The cabinets in the kitchen were all open and she understood why Coto had guessed that the aliens had searched the house. The long cedar chest along the windows had been torn open as well, the lid split as if it had been smashed in anger. She spotted what she was looking for and tried on a few pairs of shoes. They were a little too big but a pair of socks helped some boots fit. She also took a camouflage jacket.
She returned to the main living area, yanked the shotgun off the mantel, and grabbed a box of shells to stuff into the pocket of the borrowed jacket. She turned, facing Coto.
He’d used a throw from the couch to cover Mr. Avery. She appreciated that. He held her gaze, looking grim.
“Let’s go.” She looked down, making sure the shotgun was loaded. It was, just as she suspected.
“What is the meaning of the word you used? I don’t understand.”
She struggled to remember what she’d said and then it came to her. “Vigilante? It means I usually don’t hunt to kill. Today that changes. Follow me. I didn’t see any tracks in the front to indicate they came that way. There’s a back door out of the bathroom. I think they snuck up on him. This happened last night. He probably didn’t even hear them until they were in his kitchen.” She focused on the anger instead of the grief that wanted to rise. She had liked Mr. Avery. “Let’s make sure they don’t kill anyone else.”
“You are so appealing right now.”
She glanced down at the oversized jacket, her borrowed clothes from him, and the chunky boots. She looked up at him, skeptical.
“You are.” He approached her. “You’re the tracker. I have your back. Let’s go, Lynn.”
She spun, leading him through the hallway to the bathroom. Mr. Avery used it as a mud room too. She eased open the door and froze, looking at the three steps leading to the ground. One of them was broken.
“Just as I thought. Heavy bastards, aren’t they? One of them went right through the board.” She kept a tight hold on the shotgun, easing around the hole, and located the tracks on the soft dirt of the ground near the bottom of the steps. “There’re two of them. They left the same way they came.” She moved forward, spotting more signs of the two men. “This way. The good news is they haven’t found your Vhon. At least not these two.”
“How do you know?”
“I’d assume your friend wouldn’t willingly go with one of them. Their footprints would be close together if handcuffs were used and there’s no smudging on the prints to indicate one of them was being forced to walk.”
“You impress me.”
“Tell me that after I find them and they’re dead.”
Coto growled.
She halted and glanced back at him. She recognized the look. “That turns you on?”
“More than you know. You are extraordinary.”
“I’m pissed off, Coto. Mr. Avery didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“You are perfect for me.”
She faced forward and concentrated on locating more footprints to follow. The two men weren’t hiding their tracks. They left a path of destruction by breaking twigs, snapping brush, and upsetting rocks. Coto was correct about their spitting habits too. They did it frequently, the yellow stains on the ground easy to spot. It didn’t take her long to come across where they’d camped. They hadn’t built a fire but the flattened moss showed they had gotten some sleep. She crouched, examining the area. She placed a palm on where one of them had lain.
“They’re close,” she whispered.
Coto lowered next to her, his gaze constantly scanning the area. “How can you tell?”
“The ground is still warm, even though it’s in the shade. They weren’t using sleeping mats like you have. He lay directly here.”
Coto removed his glove and placed his hand next to hers, then on another spot. “I feel the difference in temperature. That’s amazing.”
She captured a few strands of hair from the moss. “This one is a dirty blond.” She brushed them off her fingers. “They’re heading toward the river.”
“Are you certain it is the enemy?”
She jerked her head in the direction of a mass of rocks. “One of them spit near the top. See the yellow stain? They climbed up there and the river is about a mile that way. Can these bastards swim?”
“I’m not certain. Why?”
“The river bottlenecks into a series of shallow streams this way, then opens up where we crossed. They are skirting the deeper parts. That’s my guess. I’d have to backtrack their trail to know for sure but there was a faster path if crossing the river was their intention.”
“I hope dogs attack them.”
“You killed Jimmy’s dogs. There aren’t any more of them and that way will bypass Jimmy’s land, directly to the abandoned property I mentioned. It’s high up and easy to spot in that area. Your friend might have gone there.”
“Let’s go.” Coto stood, replacing his glove. “We must stop them before they find Vhon.”
She rose too and gripped his wrist. He looked down at her. She cleared her throat. “Just to be clear, are you planning on capturing or killing them?”
“They are our enemy. They have no honor.”
She eased her grip and nodded. “I just don’t want you to get angry with me if I shoot them. I’m going to show them the same mercy they gave Mr. Avery. None. I don’t hate aliens. I just hate those ones.”
He smiled. “Use your weapon. They would kill you if given the chance.” His features suddenly darkened, pure rage sparking in his eyes. “They’d hurt you first. Don’t hesitate to kill, Lynn. Do you understand?”
“I do. These guys are rabid animals in my mind. They need to be put down. Let’s go.”
She took the lead up the hill and had to climb with one hand since the shotgun didn’t have a strap. She paused near the top, lifting her head to peer down the valley. Coto did the same, sticking close to her side. She scanned and spotted movement in the distance near the streams.
“There.” She pointed.
“I see them. Stay here. I’ll take them on.” He sounded grim.
“There are two of them.”
He scowled. “I am an excellent fighter.”
“Okay. Go for it. Be careful.” They’d waste time arguing. She wanted those two men to pay for what they’d done.
Coto climbed higher by a few inches and topped the rocks. He remained close to the ground as he moved forward, in a walking crouch. Lynn kept her focus on the two men in the distance. They didn’t glance back or seem to hear Coto. He reached the area just behind the men and sprinted forward. Lynn hesitated, lifted the shotgun, and took aim.
“Damn.” A shotgun was useless at that range. She bit her lip and followed Coto, keeping low in case those Collis did look back and spot her. She reached the flatter ground and ran after Coto, using trees to shield her as much as possible.
A loud roar tore through the woods. She had heard it before. Coto had come across his enemy.
She stopped dodging behind trees and just sprinted toward the streams. It didn’t take her long to spot the three men. They’d reached the first stream and were thigh high in water.
Coto had both his blades out. The two men parted, trying to keep him between them. One attacked him from the front as the other whipped out a blade. She yelled a warning but Coto dodged being stabbed in the back by twisting his body. He shot one foot out, catching the man behind him in the knee. The guy fell over into the water.
Lynn was panting hard by the time she reached them. She lifted the shotgun, shaking a little as Coto fought with one of the Collis. The second one came up out of the water coughing and sputtering. He recovered fast though and lunged forward, planning to bury his blade in Coto again.
Lynn quickly calculated the safety margin for range and pellet spread. The Collis was far enough from Coto to allow her a clean shot. Hope I’m right.
She squeezed the trigger but missed hitting the attacking alien square in the chest. He had taken some buckshot to the shoulder
though. The impact spun him around and he fell back into the water again.
She adjusted her hold on the shotgun, better prepared for the kick if she had to fire it again. The alien found his footing and bellowed, stumbling toward her with his sharp blade fisted in his hand.
Lynn took aim and blasted him again. She hit her mark that time, nailing him square in the chest.
He was thrown back and sank into the water. A moment later he floated up, unmoving and facedown. Red stained the water around him and rocks caught one of his limbs, keeping the current from taking him away. She kept the barrel trained on him in case he wasn’t dead. She didn’t know how tough aliens were and wasn’t willing to risk him playing possum.
Coto trudged out of the water and she saw that the second man was down, not moving on the other side of the flowing stream. Blood stained the front of his body. Coto went to the one she’d shot. He crouched, grabbed the guy by his boot, and dragged him to the bank of the river. He seemed to check for a pulse and then rose, facing her.
“You killed him. Good job.”
The situation hit her. She’d really just killed a man. He was an alien, a murderer, but she’d really shot him. Not once but twice. She almost dropped the shotgun and stumbled in the borrowed boots. Coto lunged forward and gripped the weapon, tearing it out of her hands. He was wet from the waist down when he hauled her against him.
“Breathe,” he demanded. “Don’t faint.”
She sucked in deep breathes and clutched his shirt.
“It is fine.” He lowered his chin to the top of her head, one arm hooked around her waist in almost a bear hug. “He would have killed you. You were brave and honorable, Lynn. He would have taken your life.”
She nodded, reminding herself that they were the two she’d tracked from Mr. Avery’s cabin. They’d killed her friend. He hadn’t had anything in his hands but a mug that he’d dropped when he’d been attacked. He hadn’t stood a chance against the Collis. They’d taken the life of a blind man.
“It is all well,” Coto crooned. “You helped me battle the enemy. They are not worthy of any guilt or remorse. Do not feel either of those things.”
“I’m fine.” She wasn’t certain that was true. She locked her legs until she felt as if she wouldn’t fall on her ass and eased her death grip on his shirt. “I’m not going to faint.”
He released her waist and stepped back. She lifted her chin to hold his gaze. He appeared worried about her. He offered her the shotgun. She stared at it but refused to take it. She managed to shake her head.
He bent and rested it on the ground. “I must take care of the bodies. We can’t have someone stumble across them. We’ll take them away when another ship comes to retrieve us.”
In other words, there would be no proof that she’d killed anyone. She wasn’t even sure if she could be arrested for shooting an alien. It would probably be deemed self-defense but she didn’t want to test it.
“Sit,” Coto urged. “Look away. I will deal with this. Rest. We still must find Vhon.”
She took his advice and walked over to a fallen tree and sat on the log, her back toward the stream. She cringed a few times when certain noises made her imagine the worst. She had no idea what Coto’s version of taking care of a body meant and didn’t want to know.
Coto used brush and large rocks to cover the bodies and stepped back, making certain they were well hidden next to a clump of trees. He withdrew one of the communicators he’d shoved inside a pocket of his pants and locked in the location to mark it for later so he would know where the bodies were. He also opened a channel, seeking his crew.
“Answer me,” he demanded.
Holion spoke. “I know you are angry but I did what was best.”
“Have you found Vhon?”
“No. You left me no choice but to take command in the search for Argis Vhon. The useless female has distracted you and made you inefficient.”
Coto bit back a snarl. Holion had always been driven by ambition and resentful of Coto’s close association with Hyvin Berrr. It didn’t surprise him that the male had taken the first opportunity to attempt to show him up. He cooled his temper. He and the male would have it out later, after Vhon was safe and they were on their way back to Zorn. It was gratifying to state the next words.
“That ‘useless female’, as you call her, tracked two Collis. Their remains are waiting for pickup when reinforcements arrive. We’ll send their bodies to their planet as a message to stay away from Earth in the future. Argis Vhon was not with them but Lynn believes she knows where he may be. Fix on my com and join us. On your trek, I strongly suggest you find your humility. I expect an apology and groveling.” He ended the transmission, returning the device to his pocket.
He cleaned his hands in the water and returned to Lynn. Her shoulders showed defeat and her features were paler than usual. He straddled the log she sat on and reached out, rubbing her back. “You did well, Lynn.”
She looked at him. There were no tears in her eyes. He was thankful for that. She wasn’t a warrior but she did have courage when needed. He thought back to his first kill. He’d had an army of men around him who had also had to defeat their enemies, and they’d rejoiced. But he’d been raised with the knowledge that taking a life meant survival. It would be best to distract her and keep her mind occupied.
“I need you to see if you can find Vhon for me.”
Her shoulders straightened and she stood. “Right. Let’s do this.”
He felt pride when she marched over to the discarded Earth weapon and picked it up. He got to his feet and prevented her from wading into the stream. He was already wet but that didn’t mean she had to be. Her body wasn’t as sturdy as his. He scooped her into his arms.
“I’ll carry you over the water.”
She didn’t protest, instead just hooked her arm around his neck and clutched the weapon with the other. “Thanks.”
“You get colder far easier than I do, and my uniform dries fast.”
She jerked her head. “That way. See that big hill? That’s where we want to go. There are going to be fences that separate the property but we can climb over them.”
Chapter Six
Lynn found tracks on the way up the hill and crouched. “One set of boots. They’re the same type that you wear. See the pattern?” She pointed. “I’m guessing this is your guy, and he’s heading toward the house.” She lifted her gaze to the hill, the old ranch house in view at the top. “He’d have seen it for miles. It means you were right. Jimmy’s place is that way. He must have somehow missed the dogs that found you.”
“We are here.”
Lynn twisted her head and stood, watching the other Zorn men step out of thick brush. Holion led them. He was the one who had called out.
Coto moved to stand between them and her. “Lynn has found Vhon’s tracks. He headed for high ground instead of the thicker vegetation.”
“How did you guys get separated anyway?” She was curious.
“Stop your questions, woman,” Holion snapped. “Earn your keep and find Argis Vhon.”
Coto snarled and lunged, punching him in the face. The blow knocked Holion on his ass. He landed with a grunt. Coto stood over him, looking ready to hit him again. “Never speak to her that way. My patience is at an end with you. Learn, or your remains will be stored on the transport home with the Collis.”
Lynn wasn’t surprised by their penchant for violence anymore. She was actually starting to appreciate the beauty of a well-placed fist, especially if it was smashed into Holion’s big mouth. The alien was an asshole.
Holion spit out a little blood. “I apologize.”
Coto backed away but kept close to Lynn, his stance protective. “When we were under attack, we sent Vhon to the surface first in an escape pod. It was imperative that he survive.”
Holion hissed, staggering to his feet. “Leprechauns fly your airplanes and we have escape pods, as I’m sure you are familiar with.”
Lynn rolled her ey
es and turned away. Holion wasn’t about to let that story go. She had her answer. “Okay. Well, that’s an abandoned house at the top and that’s where his tracks are headed.”
“Lead the way, Lynn.” Coto lowered his voice. “I am sorry he is so rude to you.”
“Are all men on your planet like that to women?”
“Some are.” He reached out and clasped her hand. “I am not.”
“He’s going to give you grief for holding my hand.”
“I do not care. I’ll beat him senseless if he disrespects you again.” He said that loud enough for his threat to carry.
Lynn liked that Coto had no reservations about showing that she mattered to him. The hill grew steep and she was grateful that he held on to her, even taking the shotgun when she struggled to keep up with his longer strides. She didn’t dare complain, guessing that Holion would just start more crap over it.
They reached the top and Lynn noticed right away that someone had kicked in the front door. She took the shotgun back, ready to go in first, but Coto shook his head, stepping in front of her.
“Stay here.” He motioned to his men and they rushed forward, flanking him.
She opened her mouth to protest but decided to remain silent. He and his men entered the house quickly.
Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention and she spun, staring at a tall alien peering at her. He had stepped out from behind the side door of the garage. He had shaggy, long black hair, bright blue eyes and wore a pair of faded jeans with a black tank top, revealing tan, muscular arms. He frowned and took a few steps forward, holding out both hands to the side to show her he didn’t have a weapon.
She glanced down at his feet, spotting the same type of boots Coto and his men wore.
“Vhon?”
He froze, surprise evident on his features. “Yes. Don’t shoot me,” Vhon rasped.
“Coto!” she yelled. “Vhon is out here.” She lowered the weapon, pointing it at the ground.
“Thanks.” Vhon lowered his hands. “I’d never hurt a beautiful woman. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”