by Catty Diva
Somehow she managed to nod, turn away, and walk out of there. Dani did her job as she tried to soothe her heart and enclose it in ice. Maybe she just wasn’t as cold as Cash, she couldn’t separate herself completely. This wouldn’t work for her, she had to get away from Cash. It seemed she wasn’t strong enough to handle it all.
The next day she hired an assistant so she could train her replacement. Cash being as he usually was never noticed. He probably didn’t notice she was gone for a week or more. Selia did a good job, the business would be fine. She spent the next two weeks accumulating what money she could and packing her bags. Lista offered her an escape or she would never have been able to leave so soon.
They’d met for drinks as they did almost every week. “I wish you would dump Cash and come work for me.” She said jokingly as she often did.
“Do you mean that?” Dani questioned.
‘Are you serious about leaving Cash?” Lista knew how she felt about him. The subject had come up more than once.
“Yes. It’ll be for you, or someone else.”
“Me. Pick me.” Lista hollered. People turned to look.
“I’ll need to get a place to stay off the grid. I’ll work paid per job.”
“Have I got a deal for you. Work the first week of the month in return for food and shelter. We’ll supply any reasonable needs. The rest of the time you can work for pay by the job for me or anyone else you care to. No one will be told where you are and the place and the expenses are all listed in my name.”
“That’s a deal too good to refuse. When can I start?”
“You can move in this weekend. Do you have a replacement?”
“I do. I’ve been training her for two weeks. Cash hasn’t even noticed.”
“Men can be so blind.”
There was nothing to say to that. She went home, packed up, wrote up her resignation and placed it where he’d find it. Lista sent a ship for her with two guys to pack everything up for her and load it. Nice looking guys, but what did she care? They took her to her new house and set her up. Once everything was in place and they’d left, she got on the computer to find freelance work.
All weekend long she worked hard. Monday she would belong to Lista all week long. Lista was a good friend, she was lucky to have someone who cared for her.
That was how she’d ended up here in this nice family home at the edge of the desert. Her internet was even better than Cash’s. A studio would have been plenty for her. Groceries were delivered weekly. Life went on even though her heart was breaking. Someday, things would get better. Everyone said so, so why didn’t she believe it?
Dani got back to work taking some outside jobs since reports had stopped an hour ago. She needed a good amount of money to get herself set up in another galaxy under a new name. Cash was good, but she would do better. Why was he even looking for her?
Her mind worked on the problem. She could find out. Pulling up her email, she wrote one to him.
I find I sympathize with a woman running from a man. The lady doesn’t want you to know where she is. I will forward any message you have to her, but I will not tell you how to find her.
Once the message was off, she felt better. She didn’t expect to hear back so soon, but her email pinged.
Tell the lady I love her and want her back.
The message was short and sweet. She would leave it for a while since he thought she had to send it and wait to get an answer back. It wasn’t like she didn’t have enough work to do. It seemed computer specialists were in big demand. There were websites where she could find unlimited jobs to do many paying extremely well. A few jobs were questionable, but they skirted the lines of what ethics would accept. None of them were illegal on any nearby planets.
She had to locate people or objects, track lost funds, and research property, sometimes whole planets, for buyers interested in them. Some of the jobs were even interesting. There were two females looking for their birth families and looking at their pictures, Dani suspected they were twins. Taking both jobs, it wasn’t long before she could prove they were and give them their entire history.
They were so happy and excited, it made her day seem worthwhile. Unfortunately, she detected a Trojan that she tracked back to the lab she had laid the fake communications in. She sent it back with a surprise. Once they opened her message, their computer system would be a mess. Now she needed to decide if she should bug out. If they had her location, they might send someone to take her out.
Sending a message to Lista, she got a reply immediately. “Come here and we’ll put surveillance on your house.”
That was good enough for Dani. She had no death wish. Dani packed up a go bag and her computer, then she headed to her hover car taking off immediately. No need to waste time figuring things out with danger hanging over her head. Turning slightly, she headed straight to Lista’s house.
The house came into sight quickly since it was just over a hill. A ship passed over head, on the way to her house? As she pulled into the driveway, Lista came out to meet her. “Thank goodness you’re okay. Maybe we’ll catch some of the lab mercenaries tonight.”
“Gods, I hope so. Those people deserve to be caught.” Dani offered.
They headed in and she saw food sitting out on the table. “The kids are at Razar’s parents. I set a place for you. Razar had to leave so it’s just us girls.”
“Did I mess up your plans?”
“No, the bad guys did. They do that sometimes. It gives us a chance to catch up. Do anything interesting lately?” Lista asked. She told her about the twins leaving out names and locations. “That must have been neat.”
“The ladies were so happy to find each other. They said they always felt something was missing. I can’t imagine having twins and separating them.”
“It seems multiples should stay together but often no one wants to take more than one baby at a time.” Lista observed.
“To me, giving up one seems terrible but giving up more impossible.”
Chapter 5
Cash was glad they’d gotten the last kid, a girl, without any trouble. Most of the kids were girls with only ten percent being boys. They took them to the med center so they could be checked out. His team was ready to go when an ear drum busting yell split the air.
His first thought was they were being attacked and he went for his weapon, but it was only the boy from the bar. He didn’t want Cash to leave him. It looked like the boy was adopting him. Letting his people go for now, he sat and waited patiently for the doc to see to the boy. Once he was done, Cash didn’t know what to do except take him along.
“What’s your name?” Cash asked. “Mine is Cash.”
“Toby.” The boy replied so quietly it was barely heard.
“Toby.” Cash tested it out. “Let’s go. We have a shuttle to catch.”
His team had gone and sent Ralph back with the shuttle. He was sure supper would be ready and he had to admit he wouldn’t mind a good meal waiting on the table. The boy looked like he needed some good food to help him fill out. The kid was quiet and so well behaved he forgot he was there sometimes. Cash understood. Better not to catch anyone’s attention. That was the way to avoid pain, both emotional and physical.
The boy might come to understand life would be different soon. A kid should have a chance to be a child and have fun. This boy’s life had been far too hard up to now. Cash didn’t know what to do with him. He didn’t want to take him on these raids, but he suspected the kid wouldn’t allow him to leave him behind.
When they arrived, steak and potatoes was on the table along with salad and dessert. The aroma of the food made his mouth water. They washed their hands then sat down while Envy said a prayer to some god he was unfamiliar with. He filled the boy’s plate and put it in front of him. The kid just sat and looked at it.
“That’s yours. Only eat until you’re full or you’ll get sick. As you get used to eating more, you can eat more. We want you to be healthy.”
The
boy didn’t listen and fell over the food. Somehow, he managed to keep it down. As soon as he was done, he took his plate, cup, and silverware to the sink and began to wash them. He came back and stood in front of Cash waiting for his plate. “You only have to do your own plate for now. There’ll be chores for you later, but everyone does their share here.” Cash explained. “Go with Envy, she’s going to get you clothes to wear and show you where the bathroom you’ll use is. You need a shower.”
The boy nodded and looked at Envy who held out her hand. He took it so she led him away. It was half an hour later when they returned. Toby was clean, his hair was blond not black. His skin was light tan and he was skinny, but he would put on weight quickly.
“It’s time for all of us to turn in.” Justice mentioned. He, Envy, and Ralph headed to the hunter quarters.
“Let’s find you a room.” Cash said. He led Toby into his quarters where there was a small bedroom that worked well for a child.
Cash had two guest rooms like that, one larger and one smaller. His room was a master suite with a bathroom and a sitting room. His guest quarters had a small bathroom between them, functional more than luxurious. Toby settled in and went to sleep immediately. Oh, for the days when Cash could always count on finding sleep easily. Those were the days of his youth.
These days’ worries and desires kept him up. He went back to his bedroom and checked his email. Lista’s hacker had answered him.
The lady finds it hard to believe. Didn’t the gentleman in question admit it had all been a mistake?
No surprise she would use his own words to hang him. Yeah, he’d messed up but not when they’d had their one beautiful night. No, the mistake had been when he hadn’t used it to claim her. Time to give it another try.
The only mistake was in letting her go. Sometimes a man needs time to see how wrong he is.
Now he would wait again. He turned off his computer and took a long hot shower. Maybe he would get some sleep, he could only hope. Dry and wearing a pair of sleeping shorts so he wouldn’t flash the kid, he lay down in his bed slipping in to sleep after just a few moments of reflection. When he woke, a little child was curled up next to him sleeping peacefully. A new place could be scary even when the old place was a nightmare.
Cash left Toby sleeping in his bed as the scent of food and coffee lured him out of his room. Everyone was wearing casual clothes while they sat around and talked. A few extra were there this morning as they came by to get their assignments.
“Hey, Boss!” Bear yelled.
“The hunt going well?” Cash asked. He knew Bear was after a whole crew that had jumped bail.
“Caught two of them and have three more to get. They split up to make my life harder.” Bear observed.
“You’ll get them.” He was sure Bear would too. His nick name was Bear because he looked like a grizzly, big and strong. It was probably the only name he had since he was lab bred and born.
“Cash!” Frieda hollered. She had a crush on him, but he wasn’t interested.
“How’s the investigation going?” Cash asked. She was investigating a theft for the insurance company.
“Seems suspicious. I’ll figure it out.” Sha admitted.
“I know you will.” Cash replied as he took his seat at the head of the table. A full plate of food appeared like magic. Sometimes, it was good to be him.
Toby appeared out of the bedroom siting in the empty seat next to him. “Good morning. Want a piece of bacon?” Toby nodded so Cash speared a piece with his fork holding out to him. The boy grabbed it and stuffed it in his mouth.
Envy brought out Toby’s plate setting it in front of him. “Who’s the kid?” Ranger asked.
“He’s mine.” Cash said. No one else said a thing, but you could have heard a pin drop. Once Envy got back in the kitchen, he could hear her and Justice chuckling.
“Looks just like you, Boss.” Bear said with a wink as he grabbed a cinnamon roll off a plate on the table and headed for the door.
Toby didn’t look exactly like him, but had he been his and Dani’s, his hair was a few shades too light. He didn’t look like he didn’t belong. That got Cash to thinking about giving the boy some siblings to look after and keep in line. Everyone got their food eaten and they went to their rooms to dress.
They all met back up in the main room, even the boy was in clothes that fit well and looked good on him. Envy was a miracle worker. Of course the boy insisted on coming along. They headed to the shuttle and quickly ran down their list.
The next two days went well too. They were sleeping on the third night, everyone was staying at the headquarters for convenience. Cash sat up in bed, his heart pounding and his breath coming in and out fast. Was it a dream? A shriek rent through the night. Toby! That was no dream.
Cash ran grabbing a hidden laser gun from its magnetic mount under a table along the way. “Grab that damn kid!” a male voice hoarsely whispered.
“He’s under the damn bed. I can’t get him.” Another male answered just as Cash slid into the doorway.
Lining up his gun, he shot quickly moving the gun to the next guy and firing again. They both dropped. Cash restrained them quickly as Toby came out from under the bed. “This all of them?” Cash asked. Toby held up two fingers and Cash nodded.
Stepping softly, he glided to the main room seeing no one. He continued to the upstairs where Envy was in the middle of restraining one male while Justice ran him through their software. “Now they come to us. This guy has bounties on him along with most of his known associates. Ralph has another guy next door. I heard him taking him down.” Justice grinned.
“I got two. Why don’t we take yours and Ralph’s to lockup, then come back to get mine?” Cash said. He knew this was the scum bag who thought he’d owned Toby.
They locked the two from upstairs in a cell then headed toward Toby’s room where they caught Toby kicking both males. “Thanks for keeping an eye on these two. We’re putting them in jail.” Toby smiled wide.
Cash didn’t even want to think about what this guy had done to the kid. As far as he was concerned, the boy had taken it easy on those guys. He was going to give Toby a cut of the bounties for luring the guys there. Someday, Toby would make a hell of a bounty hunter. Between the four criminals, the bounty would be massive. Everyone involved would get a cut. His people would feel good when the money came. It would pay way better than their normal work did.
He suspected Envy was with child. She had a small bump and Justice was more watchful of her. She wouldn’t be helping with anything but office work before long. Cash wasn’t sure if his mate was pregnant that he would let her go out on these kinds of jobs at all.
They went back to bed, all of them, but sleep was elusive at this point. They ended up out in the main room early. “Why don’t we get ready to leave early?” Envy suggested. Cash could smell coffee and pancakes.
“Why not?” Cash agreed. He sat down to eat as the plates began to appear. Envy and Justice must eat as they cooked. Toby got a plate of pancakes that had faces drawn on them with jam and fresh fruit. He giggled as he looked at them. “What handsome looking pancakes you have. Oh, my. You’re not going to eat them are you?” He pretended to be horrified as Toby ate the face off the pancake. Toby giggled harder.
At least now the boy would have a chance to be a kid for a while. They finished eating and took their plates into the kitchen. Rinsing them off, they put them in the dishwasher which ended up being filled quickly. Cash turned it on. It broke up food particles and disinfected the dishes.
Once everything was cleaned, they headed put. Toby grabbed his hand so Cash led him to the shuttle. Toby felt insecure so he sat next to Cash. As kids were freed, the team and Toby once again ended up in the back so those kids could have the real seats. He hated Toby sitting back there because it wasn’t comfortable, but the boy didn’t seem to mind. It was safe enough with the netting holding them in. They got five on this trip because they were getting them too slowly. Heading ou
t on another trip, they probably wouldn’t make it back until midnight.
This job was tough and their sleep would be in the cargo bay of the shuttle for the biggest part. The worst part was Toby had to endure it too. He’d had a rough life so far and Cash wanted better for his boy. The next morning they went early, grabbing another five by noon and heading out again.
The com rang, they had a message. They would be getting help. A ship was now available that would start at the bottom of Cash’s list and work up. He felt nothing but relief. Maybe he was getting too old for this shit. It was true he didn’t do field work as much as before. At one time, all he’d done was work in the field. Now he’d stayed away so long, it was hard to get back into it.
It was early the next morning. They would drop off their four bounties to collect their money before heading out to free some more kids. Collecting their fees was probably the most fun part of most hunting. They walked into the courthouse in the capital of the Garfield Solar system. This was a center for bounty hunters in this half of the universe.
“Hey Cash. What you bring us today?” Jacker asked. He was the clerk that handled most of the payouts and took possession of the prisoners.
Cash laid the four printouts on the desk. “We have those four.”
“I think some new bounties came through on this Curt guy. It will up your pay. He’s a bad apple.” Jacker began to write out checks, one for each prisoner. There was a guard to take custody of each prisoner once the check was presented. “You made some money today.”
“I have to share it five ways, but it’s still good.” Cash actually got a share personally and one for the business. Envy, Justice, and Ralph each got a share and he would give Toby a half share. “We got more business to deal with today. Thanks Jacker.”
Cash shook his hand slipping him a tip for getting him taken care of so quickly. On the way out, he cashed the checks paying a two percent cashing fee. Everyone wanted their share. What was left was what he’d divide up. He loved this business and had never considered doing anything else. It wasn’t just the excitement or the good use of his personal skills, he was also helping make the universe a little safer for the average citizen.
