aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire)

by Clement, Cynthia

  “I don’t even know who you are.”

  “I’m Captain Wilson. I have been assigned to search all the properties in the area. Your consent is not needed in this matter.”

  “So we’re a military state now?” Fiona brushed aside Ardal’s hand. “I’m sick of what you men decide is your right. I live a quiet life here. Then you come and start poking your noses where they don’t belong.”

  “That’s an interesting reaction.” The man motioned his men to the barn. “What are you hiding?”

  “Myself.” Fiona fairly screamed the word. “I came here so I could be free of men who take what they had no right to.”

  Ardal’s hand gave her back a tentative pat. He was trying to calm her, but she’d had enough. First, aliens crash and now the military wanted to search everywhere. It was too much to take. She’d been up all night, had only a couple hours of sleep, and now this. Everyone was poking their nose where it didn’t belong. David would find her now. Tears started to prick her eyes and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop them.

  “She is overwrought.”

  Ardal squeezed her arm. His touch was gentle. His message was clear. She needed to get control of herself. That was easier said than done. She was making these men uncomfortable, but she didn’t care. They’d turned her world upside down.

  The soldier cleared his throat. “We have to ascertain that there is no one hiding here.”

  “I understand, but Fiona is in hiding from an abusive man.” Ardal eased her closer to him. “Your helicopter and guns are upsetting her.”

  Fiona hiccupped and then turned to face the soldier. “I thought I’d be safe here and now you come and start threatening me.”

  “I apologise, ma’am.” The soldier rocked on his feet. “If you let us check the buildings then we’ll be able to move on. No one will disturb you again.”

  “Do you need to look in the house?” Ardal’s voice was low.

  The soldier hesitated for a second. “Yes.”

  “Do that first.” Ardal’s thumb moved in a soothing pattern on her arm. “Then I can take her there to calm down.”

  “Of course.” The soldier whistled to his men and motioned them to the house.

  Fiona wiped away her tears. What was Ardal thinking to let these men search the place? Ardal tightened his hold and instead of being uncomfortable, she felt safe. There was no point in fighting. If he didn’t care, then why should she?

  She sniffed. “I’m sorry, Captain.” Her apology was met with a nod from the soldier.

  “We’ll be as quick as possible.”

  “You won’t tell anyone about seeing me?”

  “No ma’am.” The Captain didn’t blink an eye.

  He lied like every other man she’d known. Everything that happened here would be in a report to some bigwig in the military. Did they think she was a fool? Still, what choice did she have? She turned her face into Ardal’s chest and inhaled. The man smelled divine. She’d never noticed that about a man before. Maybe it was because he was from another planet.

  Her mind skittered away from the direction it was going. It wasn’t okay to be intrigued by this man. She knew better. Men only brought her grief and she’d had enough of that to last a lifetime. The sooner she found a new hiding place, the better.

  She was overtired. That was the only explanation. She’d been running for over a year now without any hope of true safety. Surely her luck had to change soon.

  “All clear.”

  The shout startled Fiona and she jumped. Ardal held her tight though, and somehow she sensed that he always would.

  “I will take her back to the house.” Ardal kept her close as he walked alongside the soldier.

  “I can find my own way.” Fiona shook his hand off her arm and pushed away.

  She moved a few feet ahead of them. A burning sensation tickled her neck and she knew that both men watched her as she walked ahead. In the past it would have sent her into a panic attack. Now she didn’t care. The sooner she was away from all men, the better.

  The house felt cool after the hot glare of the sun. She went to the stove and turned the burner back on. Best to act like nothing important was happening. “Do your men require refreshments? Coffee or tea?”

  “Nothing. We’ll be finished soon.” He left the house, closing the door behind him.

  Ardal watched at the window for a few seconds and then turned to her. “Are you better?”

  “Yes.” Fiona heaved a sigh. “I usually don’t cry. It was stupid to get upset. Why did you let them search?”

  “It was safer.” Ardal reached for the door handle. “I do not want them to think that we are hiding something.”

  “Well, we are.” Fiona pushed her hair away from her face.

  “If they get suspicious, I will kill them.”

  Fiona inhaled sharply. “Then the place will be crawling with soldiers.”

  Ardal nodded. “True. It would slow down our escape.”

  Nothing ruffled the man. “Where are Firbin and Jehon?”

  “Following orders.”

  Fiona’s eyes narrowed. “And the Captain?”

  “Firbin took care of him.”

  “He didn’t kill him?” Fiona’s heart started beating rapidly. “I thought we’d agreed.”

  “He put him somewhere safe.” Ardal opened the door. “I will be back once the soldiers have left.”

  “Fine.” Fiona muttered a few choice words under her breath. It was just as well he didn’t understand some of the more colorful words of the English language because she didn’t feel like explaining them.

  He waited until she’d stopped. “Is there something else you wish?”

  “No, everything is wonderful.” Fiona forced a mock smile onto her face.

  “You lie. You have no reason to fear.” Ardal hesitated a second before stepping closer to her. “I will not let these men harm you.”

  Fiona couldn’t pull her eyes away from his. Sincerity shone from them. Never had she felt so safe before. “I know.”

  “I need to make sure these men leave.” He turned and left the house.

  Fiona sank into one of her kitchen chairs. Her hands were shaking. How could a man she barely knew affect her so deeply? It was insane. Yet she couldn’t deny how she felt.

  ***

  Ardal walked toward the barn and took a deep breath to steady his heart rate. So this was what it felt like to care for a woman. No wonder it was forbidden for Hunters. Never in all of his thirty-five years had Ardal experienced this before. His men’s safety should be all that he was concerned with, but that was not what consumed his thoughts.

  It was Fiona.

  The ancient scripts said that Hunters were not from Cygnus. The Cygnusians had taken them from an inferior and primitive planet because they would make perfect warriors. Hunter genetics were considered inferior. The Cygnusians had improved them, but allowing a Hunter to mate made him useless. They became uncontrollable, refusing simple orders and worse, it was discovered that Hunters formed permanent attachments with their mates. They became unreliable and unfocused.

  There was truth in this. Fiona haunted him. When the Captain had questioned her, his chest had tightened with anger. They were standard interrogation tactics. As a warrior he understood the need, but how dare the Captain harass her. He shook his head at his inconsistency, but seeing tears in Fiona’s eyes was worse pain than any wound he had received in battle. For that he would have killed the man. The only thing that had stopped him was his years of training and command.

  He had to take control of this situation fast. He looked to the barn where the soldiers were just leaving and then glanced at the helicopter in the field. There was still a man guarding it, but that would not have stopped Jehon from following his orders. Soon he would know what he was dealing with.

  He walked toward the soldiers, keeping his eyes on the lead man. It was good that Fiona was safe. Now he could focus on dealing with the threat that these men presented. If they we
re suspicious, then he would kill them before they could reach the helicopter.

  The Captain was relaxed when he reached him. He stopped and waited for Ardal. The other two soldiers were joking to each other as they walked by their commander toward the helicopter

  “Did you find anything?” Ardal kept his voice pleasant.

  “Not a thing.” The soldier gave him a brief smile, his eyes assessing as they searched his face. “How long have you lived here?”

  “A few weeks.” Ardal glanced toward the house. “She needed protection, so I came.”

  The soldier nodded. “Let me guess, ex-military and now you’re a bodyguard.”

  Ardal grunted. He was not sure what a bodyguard was, but it sounded like a protector. “How did you know?”

  “You carry yourself as if you’ve had a military background; that and the scars.” The man nodded at Ardal’s exposed arms. “Knife wounds?”

  “Yes.” In truth, lasers had sliced his skin numerous times.

  “Where did you see action?”

  The soldier relaxed his hold on his rifle, almost as if waiting for a reaction. Ardal knew that only a man secure in his abilities would chance that. He also knew that only a desperate man would try and take away this man’s weapon.

  “Everywhere.” Ardal watched the man lift an eyebrow. “I was in the forces for over twenty years.”

  The man grinned. “You must’ve joined up when you turned eighteen. I’m not sure guarding people will be easier.”

  “It is not much different from soldiering.” Ardal started walking toward the helicopter. The man fell in step with him.

  “Is she going to be all right?” He jerked his head toward the house.

  Ardal clenched his jaw. “She is no longer safe here.”

  “I’m sorry about that, but you know how it is. Orders are orders.”

  Ardal stopped a few feet away from the helicopter. “Yes, I know.”

  He stood back and watched the men board the machine. He remained standing tall until the vehicle lifted off the ground. The machine flew toward the back field, staying a few feet from the ground. These men were very thorough.

  Ardal crossed his arms and waited until the machine had swung back across the field and then headed past him. He turned and made certain that it left Fiona’s property before walking to the barn.

  Firbin and Jehon were there ahead of him. “Any problems?”

  Jehon shook his head. “I managed to look inside the machine. It would have been easy to fly. It was quite rudimentary.”

  “What weapons do they have?”

  “Primitive. They have guns that shoot bullets and missiles. No lasers, no interrupters, no disintegrators.”

  Ardal’s eyes narrowed. “What about their searching capabilities?”

  “They have thermal equipment and they can see at night.”

  Ardal nodded. “The men are scattered. That should not raise any suspicions. What about the Captain?”

  “Still sleeping,” Firbin voice was full of disgust. “I cannot believe that he must live.”

  “It is so ordered.”

  “True.” Firbin glanced toward the house. “She should be safe to stay here now.”

  “She comes with us.” Ardal almost winced at the harshness of his own voice. “She has more to fear than the search parties.”

  Jehon cleared his throat. “Will we not be in more danger if she accompanies us?”

  “Perhaps, but I promised to protect her. A Hunter does not betray his word.”

  Ardal looked toward the house and sighed. He did not need to justify his actions to his men, but it would be best if they understood. He would not tell them that she had already found a place in his heart. They would never understand that their leader could forget his training and breeding to such a degree.

  “She is hiding from a man who abuses her.” Ardal’s voice shook with the horror of his words. “We have made it unsafe for her. He may be able to track her to this place now.”

  Jehon frowned. “Men do not honor women here?”

  Ardal shook his head. “It seems not. They do not live by the same code as we do.”

  “So women do not rule on this planet?” Firbin moved closer. “What kind of a place have we crashed on?”

  “One that requires us to protect Fiona.” Ardal’s voice was firm. “I will not forget that I am a Hunter. I have vowed to follow the Sacred Code, no matter what the rules are on this planet.”

  “As we all have.” Jehon’s voice was firm. “None of us would dishonor our beliefs. We will protect Fiona also.”

  Ardal looked at Firbin who nodded his agreement. “Then we must disappear from this place. The soldiers will keep returning to this area until they find what they are seeking.”

  They walked to the house. Jehon and Firbin veered off to the truck while Ardal went to get Fiona. She had already packed, so there should be no problem leaving right away. He opened the door and she almost fell out in her rush to meet him.

  Ardal took the bag from her hand. “The men are waiting in the truck.”

  “I can’t go.”

  Chapter 8

  “We leave now.” Ardal’s voice was low, but the cold look in his eyes sent shivers down Fiona’s spine. The man could be menacing when he wanted to be.

  Fiona shook her head and straightened her shoulders. “I’ve had a message from the group that is protecting me. They’ve told me not to leave.”

  “What message?”

  “It was on my voicemail.”

  “You mail your voice?”

  Fiona rolled her eyes. “It’s like a recorder. When you don’t pick up your phone people can still talk into it. They must have called when we were with the soldiers.”

  Fiona went back into the house. She had her orders and she wasn’t budging from this place until someone from the group came to get her. She owed them too much to just ignore their advice.

  “Why would they send this message?” Ardal left the door open behind him.

  “I asked them for advice.”

  “What did you tell them?” Ardal turned her to face him.

  Fiona shrugged off his hands. “I didn’t mention you or your men. I just said that the military was looking around the area for someone.”

  “They do not have all the facts. It is not possible for them to make an informed decision.” Ardal shook his head. “You will only be protected with us. We leave now.”

  “I have to stay. I promised.” Fiona bit her lower lip. “You don’t understand. If it wasn’t for these people I wouldn’t have survived this long. They know what they’re doing. They’ve helped hundreds of other women.”

  “There are more women who need protection?” Ardal threw his head back and sighed. “What kind of world is this?”

  “Not very good sometimes,” Fiona whispered.

  “Why would these people want you to live here on your own?”

  “They think it’s unlikely that David will hear about the possible crash. Even if he does, he won’t connect it with me.”

  Ardal looked out the window, his brow furrowed in thought. Fiona held her breath as she waited for his decision. He was a man used to being obeyed. She had to be safe, though. That meant staying here.

  Ardal turned with a swift movement. “No. We leave now.”

  A flicker of disappointment tugged at Fiona’s heart. “I understand. You must leave the area before anyone discovers the truth.”

  “Yes, but you come with us.”

  “Look I panicked earlier. There’s no possible way people will learn about the crash. If they do, it’s not headline news.”

  “What about Marshall and Clyde? I do not trust those men. They looked at you with lust in their eyes.”

  Fiona gave a choked laugh. “They won’t harm me.”

  “They will call other people to investigate.” Ardal motioned around the house. “Then how secure will you be?”

  Horror seeped through every nerve in her body. Television cameras and UFO f
anatics would be swarming the place. She hugged her arms to her chest. Even if she refused to speak, they would be on the property. Nothing stopped fanatics. How soon would it be before her face was plastered on a tabloid with some outrageous comment below her name?

  “I see you understand.” Ardal took her arm and led her to the door. “These messages you send and receive, do they have to come from just one device?”

  Fiona’s mind went blank for a second; barely registering that she was outside the house. “Why do you want to know about telephones?”

  “Can you leave a message from any telephone?” Ardal picked up her bag and started leading her to the truck.

  “Of course. It doesn’t matter where you call from, you’ll reach the person you dialed.”

  “Then you can message these underground friends of yours from another place and they won’t know the difference?”

  Fiona let herself be helped into the truck. “You could tell I was calling from a different phone, but they’d get the message.”

  Ardal motioned to Jehon to start the vehicle. “So we can travel and still contact them.”

  “But will it be safe?”

  “We have all vowed to protect you.” Ardal’s words were low.

  Fiona shivered with the intensity of his look. The man wasn’t kidding when he said it was a vow. She glanced at Jehon, who was driving, his hands tight on the wheel, his focus unwavering. Behind was Firbin, sprawled out on the extra seat of the extended cab. His arms were crossed but he looked at her with the same intensity as Ardal.

  “Won’t I hinder your escape?” Fiona wanted to accept their help, but a part of her knew that was selfish. These men, whether they were aliens or not, needed to find a refuge.

  “Your life comes before ours.”

  Fiona felt tears start in her eyes. This was crazy. “No, it doesn’t. You need to hide.”

  “So do you.” Ardal brushed a tear from her cheek. “We are the same.”

  “I suppose.” Fiona sniffed. “What if I hold you up?”

  “We will wait.” Ardal eased her back against the seat. “You need to sleep.”

  “I suppose I could explain things to you.” Fiona covered her yawn with her hand. “Earth’s people probably seem strange.”