ELLIE
Why did things always get so complicated?
Every mission we had been on, something happened, whether it be a setup, the person didn’t actually have money to pay us, the target jumped off a bridge, it was another setup… Yeah, that last one happened a lot since we had a bounty on our heads in some places. Well, most places. But the fact that we had made it on our own for the past three years impressed our contractors and harbored a sense of trust that we would get the job done.
But now that wasn’t exactly going to happen.
We had never backed out of a job like this. Well, that wasn’t completely true, but that was a different circumstance and had to do with the fact we don’t hurt animals. That Sirian was really afraid of cats.
Instead of calling Byron, we decided to just send the money we owed him through a wire transfer, including the cost of the bullets. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t figure it out once he was up on Zynon. And he would see our faces and send some other bounty hunter after us. Yeah, this wouldn’t end well. But that was life for us.
While Zach dealt with sending the money back and watching Gabriel, who was also helping cover the cost because we had already spent some of the cash, I went over to pay the lodging for our horses for a couple of weeks since we wouldn’t need them where we were heading tomorrow. The owner seemed to be confused, as we had told him we needed to leave as soon as possible because Zach’s fake wife was pregnant. He didn’t object, however, as I paid him well worth his time and then some. Not on our dime, of course, as Gabriel was quite wealthy.
Gabriel would also get us some tickets to go up to Zynon tomorrow with him. I was not looking forward to that, as I hated riding in that flying machine thing. It just made me so utterly sick. I remembered Zach, Cor, and I had to share a bucket to vomit in while we rode up to the amusement park. Other than the traveling, it had been a fun trip, even after we got arrested.
I tried not to smile at the memory, as I didn’t like to think fondly of Cor, but he was honestly in all my enjoyable memories. He had meant the world to me, and then he just disappeared. Deep in my heart, I wanted to believe he was innocent, but as the weeks and months went by, the more that sliver of my heart died. Gabe had said he was working all the time to clear his name, except I had a hard time believing that.
I grasped the ring at the end of my necklace. Cor had a boyfriend. It had been three years, but it still stung deep down a little. He had once said I meant the world to him, but was that all a lie? Could someone move on and no longer love as strongly as they did? I supposed that was the case for me, as my feelings had changed over the years. Zach was right—I needed to let go. But it was too hard. I desired to know the truth.
I headed back toward the parlor and hotel as it was where I would be meeting Zach and Gabe, when I noticed a couple of men tailing me. They weren’t stealthy, per the Silurian way. What they lacked in stealth, they made up with brute force, however.
But even if I knew they were there, this was not a good sign.
When we tried to leave the Lyran Zone, the guards had mentioned we were wanted for murdering those Silurians at the bar. The only problem was, we didn’t do it. When we left there, everyone was still alive—just tranked. So there were two options—those Silurians were mad we got the better of them and claimed we killed someone, or someone came and killed them and made it look like it was us to set us up.
The question was, who could have done such a thing?
I pondered those thoughts as I debated what to do for a room. We couldn’t exactly leave Gabriel alone for the night as he might run away. But at the same time, I didn’t want to stay up and watch him all night. And now we had some Silurians trying to more than likely kill us.
Biting my lip, I wondered if it was a bad idea to lodge the horses. We should have grabbed them and run out of town. Then again, I doubted Gabriel would last out there. And I couldn’t kill the Silurians as then more would come for us.
Perhaps there were overnight tickets to Zynon. I cringed at the thought of traveling. I hated traveling. It always made me sick, and I’d rather go during the day as I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. But if these guys were just going to murder us in our sleep anyway, then it wasn’t as if I were going to get any rest. Besides, there was plenty to do on the night ships between the casinos and bars. And there were shops where I could get some clothes to fit in on Zynon. I wasn’t looking forward to having to wear dresses as most of the women in high society did.
Turning to meet up with Zach, I noticed the two Silurians were still tailing me. Should I lead them all the way back to Zach, or should I take care of them here and now? I could just transform, and no one would be the wiser. It wasn’t like they were going to stop following me and try to take Zach out as well. Hopefully, these were the only two.
I made my way down a dark alley, and they followed. Idiots. I transformed into a Silurian and faced them with a bit of a smile.
They jumped a little, as if they hadn’t encountered a Kausian before. Most people bolted when they first saw one of us transform, or told the cops since it was illegal. I didn’t care right now since no one could see from the street, and I had a feeling I would have to kill these guys either way.
Both of them pulled out their guns and pointed them at me. “We are getting revenge for our friends you killed in the Lyran Zone.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t kill your friends. This is all a misunderstanding.”
“But you did! We saw the bodies!”
So someone did murder them after we left. Now that was another mystery I would have to solve. But later. “Well, in for a penny.”
Without hesitation, I shot them both in the head. They went down with loud thuds. I knew this was going to cause even more problems for us in the long run, but it wasn’t like they were going to let me leave unharmed. With a sigh, I lifted them up and threw them in the large trash container. It would be a few days before anyone found them, but if all the Silurians were on alert for us, that wouldn’t be a good thing.
It goes without saying that the Silurian race hated us the most. They were the ones who destroyed our home, after all. They turned all the other races against us and got the go-ahead to blow the place to smithereens. But they had to have had help—someone must have given them the codes. And the only person who could have done that was Cor.
But we had almost found him. We discovered his boyfriend, and he was going to lead us to Cor. We had done it, and I would shoot him the moment I saw him, and that would be that.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I transformed back into my normal appearance. Now I would have to tell Zach everything that had happened. I wasn’t looking forward to that—not to mention we needed to get out of here pronto.
I made my way to the nearest post office, hoping that was the one where Zach went to send the money. As I entered, I found Zach was still talking to a clerk. Gabriel was with him, staying quiet and out of the way. Zach had on his glasses, which reminded me to put on my own before people noticed my eyes. It was pitch-dark out, so it wasn’t like we wouldn’t stand out already with them on, but it helped some. Instead of thinking we were Kausian, they would think we were up to no good. That was much better.
Zach finished up the note for Byron and turned to find me standing there. I smiled innocently, and he simply rolled his eyes.
“What did you do?” he asked as we stepped outside. Both suns had set now, and the air was beginning to cool down, which felt nice on my sweating skin.
I placed my hands on my upper chest. “I did nothing. But some Silurians were tailing me, and I might have had to take them out. They claimed we killed those Silurians in the bar.”
He shook his head. “We didn’t. We wouldn’t waste bullets in a fight like that.”
“That’s what I said. But I had to silence them since they didn’t seem like they were going to stop. But I have a feeling more will be on their way.”
Gabriel interrupted. “So what you’re saying is there’s Silurians out to get you.”
Zach and I glanced at each other, debating on whether that was the right word. I answered, “More or less. We’re kind of like outlaws because we are bounty hunters.”
“Bounty hunters that were hired to kill me.”
I nodded. “Yup. But all this is to find our dear friend Cor.” I slapped his back. “So you’re lucky you had something to offer us. Besides, you got us some IDs right? Nothing should go wrong.”
Gabriel sort of smiled and then frowned at the realization of how close he was to death. “I don’t know if that is reassuring or not.”
This time, Zach slapped his back. “Look at it this way. You now have two of the best bounty hunters making sure no one kills you.”
“Great. Anyway, we still need to go get IDs. We should be able to get on the transport and into the casino no problem. However, if the Silurians know what you look like, I am not sure how that is going to help.”
He had a point there. I shrugged. “They haven’t killed us yet. But I think we should keep moving. Do you have anything personal that you want from the hotel? I’m thinking we should grab a night ticket to Zynon.”
Gabriel sighed. “Yeah, let me pack real quick. And call Cor so he knows I’m on my way up. He’s going to be suspicious.”
“Just tell him it’s because you miss him so very much. I mean, flattery always seems to work on him.” I smiled. Zach simply rolled his eyes.
Gabriel eyed me suspiciously for a moment. “How do the two of you know Cor again?”
“Best of friends, the three of us. We always got in all sorts of mischief.”
“Right… Then how come he’s never mentioned you two?”
I had to admit, that stung a little. I shrugged. “Does he mention anything about Kaus? He probably thought we were dead and didn’t want to bring back up horrible memories.”
“You have a point. He has mentioned nothing about Kaus or anyone from there. I guess if he thought you were dead…”
Zach grinned. “And I can’t wait to see his face. I bet he’s going to be ecstatic to see that we aren’t dead.”
I knew Zach was being sarcastic, but Gabriel nodded in agreement. “Yeah, if you all were as close as you say, I bet he will. To be honest, he’s been lonely all the time I’ve been with him. There’s a void I can’t fill. He tries to hide it, but I can see it, deep down. Once you hear his story, I know you all will find out what transpired.”
I wanted to vomit from those words. It was his fault all this happened. I clutched my hand into a fist but grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure his story will straighten everything out.”