aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) (25 page)

“How
bad is it?”

“A
mere scratch.” Catal struggled to stand straight. “I’ve had worse.”

“Not
when you’ve been with me.” Selena forced the panic out of her voice. “Let me
see it.”

“Not
here.” Catal straightened up and took her arm. He continued to walk her and
Tarrin
back to the road. “We need to get you two into the
van. I’ll come back and get Gates.”

“You
can’t expect me to let you go without stopping the bleeding?”

“Yes
you can.”
Catal’s
voice was determined. He stopped
when they reached the parked van and opened the rear door. He lifted his son
into the vehicle, then started to leave.

“
Tarrin
needs you. I’m not seriously injured.”

“You
would never leave me alone and hurt.” Selena put her hands on her hips. “I love
you. The pair bond you talk about is just as strong for me.”

Catal
turned back to her. He raised his uninjured arm and let his fingers feather
down her cheek. “Nothing is going to happen to me. The others already have
everything under control.”

“I
have to be certain.” Selena forced back a sob. “You were almost killed.”

“That
happens every day in my line of work.”

“Not
when I’m with you.”

Selena
grabbed his arm and ripped open his sleeve. Her fingers moved over the wound.
The bullet had grazed his skin, nothing more. She sighed and reached into the van
to pull out the first aid kit. A swabbing with an alcohol pad, gauze,
antibiotic cream, and tape had the bleeding stopped and her heart beating at a
slower rate.

He’d
almost died trying to protect her and
Tarrin
. How
dare he believe that she wouldn’t be worried about it? She’d be devastated if
anything happened to him. The thought of it was too much to bear. She reached
up and touched his face.

“I
never wanted you dead, even when I thought that you had betrayed me.”

He
nodded. “You have truly accepted our bonding.”

“I
thought I had already made that clear to you.” Selena stood on tip toes and
brushed her lips across his. Electricity seemed to spark between them. She gaze
directly into his eyes. “I love you.”

A
pull on her top forced her to break eye contact with Catal and look back at
Tarrin
.

“Is
he my father?”
Tarrin
was looking at Catal with
unblinking eyes.

Selena
smiled. “Yes.”

Catal
put a hand on
Tarrin’s
head. She sensed, more than
heard, an unspoken communication between the two.
Tarrin’s
eyes widened and then he pointed to the building. Catal nodded and went to get
Gates.

Selena
gathered
Tarrin
close and hugged him tight. Her son
was free and unharmed. Never in the past week, had she let herself envision
this moment, for fear of it not happening. Catal and his fellow Hunters had
made it possible. They hadn’t given up. She owed them so much.

“Did
those men hurt you?”

Tarrin
shook his head. “They scared me, but I had to be strong for Gates. He was crying.”

“It
must have been very frightening for both of you.”

“Once
I heard
Catal’s
voice in my head, I was fine.”
Tarrin
gave her a small smile. “He said that he would come
for me. That’s when I knew we’d be safe.”

“He’s
a very brave man.” Selena choked back a sob. “You are just like him.”

“We
look alike. He’s big like me too.”

“Yes.”
Selena stood. “You will be as tall as him one day.”

“Will
I be a warrior too?”

Tears
started to form in Selena’s eyes. She knew it was normal for a boy to want to
be like his father, but the thought of her baby becoming a warrior, made her
chest constrict with fear. She could barely stand the thought that Catal put
his life on the line every day. To think that her son would do the same, was
too much to bear.

“You
have plenty of time before you have to make that decision.” Selena pushed away
from the van when she noticed Catal coming down the drive with a boy by his
side. “Let’s get Gates.”

They
ran to meet them and Selena pulled Gates into her arms. “Are you alright? Your
mom and Dad were so worried about you.”

“
Tarrin
kept me safe.” Gates voice wobbled. “Is it true that
you asked
Tarrin’s
father to find us?”

“Yes.”
Selena stood and turned Gates to Catal. “This is Catal. He is a man of many
skills, including finding lost children.”

“Thank
you.” Gate’s voice was solemn.

“It
is safe to come inside now.”
Catal’s
voice was husky.
“The criminals are secured and we are trying to figure out who the children
are. You might be able to help with that. They seem very frightened of us.”

“I
can imagine.” Selena’s chest tightened at the thought of what these children
had been put through at the hands of the men in that building.
Tarrin
and Gates had been kidnapped and then sold. That was
probably the case for these other children.

They
walked into the building. The remaining captives were sitting against the wall.
Their hands were cuffed behind them and they were attached to iron rings that
were secured on the walls. The dead bodies were laid out further down the wall.
On the opposite side of the room there tables and chairs set up. It looked like
a men’s club, just like the judge claimed. Probably most of its members had no
clue that it had another use.

Selena
turned her eyes toward the children at the back of the building. They were in
the cloak room and hovering together. Their eyes were downcast, and their
bodies turned away from
Ranon
and Partlan who were
standing guard over them. It was obvious they feared their rescuers. They were
probably terrified of all adults, but she would try and help sort out their
names.

“You
boys stay with Catal.” Selena straightened her shoulders. “Do either of you
know the other children?”

“When
we got here they put us in the hold with them right away.”
Tarrin
spoke in a matter of fact tone. “The truck driver thought he’d heard a vehicle
behind him, and when he told the others, they herded us together. That’s when
they put blindfolds on us and told us to be quiet.”

Selena
nodded and went to the children. She squatted down in front of the group and
held out her hand. She wasn’t a trained counselor and that’s what these
children needed. She was a mother and worked as a nanny, though. She knew that
sometimes the simplest and most honest approach was the best way to begin.

“I’m
Selena.”

She
waited for a response, but none of the children turned to her. She tried again.
She motioned to
Tarrin
to join her. She put her arm
around her son. “This boy is my son. He and his friend were kidnapped almost a
week ago.”

The
children glanced over their shoulders for a second.

“We’re
here to help you find your families.”

One
of the taller boys looked at her directly. “I haven’t seen my mother for days.
Those men said that she was dead.”

Selena’s
fought back her tears. “They only said that so you wouldn’t try and run away.
What’s your name?”

“Samuel.”

“Where
do you live?”

“Seattle.”

“Good.”
Selena touched his hand. “If you know your address we will get you back to your
mother as soon as possible. That’s what we want to do for all of you.”

One
by one the children began to talk. They had all arrived at the building that
day. They were traumatized, and would require counselling for the ordeal they
had suffered. Partlan and
Ranon
took down the
information each child provided and then grouped the names together by
location. When this had been done, the children went over to where
Tarrin
and Gates were and sat on the floor. They stayed in
the cloakroom away from their captors.

Catal
came over to Selena when she’d finished with the last child. “It should be
easier to get them home now. Thank you.”

“I
find it difficult to understand how this could happen. It would never have been
tolerated on Cygnus.”
Partlan’s
voice was severe.

“I
warned you that humans were different.”
Catal’s
voice
was weary. “There are many atrocities that occur on this planet that would
never be allowed elsewhere in the universe.”

“We
don’t allow it here.” Selena’s voice was defensive. “These men will be
prosecuted.”

“They
will be given short sentences. The only reason we are leaving any of them alive
is so the FBI can question them. They may be able to get information from them
about other abducted and missing children.”
Catal’s
tone was scornful. “It would be better if we could kill them now. At least
honor would be satisfied.”

“Perhaps,
but violence is not the solution.” Selena understood how Catal felt, but she
still had to hope that there was a better way. One in which a person saw how
wrong their actions were.

“They
will be sent to prison for a short time, but the damage they’ve done to the children
will last them a lifetime.” Catal crossed his arms.

“True.”
Selena sighed. “It isn’t perfect, but at least these children will go home to
their families. There has been some justice done today.”

Ranon
handed Partlan a computer. “There is a lot of information on this system that
might help keep these men and others like them in jail for a long time.”

Partlan
put the computer on the bar so that everyone could look. He started scanning
through files. “They kept all of their records and transactions here. If the
police act quickly enough they should be able to rescue others.”

“They
will have to hit all these groups at once.” Catal was looking over
Partlan’s
shoulder.

“There
are papers down in the hole.”
Ranon
looked to Partlan
for direction.

“Bring
them all up. We will take pictures of everything and email it to Agent Kelly.”
Partlan looked over at the men along the wall. “Take pictures of the captives
and the bodies. See if you can get their identification.”

Catal
moved away from the bar. “I’ll get a camera.”

Selena
went back over to the children and gathered
Tarrin
and Gates close to her on the floor. She stayed with them until the photos had
been taken. The men being held were not cooperative about giving up their
names, but their identification was in their wallets, so those pictures were
included with the others. It took about an hour for the place to be processed
and by that time the kids were starting to yawn.
Tarrin
and Gates had already put their heads on her lap and were sleeping.

Catal
sat beside her as he downloaded everything from the computer they’d found and
emailed it to the police. He made a backup, saved it onto a memory stick, and
then put the stick in his pocket.

When
Selena raised an eyebrow, he shrugged. “I don’t trust any human except you.
This is in case the files get lost or tampered with while the police are
investigating. If that happens, we will ensure that justice is done.”

“I
didn’t realize you were so cynical.”

“Humans
have taught me that.” Catal closed the computer. “Being careful has saved my
life more than once.”

Partlan
joined them at that moment. “Everything is ready to go. We will leave these men
here with the bodies, and contact the police when we are safely on the
highway.”

“I
have already emailed Agent Kelly.”

Partlan
nodded. “She will be expecting us in Los Angeles.”

“What
about the other children?” Selena roused the two boys sleeping on her lap and
stood. “We can’t just leave them here.”

“They
will come with us.” Partlan motioned toward the others. “There are vehicles
parked outside.
Firbin
has found the keys on the men.
We will split up.”

“How
many of the children need to go north?” Catal was the first to speak.

“There
are two.
Ranon
and Malac will leave them with their
families. I am going south to return Gates to his parents.
Firbin
and
Breanon
will head east with the other children.”

“What
about me?” Catal frowned. “Am I going with you to Beverly Hills?”

Partlan
crossed his arms. “
Ardal
has asked you to meet him at
the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. He has some information to impart. The
reservation is the safest place to gather.
Niail’s
mate lives without electricity and contact with the outside world. That should
ensure privacy.”