Caught (All Wrapped Up 8)

Caught (All Wrapped Up)
Second Edition
Marteeka Karland
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2020 Marteeka Karland

Almost. She almost had him. Zuri studied the feed she was getting from the surveillance satellite she'd commandeered. Cade Brighton was as good as caught.

She'd spotted him five days ago on the war-ravaged planet of Dyson 4 and had been tracking him ever since. Finding him wasn't even half the battle. Finding him was the easy part. Now she had to wait for the perfect time to nab him. That was the hard part.

Sitting aboard the Hunter's Conquest, she contemplated her next move. Screwing up was not an option. Screwing up could get her dead, especially with this subject. Five of the last eight hunters who had gone after him had never returned. The other three had been returned to the Agency in corpse containers.

Being a hunter for ten years, she'd learned to trust her gut. There was something about this particular prey that bothered her. She shifted in her seat. She'd have to be extra careful.

After checking her holding area one last time, testing the alterations she'd made specifically for Cade Brighton, Zuri selected two pulsarphaze pistols and set them for heavy stun. The restriction cuffs were an afterthought. She had no illusions he would let her simply cuff him and take him in. He'd definitely put up a fight.

Body armor and personal repulsor shield intact, Zuri readied herself. She thought all the protection was probably a bit of an overkill, but she wasn't taking any chances. Her prey -- it was always her policy to think of the men and women she tracked as "prey" instead of "he" or "she" -- was currently lounging in a roughneck bar. Zuri wasn't worried about going into the bar so much as how the other patrons would react. She didn't want to have to injure any bystanders. All the more reason for the extra precautions.

It took her thirty minutes to reach her destination on foot, but it seemed like the better choice than actually landing her ship closer to the site. Surprise was her only option. Once there, her adrenaline kicked in, and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. It had been a while since she'd been this hyped up about a job. Part of it was because of the dangerous reputation Cade Brighton had built for himself, but part of it was something else entirely.

Cautiously, Zuri entered the establishment. Stepping up to the bar, she ordered a drink and sipped casually while her eyes adjusted to the dim interior. This was when she was at her most vulnerable in any situation. She suspected that was the reason the lights just outside the bar were so bright. Anyone on the inside had the advantage on those entering it.

She stood at her place against the wall for another thirty minutes, making sure not only that her eyes adjusted, but that she knew where everyone in the room was located. When she spotted her prey, she knew she was in trouble.

He sat in a back booth sipping a mug of some alien brew. His eyes glowed a vibrant green in the dim light. Cade Brighton was said to have some kind of enhanced night vision. Given the eerie radiance of his eyes, she guessed the rumors of Cade's sight were more than interstellar legend. She wondered if he was genetically enhanced as well. She couldn't see much else. His head was covered with a loose-fitting black hood, leaving only the ends of his dark, shoulder-length hair visible. She suspected he'd allowed her to see what little she did. This was definitely a trap. She'd have to be ready for anything.

The two of them stared at one another for a good long while. Zuri figured he was sizing her up. She sure as hell was sizing him up. Sitting in the shadows as he was, it was hard to get a good estimate of his actual size, but she had the feeling his profile underestimated his build a good bit. In fact, unless she missed her guess, he was absolutely huge.

Deciding it was best to just get on with it, and not seeing any nearby threats, Zuri walked toward him. It seemed his focus was on no one but her, and she didn't take her eyes from him. Her skin tingled with the caged energy that seemed to surround the two of them. A silent battle of wills raged, and there was no way in hell Zuri was going to back down. It was difficult. Not only were those glowing eyes disconcerting, but the man himself seemed to grow larger by the second. When she reached him, she slid smoothly into the seat across from him and signaled the barmaid for a drink.

"Cade Brighton."

He didn't say anything, only raised his glass to his lips and took a sip.

"You're under arrest for murder, among other things. I'm here to take you in. But I suspect you already know that."

Again, he remained silent. All she could see beneath his black hood was a strong chin, patrician nose and those glowing emerald eyes.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to simply come with me? Forgo all the unpleasant nonsense that goes with resisting arrest?" The barmaid returned with her drink and set it down. She flashed Cade Brighton a nervous glance before quickly departing. Apparently the local population knew his reputation.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to simply drop down and suck my dick? Forgo all the unpleasant nonsense that goes with resisting your rightful master?"

At first, Zuri thought he was simply being an asinine prick. But something about the look in his eyes -- something about the man himself -- told her he was serious. Panic seized her for a brief second before she stamped it down. She'd known he'd be difficult to deal with. Why she hadn't expected something like this was a mystery.

"Sure. I can manage that. But not until you get aboard my ship." A little lie wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, she didn't feel like it was such a crime, considering the things this man was guilty of. "You do what I want, I'll do what you want."

The expression on his face didn't change. They could have been discussing the weather instead of his immediate future. "I'll hold you to that."