Page 2 of Babe's Bounty

“Grant?” Grant Barker is a former physical therapy patient of Tanya’s. She treated him after he suffered a gunshot wound while chasing down a bounty. He helped us protect Tanya when Theodore Jordan tried to recapture her. He’s also helping us set ourselves up as bounty hunters. Pulling out my phone, I call him to see if he’s heard from Min lately.

“Hey, Babe, what can I do for you?” Grant answers.

“I was wondering if you’ve heard from Min recently.”

“Talked to her an hour ago, before she got on the plane. They should land soon.”

“What? Where did she go?” I can feel my concern shifting into anger. There’s only one reason for her to be out of town and for Grant to know about it. She’s hunting down a skip.

“Reno. She went after a skip. Caught him this morning and they’re on their way back here,” Grant says. “You didn’t know?”

“No, I fucking didn’t know! We haven’t started going after skips yet. We’re still getting the business ready.”

“She told me you guys were ready. You both passed the certification. What else is there?”

“We don’t have an office or staff. We still need to buy equipment and advertise,” I start, but Grant’s laughing his ass off.

“Jesus, Babe. Did you want to become a bounty hunter or just play at being one? All that stuff is window dressing. You don’t need any of it. Go out, catch a few skips and build your reputation.”

“Is that what you told Min? To go off half-cocked and grab some skip. Who is this guy? Is he dangerous? You let her go alone? What the fuck’s wrong with you?”

“Relax, he’s harmless. Besides, even if he wasn’t, Min can take care of herself. Fuck, she’s a natural. She knew the guy was hot for poker, and figured out he was heading to Reno for some minor tournament at Legacy. She spotted him and when he tried to hit on her; Min had him. I doubt she even broke a sweat. Hell, she probably didn’t have to move from her seat.”

By this point, my temper spikes and I’m primed to deliver pain. I just don’t know the target. Grant for letting her go by herself, the skip for hitting on her, or Min for putting herself in a dangerous situation without back-up. She and I are going to have words right after I kill the other two.

Before I can threaten Grant with a beat-down, another call breaks through. Glancing at the display, I see it’s Min. “You and I aren’t done talking about this,” I threaten Grant. He just laughs and ends the call. Motherfucker. “Min, what the hell? Where are you?”

“I’m at the airport. What’s the matter? Why did you blow up my phone with messages?”

“You went on a job. Without me,” I bite out.

“You weren’t ready. I didn’t want to wait around and lose the edge. Besides, this one was easy. Weren’t you Humphrey? You followed me like a puppy, didn’t you?”

“We need to talk…” I start, but she interrupts me. “Huh? What’s he doing here?”

“Who?”

“That asshole who burned down my dad’s dojo. He just entered the terminal with three men.”

A commotion behind me splits my attention from Min. Dante’s calling Church.

“Min, I have to go. Dante’s calling Church. We need to talk. Can you come to the clubhouse?”

“Did you hear me?” She asks, then huffs in disgust. “Never mind, fine. I’ll head to the clubhouse after I drop off Humphrey.”

Entering Church, I take my seat. Smoke is messing with the phone and soon Shield’s voice comes over. “Did you hear what I said? Billings waltzed into the precinct and broke those three assholes out of jail.”

Billings. The asshole who tried to burn down the dojo. The one Min just saw at the airport. Fuck.

CHAPTER TWO: MIN

Sliding on my red silk cheongsam, I check my reflection in the hotel mirror. Need to make sure the gun and handcuffs I have strapped to my thighs don’t peek through the slits. Slipping on my high heels, I return to the bathroom to put on my make-up and fix my hair. Two hair sticks with sharpened points that can serve as weapons help keep my long hair in a bun. Taking one last look, I exit my room and head downstairs to the casino to find my mark.

As far as criminals go, Humphrey Geller barely counts. He’s a fuck-up, not a criminal mastermind. He robbed a convenience store using an unloaded gun. During his sentencing, he argued with the judge about why he should get less time because he removed the bullets, making the gun just a prop. Funny enough, the judge didn’t see it his way and set the date for his trial. Rather than stay at home in San Diego and await his trial, Humphrey headed to Reno for a poker tournament. He skipped bail and, as a newly certified bounty hunter; I have the pleasure of capturing him and returning him to San Diego.

I considered asking Babe to join me on this gig. We both took the courses and passed the certification, but for some reason known only to him, Babe is dragging his feet. Instead of taking on jobs, he comes up with tasks that we need to complete before we go after skips. I think he’s stalling. I just don’t know why. Since I knew he’d refuse to go after Humphrey with me, I took this job by myself. This was an easy one. Humphrey has no history of violence. Unlike the judge, I know Humphrey removing the bullets meant he didn’t intend to hurt anyone. Even when caught, he didn’t put up any resistance. On paper, he seemed like an ideal candidate to lose my bounty-hunter virginity with.

I know from Grant, our partner in the business, finding the skip is often the hardest part. However, in five minutes, I’ve spotted him at a poker table. Judging by the considerable pile of chips in front of him, he’s just getting started, or he’s a decent player. Taking a turn around the casino, I keep my eyes on him while checking the exit routes. My last stop is to waylay a security guard and inform him of my mission. I might need their help, if they’re willing, but taking another glance at the short, skinny Humphrey, I doubt I’ll need it.

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