Coto's Captive Read online

  The cabinets in the kitchen were all open and she understood why Coto had guessed that the aliens had searched the house. The long cedar chest along the windows had been torn open as well, the lid split as if it had been smashed in anger. She spotted what she was looking for and tried on a few pairs of shoes. They were a little too big but a pair of socks helped some boots fit. She also took a camouflage jacket.

  She returned to the main living area, yanked the shotgun off the mantel, and grabbed a box of shells to stuff into the pocket of the borrowed jacket. She turned, facing Coto.

  He’d used a throw from the couch to cover Mr. Avery. She appreciated that. He held her gaze, looking grim.

  “Let’s go.” She looked down, making sure the shotgun was loaded. It was, just as she suspected.

  “What is the meaning of the word you used? I don’t understand.”

  She struggled to remember what she’d said and then it came to her. “Vigilante? It means I usually don’t hunt to kill. Today that changes. Follow me. I didn’t see any tracks in the front to indicate they came that way. There’s a back door out of the bathroom. I think they snuck up on him. This happened last night. He probably didn’t even hear them until they were in his kitchen.” She focused on the anger instead of the grief that wanted to rise. She had liked Mr. Avery. “Let’s make sure they don’t kill anyone else.”

  “You are so appealing right now.”

  She glanced down at the oversized jacket, her borrowed clothes from him, and the chunky boots. She looked up at him, skeptical.

  “You are.” He approached her. “You’re the tracker. I have your back. Let’s go, Lynn.”

  She spun, leading him through the hallway to the bathroom. Mr. Avery used it as a mud room too. She eased open the door and froze, looking at the three steps leading to the ground. One of them was broken.

  “Just as I thought. Heavy bastards, aren’t they? One of them went right through the board.” She kept a tight hold on the shotgun, easing around the hole, and located the tracks on the soft dirt of the ground near the bottom of the steps. “There’re two of them. They left the same way they came.” She moved forward, spotting more signs of the two men. “This way. The good news is they haven’t found your Vhon. At least not these two.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’d assume your friend wouldn’t willingly go with one of them. Their footprints would be close together if handcuffs were used and there’s no smudging on the prints to indicate one of them was being forced to walk.”

  “You impress me.”

  “Tell me that after I find them and they’re dead.”

  Coto growled.

  She halted and glanced back at him. She recognized the look. “That turns you on?”

  “More than you know. You are extraordinary.”

  “I’m pissed off, Coto. Mr. Avery didn’t deserve to die like that.”

  “You are perfect for me.”

  She faced forward and concentrated on locating more footprints to follow. The two men weren’t hiding their tracks. They left a path of destruction by breaking twigs, snapping brush, and upsetting rocks. Coto was correct about their spitting habits too. They did it frequently, the yellow stains on the ground easy to spot. It didn’t take her long to come across where they’d camped. They hadn’t built a fire but the flattened moss showed they had gotten some sleep. She crouched, examining the area. She placed a palm on where one of them had lain.

  “They’re close,” she whispered.

  Coto lowered next to her, his gaze constantly scanning the area. “How can you tell?”

  “The ground is still warm, even though it’s in the shade. They weren’t using sleeping mats like you have. He lay directly here.”

  Coto removed his glove and placed his hand next to hers, then on another spot. “I feel the difference in temperature. That’s amazing.”

  She captured a few strands of hair from the moss. “This one is a dirty blond.” She brushed them off her fingers. “They’re heading toward the river.”

  “Are you certain it is the enemy?”

  She jerked her head in the direction of a mass of rocks. “One of them spit near the top. See the yellow stain? They climbed up there and the river is about a mile that way. Can these bastards swim?”

  “I’m not certain. Why?”

  “The river bottlenecks into a series of shallow streams this way, then opens up where we crossed. They are skirting the deeper parts. That’s my guess. I’d have to backtrack their trail to know for sure but there was a faster path if crossing the river was their intention.”

  “I hope dogs attack them.”

  “You killed Jimmy’s dogs. There aren’t any more of them and that way will bypass Jimmy’s land, directly to the abandoned property I mentioned. It’s high up and easy to spot in that area. Your friend might have gone there.”

  “Let’s go.” Coto stood, replacing his glove. “We must stop them before they find Vhon.”

  She rose too and gripped his wrist. He looked down at her. She cleared her throat. “Just to be clear, are you planning on capturing or killing them?”

  “They are our enemy. They have no honor.”

  She eased her grip and nodded. “I just don’t want you to get angry with me if I shoot them. I’m going to show them the same mercy they gave Mr. Avery. None. I don’t hate aliens. I just hate those ones.”

  He smiled. “Use your weapon. They would kill you if given the chance.” His features suddenly darkened, pure rage sparking in his eyes. “They’d hurt you first. Don’t hesitate to kill, Lynn. Do you understand?”

  “I do. These guys are rabid animals in my mind. They need to be put down. Let’s go.”

  She took the lead up the hill and had to climb with one hand since the shotgun didn’t have a strap. She paused near the top, lifting her head to peer down the valley. Coto did the same, sticking close to her side. She scanned and spotted movement in the distance near the streams.

  “There.” She pointed.

  “I see them. Stay here. I’ll take them on.” He sounded grim.

  “There are two of them.”

  He scowled. “I am an excellent fighter.”

  “Okay. Go for it. Be careful.” They’d waste time arguing. She wanted those two men to pay for what they’d done.

  Coto climbed higher by a few inches and topped the rocks. He remained close to the ground as he moved forward, in a walking crouch. Lynn kept her focus on the two men in the distance. They didn’t glance back or seem to hear Coto. He reached the area just behind the men and sprinted forward. Lynn hesitated, lifted the shotgun, and took aim.

  “Damn.” A shotgun was useless at that range. She bit her lip and followed Coto, keeping low in case those Collis did look back and spot her. She reached the flatter ground and ran after Coto, using trees to shield her as much as possible.

  A loud roar tore through the woods. She had heard it before. Coto had come across his enemy.

  She stopped dodging behind trees and just sprinted toward the streams. It didn’t take her long to spot the three men. They’d reached the first stream and were thigh high in water.

  Coto had both his blades out. The two men parted, trying to keep him between them. One attacked him from the front as the other whipped out a blade. She yelled a warning but Coto dodged being stabbed in the back by twisting his body. He shot one foot out, catching the man behind him in the knee. The guy fell over into the water.

  Lynn was panting hard by the time she reached them. She lifted the shotgun, shaking a little as Coto fought with one of the Collis. The second one came up out of the water coughing and sputtering. He recovered fast though and lunged forward, planning to bury his blade in Coto again.

  Lynn quickly calculated the safety margin for range and pellet spread. The Collis was far enough from Coto to allow her a clean shot. Hope I’m right.

  She squeezed the trigger but missed hitting the attacking alien square in the chest. He had taken some buckshot to the shoulder