The Gadget: The Rondon Chronicles Book One by V. Timlin (speed reading book .TXT) 📕

Nat bowed. “Thank you. I’d very much appreciate it. I’ll pay you, of course.”

“Better not. It’d raise suspicion.”

“Aye,” Nat murmured. “Well, you let me know if you need a favour.”

Rose inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Nat patted his companion’s arm and headed to the door.

“It was a pleasure to meet you and the girls,” Anouk said.

Rose gave her a crooked smile. “It was a pleasure to meet you too, and I’m sorry I nearly shot you.”

Anouk tried to return the smile, but her lips quivered. “It’s okay. I’m glad you didn’t.”

Rose chuckled. “I bet you are.” She saw them to the door. “Valintina! Danja! Time to come home.” The girls darted past their parting guests.

After walking down the street a couple of blocks, Anouk asked, “Was Rose’s husband a bounty hunter or was he one of your informants?”

“He was a bounty hunter.”

“A friend?”

Nat hesitated before he nodded. “I suppose he was.”

“When did he die?”

Pain flashed in Nat’s eyes. “A month ago. He was ambushed by a gang. He was after their leader.”

“I’m sorry.” Anouk touched his arm. “Were you with him?”

“No, he was with two other bounty hunters, but they were also killed in the same ambush.”

“Oh.” Anouk let a moment of silence pass, chewing her lower lip. “Why do you work alone then? Isn’t it better to have someone to cover your back? After all, chasing the most wanted criminals is a pretty dangerous occupation.”

“I have my reasons.” Nat’s expression closed and his tone tensed.

Anouk lifted her eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

Nat stopped and faced her. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head.

“What is it?”

Nat looked up the street. Another wagon was heading towards them. He pulled Anouk aside until the vehicle passed before meeting her eyes. He took a deep breath. “Look, maybe I should take you to my camp.”

“What? Why?”

“You’d be safer there, with people I’d trust with my life.”

Anouk frowned. “Hang on a minute. First you dragged me here saying I’d be safer with you, and now you’re dumping me at some camp because suddenly I’d be safer there. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes and no.” Nat shifted his weight from foot to foot and rubbed his neck. “It’s just that you almost got shot.” He paused and sighed again before continuing, “And you’re right, this is a very dangerous occupation. Things will heat up even more. I should have thought of it earlier and put your safety first, but I was too keen on pursuing Stalo. This is my mistake.”

Anouk propped her fists on her hips. “Listen, mister. It’s too late for that now. I’m here, and you’re not going to brush me aside. You said you wouldn’t mind me helping, so don’t you dare back out.”

Nat placed his hand on her shoulder, his face solemn. “I don’t want to risk your life. I made a promise to you and your mother.”

Anouk pinched the bridge of her nose and blew air from her lungs with a slow exhale. “I’m not some damsel in distress.” She rolled her eyes. “God, that’s such a cliché thing to say but it’s true. I won’t be treated like some dead weight; I want to help so that I can get back to my life. Please, let me. I might not be a wizard with the sword, but I have some useful skills.” Anouk directed her eyes back to Nat, doing her best at mimicking Owen’s sad puppy look. “I’d rather return to London than let you dump me somewhere safe and assign me new babysitters.”

Nat studied Anouk in silence for several full minutes, and she started to think he would refuse. Either she was failing at capturing Owen’s bravado facial expression, or Nat was immune to such attempts at manipulation. Maybe he was even thinking about taking her to some sort of safe house and not just to his camp for however long it would take him to put Stalo back in prison. If he suggested that again…

“Alright.” He extended his hand. “Let’s make your role official then. You are my business partner throughout this case and you get half of the reward. Deal?”

Anouk’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t expected that. She looked back and forth between his face and his hand. “You mean I am an equal partner and you stop being my bodyguard?”

“Yes. Partners look after each other and cover one another’s backs. I’d be honoured if you accepted my offer.”

Anouk stared at his extended hand. It dawned on her why she was backpedalling on what she had said a few moments ago—she was as scared as hell. Yes, she wanted to help, so that she could get back to London. But could she really be of any help and cover Nat’s back when he needed it? She knew how to use her katana and had trained in aikido for years, but would they be the sort of skills that would make her useful? Or would Nat just end up saving her over and over again?

As if reading her thoughts, Nat said, “You need to understand one thing and fully embrace it if you want to do this—someone, at some point, is going to try to kill you. And you’ll either have to let them do it, or you’ll have to kill them first. There’s no other way around it, Anouk. This is a violent line of work.”

She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. “I…” She licked her lips. “I know, but going into hiding and letting you or other bounty hunters deal with Stalo is even worse of an option. I mean, if something happened to you…” Anouk closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “If something happened to you, I’ve no way of getting back to my own world. I’d have to try to find someone else with a Gadget, convince them I was telling the truth, and then try to find which alternate world I came from. Guarding your back