Authors: Cynthia A. Clement
aHunter4Trust
aHunter4Trust
By
Cynthia A Clement
Text copyright © 2016 Cynthia A Clement
Kindle Edition
ISBN: 978-1-988019-11-6
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form,
or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise)
without prior written permission of the copyright owner and publisher. For the
purposes of a reviewer, brief passages may be quoted in a review to be printed
in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters and incidents are
from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual incidents or persons,
living or dead, is coincidental and unintentional.
Cover designed by RomCon®
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Cover Image: Deposit Photo,
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Dedication
To my Readers.
Thank you for your patience and
support of the aHunter4Hire series.
A special thanks to Jan Carol Abney,
Kim Barrows, and John for editing, proofreading, and inspiration.
Darrogh was caught between two worlds,
Cygnus, where he had been bred, and Earth, the planet he was stranded on. Order
and rules were a necessary part of his existence and now they were gone. It was
a struggle to live in a place where the tenets that he followed were contrary
to the laws of Earth. Despite this, he would never betray his training.
It meant that he was a fugitive on both
planets.
Darrogh was a Hunter.
Hunters were an elite race of warriors that
had been bred and genetically modified to fight and obey the Kaladin. Civil war
had ripped his planet apart. When the ruling class of the Kaladin had been
defeated by the Holman, an extinction order had been issued to eradicate all Hunters.
Darrogh had been aboard the last prison ship to leave Cygnus.
All other Hunters had gone obediently to
their death. It had almost been a complete genocide until the leader of their
unit, Ardal, had allowed them to fight so that they could die with honor. They
had overtaken the ship, killed their captors, and crash-landed on Earth.
That had been a year ago.
Now, instead of fighting for the Kaladin,
Hunters fought for justice on Earth. That often meant they were at odds with
the laws of this planet and were fugitives. It was a world that had no respect
for honor or the Sacred Code that a Hunter lived by. Earth’s atmosphere also
played havoc with their perception and body. They were stronger, faster, and
their senses were heightened.
Darrogh did not trust Earth’s influence on
him.
He remained vigilant against the
temptations of this planet.
Hunters might carry the same genes as
humans, but genetic manipulation and training made them different. Humans were
often seduced by pleasure and power. They did not understand the need for
caution or believe that their lives might be in danger. Instead, they blindly
pursued money and the luxury it bought. The room that he and his team had been
led into was a good example of the seductive lure of wealth.
Black leather chairs and couches were
placed in front of a silvery marble fireplace. White cabinets and shelves lined
the wall surrounding the hearth, and a luxurious Persian rug was centered on a
dark oak floor. At the far end was a large bay window that looked across the
road to a private park for the owners of the houses in this block. At the other
end was a mahogany baby grand piano.
It was the quiet elegance that only the
very rich could afford.
Wealth had brought danger, though.
There was a need for a security team to
protect the owner of this beautiful townhouse in the very exclusive Chelsea
district of London, England. Darrogh had been sent with a team of five to
provide that protection. Their client was Sir Robert Creighton, the owner of
Creighton’s Bank. The bank had been in existence since the sixteenth century
and catered almost exclusively to the very rich and elite of the world.
Sir Robert wanted his daughter guarded.
Miss Creighton, had other ideas.
Sir Robert’s daughter had ushered them into
her reception room. She was looking at her father with raised eyebrows and an
expression of impatience. Sir Robert wasn’t deterred from his mission. He
brought his daughter close for a hug and then stepped back and motioned for
Darrogh to join him.
“This is my daughter, Tamsin.” Sir Robert
made the introduction. “Tamsin, this is Darrogh. I’ve hired his team to stay
here and keep you safe.”
“I don’t need bodyguards.” Tamsin’s voice
was melodious and low.
“I have received threats and I want to be
certain you are safe.” Her father was persistent.
“We agreed that I would live my own life.”
Tamsin flipped her long dark brown hair over her shoulder. “This is my house.
You can’t insist that these men stay here.”
Her father scowled down at her. “I wouldn’t
ask if I didn’t think it was necessary.”
Tamsin shook her head. “No one is
interested in me. I keep a low profile and I mind my own business.”
“Everything has changed since the fiasco
with your wedding. People know who you are.” Her father sat and pulled her down
beside him. “Do this for me.”
“I don’t want someone living with me or
following me around.”
Tamsin looked at Darrogh and a shock of
awareness went through him. For a second, he was paralyzed by it. It was as if
everything he believed had been turned upside down. Before landing on Earth,
he’d never been around women. That had changed and for the past year, he’d met
several. He did not think it was right for a Hunter to associate with women,
but he had learned to accept their presence.
No woman had affected him like this.
Tamsin was gorgeous. She was petite with
dark-brown, shoulder-length hair and deep blue eyes. It was not the first time
he had met a beautiful woman. When she looked up at him, he felt as if his
world had suddenly narrowed so that she was the only person who existed. The
room faded until all he could see was her face. He forced his eyes to look away
and the spell was broken.
He would have to keep his distance from
this woman.
He did not understand what had just
happened. He certainly didn’t intend for it to happen again. He did not trust
the strange sensation he felt when he looked at Tamsin Creighton. Hunters were
forbidden to be with a woman and even though some of his brotherhood had found
pair bonds on this planet, he refused to accept it. He was a warrior who’d
spent his life fighting on the frontlines and on prison planets. Women had
never been a part of his life.
“I’m certain this man is very capable of
being my bodyguard.” Tamsin’s voice had a slight waver. “I just don’t want him
or his team in my house.”
“He’s staying.” Her father clasped one of
her hands in his. “This is the only thing that will ease my mind. I would never
forgive myself if something happened to you.”
Tamsin shook her head. “There are too many
of them. Where would they stay?”
“You have more than enough room.” Her
father’s voice was coaxing. “I don’t ask for much, but this is something I
won’t budge on. From what I’ve read, these men are the best.”
Tamsin sighed and looked back at Darrogh.
“I don’t want you here.”
Darrogh nodded. “We will leave.”
“No.” Sir Robert’s voice was sharp. “I’m
the one employing you and I insist you stay. If Tamsin won’t have you in her
house, then you’ll have to do it from outside. I want my daughter protected day
and night.”
Darrogh had learned that humans loved to be
contrary. If Sir Robert wanted them to watch her from afar, then they would do
so. It would be easier if they could be beside her at all times, yet protection
from a distance was not impossible. He had succeeded on far more complicated
missions.
“We will start immediately.”
“You can’t have these men trailing after me
and it would look ridiculous if they camped outside of my house.” Tamsin’s
voice rose in protest. “The neighbors would never understand.”
“Then let them stay with you.” Her father’s
voice was low. “This is the only way that I’ll be at peace.”
Tamsin looked at her father and then back
at Darrogh. She looked him up and down before glancing over at the rest of his
team. Darrogh considered all of them excellent warriors, with skills varied
enough to be effective on a mission such as this.
“Do you promise to stay out of my way?”
“As much as possible.”
“I don’t want you telling me that I can’t
go places either.”
Darrogh nodded. “As you wish.”
“And if I decide that I don’t want your
services anymore, you will leave?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll expect you to tell me though,” Sir
Robert interjected. “I want a daily report on my daughter’s safety also.”
Darrogh nodded.
“I’ll let them stay Dad, but this is the last
time.” Tamsin turned to her father. “I’m old enough to take care of myself. You
can’t control my life anymore.”
“You need protection.” Sir Robert stood and
pulled his daughter up beside him. “I wouldn’t insist otherwise.”
Tamsin sighed. “That doesn’t make it any
easier. Let me walk you out. It’s going to take a bit of juggling to get these
men settled in here.”
Her father chuckled. “Your house is big
enough for a family of eight. When you bought it I had hopes you meant to fill
it with children. Now I just want to make certain you are safe.”
Their voice faded away as they walked out
of the room and down the hall to the front door. Darrogh looked around and
started to assess the security needs. The large windows would make it difficult
to secure. Shutting the drapes would help. It was a townhouse, so there were
only windows at the ends of the house. He could see the rear where the kitchen
and dining room were. That would be a security nightmare. Those rooms were
floor to ceiling glass.
Tamsin came back a few minutes later.
She scowled at Darrogh. “My father is
overly protective. I’m not happy about having you here.”
“You have made that clear.” Darrogh gave a
slight bow of the head. “I am the team leader and I will be making all of the
decisions concerning your security.”
“As long as I agree.” Tamsin looked at the
other men. “You’d better introduce your team.”
Darrogh motioned for the men to step
forward one at a time. “This is Firbin. He is our explosive’s expert.”
“Surely we won’t be needing his expertise?”
Tamsin’s eyes widened.
“He has many other skills.” Darrogh moved
on to the next man. “This is Jehon. He is adept with equipment and weapons.
Next is Breanon. He is an expert marksman. Kerm has the most experience with
this area of the world and last is Savis. He is our computer’s expert.”
Tamsin frowned after the men had been
introduced. “You all look similar with your dark hair and eyes. You could be
brothers.”
“We are brothers in the sense that we are
all Hunters.”
Darrogh’s respect for Tamsin grew. She was
observant and that would help with their protection. She was also a woman who
understood how to command and negotiate. This was the first woman he’d been
assigned to guard. He was impressed with her abilities.
“So you’re ex-military.” Tamsin shook her head.
“I must be crazy to have let my father talk me into this. Follow me and I’ll
show you where you can sleep. Did you bring a vehicle?”
“No.” Darrogh motioned to Jehon. “We will
get what we need today. Is there a place to park it?”
“I have parking on the street behind the
house. I only have my car, so there is room for one more vehicle.”
“Good. Jehon will take care of that now.”
Darrogh nodded to Jehon, who left the room. “I would also like to set up
surveillance outside.”
“Is that necessary?”
“Your father insisted that your life was in
danger. We need to be thorough.”
“My father overreacts.” Tamsin’s voice was
dry. “He also likes to spy on me. I won’t tolerate you feeding him any
information about me.”
Darrogh gave her a searching look. She was
serious about fearing her father’s motives. He did not know the exact nature of
the threat against her, only that her father was paying a lot of money for them
to provide protection. Darrogh intended to make certain that she was safe.
“I have no intention of spying on you.”
Darrogh’s voice was low. “It is my duty to protect you and I will do that with
my life.”