Stalking Fate

by K. R. Fajardo

  Nearly knocking over the table, plate and all, she jumped to her feet. “My sister was here? Where is she? Where is my sister now?”

  “She’s not here anymore dear. Bruce was just trying to explain to Duncan what happened when you came in. But apparently a girl that meets your sister’s description was found in our barn with members of a local gang.”

  “So where are they now?” Senka demanded. Immediately all eyes went back to Bruce.

  “Well, as I was saying. Once I realized they weren’t rogues stopping for a rest, I demanded they get the hell out of my barn. But then the three of them pulled weapons on me.” Shaking his head, Bruce dropped his gaze. “They told me they were waiting for someone and that they were under strict instructions to remain inside my barn until whoever it was arrived. They also mentioned that it was in the best interest of me and my family that I forgot seeing those girls.”

  Looking sadly from him to Senka, Bruce sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t do more. I wanted to rip the head off those bastards, I really did, especially when I saw the condition those poor girls were in. But I couldn’t risk my family being harmed.”

  “It’s ok, your first priority is your family.” Duncan consoled, earning him a glare from Senka. “But tell me, who came to pick up the men and the girls? Who were they waiting for?”

  “The jackal himself.” Andria answered. “He pulled up to our house in that fancy black car of his, forced those girls inside, and drove off. Bastard even had the gall to smile and wave. Once he was gone, one of his men tried to give us some money ‘for the inconvenience’ but I told him to shove off. Don’t want those assholes getting the idea they can pull that shit here.”

  “Unfortunately, I am certain they will be coming back whether we want them to or not,” Bruce added pointedly. “Overheard a couple of them talking outside saying Vincent intends to increase the amount of girls he’s bringing into Zerdanda. And it sounds as if he’s planning on using our barn as a sort of warehouse to hide them in until they are…” Bruce hesitated. Biting down hard on his toothpick he looked over at Senka as if he was contemplating finishing his sentence.

  “Until they what?” Duncan asked lowly.

  Shifting his attention back to Duncan, he pulled the tiny, half worn stick from his mouth. “Until they are sold.”

  Across the table Senka gasped. With trembling hands she covered her mouth. He knew she had suspicions about what fate could possibly have befallen her sister, but thinking something and knowing for certain put things in an entirely different perspective. Clearly in a state of shock, she stared at some unknown point above Bruce’s head as the weight of his words settled in. More than anything Duncan wanted to climb over the table and wrap his arms around her, to hold her and comfort her in her time of need. But fearing her rejection, he chose to remain seated. Still he cared for her, even if she did not return his feelings, and he did not want her sorrow to go unattended to.

  Looking up, his gaze was met by his sister’s questioning stare. She gestured for him to come to Senka’s aid. With a quick shake of his head, he dismissed her request and returned the gesture. Narrowing her eyes, Andria looked as if she wanted to rip his head off. Thankfully though, she moved in behind Senka and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Whispering a few calming words into her ear, she eased her carefully back into her chair.

  Feeling somewhat comforted that Senka was receiving the attention she obviously needed, Duncan turned his attention back to Bruce. “How long has all this been going on?”

  “The girls being smuggled in? Probably a couple of months now… at least that was about when the rumors started spreading through town.”

  “And no one has done a damn thing to stop it?” Furious that this type of activity could take place in his country, Duncan stood and slammed his hand on the thick wooden table. “Seriously, it’s one thing to turn a blind eye to the extortion and smuggling. But selling girls… in Zerdanda! That in itself should have the entire town up in arms.”

  “Well, if the rumors are true, then this goes on well up above Vincent.” Bruce said sadly. “It seems he just happens to be the one in charge of getting them through the border.”

  “And he doesn’t use traders to bring in the girls across, he uses bounty hunters...” Andria added, as she eyed him.

  “Bounty hunters who have no issues with killing women…” Collapsing back into his chair, Duncan shook his head. “That explains why the alpha let me pass through the border after he scented Senka.” Now with the attention of the entire table on him, including a very tearful Senka, Duncan explained. “When I was stopped in the forest by the Patrols, I told the alpha I was a bounty hunter who also hunted women. It was my way of trying to explain why Senka’s scent was on me. The wolf looked like he wanted to rip my head off but instead he let me go, saying he had orders that forbid him from doing so.”

  “That’s why the intensity between you two suddenly spiked, yet nothing happened.” Senka said, wiping her tears on the back of her hand.

  Turning his attention to Senka, Duncan nodded sadly. “I hated even saying that. Killing a woman or a child is the one thing I would never do.”

  “Well it probably didn’t help that you still look like one of Vincent’s men.” Andria looked over to Bruce who seconded her opinion. “I mean you are my brother and I love you Duncan. But when we saw you in the yard, tightly clutching Senka, and her dressed in those tattered clothes… well we automatically assumed you were another one of his thugs coming to deliver a girl.”

  Though he should probably have been offended by her words, he wasn’t. He knew how others perceived him, had his whole life. There was just something about him that made everyone uncomfortable, everyone except Senka that is. His size didn’t intimidate her, nor did his Alpha power. She stood before him and saw herself as his equal in every way. Not even the day he had yelled at her in his shop, did she flee because she feared him, she fled because he had wounded her pride.

  But Senka was the rare exception. Very few people in his life had ever dared to get close to see past his hardened exterior and see the crumbling man hidden within. Even the majority of his youth was spent fighting off members of Vincent’s gang who felt challenged by his size and strength. And no matter how many came for him, Duncan never backed down, it just wasn’t in his nature. And it was this tenacity and resilience that had earned him a visit with the boss man himself. Impressed by the rumors spreading through his ranks, Vincent offered him a position in his gang. In exchange, Vincent promised him his family and their land would be forever off limits to the threats and harassment they were inflicting on so many others.

  Suddenly Duncan was struck with an idea. “Is Vincent’s office still on the top floor of Lobos?”

  “What is a Lobos?” Senka asked, staring between them.

  “A local night club and bar where all Vincent’s thugs and bounty hunters go to hang out.” Andria replied to Senka’s question, before addressing Duncan again. “And yes, as far as I know.”

  “Do you still have some of my old clothes here?”

  “Yes.” Andria narrowed her gaze, staring rather suspiciously at him, “Why, what are you planning to do?”

  “Nothing much, just figured I’d go out for a drink tonight to celebrate my homecoming.”

  “Have you lost your mind?!” Eyes stretched wide, Andria shook her head vehemently. “He’ll kill you the minute he lays eyes on you? Or have you forgotten you never finished the last job he sent you to do?”

  No, he definitely hadn’t forgotten that. How could he, when it was that last assignment that changed his life forever. The one that made him decide once and for all that he couldn’t be that man anymore. “I never took payment for that job, so he can’t hold that over me.”

  “You really don’t believe that do you?” Andria huffed. “Cause if you do, then you are a bigger fool than I took you for.”

  “I know how it sounds.” Duncan argued. “But think about it. Lobos is where Vincent keeps all h
is most valuable merchandise because no one would dare rob a place packed full of contract killers and thugs. For the same reason, he also uses it as his base for operations for the ‘business negotiations’ that could get a little hairy. So my guess is that’s probably where he is keeping the girls and also where he intends to hold the auction to sell them.”

  “Exactly! All the more reason for you not to go!” Andria argued, “You would be walking into a death trap Duncan!”

  “Not if they still think I am one of them.” He responded, as three sets of eyes stared back at him as if he had lost his mind. “Listen, I know it’s risky. But Lobos is a fortress, with multiple levels of security and only one way in or out. Which means the only way we are going to get inside that building is if they let us in.”

  “Say in the off chance you are right and they let you in. What about Senka? They aren’t going to just let her stroll through the front door, and that’s even if you managed to make it that far without being caught.”

  Casting his gaze toward Senka he sighed. He knew what her answer would be before he even asked the question. Still he had to try. “I don’t suppose you would stay here and let me do this on my own?”

  Shaking her head, Senka confirmed what he already knew. “I am going with you. There is no way I am letting you risk your life to save my sister while I sit here in your sister’s house all nice and cozy.”

  “Senka would you please listen to reason, just this once? You have no idea how dangerous it is inside that place, especially for a woman.”

  “Too dangerous for a woman!” she scoffed. “The only thing dangerous in that place is going to be this woman if they so much as hurt one hair on my sister’s head. Now like I said, I am going to go with you and that’s that.”

  “Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?”

  “Why do you have to be such an asshole?”

  Balling his fists, Duncan leapt to his feet, causing all the others at the table to do the same. “I’m the one being an asshole? All I am trying to do is protect you!” he yelled, slamming his fist down on the table.

  Barely restraining the urge to leap over the table and tie her hard headed ass to the chair, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Bruce slowly edged his way closer to him. Andria, also fearing for Senka’s safety, placed herself in front of her. But unlike his sister, Senka didn’t fear him, she never had. Gently pushing her way around Andria, she stood before Duncan and faced him and all his wrath.

  “You’re not my guardian Duncan, and I don’t need or want your protection.”

  Her words, spoken so coldly, caught him completely off guard. Staring into her calm amber eyes he could tell she meant every word she said, and to be honest, it hurt. “Fine, you think you are tough enough to handle a room full of bounty hunters, then far be it for me to stop you.” Leaning forward a little more, he fixed her with his pointed glare. “Be ready to leave in two hours or I’m leaving you behind.”

  “I will see you then.”

  Shooting him a glare, Senka pushed away from the table and stormed outside. Andria rose and followed her, but not before making her own displeasure very apparent. They were only outside a few minutes before the sound of arrows hitting a target could be heard through the open window in the kitchen.

  “That’s quite an impressive young lady. Kind of reminds me of your sister at that age.” Bruce commented, staring out the window. “Care for a piece of advice?”

  Cringing as arrow after arrow hit the target in rapid succession, Duncan shrugged. “Sure, it can’t hurt.”

  “Choose your battles wisely. Because while a strong willed woman can be a true gift to the man who chooses to respect and support her.” Popping a fresh toothpick into his mouth, Bruce fixed him with a pointed glared. “She can be the worst nightmare to the man who seeks to suppress and control her. And I can promise you Duncan, you don’t won’t to make an enemy of that girl.”

  Sighing Duncan peered toward the doorway, “I’m afraid I already have.”

  Storming out of the house, Senka snatched up her bow and arrow propped by the door and headed across the yard toward the target she had spotted earlier when exploring with Gidgit. Taking position about fifty yards away, she lined up her arrow and released. The arrow flew straight and true, piercing the target dead in the center.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  She had heard Andria following her out of the house, but had hoped she would stay on the porch and leave her in peace. Apparently Andria had other plans. With her own bow in hand, the matronly lady took up position next to her. “May I?”

  Not really desiring company, but also not wanting to be rude to the woman who had been nothing but kind to her, Senka shrugged. She then watched as Andria raised her bow and loosed an arrow, which landed only millimeters away from her own. Seeming satisfied with her hit, Andria smiled and lowered her bow. “Would you like to talk about it?”

  Keeping her eye on the target, Senka knocked another arrow. “About what?”

  “About what happened between you and my brother upstairs.”

  Her words caught Senka completely off guard causing her to miss the center circle by several inches. “I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Really? So do you often go around calling people’s brothers idiots for no reason?” Releasing her own arrow, Andria once again hit the bullseye. “Not that I disagree mind you. I was just curious as to why you thought he was one.”

  “I never called Duncan an idiot. Why would you think…” Slapping her hand to her forehead, Senka groaned. “Damn Shifter hearing.”

  Seeing Andria’s brows arch, Senka slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh shit, Andria. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just, these last few days have been so trying, between the constant worry about my sister and Duncan’s strange behavior. Not to mention him kissing me…” Gasping, Senka’s eyes stretched wide, “Oh shit… please tell me you didn’t hear that too?”

  Based upon the matronly lady’s expression, Senka had to assume she had. Flushing, she watched as Andria scrunched her mouth. She studied her closely for several moments before releasing a frustrated sigh. “How old are you Senka?”

  “Twenty-six.” She answered, biting her lip nervously.

  “By the stars. You’re just a child.” Running a hand down her face, Andria shook her head. “Listen Senka, your personal business is your own, as is my brothers. So I don’t want you to take what I am about to say personally. But I think once you have your sister back, you should get as far away from my brother as you can.”

  “Excuse me?” her voice clipped, Senka turned to face Andria head on.

  Raising her hands in a defensive gesture, Andria attempted to explain herself. “Like I said, I’m not trying to offend you. I actually like you, and if things were different this might work. It’s just…”

  Lowering her gaze, Andria hesitated, seeming to search for the right words to explain herself. “Well, you don’t know my brother as well as you think you do and I worry he may be pursuing you for the wrong reasons.”

  “Like what kind of reasons?”

  “That is my brother’s place to tell you, not mine.” Andria sighed. “It’s just… you’re such a sweet girl, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  Unsure of what to make of this conversation, Senka turned back to the target and raised her bow. “It doesn’t matter. We’re just friends, nothing more.” Without waiting for her response, Senka knocked and loosed multiple arrows in rapid succession. Beside her Andria watched silently. A couple of times it looked as if she wanted to say something, but after about the fifth arrow, she turned and headed back to the house.

  Frustrated and upset, Senka continued to fire relentlessly as her mind churned with the culmination of the day’s events. From anxiously watching Duncan negotiate with a snarling pack of wolves, to the horror of seeing him being shot with an arrow, and finally the confusing aftermath of them having sex together, Senka was both men
tally and physically exhausted.

  Firing her last arrow, Senka exhaled and threw the bow over her shoulder. She was so close to getting her sister back, all she had to do was travel with Duncan to the Horde’s hideout, kick this Vincent’s ass, and take her sister home. Problem was, her and Duncan’s friendship had been put to the test since this whole journey began and with what just happened driving a deeper wedge between them, she honestly had no idea where they stood. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she now had his sister warning her to stay away from him because she ‘didn’t know him as well as she thought she did.’

  What the hell did that even mean?

  Kicking a nearby tree, Senka grunted in frustration. It hurt but surprisingly the pain provided a much needed distraction from all the other issues she was being forced to deal with. A punch followed the kick, followed by another, followed by another, and before she knew it, she was manically whaling on the defenseless pine with everything she had. She continued punching and kicking the rough bark until her hands bled and her legs hurt, only then, when she had nothing left in her to give, and her body had gone numb to the pain, did she collapse to the ground and cry again.

  After sitting under a tree crying for over a half an hour, Senka finally rose to her feet and dusted off her pants. Having no desire to face Duncan or anyone else in the house for that matter, she searched around outside for something to use to clean up with and eventually found a water pump near the back of the property.

  Though the frigid water hurt like hell, she managed to get the majority of the dirt and debris out of her knuckles before wrapping them in a piece of cloth she ripped from her tattered shirt. Sort of ashamed at having thrown what she would consider a childish tantrum, and not in the mood to hear one of Duncan’s lectures, she pulled on a pair of gloves from out of her bag.

  “I need you to put this on.”