THE THOUSAND DOLLAR HUNT: Colt Ryder is Back in Action! by J.T. Brannan Page A

isn’t for me personally,’ I continued as I ruffled the soft hair on Kane’s broad skull, ‘but I’m not going to stand in the way of people that want to do it.’
    Hatfield nodded his head thoughtfully. ‘I can respect that,’ he said. ‘Yes, I can surely respect that. We’re paid to do what we’re told, and not to ask any questions about it. Same as back in the military, except we get paid properly here.’
    ‘That’s true enough,’ I said. ‘We’ve traded one master for another, this one’s just more generous.’
    Hatfield walked to a shelf and picked up a Barrett .50 caliber, hefting its weight easily. But I could see his mind was elsewhere, the rifle a mere prop. I waited to hear what was on his mind.
    ‘Roman says you won the Medal of Honor,’ he said at last. There was respect – even admiration – in his voice, but tainted by a hint of jealousy, a threat of competition.
    ‘It was a long time ago,’ I answered.
    ‘Well anyway,’ he continued, putting the rifle back, ‘it’s a hell of a thing, it really is. We don’t get that many Medal of Honor winners down here, that’s for sure. There aren’t that many of you anywhere , as a matter of fact.’
    ‘Not alive, anyway,’ I said, wondering where Hatfield was going with this.
    The man chuckled. ‘I guess that’s right,’ he said, before shaking his head in wonder. ‘Well anyway, Roman’s got big plans for you my friend. Big plans. You’ve impressed the hell out of him, you know? So you’ll be staying with him in the house, away from the others. They’ve been warned off you, but you know how it is – boys will be boys and all that. We can’t guarantee your safety if you stay in the block with them.’
    ‘Are they jealous?’ I asked with half a smile.
    ‘You could say that – word has already got out that you’re on more money than they are, and a few of them are pissed about your roll in the sack with Talia last night too. Plenty of the boys had designs on that one, but nobody wanted to mess with the general’s daughter.’
    My eyes must have registered my shock despite myself. ‘The general’s –’ I couldn’t help myself repeating, stopped by Hatfield’s nodding head.
    ‘Yes,’ he said with a wicked smile. ‘The girl you fucked this way and that last night was Talia Badrock, the general’s daughter.’
    ‘But why would – ’
    ‘I told you Roman likes you,’ Hatfield said. ‘And Talia is a resource to be used like any other. He is a most practical man.’
    My stomach turned at the thought of how Badrock had used his daughter, and I felt strong pangs of guilt myself. Who had I thought she was?
    The thing was, I had just assumed she was a working girl, hired by the general. And I’d thought that that was okay, in its own way. But was it? Everyone was someone’s daughter, after all.
    But it was the sheer cold-blooded manipulation of the man that shocked me, his willingness to use his own flesh and blood to achieve his aims. But what aim did he have in mind when he sent me back to my room with Talia? What had he hoped to accomplish?
    The whole situation bewildered me, but at the same time the beginnings of a plan started to form in my mind.
    ‘Anyway,’ Hatfield continued with the smile still playing across his lips, ‘the reason I’m here is to tell you that our next hunt is tomorrow night. And it’s going to be an important one too, some real big name VIPs are coming here. They start arriving in the morning, you’ll be on the meet and greet team, you’ll help them with their weapon handling drills, make sure everyone’s capable of being out there in the field without hurting themselves, or other people. Then when the park closes, you’ll get to see the real fun begin.’
    I looked at Hatfield and smiled weakly. ‘I can’t wait,’ I said.
    The ex-commando’s smile was much more convincing than mine. ‘I bet you can’t,’ he said. ‘I just bet you can’t.’

Chapter Four
     
     
    Talia Badrock