aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) (12 page)

Warmth
flowed through her. “You weren’t angry about my leaving?”

“It
pained me that you felt a need to go without my knowledge.” Juan shook his
head. “I know I was strict, but your safety depended upon it.”

“I
understand that now.” Selena nodded. “When I was younger, I thought you were
overprotective.”

“The
massacre at the compound should have taught you differently if nothing else.”
Juan’s voice dipped low. “Every day I thank God that you were in town that
day.”

A
shudder shook Selena as she remembered the horror she had returned home to.
“The FBI are all over the place. It’s amazing you got past them.”

“They
are careless. You all left in vans and only one agent remained.” Juan shrugged.
“It was easy to enter undetected.”

“The
police think you were responsible.” Selena straightened her shoulders. “You
can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

“Why
would I kidnap my own flesh and blood?” Juan snorted. “It is good to see police
everywhere are imbeciles.”

“They
think you’re running drugs and the cartel has something to do with it.”

“My
men know better.” Juan put his mug on the table and walked over to her. “I
would never endanger my family.”

“What
have you been doing then?”

“I
work the ranch.” Juan gave her a crooked smile. “I am good at it. I have
expanded our land and resources. I maintain a security force, though. Perhaps
that is why the authorities are suspicious.”

Selena
sighed. “I knew you were innocent. Unfortunately, the FBI think I arranged the
kidnapping with you. That’s why they’ve kept me in the dark.”

“Stupid.”
Juan sat down beside her. “You would never hurt
Tarrin
.”

“My
background makes me look suspicious.” Selena clasped her brother’s hand.

“You
could not hurt a fly.” Juan gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You hated carrying
a gun even for protection.”

Selena
shuddered. “I left the fighting to you.”

Juan
raised her hand and kissed it. “You were a saint compared to me.”

“No.”
Selena shook her head. “I was frightened and a coward. The only time I felt
safe was when Catal and the other mercenaries joined us.”

“You
do not still think about him.” Juan’s tone was incredulous. “He has been out of
your life for years.”

Selena
bit her lip. “I called the Hunters in to help. Catal was one of them.”

Juan
threw her hand down. “How could you trust them?”

“I
had no choice.” Selena’s voice begged him to understand. “The FBI cut me out.
They considered me a suspect and wouldn’t tell me anything. I needed someone to
get
Tarrin
back.”

“Has
Catal succeeded?”

Selena
shook her head. “They are working on a lead. Catal says they should know
something soon.”

“They
think they are better than the FBI and all the government resources at their
disposal?” Juan leaned back on the couch. “Maybe they are. They were the best
soldiers I ever fought with.”

“Catal
put up the ransom money.” Selena’s voice was quiet.

“You
mean the rich movie stars couldn’t come up with the cash?” Juan’s voice held
disgust.

“They
needed more time.” Selena kept her voice neutral.

“They
had a week.” Juan grasped her chin and turned her to face him. “You should have
come to me for help.”

“I
couldn’t risk it.” Selena held her brother’s gaze. “The FBI would have been
happy to arrest you. Besides, I wasn’t certain you’d want to hear from me after
all these years.”

“The
authorities would have had to catch me first.” Juan released her chin. “I’m
here now. As long as you were safe, I did not interfere in your life. You
always have a home with me. It is your heritage too.”

“You
are the oldest son. The ranch and land are yours.”

“Our
parents left it to both of us.” Juan heaved a sigh. “They died too young to
worry about inheritances.”

Selena
rubbed her arms. “It must have been hard when they were killed and you were
left with me. You were too young for the responsibility.”

“You
were the same age when you got pregnant.” Juan’s voice was emotionless. “I did
not do a good job of parenting, though.”

“You
did your best.” Selena grinned. “I was stubborn and always knew best.”

“Are
you telling me that has changed?”

“No.”
Selena shook her head. “That’s why I’m insisting you go home. It’s not safe for
you here.”

“I’m
not leaving until my nephew is found.” Juan clasped his hands together behind
his head. “Where were you just now?”

“The
kidnappers had called to tell us that they were exchanging the boys.” Selena
heaved a sigh. “It was a hoax. There were no boys at the house. All the FBI did
was anger a man eating his supper.”

“Are
you certain this man is innocent?”

Selena
nodded. “Catal believes someone else is responsible.”

Juan
frowned. “His instincts were always good. Does he know about
Tarrin
?”

“No.”
Selena turned to her brother. “I’m torn about telling him the truth. Ever since
the massacre at the compound and
Catal’s
betrayal, I
have been afraid to trust anyone.”

“That
was a harsh lesson.” Juan’s voice hardened. “One we both learned from.”

“You
lost all your men.” Selena’s voice sounded small to her own ears. “What did you
do afterwards? Did you continue with the paramilitaries?”

“What
was the point?” Juan’s tone was bitter. “You think you are making progress, but
someone is pulling your strings. You’re a puppet for them, and when they’re
done, they kill you.”

Selena
shuddered as she remembered the horror of what had happened to her brother. He
had almost lost his life along with his men. It had been one of the rare
occasions when she’d left the ranch for a day of shopping in the city. Her
bodyguard, Pablo, had driven with her and they’d returned in the late
afternoon. Catal and the men in his unit went out early in the day and they
weren’t supposed to be back until late, or the next day.

She’d
only been gone a few hours. When she’d returned her whole world had been
destroyed. There had been blood and death all around her. Her brother, who had
barely survived, had been helpless to prevent it. He’d remembered what he’d
seen though.

“Are
you certain it was Catal?”

It
was a question she had asked over and over. Her brother’s description of what
had happened did not sound like something Catal would do. The man who had held
her close and loved her to distraction, could not have committed the atrocities
at the compound. That’s what made it so difficult to accept.

“The
man was a Hunter.” Juan clenched his jaw. “He said that his government had
ordered us dead. When I begged for a reason, all he would say is that he
followed orders. After that, he shot everyone at the camp. If Carlos hadn’t
pushed me down and protected me with his body, I would have been dead too.”

“But
you didn’t see Catal shoot anyone.”

“I
saw a Hunter. He told me his name was
Eogan
when I
asked.” Juan’s lips flattened. “Catal and his mercenaries were working against
us all the time. They took our money and then left us for dead. The only reason
you are alive is because you weren’t at the camp that day.”

“You
would be dead it I hadn’t come back.” Selena rubbed her brother’s arm. “You
were losing a lot of blood from your wound.”

“There
was no emotion in his eyes when he shot us.” Juan’s voice cracked. “We could
have been figures in a video game for all that it mattered to him. My whole
security force gone in the blink of an eye.”

“That
still doesn’t prove that Catal was a part of it.”

“Where
were he and his men when we needed them?” Juan’s voice was harsh. “The one time
we could have used their special skills and they were gone. I do not believe in
coincidence.”

“Catal
told me he was going on a mission that you had ordered.”

“No.”
Juan shook his head. “I gave no such order.”

Selena
sighed. They had gone over this numerous times, and each time the result was
the same. Catal and the other Hunters had been gone from camp when the attack
had happened. The fact that it was another Hunter who had slaughtered everyone,
made it even more suspicious. There was only one conclusion. He had
purposefully left Juan and his men unprotected.

Catal
had betrayed her brother.

There
was no other explanation.

“You
can’t stay here Juan.” Selena stood. “The FBI will find you and arrest you.”

“If
you insist. I want you to know that I am staying in the city until this is
resolved.” Juan pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “I have programed the
number you can reach me at. It’s only good for one call. Let me know if
Tarrin
is safe or not.”

Selena
took the phone and put it in her jean’s pocket. No matter what the FBI thought
her brother had become, she still loved him. She wouldn’t endanger his life.

“I
brought some money with me.” Juan pulled a brown envelop out of his jacket
pocket. “When this is over you won’t be able to stay here. Use this to start a
new life.”

Selena
nodded. “I wish it could be different.”

Juan
hugged her close. “All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. Find a decent man
and make a new life for you and
Tarrin
. I never
wanted to see you with a mercenary like Catal.”

“I
loved him.” Selena held back the pain. “I’ll never be able to trust another man
again.”

“Nonsense.”
Juan gripped her shoulders and held her away from him. His eyes stared into
hers. “You must start again. I blame myself for not seeing that you were
involved with Catal until it was too late to stop it. If I had been there to
take care of you, none of this would have happened.”

“You
can’t protect someone from love. Besides, I wouldn’t have
Tarrin
.”
Selena forced herself to smile. “I treasure him.”

“True.”
Juan gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and released her.

“What
about you?” Selena put a hand to her brother’s cheek. “Have you married? Do you
have children?”

“No
and no.” Juan shook his head. “I have no room in my heart for love. I see no
point in attachments when those you love are ripped from you.”

“You’ve
seen too much death and loss.” Selena sighed. “We both refuse to trust again.”

“It
is safer.”

“It
is also lonely.”

Selena
looked up into her brother’s eyes. She understood only too well what he felt.
After
Catal’s
betrayal she had shunned others.
Tarrin
had forced her back into the world, but her heart
had remained locked away. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“It
is time.” She hugged him tight. “I love you.”

Juan
stood. “I am always here for you. Whatever you need.”

Selena
nodded. “Be safe.”

Juan
nodded and then turned to the door. “Remember to call me when you have news.”

The
next second, he was gone.

Selena
sat and flung her head back on the couch. How had he managed to get over the
border? He was crazy to risk capture. It would have been better if he had sent
someone else to give her the money and message. Still, it was good to see her
brother.

They
were both survivors.

They
had just chosen a different way to deal with it.

Juan
had become bitter and cynical. The betrayal and loss of his men had made him
turn his back on any meaningful relationships. Instead, he had buried himself
in his work. The only thing he allowed himself to care for now was her and
Tarrin
.

She
had chosen to hide. A life of safety and seclusion in exchange for love. It
hurt less, but she felt empty. If she didn’t have
Tarrin
,
she wouldn’t have a reason for living. A stab of pain made her clutch her
chest. What would she do if he didn’t come home alive?

A
knock at the door made her sit up.

“Who
is it?”

“Catal.”

“Go
away.” Selena cleared her throat. “I have no wish to see you.”

“I
have news about the boys.”

The
door opened before Catal had finished speaking. He fought to hide his pain. She
couldn’t stand to have him near, not even for a shoulder to lean on. The only
thing he could do for Selena was bring her son back. He wouldn’t fail. Already they
had more information than the police.

Partlan
had escaped the house when he and Selena were at the rendezvous. The other
Hunters had started searching through the video they had taken at the exchange
site. Soon they would know who had picked up the ransom and that would lead to
the kidnappers. It was only a matter of time before they found the boys.