aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) by Cynthia Clement Read Free Book Online

another ten in the box, but that
would get noticed on the highway.
    “How
do I hide so many?” Fiona whispered her thought aloud.
    “You
do not do anything.” Ardal’s voice was severe. “The site is cleaned and the
evidence of our crash is gone. I have made plans for my men.”
    That
left only her to worry about. Fiona’s heart began to race. She had to make
plans before the panic set in and made it impossible to think. She pushed her
hair off her face. She had to hide. She had an emergency kit readied as she’d
been trained. Now she needed to consider where to go.
    “We
will protect you.” Ardal had left the chair and was now crouched in front of
her. “You must not fear.”
    Fiona
started to laugh, a hysterical, uncontrollable imitation of a laugh. “You can’t
protect me. Don’t you understand?”
    “We
are Hunters. We can do many things.”
    “I’m
sure you can, but you don’t know David.”
    Flashes
of memory flitted through her mind. He was one of the senior residents at the
hospital where she had done her first internship. She had been flattered and
naïve. Too many years of focusing on school had kept her isolated. She seldom
dated and when David had first approached her, she had thought it was a fairy
tale.
    He
was good looking and charming, but that had changed after the first couple of
dates. He had been way too serious, demanding that she only see him. She had
refused and said that she was too young. She had years of schooling ahead of
her before she could consider a serious relationship.
    That
was the first time he had beat her.
    She
had barely escaped alive.
    A
gentle shake brought her out of her memories. Fiona shuddered, unable to focus
on the man in front of her. “You can’t know the horror of it.”
    “Tell
me.” His voice was a whisper.
    “I
fought him, but he was stronger. I couldn’t escape. He took and took until
there was nothing left of me. I’d rather die than go through that again.”
    “This
monster still lives?”
    Ardal’s
voice broke through her trance. “I’ll have to contact the Women’s Underground
Network.” Fiona stood up and started for the door. “The sooner I leave, the
better chance I’ll have of not being found.”
    Ardal’s
hand shot out and pressed against the door before she could open it. “We have
caused this. We will fix it.”
    Fiona
opened her mouth to protest when Ardal put his finger against her lips. The
world went silent. There was only the two of them. Fiona usually shrank away
from a man’s touch, but instead of revulsion, she felt a strange comfort. A
sense of belonging and safety seeped through every pore in her body.
    “You
are my responsibility now.” Ardal’s voice held a reverence, his words a vow. “I
will protect you until my death.”
    Fiona
couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. There was a fire deep within, turning his
obsidian eyes molten. Warmth filled her, releasing the tension of the last year
of running. She believed him. He would protect her. She leaned into him.
    “What
happens when he finds me?”
    “He
will never touch you again.” Ardal put his arms around her, hugging her close
to his pounding heart.
    No
revulsion in this man’s arms, only peace. Fiona shivered and pushed away. What
was she thinking? She’d almost been lulled by the fairy tale again. They didn’t
exist. Ardal was a man, even if he was an alien. It was dangerous to let her
defenses down around men.
    “You
do not trust yet.” Ardal opened the door and let her pass through before him.
“It must be earned.”
    The
living room was a hive of activity. The men were up and moving, even the
injured. “What’s going on?”
    “We
are ready to leave.”
    Just
like that. No goodbyes, no thanks you. Her world was turned upside down and
they were leaving. Fiona bit her lip and forced her voice to remain calm.
“Where are you going?”
    “We
do not want the military to find us.” Ardal nodded at a couple of the men who
were handing out