Bounty Huntress 1. Snags her Men

Chapter 1

"What the hell?" Jessa growled. Her heart sped up as soon as she stomped the gas pedal to the floorboard.

The black car behind her sat low, invisible except for its eye piercing headlights.

"You're blinding me. Get off my tail, Idiot."

Her thoughts raced fast like her heart.

"Maybe that's him. I'll get him this time."

She shuddered with the prospect of capturing the man she thought was behind her. Jessa, a seasoned bounty hunter, contained her emotions even though her catch was within her grasp.

She tapped her breaks hoping he'd back off. Then she screamed loud enough to wake the dead.

"Well, here you are, Krauss! Where have you been you slimy piece of scum?"

Just then, the revved up, chrome laden sports car jetted into the Quick Shop.

"Oh, no you don't. You won't escape this time, you life sucking murderer!"

Jessa lived a year in Cairo, Georgia, a southern farm town where she'd narrowed her search for Krauss.

Thoughts of cuffing Krauss, the scum who murdered her sister, possessed her.

"You escaped the authorities, but you won't escape me."

Her tires screamed when she suddenly torpedoed her truck into a side road just beyond the Quick Shop. She shot back onto the main road in the opposite direction. With cool precision, she rocketed into the Quick Shop.

Her heart rate doubled. She skidded to a stop on a patch of loose gravel inches short of the little car bumper.

Her instincts were all over the place.

Immediately, her long sleek legs and high-heeled shoes propelled her toward the little car. In one motion, she jerked open the door, reached inside the car, and latched onto the man's jacket sleeve. With volumes of adrenaline coursing her veins, she pulled the man out of the car and slammed him into the gas pump. He was lighter and taller than she expected.

With controlled rage, she cursed him. She stepped up onto the gas pump foundation, which made her tall enough to grab a fist full of his curly hair, the color of his car. She slammed his jaw into the gas pump, jumped down, and slung him backwards against his car before she realized she'd made a horrible mistake. The man was not Krauss.

Neither of them moved. They cursed in unison.

"Shit!"

Her mind filled with fearful thoughts of being arrested for assaulting a stranger.

"Well, well, ma'am. Who are you?"

He rubbed his painful jaw and winced. But he noticed she was well dressed. No one in Cairo had her wonderful sense of style.

You look really fine to me, he thought.

"Could you take a moment and explain yourself, before you finish me off?"

Chapter 2

She thought of several plausible explanations to avoid being arrested.

While the man studied her, she thought, I'll lie. I hate it, but I'll lie just a little. Her voice caught up with her thoughts. Then she lied.

"I thought you were Jace, my son. Sorry I attacked you. How can I make up for my bad behavior? I wouldn't blame you, if you called the police." She had no son.

When she offered her cell phone, he ducked protecting his head.

She's going to grab my hair again, he thought.

"Don't worry. I'm done slamming you around. You can use my phone," she said, handing him the phone.

He chuckled, nervously.

He scanned her body from head to toe, a second time. Those heels and tight black jeans make her look very sexy he thought before he finally spoke.

"You'll work," he said. "Yep, I think you're exactly the person I need."

She had no clue what he meant, but his mellow, warm voice aroused her curiosity. That voice. That hair. That smile, she thought.

"I'll work? I'm exactly the person you need. Is that what you said?"

He answered her with a question.

"Well, do you want to make up for assaulting me?"

Somewhat relieved that he didn't take her phone, she enhanced her lie.

"My son has a car similar to yours. He drives too fast and he tails too close. I thought you were Jack."

" It's okay, ma'am. If you help me out, I won't call the cops."

He went inside to pay. Then, he returned and hurriedly pumped his gas. Before he jumped into his car he spoke urgently.

"Hey, the attendant saw you beating me up. Let's go somewhere warm so we can talk. Hurry up, I think he called the cops."

He lied a little too.

Jessa raced to her truck. Then he yelled back to her.

"Follow me. We'll go work out a deal. Okay?"

She followed him fifteen miles over a secluded, winding road. Finally, after five more miles, they turned onto a dirt road where they pulled into a driveway in front of a small stucco cottage surrounded by two acres of closely planted cedar trees and hundreds of acres of forest.

When they stopped, he left his headlights on and walked back to her truck. He opened her door and helped her out.

"This is my home," he said. "At first, it'll be cold in the house, but go on inside. The light switch is to the left above your head. I'll grab some firewood."

She stood on the porch and drew in breaths of aromatic cedar trees until he turned off his car lights.

When she finally made it to the door, in complete darkness, she went inside and closed the door behind her.

"Oh boy," she whispered when the lights didn't turn on. "What have I gotten myself into?"

She shivered with the stark realization that she shouldn't have followed the stranger

into a wooded area where she hadn't seen lights for miles. She backed against the wall

and slid against it until she found a window. Then she looked out into the blackness.

Even the moon was hidden.

Chapter 3

Soon, she heard the thunderous boom of firewood crashing outside the door. Startled, she jumped away from the window, bumped into a floor lamp, and tripped over the cord.

"Oh boy. I'm in trouble now," she said on her way down.

Her head bounced off the hardwood floor.

Although she heard the man come inside, she couldn't see anything.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked.

He kicked the door shut.

"Why didn't you turn on the lights? What's all the noise?"

He took another step, tripped on her foot, and sprawled onto the floor. He grazed her ribs, which broke his fall, but his butt and elbow hurt like hell.

"Dammit," he yelled, "Where are you?"

"Um, I'm right here."

She paused, rubbing her ribs.

"Some men fall for me, but none have fallen on me until now! And, my name is not Dammit."

They laughed until their sides hurt. Finally, he got his bearings. Under his guidance, in the blackness, they scooted on their butts to the fireplace across the room.

When they stopped laughing, he lit a lighter, which he kept on the hearth.

Their faces glowed in the soft light.

He thought. She looks like an angel. I like her.

"Are you okay, Dammit?" he asked.

They laughed again.

"I'm fine. But my head hurts."

"Why didn't you turn on the light?"

"I did."

"Damn," he said. "The breaker must've tripped."

"Great. But really, I think we should stop meeting like this. I thought you said we were going some place warm."

He thought for a minute.

"Hold this lighter as high as you can."

When she did, he crawled back to where they'd fallen. Then, he slid some wood toward the fireplace.

Within minutes he started a fire, which cast a wonderful glow. He checked her head and helped her put on his jacket. Then, he sat across from her.

In the firelight, the inhibitions common between strangers overcame them. Neither of them knew what to say, so they didn't speak for a few minutes.

Instead, they stole glances at one another and played with the fire. They watched small sparks float up and burn out before hitting the hearth.

Finally, Jessa spoke.

"You should turn me in for attacking you. I don't know what to say."

"Me either," he said, studying her sparkling eyes and trying to decide her age.

Her smile was captivating. Instantly, without warning, and for no identifiable reason, he was attracted to her.

"Well, let's introduce ourselves," he said trying to keep his mind off her slender body, her big eyes, and her beautiful skin.

"My name is Andy Lucas. I'm a twenty four year old college drop-out. You probably should avoid me because, as my father told me, I'm smart, but I'm a loser."

He glanced away.

"Damn, you're beautiful," he whispered out of earshot. He tossed another log on the fire.

"Oh, by the way, the citizens around here think I killed my girl friend. So don't be

alarmed if you hear bad things about me."