Hunter's Pursuit

by Kim Baldwin

  Kenny crouched beside her and filled her in on everything that had happened since his arrival.

  Riley in turn briefed Kenny on what she knew, and soon both had a clearer picture of how ruthless Scout was and how determined she was to kill Kat.

  Together, they grew anxious as the minutes ticked by with no further word from their friend.

  *

  When Scout’s switchblade sliced into her arm, Kat cried out and her hand jerked open in reflex. Her buck knife clattered to the floor. But then her years of martial arts training and close-quarter drills at the Academy kicked in. She shut out the pain.

  She anticipated Scout would charge her. Her left hand came up to search for what had impaled itself in her right arm. Her fingers closed around the handle of the switchblade. She withdrew it with a grimace and swept a wide arc before her with the weapon, just as Scout launched herself forward.

  The knife met fleshy resistance. Scout screamed.

  The scent of blood hit Kat’s nostrils. A thin spray of warm wetness hit her face and neck.

  Scout was wounded, but it didn’t slow her down. She charged, and both women went down hard.

  Kat landed on her back, Scout on top of her.

  The impact knocked the wind out of Kat and sent the switchblade cartwheeling from her hands.

  Scout scrambled to sit on Kat’s chest, pinning down Kat’s arms with her knees.

  Kat’s handgun cut into the small of her back, unreachable. Scout’s left knee pressed down hard on the knife wound in her right arm. Kat thought she might pass out from the pain. She had trouble focusing.

  Scout punched Kat hard in the mouth—once, twice, three times. She put her hands around Kat’s neck and started to squeeze.

  Kat arched her back, putting all the strength of her long legs into it, and sent Scout flying forward, off balance.

  Scout flew face first toward the hard floor over Kat’s head, but put out her hands to break her fall.

  Kat rolled to one side, gasping for breath.

  That led Scout back to her. She lunged at Kat, throwing haphazard punches, connecting with Kat’s face, neck, abdomen, shoulder.

  Kat tried to fight back with her left hand. Her right arm was useless. Her fingers sought Scout’s neck, but Scout moved too fast, successfully evading her.

  Kat shifted her weight with a loud grunt and managed to get Scout off her again. She kicked hard with both feet and sent Scout crashing into the kitchen counter.

  Kat rolled painfully onto her right side and reached behind her for her gun. She fired blindly with her left hand.

  On the fourth shot, Scout cried out and Kat heard her hit the floor.

  Kat got to her feet. She found Scout with her outstretched boot and nudged her a couple of times. Scout reacted only with pained groans, so Kat crouched and found her head. She placed the cold tip of her gun against Scout’s temple. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

  No reply. The blonde wouldn’t, or couldn’t, answer.

  “Frank!” Kat shouted into the darkness. “Frank! It’s Hunter. I’ve got her. Turn the lights back on!”

  *

  Frank opened the door to the living room just a foot or so. Just enough to peek inside. It was unmistakably Hunter’s voice, but was it a trap?

  He clicked on his flashlight and swept it in a quick arc across the room until it landed on a grisly tableau. Hunter, poised over Scout. There was blood all over both of them, and Scout wasn’t moving.

  “Right away, Hunter,” Frank said. He headed for the generator room.

  *

  Frank’s flashlight blinded Kat momentarily, but she’d still gotten a pretty good look at Scout’s injuries. There was a widening pool of blood around her. Kat didn’t think she could survive long. She relaxed a little.

  “Who are you?” she repeated. The anger was gone from her voice, replaced by curiosity.

  The blonde coughed, a gurgling sound. “Maggie O’Rourke,” she answered in a strained voice.

  Kat couldn’t place the name. “Why?”

  No reply.

  Kat leaned down over the woman. “Why?” she asked again, her lips inches from the blonde’s face.

  “Clogher,” the blonde rasped out.

  And then Kat knew. She remembered her only visit to the village in vivid detail. The IRA members she’d killed.

  The splinter group had begun its reign of terror with ambush attacks against British soldiers. Then they had set bombs on buses in Dublin, killing dozens of men, women and children. Kat remembered she’d been told to expect five targets—one a woman—but she’d found only the four men when she broke into their cottage stronghold.

  The lights flashed back on. Distracted by her grim memories, Kat was startled and had to squint her eyes to adjust.

  Scout sprang to life. She clasped her hands together and slammed them into Kat’s hand. The gun went flying.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Scout rolled over and struggled to her feet. Kat launched a side kick that swept Scout’s legs out from under her and sent her crashing to the floor.

  Scout tried to rise, but Kat kicked her again, this time a roundhouse blow that connected with Scout’s jaw.

  She remained where she had fallen. The fight was gone from her. She moaned and then fell silent.

  Frank reappeared in the doorway. He paused, eyeing Kat warily.

  “You did real good, Frank,” Kat said in a tired voice. “Get rid of the hammer and come help me, will you? Frisk her, get any weapons. Then carry her out to the generator room.”

  Frank nodded and bent over Scout. He searched her, then lifted her and turned toward the tunnel. He paused at the doorway. “You should take care of yourself. You’re bleeding an awful lot too.”

  Kat nodded, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. “Wait out there for me. I won’t be long.”

  As soon as he was gone, Kat unlocked the door to the weapons room. “The crisis is over, you two,” she hollered. “Hold your fire.”

  She pushed the panel open and stepped into the inner chamber.

  Riley and Kenny spoke at once as soon as they saw her.

  “Thank God,” Kenny said.

  “You’re hurt!” Riley cried.

  “I’ll be fine.” Kat smiled down at Riley, then stepped over to Kenny.

  “You’ve grown up,” she remarked as she examined the cuts on his face. “We need to get you to a doctor to get these sewn up. Hate to have anything mess up that pretty face of yours.” She put her hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Kenny,” she whispered.

  “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” He gave her a cocky grin. “Can I call you Kat now too?”

  She nodded and tried to smile. “Yes, of course.”

  “And how about getting me out of these?” he said, turning to show her the handcuffs.

  Kat patted her pockets for her keys before remembering Scout had taken them. “Soon. I’ll find something to get them off. Come on, you two, let’s get out of here.” She reached out with her good hand to help Riley up.

  When she got to her feet, Riley threw her arms around Kat and hugged her. The two women stood there a long moment, clinging to each other.

  Kenny’s eyes widened in surprise. He felt a pang of envy, but he was grateful someone had managed to break through and touch Hunter’s heart in a way he’d been unable to.

  The three emerged into the living room. The bunker looked like a bomb had gone off. In the middle of the chaos was a large pool of blood, the edges of it already turning dark.

  “Is she dead?” Riley asked.

  “Not yet,” Kat said. “But soon.” She turned to Kenny. “The helicopter pilot?”

  Kenny cringed. “Dead. She shot him when we touched down. His body’s out by the chopper.”

  Kat nodded and tried to flex her right hand. The pain was excruciating. “Then we have a problem. I can’t fly us out of here with my right arm the way it is.”

  “Maybe you can’t, but I can,”
Riley offered. “Sam taught me to fly. Between the two of us, we should be able to manage.”

  Kat’s eyebrows went up, and she leaned over to kiss Riley on the cheek. “A woman of many talents. I have a lot to learn about you.” She winked at Riley.

  A blush colored Riley’s cheeks.

  “Let me grab a few things, and we’ll go,” Kat said. She checked the bathroom for bandages, but the supplies she’d gotten from the clinic were gone. She went into the bedroom and searched among the disarray for clean clothes. She stuffed them into a bag.

  She locked up the weapons room and got her gun from the debris in the living room. She spotted the duffel bag on the counter, unzipped it, and looked inside. She glanced at Kenny. “This is the money you brought, right?”

  “Yeah,” Kenny said. “It’s not all there. She gave some to Frank.”

  “She what?”

  “To ensure his cooperation. But he was the one who turned out the lights, right when she was getting pretty ugly with me.”

  Kat nodded. She thought Frank had helped them, but she was surprised to find he’d done it despite getting money from Scout. She slung the duffel over her good shoulder, along with her bag of clothes. She looked at Riley. “Can you make it? Can’t carry you this time, I’m afraid.”

  “I’ll be fine if I just go kind of slow,” Riley answered, smiling. “Lead on.”

  *

  Frank was crouched beside Otter when Kat, Riley, and Kenny entered the generator room. He glanced up at the trio. “She never woke up,” he said, nodding toward Scout’s body, which lay near the door.

  Kat went to stand over Otter, who was either asleep or unconscious. “Nice patch-up job, Frank.”

  “Bleeding seems to have stopped. The bullets went right through, but he hasn’t come to,” Frank said.

  “I wondered where all the first-aid stuff went,” Kat said. “Since you did such a good job on him, how about fixing up my arm and Kenny’s head?”

  Frank looked at Kenny. “Hey, sorry about the punch.”

  “Forget about it,” Kenny replied. “If you hadn’t cut the lights, I’d probably be dead by now.”

  Frank looked over at Kat. “I had to hit him to get her to trust me.”

  She put her hand on his shoulder. “I owe you, Frank. And you’ll get your reward, just like I promised. But how about patching us up first? Start with Kenny while I try to find something to get him out of those handcuffs.”

  “Otter had the keys,” Frank said. He searched Otter’s pockets and came up with the key ring. He freed Kenny and went to work dressing their wounds.

  When he was done, Kat opened the main entrance. She had lost track of time and was surprised to find it was light out. It was cold, but clear.

  “How many seats in the helicopter, Kenny?” she asked.

  “Four.”

  She looked at Frank. “Well, Frank, you get to choose who gets the fourth seat. I can take you, or I can take Otter. If you want him to live, you’ll have to take a snowmobile.”

  Frank looked at Otter. “I don’t think I can find my way back to the road,” he confessed.

  “I can help you with that,” she replied.

  “Then he can go with you.”

  Kat nodded. “Take him out to the chopper, will you? You can use my sled. Follow those tracks, they’ll take you right to it. Then come back and get her.” She gestured toward Scout. “The pilot’s body is out there by the chopper. Put hers next to his, out of sight from the air.”

  Frank put Otter on the toboggan and headed toward the clearing.

  Kat turned to her friends. “Kenny, grab us some coats from the tunnel, would you? Give us a minute?”

  “Sure,” he answered, leaving the women alone.

  “I brought some clean clothes for the both of us. Think you can manage?” Kat held up the bag.

  Riley nodded.

  They dressed quickly. As they finished, Frank reappeared and took Scout’s body away. Kenny came back with coats and hats.

  Kat went back into the living room to get supplies for Frank. By the time he returned to the generator room, they were ready to leave.

  Kat handed Frank his wallet, a compass, the keys to his snowmobile, and a map. “Follow the compass west by southwest,” she instructed. “I’ve marked the way on the map. It shows where the hills and swamps are so you can follow the terrain back to the road. You have plenty of gas. You should make it back to town within a couple of hours.”

  Frank studied the map as Kat retrieved the duffel bag. She withdrew $100,000 and stuffed the money into her coat. She closed the bag and handed it to Frank. “There’s $300,000 there—including whatever Scout already gave you.”

  His eyes got big. He unzipped the bag and glanced inside. “Thanks, Hunter.”

  “One more thing I’d like you to do for me,” Kat said. “When you reach the road, destroy the map and forget you were ever here.”

  “I think I’m coming down with amnesia. What’s your name again?”

  She chuckled. “It’s your choice if you want to work for Garner again, but I’d like you to wait a couple of weeks to report back to him if that’s what you decide to do.”

  “I think I may just take a very long vacation somewhere and think about what I’ll do next. Somewhere warm,” he added, smiling at her.

  “Better get going while there’s still daylight.”

  As his snowmobile roared away, Kat turned to the others. “Time to go.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Two hours later, Riley set the chopper down in Canada beside a clinic at the edge of a remote village. As the rotors slowed, a tall, middle-aged man with a graying beard and white coat emerged to investigate the noise.

  When he spotted Kat getting out of the helicopter, he walked toward her, shaking his head. “I should’ve known,” he shouted over the roar of the decelerating blades.

  She smiled and hollered back, “Got some work for you, Eddie. Start with the guy in back. We’ll need a stretcher.”

  *

  Kat and Kenny talked in low voices in the corner of the exam room while the doctor looked at Riley’s knee and wrist. Kat sported a sling, and Kenny’s facial wounds had been stitched and dressed.

  Riley watched them. Kat did most of the talking. Every now and then Kenny would nod. Just as the doctor finished, Kenny left and Kat came to stand by the bedside.

  “You patch her up?” the doctor asked Kat.

  She nodded.

  “Nice job.” He turned to address Riley. “You just need some bed rest and you’ll be fine.” He nodded toward a new brace he’d fastened around her knee. “That’ll help you get around better. And I can write you a prescription for some pain pills if you want them.”

  “A few, maybe,” Riley answered. Her knee ached badly from flying the helicopter.

  The doctor pulled out a prescription pad and started writing. “You can get this filled at the pharmacy in town. Pick up some crutches while you’re there, too.” He handed the paper to Riley and turned to Kat. “Need a place to stay?”

  “Kenny is taking care of that, thanks,” Kat answered. “Riley will be staying at the Trapper’s Inn, Eddie. Would you look in on her from time to time over the next couple of days?”

  “Sure.”

  Kenny reappeared. “Cab is here. Ready to go?”

  “Yup,” Kat answered. She turned to the doctor. “Thanks, Eddie. You sure you don’t mind keeping Otter here while he recovers?”

  “No. I’ll be careful when he’s strong enough to cause trouble,” Eddie replied. “He woke up briefly while I was treating him, by the way. He was surprised to be alive, and doubly so when I told him who brought him in.”

  “I bet.” Kat turned to her friends. “Ready?”

  The three of them made their way to the taxi. Kenny sat beside the driver, and Kat and Riley got in back.

  As soon as they were underway, Riley turned to Kat. “You said I’ll be staying at an inn.”

  Kat nodded. “Kenny will keep you c
ompany. I have to take care of something.”

  “What are you planning?” Riley asked.

  “Tell you later.”

  They rode the rest of the way in silence. Kat weighed how much she was going to tell Riley. She would rather her friend not know precisely what she was going to do—but there was a chance she might not come back.

  *

  Riley kept quiet only until she and Kat were in their hotel room. “Well? What are you up to?”

  “Come sit down, get off that knee,” Kat said. She helped Riley to the bed and got her comfortable, propped up against the headboard. Kat sat down on the edge of the mattress.

  “I need to see Garner. He’ll keep sending people after me until I stop him. Before we can think about the future...” She paused and looked into Riley’s eyes. “I need to take care of this. I have to make sure you’re safe.”

  “But you’re hurt,” Riley argued. “You’re not in any shape to confront a man who wants you killed. Can’t you wait until your arm is better?”

  “No. It has to be now.” Kat wanted nothing more than to remain with Riley while they both healed, but she knew she’d never be able to resist the temptation to consummate their relationship here in the privacy of the romantic inn. And she couldn’t allow herself to take that step while they were still in danger, knowing she might not return. It wasn’t fair to Riley.

  “Once it’s done...” Kat stroked Riley’s cheek. “We can get to know each other without my having to keep looking over my shoulder. Take some time just for us and shut the world out,” she promised. “I have plenty of money. We can go wherever you like, do whatever you want to do. I just have to take care of this first.”

  Riley leaned forward and hugged Kat. “Please be careful. I want to be with you more than anything. When do you leave?”

  “As soon as Kenny gets here with the rental car.”

  “That soon? Shouldn’t you rest?”

  “I can sleep on the plane,” Kat said. “Don’t worry. I won’t rush into anything I’m not up for. It may take some time to figure out the best way to get close to him. But I’ll be back as soon as I’m able, I promise.”