Unbound (3 page)

“Is that any way to treat me? The man who took you in when you had no one to protect you, who gave you the job you support yourself with?”

Turning, she glared at him and wished once again she could give him a piece of her mind. All the money she made at the supposed job went straight to lining his pockets so that she couldn’t get out of the mess her life had become.

“Just what is it you want?” Anger tightened her mouth.

“Kayla, will you ever learn?” He backhanded her across the face. “I’ll get to things in my own time, not yours.” He slid onto the stool next to hers.

She resisted the urge to rub her cheek, and waited for him to explain his presence.

Kayla glanced towards the door before turning back to gaze into her cup. It had lost its appeal. She knew she’d made a mistake with Keaton, letting him know he’d gotten under her skin. She wondered what he was about.

He never sought her out, always waited for her to check in at the club before giving her, her assignments for the evening. Looking at him sideways through her lashes, her skin crawled. She leaned as far away from him as possible. Unable to get up and leave, still trapped by her obligations to him, she stayed on her stool. People who pissed him off disappeared.

Kayla watched him scan the room, feeling a tingle as his cold black eyes passed over her. Kayla assumed everyone in the room felt the same. Kayla wondered for the millionth time how she’d gotten mixed up with the creep.

She’d once been the best at what she did — a highly paid bounty hunter and runner. She’d had the best jobs, whatever she’d asked for, until that night, in a lick of flame, when everything changed, and she’d supposedly killed a pack of Hunters…Even the best ran across hard times, she thought, gulping down the last of her coffee. The bitter warmth spread through her frozen limbs. She shook off her morbid thoughts and focused on Keaton.

Sometimes dealing with the devil could be the only way out. Except it hadn’t been a way out for her. He’d sucked her further and further in until she sunk so deep she couldn’t even hold her head up.

“Can I have another, please?” she called out to the waitress, pointing at her mug. She didn’t say Mable’s name, not wanting Keaton to think Mable meant anything to her. Mable nodded, splattering hot liquid around the mug in her hurry to go.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Here, let me get that for you,” Mable said, near as she mopped up the mess. She smeared it around with a dirty rag before she turned and disappeared into the kitchen. The spill still glistened, dripping across the edge of the counter towards Kayla.

“Thanks,” Kayla muttered as she wiped the last of the hot liquid with her hand, rubbing the moisture onto her soiled jeans.

She turned her attention back to Keaton, thinking of anything he could be displeased with to explain his visit.

“I’ve an important run for you tonight, Kayla. If you pull it off, it just might pay off your obligations.” He spoke under his breath. The whisper of his words sent a chill up her spine.

Her stomach rolled.
Pay off my contract?
She thought in a daze.

A sip of coffee covered her reaction. “What’s the run?”

“You’re to deliver a small pouch to an apartment in the Drifts.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch. The contact said he’d pay off your contract if you took the object to him without opening it.” Keaton spread his hands.

Her eyes hardened. “Get someone else to go. I can’t go to the Drifts.” Frost sliced the air with her words. Her heart thrashed tightly against the walls of her chest.

He cackled. “Well, I could… I suppose, though I thought you wanted out.”

“I’m listening.”

“You do this last run, you have your freedom. I’ve worked it out with the Hunters. If not, you know what’ll happen.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Either way, you’ll be free of me.”

“When’s the run?” she whispered, knowing she would do it, even though there was no chance. He would never let her go.

“Pick up the package at ten tonight; deliver it by midnight.”

“Alright.” The liquor and coffee turned to acid in her stomach.

Roo whimpered, setting his head in her lap. His tail thumped against the floor. She knew he tried to give her what comfort he could, but it would never be enough as long as she worked for Keaton. She rubbed her hand against his silken head, taking some small comfort in his closeness.

“I thought as much,” Keaton said, sliding his hand down her arm.

Her skin crawled where he’d touched it. She needed a bath, but knew she would never be clean again. His filth stained her soul. The gentle jingle of bells was the only sound as he left.

Kayla looked around the diner, noting the oddly familiar man was gone from the end of the counter. Strange, she hadn’t heard the bells when
he’d
left.

Kayla watched Mable cross the diner at a hurried clip, looking towards the windows with every step. She parked herself next to Kayla, leaning against the counter, her thin arms blue in the light. She reached out and rubbed Kayla’s arm with cold hands.

“You ok, sugar? I can’t bear it when that monster’s around.” She looked down at her shoes. “Sorry I ran out on you like that. I just can’t lose this,” she said, gesturing around the diner.

Kayla hopped off the stool and picked up her bag, then leaned over and gave Mable a grateful hug. “Don’t worry about it. Take care of yourself. I might be gone for a while. Look after my place?”

Mable nodded silently.

Kayla patted the counter as she set money on it to cover the coffee. She walked out, feeling everyone’s eyes on the back of her neck. Even so, she’d miss the comfort of this old place. The door slammed behind her with a resounding thud and she left without a backwards glance.

* * *

Roo walked beside Kayla as she moved through the night. He hated what had happened inside the diner. Rage burned within him because he’d been powerless to stop that filthy bastard from touching her, from doing whatever he wanted to her.

He despised that he had to maintain the canine form rather than change and kill Keaton for hurting her. He barely paused when he felt Nyx weaving between his legs. The blasted cat was always trying to trip him.

You hear what that bastard said?

I did indeed.
The cat’s tail gave an indignant twitch.

What are we going to do about it?

The same as we always do. Watch and wait

Roo growled.
I’m tired of watching.

Roo, there are some things one cannot fix…no matter how one wants to. I’ll stick close this night. The wind doesn’t smell right,
Nyx said, moving off.

Roo grumbled under his breath. Just like a cat to have the last word. Huffing, he lifted his head and sniffed the air. Something followed them and he didn’t like the smell of it, either.

3

Kayla walked past
the block-long line like she owned the place, not even slowing for the rope that barred her path. If the thick hand of the thug at the door hadn’t come down on her shoulder, she would have walked in and dealt with the nightly drama without a pause in stride. She reached behind her, grasping him under his arm and spinning him around with a swift kick in the stomach. He stumbled back.

“Never
put your hands on me,” she hissed.

Roo hunched in a snarling pose, pinning the crowd back. The throbbing music in the background heated Kayla’s blood. She slammed a left hook into the new bouncer’s jaw. He slid down the wall, glaring at her.

“No dogs allowed.”

She had to hand it to him, he had spunk. She snapped a kick at his throat, pulling it just to give him a taste of what she could do when pushed.

“Take it up with Keaton, jackass. I’m sure he’d be glad to know, you were the reason I was late picking up the package.” She knew Keaton would take it out of both their hides, but saw no reason for him to know that. “I’m not going in without Roo. I’ll wait if you need to talk with someone.”

He got up and kept an eye on her as he crossed the room to where Laylan tended bar. They spoke for a few moments before bouncer boy turned ashen and returned.

He walked past Kayla without saying anything and took his position beside the door again. She nodded to Laylan and went towards the back of the bar. People moved out of her way, and she was glad of it. Roo didn’t like being in tight spaces. As it was, he was a constant vibrating rumble beside her. She almost felt sorry for Laylan — almost. They were in the same boat, only he had to be in closer contact with Keaton and she didn’t like to think of what that must mean for him.

Kayla pushed open the door to Keaton’s office, startling the men inside. Keaton’s eyes flashed with anger and something more.

“Keaton, I thought I was supposed to pick something up at ten? It’s just turning ten now.”

He glanced at his watch and some of his annoyance faded. “So it is. Just give me a moment while I finish up here.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you want.” She backed out of the door, letting it shut lightly behind her so she could hear what was going on within the room.

“You just do as I said,” Kayla heard muffled on the other side of the door. In a louder voice, he called, “Come in, Kayla. Hidalgo’s just leaving.”

Kayla pushed open the door and moved into the room.

The man brushed past her, nodding to Keaton on the way out. She never heard him say a word. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Kayla pushed it from her mind as she turned to Keaton.

“Where’s the package?” She tapped Roo as his rumble increased. She didn’t like the way he was acting. The sooner they got out of there, the better.

“Just a moment while I find it. Now where’s that bag?” Keaton muttered. Shuffling around his desk, he looked under papers and in several drawers before he found it. He grunted in satisfaction and held out a nondescript pouch.

She thought she saw a faint green glow surrounding the pouch as she took it, but it disappeared. She put the pouch into her pocket, frowning. It felt like something slimy clung to her hand. She tried to wipe it off on her jeans.

“Is that all?”

“No, here’s a map to the apartment.”

He slid the data chip across the table and she plugged it into her wrist unit, letting it download before she shoved it back.

“Make sure you get there before midnight.”

The gleam in his eye bothered her, but there was nothing she could do about it. “Ok, I’m out of here.”

Halfway out of the club, she remembered something she wanted to ask him. She walked back towards his office, pausing at the door this time, not wanting to get into even more trouble with him. Before knocking, she heard him speak.

“All’s in place.”

She backed away from the door. She didn’t want him to catch her there after what she’d heard him say. She had a feeling it meant nothing good.

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