Blood Service (All Wrapped Up 1)

Blood Service (All Wrapped Up)
Angela Knight
Second Edition
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2020 Angela Knight
An Authorized Excerpt

Close. She was so damn close. Eyes burning, Adiva stared at the airlock, willing it to open. She was fifth in line to board the warpship, and her heart was pounding. If only she had five more minutes, she'd be in the clear. Beyond the bounty hunter's reach.

The Vigilante himself had come to Adorev to collect the reward of two million credits General Borian Tang had put on Adiva's head. If she didn't get offworld before he found her, she was finished.

The Vigilante. If he had another name, she'd been unable to find it. The legendary bounty hunter specialized in capturing the most wanted criminals in human stellar territory. He went wherever his prey was, kidnapped them, and brought them back to whoever offered the bounty. Not always in one piece, either. There were very ugly stories of what he'd done to captives who pissed him off.

It was so fucking unfair. Adiva was nothing like his usual prey -- rapists, pedophiles, and murderers of every stripe. She was on the side of the angels. The rebel Alliance had been locked in battle with Tang and his gang of thugs for the past five years, and they were winning. In a few more months at most, Tang's government would collapse and the people of Adorev would finally be free.

She regretted nothing she'd done. It was infuriating to find herself somehow classed with the kind of psychopath Vigilante normally hunted. What the hell was his problem, anyway? Tang deserved to be overthrown -- the man was psychotic, a racist megalomaniac who had terrorized his people for decades, murdering thousands because he didn't find their bloodlines acceptable. That was why she and Jorge had come to Adorev to begin with. It had never been about a mercenary's paycheck to either of them. Otherwise she wouldn't have stayed and fought on after Jorge's death.

With a huff of impatience, Adiva swung her duffle onto the opposite shoulder and shifted from foot to foot. "Hurry it up, damn it," she murmured under her breath. "I feel like I've got a great big target printed on my back." If the Vigilante caught up to her, she was dead. Even if he didn't kill her, Tang would. Probably after days of torture.

She'd fight to the death to avoid a trip to Tang's Red Palace. Unfortunately, she doubted the battle would do her much good. Despite her well-developed combat skills, she was no match for a vampire. Particularly one with Vigilante's reputation.

If the bounty hunter caught her, Adiva figured her only chance was to goad him into killing her quickly. Better that than entertaining Tang's torturers. Her will was strong, but everyone had a breaking point. And Adiva was damned if she'd betray the Allies.

The hair rose on the back of her neck. For a moment she thought it was merely her imagination reacting to the memory of the Vigilante's dossier. Then finely honed instincts began to hum so insistently, she threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Her heart stopped beating for one long, endless instant.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood a bare twenty meters away, his hair a dark gold under the harsh spaceport lights, his vivid green eyes stabbing into hers. She knew that face. She'd spent the morning staring at his dossier as her stomach twisted itself in knots.

It was him. The Vigilante.

Adiva didn't think twice. She threw aside her heavy duffle and ran. Ducking around the ship's massive gray bulk, she sprinted for the nearest corridor, pouring on the speed. If she didn't get away from him now, he'd run her down like a rabbit.

A deep voice shouted, "Adiva Mayhew! Stop!" Boots rang on the deck as he pounded after her.

Spotting a branching corridor off to the left, Adiva shot down it, then took another, then a third, choosing turns at random. Fear filled her mouth with a bitter, metallic taste.

The ring of boot steps grew louder.

Her heart lunged in her chest so hard it literally hurt, but Adiva ignored both the pain and the cold bloom of fear. She had to keep moving, keep thinking. Keep fighting. She rounded a corner and shot down a darkened corridor… And skidded to a halt, sick with terror and despair. In front of her loomed a blank wall.

Dead end.