Page 19 of Koha'vek
Turning toward the sound, I stepped off the trail and weavedthrough the pines. The wagon came into view a moment later, drawn by two weary-looking draft horses. It was an open wagon with little in the way of suspension to cushion against the bumpy road.
I didn’t recognize any of them, but they had to be more of Jenkins’s thugs. I dropped into a crouch behind a fallen log as they passed.
“I can’t believe the old man got someone to pull it off,” one of them said, spitting into the brush. “Markus snatched the cyborg’s girl right off her ranch.”
I frowned, hardly able to believe what I was hearing.
“Did you see the look on her face?” Another male sitting in the wagon laughed. “I’d bet that fancy machine will come charging straight into Jenkins’s trap.”
“Do you think he’ll really kill him?” The third male asked.
“Yeah, I do. Jenkins will kill him, gut him, and melt him down for scrap. I sure would like to see it.”
All three left again, and the wagon rattled on toward Wexley.
I stayed rock still behind the log until they were out of sight, and then I stood up, disturbed by what I had just heard. Apparently, Jenkins had taken the cyborg’s woman to set a trap.
I started running before even thinking about it, but not toward home and safety. I ran toward Wexley.
Keeping beneath the shadows of the trees, I followed the road to Wexley. The woods grew sparser the closer I came to the village, and by sunset, I reached a slight rise overlooking the crumbling mining estate.
I crouched behind a stone outcropping and shrugged off my pack to get out my blaster and night vision glasses. From my observation point, I could see into a dimly lit window on the second floor. A woman was lying on the floor, bound with her hands behind her back. She somewhat reminded me of Ava. She was about the same size, build, and age.
She might even be someone Ava knows. If she were the cyborg’s mate, he would be coming for her even though he knew it was probably a trap. Momentarily, I could hear the roar of the hovercycle engine pushed to the max. Soon, a sleek black hovercycle cut across the horizon fast. I recognized the sound as it was the cyborg Raven from before.
Jenkins had taken his woman.
Although I knew it wasn’t really my fight, I couldn’t make myself leave. Jenkins had threatened Ava and sent men after her. They would’ve takenher had I not stopped them. While I knew Raven could probably take them all on his own, I also knew I couldn’t walk away without making sure he got his female back.
Stun baton in hand, I descended the ridge and flanked the mansion's edge, slipping through the outer line of guards like smoke. One positioned too far from the house went down silently with a silent stun bolt from my gun. Another turned at the wrong time and found only forest where I had been seconds before.
By the time gunfire started inside the house, I had downed eight men and tied their hands behind their backs with rawhide laces from my pack. I knew Raven could handle it from here. I was already running back to the woods and back to Ava.
Raven was the storm, and I was the ghost in the woods.
It was a few hours after sunset by the time I returned to the cabin and Ava. At least I hadn't returned empty-handed. I managed to kill a large rabbit on my way back. I called out to Ava as I walked into the front yard so as not to frighten her into thinking I was an intruder. I called to her again as I opened the front door.
A small fire burned in the fireplace with a pot hanging over it to keep the food inside warm. Ava was sitting in her chair, working on her deer hide jacket. “Oh, Koha’vek, you have been gone so long. I was getting worried. Did you have problems? Those men weren’t out there again, were they?”
“I am sorry to make you worry, and I am sorry I did not get the turkey I was hunting for. Something did happen that deterred me, but I did bring home a rabbit. Let me take care of my things, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“All right. I’ll dish up your dinner, and you can tell me about it while you eat. You must be very hungry by now.”
I went to the kitchen and laid the dressed-out rabbit on the kitchen counter, and took my pack and weapons into our bedroom to put them in the small closet. Then I went back to the kitchen and opened a small door in the floor to pull out the cold box and place the rabbit inside. Then I lowered the box by the rope into the hole that extended several feet into the ground to keep it cool. The box was only big enough for small game and would only keep it for a few days at most.
While I knew how to build something better, I lacked the necessary parts and equipment to bringit to life. Of course, I never foresaw that I would find a mate to provide for when I left the Mesaarkan base. Once I had stowed the rabbit, I washed my hands in the kitchen sink and met Ava at our small dining table. She had set out my meal of fish and vegetables, along with a mug of herbal tea.
Stepping in front of me, she moved close and slipped her arms around me in a fervent hug. “I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you.”
“And I missed you,meora.After I’ve eaten and explained what happened, I will show you how much.” She looked up at me with a tender smile, and I dropped a light kiss on her lips.
Between mouthfuls, I recalled the events, starting from when I heard the wagon coming down the road.
“Omigod!” Ava exclaimed frequently throughout my recounting. It upset her more than I expected.
“Calm yourself, my heart. I was never in any danger. While I do not like war, I was well-trained. I could not let those men take that woman as they tried to take you. They used her to set a trap for the cyborg, Raven. He is our chance to be free. The female did not deserve to be taken any more than you did. I could not just stand by and let it happen, and I would probably do it again.”
Ava sighed, shaking her head. “No, you are right. It just scares me to think I could lose you to men like Jenkins and his thugs.”
