Bounty Hunter

Chapter 56

"That's Kit!" Nick pointed to the lone figure running toward the road with two murcs running after him. One was raising his blaster to fire.

Val made a beeline toward the man. "Open the door, and make way for him," she ordered.

Nick did as told and piled into the back seat with Romy and Champ. The sheriff pulled her cutter in front of the sprinting man's path and yelled, "Get in!"

He didn't hesitate. He dove into the passenger seat just as blaster fire pelted her rig's shell. The instant he was inside, she throttled forward and the vehicle sped away.

"That paint had just mellowed down to the patina I like," she muttered to herself.

Nick leaned forward between the front bucket seats. "Hey, Kit." His eyes went wide. "Oh no. You're hurt."

Kit turned to see the kids in the back seat with the dog pressed between them. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're on a mission with Val," Romy answered.

"A brothel's no place for kids," Val added.

"And getting shot at in a cutter is?" Kit asked.

Val wrinkled her nose. "It was more because I didn't trust the madame."

"I didn't trust her either," Kit said, then grunted. He held his right arm with a bloody hand, and his features were tight.

She scowled at the amount of blood dripping from his hands. "You're bleeding a lot. How bad are your injuries?"

He glanced down. "Nothing that'll hold me back. A few cuts on my hands, maybe a few minor cuts on my legs, and a blaster burn on my arm. There was a lot of glass."

"Was the blast a through-and-through?"

He winced. "No. Just a glancing hit. But still hurts like hell."

She nodded. "Hang in there. I'll get you patched up after we get off the road."

"Thanks." He then eyed Val and her blasters with suspicion. "Who are you?"

"I'm Val." She smirked. "And that's the kind of thing most people would ask before jumping into a cutter with a complete stranger."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm getting shot at while I'm running for my life," Kit said dryly.

"Is Joe okay?" Nick interjected. "Why isn't he with you?"

Kit's brow furrowed. "Things went south, and we got separated, but I'll go back in for both him and your mom, I swear it, kid."

"You're going back in?" Val asked.

"Yeah, I guess I have to." He didn't sound very happy about it.

"Good." She glanced at her map to see several blips leaving the vicinity of the MRC building. She turned down a side road before she spoke again. "Romy called me."

She glanced back to see the shy girl give a sweet shrug, and Val gave her a smile.

Val continued. "Romy said something about Havoc and a few of his buddies starting a war against Gabriel Sloan. That's a war I'm not going to miss."

"It's a war that we're not going to miss. Right, Val?" Nick clarified.

Val nodded. "Right, kiddo."

Kit inclined his head at Val. He went to speak, but Nick patted his shoulder. "Romy and I are going with you this time, Kit. And you know what? If you'd let us go with you last time, maybe you wouldn't have gotten yourself all shot up."