aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) by Cynthia Clement Page A

There was nothing. Other than the chairs
on their side, there was no evidence of the struggle.
    Her
brain was numb. It refused to believe what had happened here. Her house was
isolated. To have men come on the reservation and threaten them was insane.
    Time
crawled as she waited for the men to return. Her mind shied away from what they
were doing. It was better if she didn’t think about the killing. Ten minutes
later they walked into the house.
    Bobby
went to the sink and scrubbed his hands. Kimi saw the slight tremor of his
fingers as he held them under the water. She turned to Niail who was waiting at
the door.
    “Was
anyone alive?”
    Niail
shook his head. He held three hand guns. He went to the antique sideboard that
stood at the end of the dining area and pulled open a drawer. He stuffed the weapons
in before turning back to her.
    “You
need protection.”
    “That’s
horrible.” Kimi’s mouth went dry. They would have to contact the authorities
and report the deaths and the weapons.
    “They
meant to kill us.” Niail’s voice held no emotion. “I had no choice.”
    “You
do this often?”
    Niail
nodded. “It is the work of a Hunter.”
    Kimi
put her hand up to her mouth and fought back her nausea. How could he stand
there and calmly admit that killing was a part of his life? She abhorred
violence. She believed as her grandfather had taught her; the sacred force
lived in all beings.
    “You
have lived a sheltered life.” Niail moved toward her. “You do not know the life
of a Hunter.”
    “How
can I trust you with the children?” Her voice was a whisper.
    “It
is forbidden to kill or harm a woman or child.” Niail squatted down in front of
her and gathered her hands in his. “I have never broken the Sacred Code and I
never will.”
    Kimi’s
hands trembled in his. At the same time a jolt of awareness shot through her
body. She had never had such a reaction from touching a man. She looked into
his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. He had felt it too.
    “Is
that a promise?”
    Niail
squeezed her hands. His gaze never left her eyes. “I vow that I will die
protecting you and the children.”
    His
words and voice held a truth that she had never heard before. Her heart started
to beat faster. She didn’t care who or where he had come from. No man on earth
had ever given her such a promise.
    “I
believe you. Thank you for protecting us.” She bent and kissed the top of his
head. There was nothing sexual about it. It sealed his vow.
    “Now
we must leave.”
    Niail
stood and moved to the door. “Pack a small bag for the children and yourself.
Bring some food if you have any, but we cannot stay here any longer.”
    He
motioned to Bobby. “We need to drive their truck off the reservation. It cannot
be found here.”
    “Gottcha.”
Bobby joined Niail. “You follow in my truck.”
    Then
they were gone.
    Kimi
was alone in the kitchen.
    She
took a deep breath and picked up the fallen chairs. When all was in order she
went to the hall closet and pulled out a small athletic bag. Focusing on what
she needed to pack kept the horror of what had just happened at bay.
    “Kids,
you need to gather your things.” She moved to Wil’s room first. “We’re going
away for a little while.”
    She
shoved a clean set of clothes and an extra pair of underwear and socks into the
bag. She did the same for all of them and then thought about Niail. He had
pants, but his top was beyond repair. She looked through her spare closet and
found an old coat of Sam’s and a sweatshirt. That would keep him warm for a
bit.
    When
she went back to the kitchen both Wil and Peta were sitting at the table. They
had their school backpacks in front of them. Their faces were grave and somber.
Her heart clenched. They were too young to deal with what had happened here
this evening.
    “I’m
sorry kids.” She plopped the bag on the table and gathered the children to her.
“I should have listened to Uncle Jake and asked Niail to