Bounty Hunter

Chapter 45

"It was a pitchfork," Joe clarified. "I picked up those wounds on the Devil's Dance Floor."

Kit frowned. "You went up against the mutants?"

"Believe me, I didn't go in by choice. Seems I got myself on the wrong side of a couple of MRC administrators."

"The Sloan brothers," Kit said, then shook his head. "I'm not surprised. I figured they held a grudge when they hired my guild to take down the Haft Agency."

"I figured you were in that Iron Guild convoy the day they attacked Haft," Joe said.

"I had a job that took longer than expected," he said. "Cat knows I have little interest in the political jobs she takes. I wasn't there the day Cat brought in the convoy, and I wasn't there when the Sloan army burned the place to the ground, either."

"What?" Joe asked.

"You didn't know?"

Joe shook his head.

"The Sloan brothers sent in their murcs to burn down the Haft Agency. It's gone, nothing left."

A chill settled over Joe, and he swallowed hard. "Did anyone survive?"

"From what I hear, Reuben Tally and one hunter are still unaccounted for. Cat extended an offer of employment to any remaining Haft hunters—at least, the ones her double-team lackeys hadn't brought over yet—and they gladly accepted to save their skin."

"Bolt and Tumbler," Joe said. "They were there the day Sloan came for me, and I figured they'd been working for Cat, since she jumps any time a Sloan is around."

"I didn't agree with her tactics—ambushing hunters and then giving them a join-or-die ultimatum. But that's always been her way. She's never been one for diplomacy. I think it's safe to say you're officially unemployed. Cat won't hire you if the Sloan brothers don't like you, not to mention she'd kill you personally if she knew you were a Raven."

Joe sneered. "I couldn't bring myself to work alongside you again, anyway." Then his features fell into a confused frown. "She doesn't know you're a Raven?"

Kit shook his head. "No, and if she finds out, I'll have a death sentence on my head, too. She thinks a Raven killed her brother during the Revolution, and she's had a personal vendetta against them ever since."

"Did a Raven kill her brother?" Joe asked.

"Yes. He was killed during Black Night." Kit didn't elaborate.

Joe inhaled deeply. Black Night had been the turning point in the war. The Revolution was a brutal civil war that would've continued for years longer if it hadn't been for the Ravens. They'd infiltrated Zenith State's central command and assassinated all its government leaders—and anyone else who got in their way—in a bloodbath that became known as Black Night. Joe and Kit had been there, along with every other Raven they'd served alongside.

Joe shrugged. "I've never kept it a secret that I'm a Raven. If Cat doesn't know, it's only because she's never seen me. I still wear the banner."

"Then you're a fool," Kit said. "Most folks may not recognize the banner anymore, but those who do tend to look upon us unfavorably."

"Let them." Joe eyed Kit. "You do still have the banner though, right?"

"Of course. Once a Raven..."

"A Raven evermore," both men said together.

Silence filled the room before Kit spoke again. "How did you get out of the Devil's Playground? I didn't think anyone left there alive."

"With a lot of luck and a little help from a local," Joe replied.

Kit blew out a breath. "And you drove all the way through Shiprock on an open-air bike?"

"Yep. And it was as much fun as it sounds. The trip took long enough to know all the lizards by first name." Joe thought for a moment. "There were two of us, but the other guy didn't make it."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Me too." Joe took in a breath. "I was heading up to find you. How did you find me first?"

"In classic Ballast fashion, you had luck on your side. From how you looked, I have no idea how you made it as far as you had." Kit chuckled dryly. "I'd just turned in a ticket and was heading home. I came across a road gang; it was just a pair of punks, really, and they were shooting at something. My curiosity got the best of me—I have no sympathy for road gangs—and I saw that they were, sure enough, trying to take down a weary traveler. You, in this case. The punks didn't even have the proper gear to be a road gang. No cutter, not even blasters, but I guess it didn't matter, given the shape you were in. Did you know that you were within five miles of the Iron Guild's headquarters? You're lucky five other hunters didn't come across you first. Wait, why were you coming to me?"

"You were the closest, and I need your help. You know what they say about a friend in need..."

"A friend in need is a schmuck," Kit answered.

"The friend I'm talking about in this case is Nick Swinton."

Kit sobered. "Nick's long-since buried, Joe."

"His wife and son are in trouble. They need our help."

Kit swallowed. "What's happened to them?"

Joe told him. Afterward, the pair sat in a long silence.

Kit sighed. "I'm in, but I'm doing this for Nick, not for you."

Joe winked. "I missed working with you too."