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

if you could wait. He is on the phone, but should be free to see you in a minute.” Constable Ethini waved his hand towards the chairs against the wall.

“Thanks.” Nat headed to Loka’s office.

“But, sir!” the constable cried. Nat opened the door and vanished into the office as if hearing nothing. A gruff response came from within.

The colour vanished from Constable Ethini’s face, but he made no attempt to follow Nat and explain to the chief constable why he had failed yet again to prevent a bounty hunter from barging in.

“Sorry about that.” Anouk gave a sympathetic look to the young constable. Poor lad…

She joined Nat just when Chief Constable Loka was finishing his phone call. He didn’t acknowledge her in any way, not even to greet or ask her to sit down. Anouk found a seat next to Nat who was sitting with his right leg over his left, returning the chief constable’s glare with a lazy smile on his face.

“You had better have good news, so I can overlook you storming into my office uninvited.”

“I don’t know about good news, but we’ve made some progress,” Nat said, his tone pleasant.

“So you say.”

“Stalo hired eight men from The Pits to kidnap me which they duly did after I left here the last time. So, he still has money or has acquired it from a sponsor who supports his cause.”

“Eight men? Are they the same men whose burned bodies were found in the remains of Ibars’ warehouse?” The chief constable’s expression darkened. Anouk gulped. They would end up in jail. She glanced at Nat.

Nat remained calm. “Yes, they are.”

The chief constable crossed his arms. “Tell me, why I should not arrest you two for arson and eight murders?”

Anouk’s heartbeat picked up. He was right but they didn’t have any proof. Even so, it was their word against his. They were going to jail…

“Because we didn’t kill them or burn down the place. They used me as bait to get Miss Herring. And when it comes to the fire and the bodies, Stalo’s old loyal men were responsible for the killing then threw firebombs inside the building.”

Anouk admired how he kept cool, not giving any indication or information that the chief constable could latch on and use against them.

Chief Constable Loka leaned back in his chair and started to stroke his moustache. He plucked the coarse hair in silence, staring at the desk.

“Alright, I will not arrest you,” he said after a minute.

Anouk blew air out slowly in relief.

“For now,” the chief constable added.

Anouk tensed for a few seconds but then relaxed. He needed them… desperately.

Loka started to rap the top of his desk with her fingers, his brows knitted together. “It’s alarming news that Stalo has the means to hire so many.”

“Aye. As I told you last time, he asked Dr Arnar to join him. He’s planning something.”

Chief Constable Loka nodded. “So it seems. But what?”

“When it’s Stalo, the safest bet is revenge.”

The chief constable frowned. “Against whom? The king?”

Nat shrugged. “It’s possible. Ionnas III stripped Stalo of his titles, took his lands and sentenced him to death.”

“He escaped only a few days ago, so he has not had time to gather that many supporters yet. If he is going to move against the king, he needs more men.” Loka banged his fist on the table. “We have to act fast.”

Nat’s eyebrow lifted ever so slightly. “Let’s not forget he’s been on the run for years, most of which were out of the country, before he got caught. It looks like he’s been contacting his supporters rather than trying to recruit new ones. But you’re right, we don’t have much time.” Nat paused and lifted his other eyebrow. “Any new developments with your enquiries we should be aware of?”

The chief constable cleared his throat before answering, “No. Except, Rekka was found dead in The Pits.” He licked his bottom lip. “Killed execution style.”

Nat’s face hardened. “When?”

“Yesterday.”

“Who’s Rekka?” Anouk asked.

“A colleague,” Nat replied without looking at her. “Could be the same men who tried to shoot Miss Herring and me yesterday afternoon. One got away.”

Anouk didn’t listen to Nat relaying the details of the attack. All she could focus on was another dead bounty hunter. She swallowed. He could have been killed by anyone—angry relatives, a vengeful ex-prisoner or someone else with a bounty on his head, but somehow, she doubted it. Bounty hunters were a threat to Stalo, and she knew how Stalo dealt with threats. She glanced at Nat, who was waving his hands while he spoke. How long could they cheat death before Stalo got them?

The phone on the chief constable’s desk rang, making Anouk jump in her chair. The chief constable lifted the receiver. “Hello? Ah, the chief magistrate. Could you hold on a second before putting him through, sergeant?” He placed his hand over the mouthpiece. “Keep me informed, Nat.”

“You too, chief constable.” Nat stood up and bowed. “Good day.”

Loka nodded and shifted his focus to the phone. “Good morning, Chief Magistrate Cashan. What can I do for you?” His tone was polite as they left the office. Vari’s words about treating the high-ranking Angleans with more respect came to mind. Yes, even Loka had someone above him on the ladder, shitting on him if he didn’t behave.

“How well did you know Rekka?” Anouk asked as they descended the stairs.

Nat shrugged. “He was a big guy always spoiling for a fight. It’s surprising he wasn’t killed sooner.”

“Oh.” So, the bounty hunter community wasn’t one big happy family. Not that she had expected it would be, but this was the first time Nat had said anything even mildly negative about one of his colleagues. In fact, he had talked very little about them with the exception of Rose’s husband.

After collecting their weapons from Sergeant Rosmarus, they came out into Victory Square. Nat scanned the surroundings.

“See anything suspicious?” Anouk asked, browsing the people and the traffic. If there was something out of the ordinary, she was unable