Recon Marines II: Marine's Heiress, The by Susan Kelley Read Free Book Online Page B

or
cover was possible. The moose charged. He swung his rife up and
took a step forward to put everyone behind him. He fingered the
first trigger that would only answer to his genetic code. He
pressed the fire trigger as a small body slammed into him. The howl
of the sonic round filled the entire world for a fraction of a
split second.
    Shouts, curses and other sounds of
panic erupted behind Vin as Emma bounced off of him and stumbled
back into Vannie. The moose folded down to the ground as if its
legs had been cut from beneath it. It slid on its belly across the
gravel, the sharp prongs stopping less than a yard from
Vin.
    Silence like the stillness after a
lightning strike fell on the civilians. Vin watched the moose for
movement though he knew his shot had caught it exactly where he’d
aimed it. In all the different worlds he’d traveled, every alien
creature had its brain in the same place behind its eyes. It made
work easier for a killer like him. He didn’t want to see what Emma
thought of him. Hell, she’d thrown herself against him to try and
stop him.
    “ Damn good shot, Vin!”
Vannie did the shoulder slapping thing even as he steadied Emma
with his other arm.
    Emma stared at Vin with her mouth
agape. She brushed aside Vannie’s aid.
    Vin knew what to expect. Despite the
acceptance he and his brothers had found on Crevan Four, most of
the world hated and feared his kind. Though they couldn’t guess his
true nature, Emma and the rest of Hovel Port had seen what an
efficient killer he was.
    “ Don’t you ever do that
again,” Moe snapped but he spoke to Emma. “Why do you always do
that?”
    A flush rose in Emma’s smooth cheeks.
“I … he was standing right in its path.”
    “ Damn it, girl.” Moe
gestured at the dead moose. “He’s a well-armed man and can watch
out for himself.”
    “ I’m sorry.” Emma directed
the comment at Vin.
    Vin thought his excellent eyesight had
failed him. Emma didn’t look frightened or disgusted.
“Sorry?”
    “ She’s always trying to
save everyone,” Vannie said. “Could have got herself killed trying
to push you out of the way like that.”
    Vin replayed the killing of the moose.
Emma had been trying to move him out of its path. “Why would you
try to save me?”
    Moe put his hand on Vin’s shoulder.
“Don’t try to figure her out, lad. She thinks she’s on this world
to protect everyone.”
    The villagers worked their way around
Moe and Vannie, edging closer to the downed moose. They regained
their earlier excitement as they discussed how to dress and save
the meat.
    “ I had the gun. The moose
presented more danger to you than to me. You’re unarmed.” Vin swept
his gaze over her. She probably didn’t weight much more than half
his weight. “How did you intend to stop it?”
    Emma shrugged, the motion drawing Vin’s
attention to the blonde curls cascading across her shoulders. “I
wasn’t thinking that far ahead. It was coming right at you, and you
didn’t seem to be dodging out of the way.”
    Vin waited for her to finish her
bizarre explanation, but she only stared back at him as if she had
no more to say. “But it would have killed you if you had managed to
push me out of the way and made me miss the shot.”
    “ She knows that, lad.”
Vannie shook his head. “Why do you think it takes me and Moe both
to watch out for her?”
    “ Emma?” A tall gangly man
pushed his way in between Emma and Vannie. He wrapped his hands
around her shoulders and shook her. “What are you doing? You could
have been hurt?”
    Vin had noticed the tall man around the
town but hadn’t registered anything hostile about him. The man
putting his hands on Emma in such an aggressive manner ignited
something bred into Vin’s soul and fine-tuned by his brutal
training. Vin caught the young man’s throat with one hand and
tugged him forward as he swept his foot under the man’s scrabbling
legs.
    Emma’s attacker hit the gravel hard.
Vin kept his hold on the