Tamar

Well, that didn’t exactly turn out as planned, even if we did catch the guy. But the last thing I feel like doing is splitting the bounty with a stranger. Speaking of which…

“Never did catch your name.” An easy smile curls onto my lips.

He may not have been part of my plan, but for now, I’m stuck with him. Not that flirting with him means I’ll be letting down my guard. Doing that only gets you dead. But I need to know more about him, and distracting men with tits and a smile is always a surefire way to make them stupid.

“It’s Kage.” His voice is deep and gravely, and together we make quick work of tying up our prize so he has no chance of getting away, though he’s now awake and making one hell of a racket, pleading with us to let him go.

“Please… I’m begging you. Don’t take me back to Huntington. I’ll find a way to repay you if you just let me go.” His brown eyes are wide in panic. I have no doubt he doesn’t want to go back to Huntington, since he’s clearly done something to piss off one of the most powerful and dangerous people around. Huntington wouldn’t be paying out such a huge bounty for any other reason.

“Yeah, that’s not happening. I suggest you shut the hell up since I like things quiet, and if you annoy me with your yammering, I’m liable to find a way to shut you up permanently, and to hell with the bounty. Am I making myself clear?” He nods, clearly not wanting to take his chances. Not that I’m a killer. It’d take more than someone talking my ear off to earn them a bullet in the head. Not that he needs to know that since the peace and quiet will be nice.

“You’re Tamar, right?” Kage gives me a crooked smile, looking amused, as he stuffs him into the backseat and buckles him in.

I double check to make sure Cashwell has no chance of getting away, and with his hands bound in front of him and his feet tied, he won’t be going anywhere, especially with the child latch thrown on the door so he can’t open it.

“We need to haul ass.” I’m already surprised we haven’t had company. I take my place behind the wheel and start the engine as Kage hops into the passenger side and we take off down the road.

I don’t know if the other teams out there still think Cashwell is back at the wall, hiding out. But if they’re still out there looking for him, then all the better, since it’s given us one hell of a head start, and from what I can see, no one’s following us. I’m not sure our luck will hold out, but I’ll take what I can get.

Kage shifts in his seat to look at me. “Look, I know you’re none too happy about sharing the bounty, but we still need to get this guy to Huntington. And if you think all the other bounty hunters aren’t going to try and snag the mark out of our hands, you can guess again. The way I see it, it’s going to take both our teams to keep us all in one piece until we can get to where we’re going.”

I sure as shit have no intention of getting myself killed, and Kage has a point, even if I don’t like it. I know there are other teams following us, and with a bounty this large, the hunters out there will stop at nothing. “Yeah… maybe. Especially since we’re days away from Huntington—if nothing goes wrong.”

And the chances of us not running into problems? Slim to fucking none.

My eyes flick up to my rearview mirror, needing to make sure that no one’s on our tail. No one but my team, which is a damn good thing. “We’re going to need to find a place to crash before dark, and we’ll need to scavenge for gas so we don’t have to stop tomorrow. I want to drive straight through ’til nightfall, and I won’t risk us running out of gas when we’ve got someone on our ass.”

“Don’t like being on the road after dark, huh?” His words have my back going up. Cause if he thinks I’m some sort of wimp, then I’ll fucking hand him his balls. But before I can get my words out, he’s talking again. “Smart girl. Only idiots and people with a death wish take that kind of a risk—and I’m neither. I’ve managed to stay alive this long, and I have every intention of keeping it that way.”

“Good, since the last thing I need is to be partnered with an asshole who’s going to get me and my team killed.” I glance over at him, stealing a moment away from the road to take him in, not caring if he catches me staring. Shy has never been a word anyone would use to describe me, and in the world we now live in, there’s no point in wasting time when you may not get a tomorrow. You need to make the most of each day, each moment, since nothing else is guaranteed.

Kage removes his long coat, getting comfortable, and I notice he’s wearing the same leather cut his two brothers are wearing. The large piece on the back says the same thing that was on his long coat—Peril’s End MC. Looks like they all belong to the same MC, if I had to guess. It makes me think of my dad since he was good friends with the President of an MC. From what I know, those guys always stick together, kind of like a big family, where trust, loyalty, and respect are things that are of great value.

He’s damn good looking, I’ll give him that. Dark hair, just a little long, and dark stubble, with striking blue eyes. Tall too, with broad shoulders, and muscular arms—tattooed, of course. And he may prove me wrong, but he seems smart—and I like that. My daddy taught me not to suffer fools, and from what I’ve seen, Kage is no fool.

“I’m sure you’re capable of keeping yourself in one piece, but let’s face it. Sometimes it helps to have a bit more manpower, especially when the bounty’s big enough to have every team this side of the Mississippi hunting the mark. I don’t know what the hell Huntington wants with the guy. But you know something’s up with the sort of bounty he’s offering.” He runs a rough hand over his thick stubble, shaking his head.

It makes me think of just how good that rough stubble would feel on my inner thighs if he was nestled between my legs. It’s been years since I last went down that road—twelve to be exact. But with Kage? Just maybe…

“Don’t care what he wants with him, as long as I get my share of the prize and I’m still in one piece so I can enjoy it.” Though I have no idea how the hell we’ll split a home.

Yet with the safety a home like that will afford us—not to mention having regular access to power—I’ll find a way to make it work. And if the place is as big as the bounty says it is, then there’s plenty of room for us to split the place up and never have to see each other, unless we want to.

“I heard the place was some billionaire’s off-grid survivalist compound. I bet he’d have enjoyed it too, if the virus hadn’t cut his plans short.” Kage lets out a weary sigh, and it’s one I know all too well.

When the virus hit, it didn’t discriminate. Rich or poor, black or white. Didn’t matter. Everyone lost people they were close to, and everyone’s life was turned upside down.

“I just want a fucking bath. I want to be able to soak in a tub and not have to worry about some asshole trying to blow my brains out, or thinking that the mere fact that I’m naked while trying to get clean is sort of an invitation.” Civility and common decency had died when that virus hit. I know not everyone is an asshole, but the ones who in the past leaned in that direction but had the law or a little bit of humanity holding them back, were flying their true colors now.

“Can’t be easy as a woman in this world—even if you’ve made it clear that you can take care of yourself.” He clears his throat and makes quick work changing the subject since we’ve no doubt ventured into territory he’d rather not deal with. Can’t blame him. We all know people who’ve gotten the shit end of the stick since the Epidemic.

I keep checking my mirror, and can’t believe we haven’t run into more trouble. Other than the occasional abandoned vehicle, there’s no one on the road, and before long, the hours have managed to tick away as we fall into an amiable silence. And I like that. I like that he’s comfortable enough with himself not to constantly feel like he’s got to fill the emptiness with idle chatter.

I glance at the sun as it starts its descent and it looks like Kage is having the same thought I’m having. “We’ve got about another hour or two of daylight, so we may want to think of finding a place to bunk down for the night, especially if you want time to scavenge for gas.”

My gaze takes in our surroundings, spotting nothing but forest and overgrowth, with no landmarks to speak of. “I’m not too familiar with this area, but hopefully I can get us onto some back road tucked away in the woods. See if we can find some place to crash for the night.”

Staying off the main road will give us a better chance to make it through the night without having to defend ourselves from other bounty hunters or scavengers. I just hope I won’t also be defending myself from Kage and his team.

I want to trust him, but I don’t know him and there’s no room for mistakes. Not when letting down my guard can easily end up getting me killed. Needless to say, there’s a good chance we’ll all be sleeping with one eye open, even if I’ll be glad to have him around if we do end up having to fend off other hunters.

“Over there.” He points to an area where I can just barely make out the dirt road where the overgrowth of vines is threatening to obscure it entirely.

“Hold on.” I take the turn and then hit the gas, not wanting to get caught up in the greenery. It’s a bumpy enough ride, but we’re through it before long, and the road surprisingly opens up a bit as it winds around. I look in my rearview mirror, and sure enough, everyone’s following, though I have no doubt the last vehicle in our little convoy will take the time to pull the greenery back into place to mask our whereabouts.

We may not find much down this way, but we don’t need a whole lot. Even a barn will do, and if we have to sleep in our vehicles, we will. I spot a farmhouse off in the distance, and as we get closer, it’s clear it’s seen quite a bit of neglect.

Kage tilts his head toward the home. “We’ll need to clear it. Make sure no one’s around. But it could be a good place to stop for the night.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” That might have to be my new nickname for him, since it just earned me a glare. I give him a sly smile in return as I toss my vehicle in park. “Come on then. Time’s a wasting.”