Wanted

by Ho, Jo

  The girl hesitated then. The Mercenary could almost see the questions racing through her mind before she voiced them. “Well, if you’re looking for her, shouldn’t you know what she looks like?”

  The Mercenary smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I need to establish whether we are talking about the same person, and any information I give out to you could sway your memory. It’s better if you speak freely without any interference from me.”

  Her voice softened. The Mercenary could hear the moment she accepted his response. Even the Server bought his story, hanging onto every word.

  “She was around five foot four. Short dark hair, kind of a messy cut actually, but it suited her. She was pretty, but a bit heavy-handed with the eye liner if you know what I mean?” He didn’t, but let her continue. “Think she was wearing a hoodie and jeans. They could’ve done with a wash. I remember thinking for a pretty girl, she sure didn’t know how to dress to her advantage. And that’s about it.”

  Nodding, The Mercenary slipped a business card onto the counter. “Thank you. You’ve both been a great help. If you think of anything else that might be useful, please contact my office.”

  With that, The Mercenary left. He’d gotten what he needed and didn’t want to spend a second longer talking with these two idiots.

  CHAPTER 95

  CHASE

  A bright stream of sunlight landed on my face, waking me.

  I yawned, stretching before noticing how comfortable I was. Suddenly, my eyes flew open as I remembered where I was. Bandit — who had still been sleeping — snapped his eyes open. He chuffed softly, which I took as his morning greeting. I scratched him under the chin.

  “Morning Muttface.”

  He grinned at me; I guess he got the joke. I lay there for a blissful second, Bandit curled up by my side. Other than Motel Horror, it’d been almost a year since I’d slept in a bed, and I’d totally forgotten how nice they were. Honestly, just wait until you’ve been sleeping on the sidewalk with nothing other than a newspaper to cushion you against the cold. Then you’ll know what discomfort is.

  BANG! A thundering crack sounded from outside.

  “STAY DOWN,” I yelled to Bandit. Rolling out of bed, I crouch walked to the window, keeping my head as low as I could. My heart was racing so much I thought it would leap out of my chest. Rising slowly, I peeked out, sure I would see one of those SWAT-like guys who attacked Sully’s clinic. But instead of the mass of black-clad figures I expected, there was only one. And he wore jeans and a tight shirt that showed off even tighter abs. Gideon.

  He was aiming a pistol at a row of cans perched on a fence some distance away. As I watched, he pulled on the trigger. BOOM! A can danced off the fence and fell to the ground. He paused for the slightest second before letting off another shot. A second can tumbled down. Then another and another, until all the cans lay on the ground. I was impressed but didn’t want to show it. Instead, I opened the window, and stuck my head outside.

  “You can’t use an alarm like normal people? What’s with the gunshots so early in the morning?”

  He spun around and found me framed in the window. “There’s two things wrong with that sentence: one, it’s after twelve, so morning has long gone, and two, what makes you think I want to be like normal people?”

  I frowned. “Well, what time is it?”

  “Time you made yourself useful. This isn’t a hotel, it’s a working ranch.” He turned back to the fence and walked away from me, apparently done with me right now.

  I’ll be honest. The guy might be cute, but he sure lacked in the affability department. I looked at Bandit, who was staring at me, head tilted questioningly.

  “Yeah. I don’t know what I see in him either.”

  CHAPTER 96

  CHASE

  Moments later, we were invading the kitchen.

  The fridge had a bunch of meats and cheeses in it. I grabbed some of each and a jug of juice and was heading to the dining table before I saw a neatly stacked mound of canned dog food and biscuits. Someone had already been up and shopping that morning. Grinning, I grabbed a can that was flavoured with turkey apparently and dished it onto one of the two brand new metal bowls that was lying on the counter. Bandit couldn’t keep still. He was literally doing circles around me. I’m guessing the smell of the food was driving him mad. He whined, nuzzling my side impatiently. “OK, OK, hold your horses, dog.”

  A confused sound came out of him, a cross between a moan and a sigh.

  “It’s just a saying. No need to get all literal,” I explained as I placed the bowl onto the ground. He dived into the bowl, chomping and slurping with gusto. Remember how daintily he took that fritter from me back when we first met? Yeah, that dog was long gone. Apparently, he totally dug the food choice. Smiling, I slapped some meat and pre-sliced cheese between two slices of bread and was chomping away at it when Sully appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in clothes I hadn’t seen before. Zeb must have loaned them from his own collection, judging by the faded flannel shirt he was wearing.

  “I was coming to wake you, but I see you already found the food,” Sully said wryly. I nodded, mouth too full to speak. Bandit barked once, happily, his bowl already empty. He was licking it so much, the bowl was being pushed across the floor. I tore open the large bag of doggy biscuits and started pouring some into the bowl for him. Bandit didn’t even wait for me to finish, just stuck his snout in there and started woofing down chow at a rate that was akin to the speed of light.

  Sully grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured himself a glass of OJ. Sipping it, he lifted Bandit’s bandage and inspected the wound. “A scab is forming. That’s good news; it’s healing nicely.”

  “That’s one down,” I said. It was meant to sound optimistic, but somehow came out a little desperate. Sully must’ve been able to hear it in my voice but chose to ignore it.

  “I’ll take it. I’ll take anything I can get right now,” he replied. He sounded weary. It was only when I took a closer look at him that I saw the dark rings under his eyes.

  “You didn’t sleep?”

  “I was up most of the night. Zeb and I were trying to see what we could do.” He spoke without thinking, I don’t think he realized he called his father by name, but I caught the use. Sully’s issues with Zeb must run deep if he can’t even call him “dad.”

  “And? What did you find?”

  “Not much yet. We need to keep looking.” He reached down to stroke Bandit, who had long finished his food and was now sitting there, watching us solemnly. I could feel myself wanting to ask if he could look a little faster, but another look at the bags under his eyes and I bit my tongue. Sully was trying his best. No need to beat him over the head with it. He gulped down the juice and took his glass over to the sink, where he rinsed it before setting it upside down on a dish rack. He did this in one quick motion, like he’d done it a million times before, which, I guess he probably had. I wondered whether this was something Emma had drilled into him. Somehow, I couldn’t picture Sully being this domesticated without help.

  “Will you guys be OK while I get to work in the barn?”

  “Sure. We’ll find something to do to occupy ourselves,” I said. He nodded, eyes distant, thoughts already drifting away to the enormous task at hand. Within a few beats, the doorway was empty. I turned to Bandit.

  “So… What do you fancy doing?”

  CHAPTER 97

  CHASE

  Turns out, Bandit just wanted to play outside in the sun.

  He was running around, chasing and barking at anything that moved — being a goofball, basically. I was kinda surprised he didn’t want to watch YouTube or read, but he’d said something about loving the smell of grass. I think where he was from, they probably didn’t let him out much. If at all.

  A brightly colored orange and black butterfly flew by. A Monarch. Bandit barked at it then chased it until it disappeared into the sky. He watched from below, tongue hanging out to one side, having t
he time of his life.

  “He doesn’t look that bright,” came Gideon’s voice from behind me. I forced myself not to turn, despite all my senses screaming at me to look at him. Be cool.

  “He might be clever, but he’s still a dog.” I gave myself an internal pat on the back. Gideon stopped beside me, and we watched Bandit play. As the silence grew, I could feel myself tensing up. What was it about him that made me feel so awkward? I cleared my throat and gestured across the grass, to Gideon’s gun range.

  “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

  “Here. Zeb thinks it’s important to be able to protect your own.”

  “This doesn’t look like the kind of place that needs protecting,” I said. He turned to face me. The sun was behind him, casting his face in shadow. I tried not to focus on his chiseled cheekbones.

  “It’s not like we’re back in New York. Can’t imagine crime gets any tougher than a rabbit stealing from the vegetable garden.”

  He looked at me curiously. It was probably the first time I’d seen his brow unfurled. “That where you’re from? New York?”

  I nodded. “Not originally. But I’ve been living on the streets a year now. It’s tough, but at least I’m my own person, you know? No one tells me what I can or can’t do. And if anyone touches me, they get a taste of my fist.”

  Oh wow, I was mortified. I’d turned into Chatty McChatty. Flinching, I mentally chided myself for my behavior, hoping he couldn’t hear my inner dialogue. All the while, he kept watching me with those intense blue eyes. I had to look away, worried they would see straight into my soul. “Bandit’s the only friend I had until Sully came along.”

  Gideon kicked at a blade of grass. “That’s like me and Zeb. He helped me out when I was in a bind.”

  Looks like neither of us wanted to mention our family or parents, and I was totally fine with that.

  “So you’re good in a fight?” he asked.

  I stood taller. “I can hold my own. I’ve been learning the Israeli self-defense form of martial arts.”

  “You know Krav Maga?” He couldn’t hide his surprise.

  “You know what that is?” I couldn’t hide mine either. Most people had never heard of it.

  “I’ve seen Taken. We’re not all complete hicks out here.” His voice was empty of humor. There was the very real possibility that I had insulted him.

  “I didn’t mean you were. It’s just not a common thing to know is all.” I went to bite my tongue again, before I caught the glint in his eyes. He was teasing me! A warm feeling flooded my body. I hoped to God, my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. Luckily, he gave me the out I needed.

  “You ever wanted to shoot a gun?” he asked.

  CHAPTER 98

  CHASE

  I watched as Gideon balanced five cans along the fence. The labels on the cans were bleached by the sun and riddled with bullet holes, but I could see enough to make out the pictures of coffee beans and peas. He scanned the grounds quickly and found Bandit a few meters away.

  “Hey,” he called out tentatively to him, still not used to addressing a super intelligent dog. Immediately, Bandit stopped playing and trotted over to him. “This is dangerous what we’re about to do. Can you go on back up to the ranch and wait by the porch?”

  “WOOF,” came the reply, then Bandit was off, running back to the ranch, tail in the air. Gideon waited until Bandit was a safe distance behind us before walking over to me. He held a small gun in each hand, which he showed me now.

  “There are two types of handguns, a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol. Typically, the ones you see in cowboy movies are revolvers — they’re the ones with a cylinder in the middle of the frame of the gun that’s loaded with cartridges. Usually, those hold six bullets, but some hold five: those are made for smaller hands, like yours.”

  He showed me the revolver and gestured at my apparently small hands (I’d never given much thought to their size before, so it was news to me that they fell in the petite range).

  “Revolvers have a revolving cylinder for holding ammo. You load it up and it’s ready to go. As the trigger is pulled, the cylinder rotates and the hammer pulls back. Like this, see?” He aimed into the distance and fired off a shot. Once again, a can danced on the fence before tumbling to the ground. “See how the cylinder rotates and lines up the next cartridge? When the trigger is pulled back far enough, the releases and strikes the round, firing the bullet. When all five shots are fired, you remove the empty casings and reload the cylinder.” Done with the revolver demo, he slid it into his belt.

  “Now, the other gun, a semi-automatic pistol, has a sliding mechanism at the top and a mag of pre-loaded ammo in the handle. When you pull the slide, a semi advances the cartridge into the chamber from the mag. As the first round is fired, part of the force of the shot pushes back on the side, ejecting the casing and chambering the next round in a fraction of a second. This makes for a faster and deadlier weapon.” He held the semi closer to me to inspect. “That’s pretty much it. There’s the safety here. I’ve had it locked in place so we can’t accidentally fire it. To turn it off, flip it up. There’s a bit more to it than that, but that’s probably all you need to know.”

  I raised a brow at him. “Why, because I’m a silly girl?”

  He shot me a level stare. “Because I can’t think of a situation where you’d need to know anymore.”

  “Oh.” I did my best not to sound chastised, but failed miserably. I held out my hand. “Can I try the semi?”

  He tried to restrain a smile. “Going for the heavy artillery. I like it.” He handed it to me, muzzle down. “Take it from me gently, be careful not to touch the trigger until I say so.”

  I took the gun into my hands. The metal was cold and hard and heavy. My hands shook when I thought of how this was a weapon designed for killing. Weirdly, I found myself breaking out into a sweat. I felt slightly nauseous, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t Gideon who was causing this reaction in me.

  Gideon moved behind me so that his face was over my left shoulder. “Hold the gun, keeping your trigger finger outside the trigger guard.”

  I did as he instructed, trying to block out the strange feeling inside me.

  “That’s good. Now, keep the barrel pointed straight downrange, never up. A bullet fired up by accident will come down at some point and could hurt someone.” He leaned in close, until I could feel his breath on my shoulder. “Hold the gun in the firing-ready position.”

  He showed me what he meant with the revolver. I matched his fingerwork perfectly, so why did I still feel like throwing up?

  “Good, steady the gun with the other hand like so.”

  Again, I matched him, move for move.

  “Now stand in the proper firing stance. Your feet shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly in front of the other for balance.” When he was happy with my form, he continued. “Line up the front sight on a can, and center it with the back sight.”

  “OK.” As I said the words, they seemed to stick in my throat. I focused on the first can, keeping my hand as steady as I could.

  “When you’re ready, pull the trigger,” he said.

  I stilled my breathing to a slow then held it. Counting in my head. One… two… On three I pulled the trigger, but flinched as I did it. The bullet shot out of the gun, its recoil slamming down my arm and knocking me back a full step. The world slowed to a crawl as the bullet flew way past the target, impaling itself harmlessly into the trunk of a tree. Lowering the gun “downrange,” I turned to Gideon, feeling sheepish. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it would feel like that.”

  He shrugged, fine. “It’s not as easy as it looks. You’d have more luck hitting the can if you don’t flinch when you pull the trigger.”

  “Yeah. I know,” I said. Ignoring the sick feeling in my stomach, I positioned myself to try again. Ready… aim… and FIRE! Again, I felt myself flinch when the bullet shot out of the chamber. This time, the bullet swerved left, missing the cans by an eve
n wider margin. He frowned at me.

  “Try again.”

  We went several more rounds. Each time, I kept flinching and kept missing my mark. Gideon grew more and more impatient, until he snapped at me. “Look, you’ll never hit anyone if you’re scared of using a gun!”

  I was already berating myself internally, so I really didn’t need him to do the same. I felt stupid and weak enough as it was. He obviously didn’t read the signs though, as he continued. “These men coming after you are dangerous. The only chance you’ll have against them is if you can use a gun.”

  “You think I don’t know that?! I’ve already gone up against them! I saw what they can do, so I don’t need you telling me!” I snapped back.

  He glared at me, suddenly angry himself. “I’m just trying to help you!”

  “Well don’t!” I shouted back. Handing him the gun, I spun around and stomped back into the ranch, fuming.

  CHAPTER 99

  CHASE

  A few snacks later and even food wasn’t soothing my bristling self.

  Poor Bandit had been trying to comfort me, nudging me with his nose and trying to engage me in conversation, but I was mad. For some reason, Gideon had rubbed me up the wrong way, and try as I might, I hadn’t been able to shake my anger.

  Sully and Zeb were locked in the barn researching. Luckily, Gideon had taken off somewhere in the truck, so I didn’t have to deal with him again for now. Bandit and I had been wandering aimlessly through the house when we had stumbled upon a computer in the den. I fired it up and we fooled around on a few quiz sites. Even though my heart wasn’t in it, I wanted to keep up the pretense for Bandit’s sake.

  It was while we were messing around on the internet that I realized maybe I could help with the research. While we were doing the last quiz, pop-up windows advertising VPN’s had flooded the screen. A VPN, in case you didn’t know, stood for Virtual Private Network. Every computer that connects online has an IP address, basically a unique chain of numbers that identifies every computer. Of course, sometimes you might not want people to know where you are, like when you’re doing things for nefarious reasons, or in my case, when you’re trying to find out where Bandit came from, and that was where the VPN came in.