THE THOUSAND DOLLAR HUNT: Colt Ryder is Back in Action! by J.T. Brannan Page B
Authors: J.T. Brannan
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and it made me smile now to think that this man who’d been ready to shoot me during our first meeting was the only person I’d managed to get a decent conversation out of all night.
The smile faded instantly as I rolled over in bed and remembered that I was alone; Talia had been nowhere to be seen last night, and had never come to my room.
I worried that she’d been caught trying to access those computer files, then felt guilty – was I scared for her safety, or for what she might tell her captors about me if she was questioned?
It was possible, however, that she had been sent to Garner’s room as his ‘prize’; a horrifying thought made only slightly more bearable by the fact that he’d consumed so much brandy that he’d almost certainly been incapable of doing anything except sleeping and snoring loudly.
I checked my watch, saw that it was only just after nine in the morning. I had plenty of time, but I was unaccustomed to lying in so late anyway, and rolled slowly out of bed, padding across the oak floorboards to the open doors which gave way onto a wide verandah with magnificent views of the grasslands and mesas beyond, which rose imperiously into the deep blue sky above. The sun was already getting strong, and Kane was bathing happily in it, in a position unchanged since he’d got back here last night.
I yawned loudly – which drew only a single, rapid check with one eye from Kane – and slowly stretched out my aching body. I wasn’t sure that bed’s agreed with me; it couldn’t possibly have been the dozen beers I’d consumed.
I went back into the room to get myself an espresso from the professional-grade machine on the dresser, then carried it back out to sit with my little buddy.
‘How you doing, boy?’ I asked as I plunged into a wooden chair by his side, ruffling his hair. My question was rewarded by complete silence and utter disinterest, but I continued petting him anyway. Even if he wasn’t bothered, I liked it. I sipped slowly at the strong black liquid as I stroked Kane’s back, and went through my plan of attack for the day.
We had to report to security headquarters at midday, when Hatfield would give us our briefing. The guests were due to arrive throughout the afternoon, in time to have dinner with Badrock at five. As far as I understood it, I would be responsible for liaising with the armorer to get them equipped, then supervising weapons handling and zeroing on the range. Other people would familiarize them with the park grounds, and general hunting tactics.
I would learn more at the briefing, but right now all I wanted to do was find Talia.
After all, I considered once again as I stood, I didn’t have to report in until midday.
There was plenty of time to find her if I got started now.
Chapter Seven
Midday came around all too quickly, and I’d had no luck in finding Talia. The closest I’d come was a cryptic she’s busy now, you’ll get to see her later from Hatfield; and it wasn’t so much the words as the strange half-smile on his face that had unnerved me.
But there was work to be done now, and I wanted to do some intelligence gathering of my own; Hatfield was about to tell us who was coming for tonight’s hunt.
The Vanguard employees who would be working the hunt tonight – there were about thirty of us, a platoon-sized contingent – were gathered in the meeting room of the security base. We were seated on a mixture of easy chairs and sofas, and Hatfield was holding court at the front, stood in front of a lectern with a projector screen behind him.
‘You might already know,’ he began after the audience settled down, ‘but tonight’s hunt is special, both for the number and the status of the hunters. And maybe some other reasons too,’ he added with a knowing chuckle that was reciprocated by the Vanguard men.
‘That’s why we’ve got the ‘A-Team’ here, the people we can trust, and why the rest of the permanent park staff have been sent
The smile faded instantly as I rolled over in bed and remembered that I was alone; Talia had been nowhere to be seen last night, and had never come to my room.
I worried that she’d been caught trying to access those computer files, then felt guilty – was I scared for her safety, or for what she might tell her captors about me if she was questioned?
It was possible, however, that she had been sent to Garner’s room as his ‘prize’; a horrifying thought made only slightly more bearable by the fact that he’d consumed so much brandy that he’d almost certainly been incapable of doing anything except sleeping and snoring loudly.
I checked my watch, saw that it was only just after nine in the morning. I had plenty of time, but I was unaccustomed to lying in so late anyway, and rolled slowly out of bed, padding across the oak floorboards to the open doors which gave way onto a wide verandah with magnificent views of the grasslands and mesas beyond, which rose imperiously into the deep blue sky above. The sun was already getting strong, and Kane was bathing happily in it, in a position unchanged since he’d got back here last night.
I yawned loudly – which drew only a single, rapid check with one eye from Kane – and slowly stretched out my aching body. I wasn’t sure that bed’s agreed with me; it couldn’t possibly have been the dozen beers I’d consumed.
I went back into the room to get myself an espresso from the professional-grade machine on the dresser, then carried it back out to sit with my little buddy.
‘How you doing, boy?’ I asked as I plunged into a wooden chair by his side, ruffling his hair. My question was rewarded by complete silence and utter disinterest, but I continued petting him anyway. Even if he wasn’t bothered, I liked it. I sipped slowly at the strong black liquid as I stroked Kane’s back, and went through my plan of attack for the day.
We had to report to security headquarters at midday, when Hatfield would give us our briefing. The guests were due to arrive throughout the afternoon, in time to have dinner with Badrock at five. As far as I understood it, I would be responsible for liaising with the armorer to get them equipped, then supervising weapons handling and zeroing on the range. Other people would familiarize them with the park grounds, and general hunting tactics.
I would learn more at the briefing, but right now all I wanted to do was find Talia.
After all, I considered once again as I stood, I didn’t have to report in until midday.
There was plenty of time to find her if I got started now.
Chapter Seven
Midday came around all too quickly, and I’d had no luck in finding Talia. The closest I’d come was a cryptic she’s busy now, you’ll get to see her later from Hatfield; and it wasn’t so much the words as the strange half-smile on his face that had unnerved me.
But there was work to be done now, and I wanted to do some intelligence gathering of my own; Hatfield was about to tell us who was coming for tonight’s hunt.
The Vanguard employees who would be working the hunt tonight – there were about thirty of us, a platoon-sized contingent – were gathered in the meeting room of the security base. We were seated on a mixture of easy chairs and sofas, and Hatfield was holding court at the front, stood in front of a lectern with a projector screen behind him.
‘You might already know,’ he began after the audience settled down, ‘but tonight’s hunt is special, both for the number and the status of the hunters. And maybe some other reasons too,’ he added with a knowing chuckle that was reciprocated by the Vanguard men.
‘That’s why we’ve got the ‘A-Team’ here, the people we can trust, and why the rest of the permanent park staff have been sent
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