arched her back on a stretch. She wore a fitted black corset with purple laces up the front. Her breasts plumped up like soft cushions. The move made the fabric cling to the breasts he’d fondled and sucked during the night.
Black leather encased her lean legs. Her long red hair swished about her shoulders and she seemed not to notice his stare until scratching noise at the door caused them to both jerk around.
Whining joined the scratching. Hunter bolted for the door, ignoring Narelle’s smug grin as she tossed a rag on the table and braced her palms behind her to lean and wait. He didn’t need to wait. The sync slid seamlessly in place as he crossed the room. From Bogan’s end. Hunter didn’t have time to wonder how or question the possibility and ripped the door open.
Bogan entered on a trot and danced around Hunter, head butting against his thighs. Hunter wanted to be stern, to discipline as appropriate. If Bogan continued to break protocol, he’d be difficult to control. Except how could he resist. Brown eyes glinted with happiness and his tail wagged at full force.
Giving in to his own relief, Hunter dropped to one knee and ruffled Bogan’s fur. Two barks near his ear followed ecstatic licking over his face. It was hard to remain untouched. Hunter ran through a series of checks and green lights blinked over his optic adjustment. Apparently Bogan had survived his unapproved jaunt with no injuries.
“Sitzen.” Bogan promptly sat. Hunter rolled his eyes and stood. “You don’t fool me. You listen when you want.”
Feminine laughter rang out. Hunter met Narelle’s gaze as she strolled over. He took a moment to appreciate her beauty. The relief she didn’t try to hide gave her skin a glow. An added bonus it didn’t need.
“He found his way back.”
Hunter had no answer for that. He could use the probe and jack output to get an idea of what happened to Gino and Steiv except it wouldn’t help find Lukain. His former friend wasn’t stupid enough to slip up that easily.
Narelle reached them and Bogan strained to reach her though he didn’t get up. She leaned over and smothered the fur head with kisses. The reunion was interrupted by a scuffle as the door again. Too early for customers, Hunter had his laser out and aimed at the newcomer.
“Just me, Hunter.” Ezra raised his hand in greeting as he entered. “You reached out about Lukain.”
He also needed to see what Ezra had discovered if anything. “Narelle, can you get Bogan food and water from the kitchen?”
She arched a brow. “No. I can wait with your friend while you take care of Bogan.”
Hunter didn’t even pretend she’d allow him to get her to leave the room. The conversation would turn into an argument and he didn’t need Ezra looking any closer at his relationship with Narelle. Of course Ezra chose that moment to snort in humor. A rare smile played about his mouth.
“Fine. Let me get Bogan to do a check and we’ll all sit and talk.”
Having the K9 search for a bomb would give Hunter added reassurance that Lukain’s attempt at distraction didn’t give him enough time to do anything. He hand signaled Bogan, adding the appropriate command.
Bogan sprang into action, nose to the floor as he covered one side of the large space then the other. He paused once at the counter in front of the bar. Hunter watched, Ezra moving beside him. A moment later, Bogan moved on and returned to Hunter’s side.
“Gott, biet rel.” He exchanged a look with Ezra and they both eased their tense stance.
“Aside from Lukain, I have something to discuss with only you, Hunter.”
Hunter parted his lips to side with Narelle’s right to be involved when she threw her hands in the air. “Whatever. Do your secret stuff. I’ll get Bogan water and protein bars.”
She marched into his kitchen, smacking the swinging door with her palm on the way through. He’d pay for her anger later. Hunter pointed toward the door. “Bogan, bewachen.”
Bogan responded with enthusiasm, looking far happier than Hunter had ever seen him. It made him question what the war mongrel had done to the men he’d chased.
“Well, that was interesting.” Ezra removed his leather coat and tossed it on a table. He kicked a chair out with his booted foot and dropped onto the seat with a sigh.
“It’s been a night.” Hunter joined him at the table. “Shock bombs were thrown through the upstairs window, giving Narelle and me quite the night.”
A grimaced crossed Ezra’s features. “You both alright?”
Hunter drove his fingers through his hair and gripped. “Yeah. Chased down the culprits, but they were cheap mercs for hire.”
“Did you get anything out of them?”
Hunter slid his hand free of his hair and formed a fist on the table. “Nothing. Lukain wouldn’t give himself away like that.”
Narelle’s laughter from the kitchen had them both pausing. Ezra arched a brow. “Serious?”
Hunter didn’t quibble. “Very.”
Ezra planted his hands on the table and folded his fingers together. “I’ll keep what I found out simple. My info points to Lukain taking kill contracts under an anonymous name.”
“So he has one on me?” That would explain a lot except Hunter couldn’t fathom who would want to eliminate him.
Ezra’s gaze lightened and his lips twitched in a rare sign of humor. “Surprisingly, no. He was looking for a target by the name of Jardo who was rumored to frequent The Zone. During his surveillance he stumbled onto you working here.”
Hunter dragged a hand down his face. Talk about random shit shows. If not for a contract Hunter wouldn’t have popped on Lukain’s radar. “Did he complete his assignment?”
Ezra’s lips pursed and he gave an abrupt nod. Hunter bit off a curse. “So at this point the only reason he’s hanging around here is for his revenge on a perceived slight.”
Ezra nodded again face grim and added, “In his mind, he probably thought targeting Narelle was the perfect way to get back at you. Especially if he eliminated her.”
Because it was. Losing her would have destroyed Hunter. “He wants to drag it out though. Make me pay by taunting me. Otherwise he could have killed Narelle the first night.”
Or any night. The training they had should have made eliminating Narelle easy for Lukain. The very thought caused Hunter’s stomach to lurch. Lukain could have killed her and Hunter would have unknowingly caused her death.
“Listen.” Ezra tapped a forefinger on the table. “He can try and
jerk you around, but when assignments get personal—“
“People fuck up,” Hunter said, finishing the old quote.
“Exactly. We’ll get him, Hunter.”
We. Another thought crossed Hunter’s mind. “You’re not in the military any more nor with the government. As far as I know, you’re not hiring out. I’m just a fellow soldier reaching out, but lets be honest—you’ve never been one to go out of your way. Why are you helping me, Ezra?”
Ezra didn’t flinch from the question and said succinctly, “That’s the personal piece I wanted to go over. I’m going to need all the help I can get on what I’m about to share.”
Ezra made an excellent WIRED soldier. He was great with computronics and didn’t let emotions get in the way of doing his job. His low muttered words just now were full of emotions.
“You know I’m in, if I can help in some way.”
Ezra immediately pulled out a data pad and flipped the screen around to show Hunter an image. Dark hair, amber eyes.
“Cute kid.” The boy appeared roughly eight or nine, but what did Hunter know. “Yours?”
Ezra tapped the screen and the image shifted. All the anger and pain about the war flooded Hunter with a shot of adrenaline. He’d never forget the sight of the enemy who ruined the lives of everyone on his home world.
“Why do you have that?” He glared across the table at his friend.
Ezra toggled the image and the young boy appeared again. He pointed at a small device Hunter hadn’t noticed on the boy’s wrist. A micro holo projector. “Look closer.”
Again the image on screen morphed to a small gold skinned figure with distinctive three fingers on each hand and an oval shaped head. The large bulbous eyes blinked. Another toggle switched back to the dark haired boy with amber eyes. A sick feeling swelled in Hunter’s stomach.
“Ezra, what the fuck?”
Ezra glanced up and tucked the data pad into the pocket of his jacket. He rose to his feet slowly and slid the coat on. “He’s my son.”
Unable to believe what he heard, Hunter gaped.
Wired For Love Page 11
