aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) (17 page)

“Not
once they found out what you’d done to get that money.” Catal rolled his eyes.

“That
wouldn’t have happened. Even the FBI were fooled by us.” Nathan chuckled. “That
tipoff to the other paparazzi was brilliant.”

“Not
brilliant enough.” Catal shoved his pistol back into his waistband. “We found
you.”

“How
long ago did you exchange the boys?” Partlan was gathering papers and computers
from the dining room. He shoved them into a large suitcase that he emptied out
on the floor.

“Right
after the ransom drop.” Nathan glanced over at his brother. “We couldn’t keep
the kids in the storage locker any longer. It was too hot.”

“How
did you find these guys?” Catal picked up a backpack and started stuffing
photos in it.

“On
the internet.” Nathan shrugged. “We’ve got them some photos in the past, so it
seemed like an easy exchange.”

“What
did you exchange?”

“New
identities.”

Partlan
glanced at Catal. “
It would be best if Selena did not witness this
.”

Partlan
went over to Nathan and started patting down his pockets. He pulled out a
passport and threw it at Catal. Then, he went to Mike and did the same thing.

Catal
put the passports into the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He zipped up
the backpack and threw it on his back before walking over to Selena. He held
out a hand.

“I’ll
take you to the van now.”

“You’re
not going to kill them.” Her fingers trembled in his. “I know I said I didn’t
care what happened, but I do. Let the law take care of them.”

Catal
kissed her hand before giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We have to gather more
information. Time is important if we are to get the boys before any harm is
done. We will leave the brothers for the police if that is your command.”

Selena
took a deep breath and stood up. “I trust you.”

A
surge of love went through Catal. Selena’s words gave him strength. He felt the
bond between them grow. He had denied the possibility of a pair bond because
he’d doubted. Now he understood how powerful the connection between them could
be. He already sensed her emotions. Soon they would know each other’s thoughts.
He led her out of the house and into the van.

Firbin
was still at the wheel.

“
Keep
her here
.”

 Catal
closed the door and went back into the house. Partlan was zipping up the
suitcase, and
Ranon
had two laptops under his arms.
He walked over to Nathan and crossed his arms. “Selena wishes you to stand
trial.”

“We’re
going to tell the police everything you did to us.” Mike’s voice was a whine.
“You’ll be the ones behind bars.”

“They
have to find us first.”

Partlan
pulled plastic handcuffs from his jacket and pulled Mike’s arms behind the
chair back. “You are lucky. If a woman had not stood up for you, I would have
killed you with my bare hands.”

Mike’s
eyes widened. “You wouldn’t get away with it.”

“A
Hunter does what he wants, especially when the Sacred Code is broken.” Partlan
put duct tape over Mike’s mouth.

Catal
secured Nathan’s arms behind his chair. “Where is your storage unit?”

Nathan
shrugged. “I’ve told you everything I’m going to. If you guys are so good, you
can find it yourself. You already have our computers.”

Catal’s
jaw tightened. “We’ll find it.”

“It
won’t do you any good.” Nathan’s voice was sulky. “We don’t know the name of the
man we sold the boys to. It’s a big organization and no one knows who the
others are. It’s safer that way. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Partlan
taped Nathan’s mouth. There was no point in wasting any more time with these
men. They had their computers and the storage unit information would be on it.
They should be able to find the man who took the boys from there.

Partlan
lifted Mike from his chair and moved him into the dining room. He put another
plastic handcuff around the radiator and then attached it to one of Mike’s
wrists. Malac dragged Nathan in and attached him in the same way to the
opposite side of the heating unit. There would be no chance of them breaking
the cuffs away from the strong metal.

They
would be uncomfortable, but they would be alive. When it was safe, they would
contact the FBI and let them know what they’d found. Who knew, maybe the FBI’s
surveillance would lead them to the brothers before they notified them.

Ranon
left with the computers. Catal made certain the doors were locked and then
waited outside for Partlan.

“It’s
not wise to keep them alive.” Catal kept his voice low.

“It
is what she wishes.” Partlan shut the door. “There is no real harm in leaving
them here. They have no money and even if they get free, they will not go far
without identification.”

Catal
clenched his hands into fists. He knew what Selena wanted, but he was still a
Hunter. “If the boys aren’t alive, I will come back and kill them.”

“I
will join you, but now we need to concentrate on finding the boys.”
Partlan’s
voice was unemotional. “Once we have the storage
unit, we should be able to follow the trail.”

They
walked to the van. The cool air of the night surrounded them and Catal inhaled
deeply. He needed to clear his head and focus on finding the boys. Their
kidnappers were secure. There was no way that the brothers would escape
justice. Partlan was right. They had to follow Selena’s wishes.

Breanon
joined them once they reached the van. The unit was complete. Now the work of
tracking began again. They drove for several miles until they reached a small
motel off of Hollywood Boulevard. The motel had seen better days, but it would
satisfy their needs. They took two adjoining rooms and started setting up the
computers. Catal threw the backpack on one of the beds and pulled the passports
out of his jacket.

“These
might give us a lead as to who they were in contact with.” Catal opened the
papers. “These are good fakes. There are only a few people in the country that
can do this kind of work.”

“That’s
a start.” Partlan turned to
Firbin
. “I need the
location of the storage unit. Once I have that, then we are going to take a
trip there. Surveillance cameras might have picked up the exchange.”

Selena
inhaled a sharp breath. Catal turned to see her face go pale. He cursed himself
for a fool. They had been talking so matter of fact about something that was
painful. He touched her arm.

“You
need to rest.”

“Catal,
take her into the other room. You need to care for your mate. We can handle
this.”
Partlan’s
instructions
were a soft murmur in his mind.

Catal
took Selena’s arm and steered her into the other room. He closed the adjoining
door and led her to the bed. The room was clean and with the door shut, the
outside world seemed to fade away. It was perfect.

Selena
cleared her throat. “I need to tell you something.”

“It’s
about
Tarrin
.”

Selena
sat on the bed and looked up at Catal who stood a few feet away. A frisson of
heat sparked between them. She inhaled a sharp breath and clasped her hands
together. She needed to tell him the truth. It had to be done before she could
consider a future with Catal, and that was what she wanted more than anything.
Once
Tarrin
was found, she wanted all of them to
become a family.

“Tell
me.” Catal crouched down in front of her.

Selena
choked back a sob. This was more difficult than she’d anticipated. The words
were stuck in her throat. All these years she had held her secret tight to her
heart, never daring to remember the love that had created her son. All she
could do was start at the beginning, as painful as the memories were.

“I
came to the United States as a refugee. It was very hard to find employment
until I met Nikki. She gave me a home and security.”

“She
protected you and was your friend.”
Catal’s
voice was
solemn. “I will always be grateful to her for that.”

“I
didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was living here.”

“You
took another mate.” Catal nodded. “I can understand that. Where is this man? Why
is he not by your side now?”

“There
is no other man.” Selena looked into
Catal’s
eyes and
saw the confusion there. “There has never been anyone but you.”

Catal’s
eyes widened. “You mean you didn’t mate with another? You waited for me?”

“You
are the only man I have ever loved.” Selena exhaled a shaky breath. “You are
also the only one I have ever hated. Do you forgive me?”

“Always.”

“I
was spoiled, confused, and selfish. I acted like an inconsiderate child instead
of an adult.”

Selena
cringed inwardly at what a fool she’d been to run. She should have waited and
talked to Catal, but at the time she didn’t think he was ever coming back for
her. That didn’t excuse her from not telling him about
Tarrin
.
The very least she could have done was try and find him after she’d learned
that she was pregnant.

“There’s
no defence for what I did.”

“You’re
perfect.”
Catal’s
voice was sincere. “You have always
been.”

“No.”
Selena shook her head. “When I found out I was pregnant, I chose not to contact
you. My decision caused you to lose seven years of
Tarrin’s
life. You have every right to hate me.”

Catal
brought her hands to his mouth. A shiver of awareness and desire sparked
through her. The wonder of it stopped her breath. She had never thought she’d
feel this way again.

“We
are joined.”
Catal’s
voice was a husky vow. “There is
nothing you could ever do that would destroy the pair bond.”

“Do
you understand what I am saying?” Selena’s fingers tensed in his hand.

Catal
frowned. “You regret running from me. What more do I need to understand?”

“I
said that you were the only man I had ever been with.”

Selena
paused for several seconds. Catal looked at her with a blank stare.

“I’m
trying to tell you that I have never made love with another man.” Selena
cleared her throat. “
Tarrin
is your son.”

Selena
held her breath and waited for
Catal’s
anger.

Instead,
he frowned. “How is that possible?”

“It
happens when a man and a woman are intimate. And we were frequently intimate.”

“But
Hunters cannot have children.”

“Who
told you that?” Selena reached up and touched Catal on the shoulder. A shiver
of awareness raced up her arm. “You are the only man I have ever made love
with. There is no other possible father.”

Catal
sat on the bed beside her. He ran his hands through his hair and shook his
head. “How can this be? It’s contrary to what we’ve been told.”

“Nevertheless,
it’s the truth.” Selena squeezed his hand. “I know it’s a shock to find out
this way, but you are
Tarrin’s
father.”

“It
means
Tarrin
is a Hunter.” He turned to her and
smiled. “We may have a chance to track him.”

“Now
I’m the one who’s confused.” Selena frowned. “We still don’t know who the men
are that bought the boys.”

“We
may be able to mind connect.”
Catal’s
voice was
serious. “There’s a chance that
Tarrin
will be able
to hear other Hunters.”

Selena
searched
Catal’s
face for some indication of what he
meant. All she saw there was hope. She didn’t have a clue what he was talking
about, but the confidence she saw in his eyes gave her courage. Catal had already
admitted that he wasn’t from Earth. Perhaps there were more secrets.

Secrets
that could save their son’s life.

“What
is mind connect?”

“You
are my pair bond.”
Catal’s
voice was a low whisper.
“Before you closed your mind to me, we were linked. Do you remember?”

Selena
searched her memories for that wonderful three months she had spent with Catal.
She was confined to the compound for most of the time. The guerrilla activity
had increased and many neighbors in the area had tightened their security. Every
day she woke up knowing that she’d see Catal, though. Her world had revolved
around him. That’s why her brother’s insistence that he had betrayed her, had
cut so deep.

They
would steal away for hours and make love. Life had been dangerous, but in the midst
of the fears, was the bond that she had with Catal. It was as if he could read
her mind. His thoughts and feelings were hers. They shared everything.