aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire)

by Cynthia Clement

  All too soon the kiss ended. She stared up into his eyes and almost cried at the love she saw there. He was her other half. He completed her. He had always been her mate, and she’d been a fool to deny it.

  “We can’t change that.” His voice was a husky whisper. “We have today and the rest of our lives.”

  “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  “Our bond is growing strong.” Catal gave her a light kiss. “You have lowered your guard and let me in again.”

  “Is this how it was before?” Selena’s lips clung to his. “Did you always know what I was thinking?”

  “No.” Catal sighed. “I didn’t trust. I thought that pair bonding was only a legend. Can you forgive me for doubting and not being totally honest with you?”

  Selena nodded and moved away. “Yes. My sin is greater than yours. I denied you Tarrin.”

  “You were protecting him.” Catal grimaced. “I failed you. It was my duty to keep you safe and I didn’t. It was my fault.”

  “That’s because I shut you out of our lives.” Selena fought back her tears. “You didn’t know where to find me.”

  “That was your right to deny me.” Catal’s voice was gentle. “I accepted your decision. I wanted to find you so that I could tell you the truth about myself. You deserved to know that I would always be there for you, no matter what.”

  “Not telling you about Tarrin was inexcusable.” Selena’s tears started to fall. “It was the cruelest thing I could have done.”

  Catal shook his head. “You are not to blame. On my planet, women make all of the decisions. Men do not expect to be considered. Are children are not raised the same on Cygnus. Remember, I told you that Hunters are created in birthing chambers?

  Selena nodded. “It sounds barbaric.”

  “This is the same for all children on Cygnus. Women do not give birth to children.”

  “Do mothers take care of their babies?”

  “Children do not have parents. They grow up in learning institutions until they are deemed ready.” Catal’s voice held regret. “That is one of the things I most admire about humans. They create family units and nurture their offspring. On Cygnus, you become what your genes have been programed for.”

  Selena shivered at how cold and sterile the surroundings must be. Laughter and play would be impossible in an environment where the goal was teaching and preparing children for their responsibilities as adults. They’d be expected to learn quickly and then leave to fulfill their duties.

  It was hard enough to image Catal’s childhood. He’d been raised to fight and die. At least he had his brother Hunters to bond with. A whole society where people were genetically created for one purpose, was calculating and unemotional. She was thankful Catal had escaped. Together, they would give Tarrin choices in his life.

  “You have a family now.” Selena reached up and kissed him. “You have me, and Tarrin, your son.”

  “Is he truly mine?” Catal’s voice held awe. “He is a Hunter?”

  “Yes.” Selena smiled. “Every day he grows more and more like you. The things he says, and his actions, remind me of you. He’s the younger one, but he protects Gates. You heard the Gordon brothers. Tarrin was only kidnapped because he refused to let Gates be taken alone.”

  “That may be the way we can save the boys.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Catal stood and straightened his shoulders. “Tarrin is a Hunter. That means we may be able to reach him through mind connection. If he has been keeping track of his location, then we should find the boys.”

  Selena’s heart fluttered. Was it possible? Could Catal connect with Tarrin?

  “It is possible.” Catal stood and pulled the bedcovers back. “You need to sleep. You are exhausted.”

  “Are you reading my mind again?” Selena wiped the tears off her cheek with her finger and crawled under the sheets. “When will I be able to read yours?”

  “You can do it now. I will always let you hear my thoughts.” Catal went to the door.

  Selena’s body jerked. Catal’s words were in her head. He hadn’t spoken aloud. He was right. They were connected in a way that only the two of them would ever know. A warm glow of happiness infused her. Did he know how much she loved him?

  “Yes.” Catal smiled and then opened the door. “Partlan, I have information that might help the search.”

  Chapter14

  He was a father.

  His heart was pounding in his chest and a warm heat radiated through his body. The world shone brighter. He had the answer to saving the boys. He didn’t know how Partlan and the others would handle the news he had to give them, but it could only be positive. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought he would father a child. With the genetic modifications and the implants he’d been given, it should have been impossible. Hunters only had one purpose and that was fighting.

  No one on Cygnus had children.

  It wasn’t biologically needed any longer.

  He had often watched human families and marveled at their resilience. Adults and children communicating together was foreign to most warriors. Because he had grown up on Earth, he’d had ample opportunity to observe the interaction of parents and youngsters. He’d wondered how it would feel to have a parent protect and watch over you. When they had crashed on earth, they’d been deserted by their teachers and then set upon by government agencies that hunted them. They were children set adrift in a strange land. It would have been comforting to have a family.

  Now he had one.

  Selena and Tarrin were his family.

  “What have you discovered?” Partlan looked up as Catal entered the room.

  Catal shut the door with a quiet click. He walked into the room. Malac and Firbin were busy at computers, while Breanon had spread a map over one of the beds. Ranon was sorting through papers and photos on the other bed with Partlan.

  He cleared his throat. “Selena has finally opened up to me. She has given me information that I find unbelievable, but it’s true.”

  “What is that?” Firbin looked up from his computer. “Will it help with finding the boys?”

  Catal nodded. “I believe so. Tarrin is my son. He is a Hunter.”

  Silence followed his announcement.

  Firbin was the first to speak. His eyes were wide and his voice low. “How is this possible? Hunters do not have children.”

  “We weren’t supposed to have mates either.” Catal smiled. “Despite the odds against it happening, it is the truth.”

  “It seems we are more compatible with humans than we thought.” Partlan’s voice was dry. “I think both Ardal and Niail need to know this.”

  Ardal, their leader, needed to be made aware of the situation. His mate Fiona, was a doctor. If anyone could explain how this happened, she would. It might be an aberration restricted to him. Niail, a member of Ardal’s unit that had crashed on Earth recently, had just found his mate Kimi. She already had two children, so it was essential that they know whether Niail was capable of being a father too.

  “We may be able to connect with Tarrin.” Catal’s voice was positive.

  “And let him tell us where they are being kept? It is a good idea, but the boy might be unable to communicate with us. He is also part human.” Partlan went to the computer that Firbin was working on. “We have found some information.”

  Firbin moved his fingers over the keys. “We know where the Gordon brother’s storage unit is located. They said that they had hid the boys there and it is where the exchange happened.”

  Catal leaned over Firbin’s shoulder. “The unit is not far from here.”

  “Do they have security cameras?”

  “Yes.” Firbin pointed to a picture of the gated front of the storage units. “It is an outdated system so it is not online. We will have to go and get the footage. That is the only way for us to view what is on it.”

  “We should leave now.” Catal straightened up. “Selena has just gone to sleep.
She won’t know we’ve gone. If we’re quick, then we will have the information we need and be back before she awakens.”

  “Malac and Ranon can stay behind.” Partlan picked up his jacket. “They will continue searching for any mention of these groups that abduct children.”

  Catal’s stomach tightened. Bile rose in his throat at the thought of what might be happening to the boys. With a shock, he realized he was afraid. The emotion was new to him. A Hunter never considered what might happen to him during battle. He was prepared and trained to die. The thought of something happening to Tarrin or Selena, terrified him. It was paralyzing in its grip. He inhaled a sharp breath and forced his mind to concentrate on the rescue.

  “These people are adept at hiding their activities from the law.”

  “We cannot waste any time.” Partlan went to the door. “On the way to the unit, you can try and connect with Tarrin. He might not understand what is happening at first. You may have to make several attempts before you connect.”

  Catal nodded and they left the hotel. Once they were in the van he focused his thoughts on Tarrin. He pulled out the picture Selena had given him and reached out with his mind.

  Nothing.

  It was as if he were trying to penetrate a brick wall.

  He glanced up at Partlan who was sitting beside him and shook his head. “He is either incapable of hearing us, or is blocking the connection.”

  “It might not be that.” Partlan lowered his voice. “This is a boy who never knew about you. He does not have a clue that this type of communication is possible. It may take a while before you can connect, but you have to keep trying.”

  Catal nodded. “Does Ardal know?”

  “I’ve told him. He was surprised, like you, but he said it explains some things. Fiona is going to investigate it. After we rescue the boys, you will meet up with him and Niail.” Partlan leaned close. “You three are the only Hunters with human mates, so you all need to understand why you have been able to father a child. Ardal should have answers by then.”

  Catal exhaled. Everything was different for them on Earth. He had refused to accept that pair bonds was real. Even after mating with Selena, he had still doubted. It wasn’t until Ardal had found his own mate that he’d learned to believe. He didn’t need to know the reason behind his ability to father a child, to accept the truth. He was a father, and soon he would find his son.

  Firbin eased the van to a stop.

  He parked across the road from the storage units. It was a dimly lit area, with several of the street lights flickering on and off. It added a surreal element to the street. A ten foot rod-iron gate blocked the building’s entrance. There was a chain and lock around the gate, and two cameras mounted on the side of the building beyond the gates. No other security was in sight. Any surveillance equipment would be in the main office. They would have to scale the fence and break into the office to get the tapes.

  Partlan nodded to Breanon. Breanon grabbed his assault rifle and left the van. He would take up a position that would give him full view of the storage area and main office. No one should be able to get inside without him knowing. He was their lookout.

  Catal picked up a pistol and pushed it into the inside pocket of his jacket. He took a second gun and put it in the waistband at the back of his jeans. When he was ready, he heaved a deep breath and then followed Partlan out of the van. Firbin would stay and have the vehicle ready for their escape.

  The fence looked to be wired.

  Catal threw a stone at it and nothing happened.

  No electricity flowed through it. They just had to climb it. Partlan went first. Catal jumped over the top and landed on the pavement beside him. The low thud of his boots hitting the ground reverberated through the air. They waited a few seconds.

  Silence.

  No one responded to their intrusion.

  They ran in a crouching position to the rear of the facility. There were long rows of buildings with garage doors on either side. Chains and locks secured the doors. The dull glare of the spotlights added a grey tinge to the units. They went past three rows of buildings before they came to a stop. It was a long corridor that held units in both directions. Partlan turned right, Catal went left.

  The office was at the end of Catal’s side.

  He looked through a window.

  It was dark inside.

  “I’m here,” he advised Partlan.

  He tried the handle, but it was locked. By the time he had pulled out his lock pick set, Partlan had joined him. A couple of twists and turns and the door opened. Partlan went in first, gun in hand as he checked the two roomed office. It was empty.

  Catal rummaged the desk and shelf area in the first room, but there was no taping or surveillance equipment. He turned the computer on and started to search through their files while Partlan explored the back room. Catal found the list of tenants and sent a copy to Malac at the hotel. The rest of the files were correspondence and financials. Nothing significant stood out.

  “The security equipment is back here.”

  Catal shut down the computer and went into the rear office. There was an antiquated camera system with video tape recorders and several monitors. Rows of tapes were stored in a bookshelf. Catal picked one of them up. It was a specialized tape that recorded for at least twelve hours. The quality wouldn’t be good, but that could be enhanced.

  “The Gordon’s rented Unit 167. It’s in the third row on the left.” Catal pointed to the monitor that was fixed along that side. “The exchange took place today so it should have been recorded on the tape in the machine.”

  Partlan rewound the tape machine and started to play back the recording for that monitor. They sped through the images until they noticed Nathan Gordon enter the facility. They followed him to his unit. He was met there by a tall, dark-haired man driving a black sedan. The vehicle pulled up in front of the storage unit. The man got out of the car and popped the trunk open. Then he went into the unit with Nathan.

  Several minutes later, he was carrying a bundle of material. He threw it into the trunk. Nathan followed him with what looked like a rolled up area rug that also went into the trunk. The men shook hands and then the dark haired one drove off. Nathan locked the unit and left.

  Partlan rewound the tape.

  He paused it when the vehicle came in sight.

  “Is there any way to magnify the image?” Partlan’s eyes didn’t leave the screen.

  “I’ll send a copy to Malac. He should be able to clean it up.”

  Catal looked around the office for connection cords and then hooked up the computer sitting on the desk. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he set up a program to record the image from the monitor. He saved it and then emailed that to Malac. He then erased all he had done and put the computer back in place.

  “The police are going to need the evidence here to prosecute the Gordon brothers so we’ll leave it in place.” Catal pulled the cords from the rear of the tape machine. “Malac can examine the vehicle. A license plate will give us a location.”

  “Good.” Partlan pointed at the monitor. “Erase the footage of us entering the warehouses.”

  Catal nodded. “I’ll erase that portion of the tape and leave the recorders off. The FBI won’t have any evidence of us entering or leaving.”

  When he was done, they left the office as silently as they had entered. Firbin had the van running when they returned. Breanon took his seat in the front. There was very little conversation as they drove back to the motel. The next step would depend on whether Malac was able to get any information from the video Catal had sent him.

  Ranon and Malac were both leaning over a computer when they came in.

  “Any luck?” Catal couldn’t keep the tension from his voice.

  “We are piecing together the licence number.” Malac didn’t bother to look up. “Ranon has hacked into the vehicle registry website. Once I have enough numbers, we will run them.”

  Partlan went to the sec
ond computer and pulled up the video of the man that the brothers were talking to. It was difficult to see his face because he never looked directly into the camera. His height and body shape would be useful to compare to the registry lists.

  “Is Selena still asleep?” Catal glanced toward the closed connecting door.

  “She has been there the whole time you were away.” Ranon’s voice was low. “We did not think it was right to go into the room.”

  “It’s probably best.”

  Catal straightened up and went to the door. He cracked it open a few inches and looked inside. His stomach clenched when he saw Selena curled up on the bed. She had thrown the blankets off and her knees were tight against her chest. He went in and covered her up, brushing a finger down her cheek before he left.

  He still had a hard time believing that she was here with him. The years of silence had convinced him that he would remain alone for the rest of his life. To be given a second chance with Selena was more than he had hoped for. It was enough to know that she was alive. It was better than the agony of believing her dead. He would have died himself if that had been the case.

  He gave her one last look and then moved away with a sigh. There was work to do. Finding Tarrin before something horrible happened was all that mattered now. Time was not a luxury they had. He closed the door with a soft click and then returned to the computer Malac was working on.

  “I have five of the numbers and letters.” Malac’s voice was excited. “That is enough to take a run through the vehicle registration.”

  “Give them to me.” Partlan was ready to input the data.

  “K23 blank 27.”

  “We have three possible vehicles.” Partlan’s voice hesitated at he scanned the computer screen. “Only one fits the car. It’s for a David Hendry. He lives on Pauma Valley Drive in Porter Ranch.”

  “How far away is that?”

  “It is about forty minutes away, but at this time of night it should be quicker.”