Hunter's return to the office after a week was overshadowed by Juliet's. And rightfully so. As the power of the Djinn diminished, more and more people began to realize what was going on. Once she had returned, the office just felt better. Everyone was smiling again with less stress. Juliet became a star around the staff. They had heard about what had happened. She managed to escape to an office where she could get away from people for a while. Her face was red from all the attention but she couldn't stop smiling.
She had her face cupped in her hands as she squealed to herself. "You seem rather chipper this morning." A voice broke through bringing her back. Her face only got more red as her boss was sitting at his desk watching her. He looked… more professional than usual. He typically wore single-colored shirts that were just plain. He mixed it up today with a button-up shirt of eggshell blue with… black slacks? He really was dressed for success. She quickly brushed off her shirt in an attempt to straighten herself up. "You look… professional today."
"Investors meeting this morning at 10. You look ready to be back at work."
He was referring to the fact that she also was wearing more than what she normally does. A professional suit jacket with a matching pinstripe skirt that went to her shins with correctly colored flats. "I wanted to make a good impression on my first day back."
"Really? Well, that works. I have a few people who have been wanting to meet some of my field agents. Since you are dressed the part, you can join in on the meeting if you wish. The choice is yours."
"A room full of suits? That's not really my environment."
"Mine neither, but I have to put on this show so they see their money is working."
She got roped into it. And it was one of the most boring meetings that she ever had to sit through. Hanson was polite and sat in the back with her. Adam was off running errands to keep him away from these people. He was a good kid but still needed to learn some tact in the business world. They ran over charts, numbers, some specific cases, and wrapped up with Hunter asking Hanson and Juliet to stand to introduce them as part of his field team. They got a small applause at the end as everyone grabbed the papers that were given to them before everything began. It was a good mix of people. Some old, some young, male, female, human, and not. They were shuffled out of the room and escorted to the main lobby. Except one. As the others left she was the last one to leave.
Hunter slammed his arm on the wall blocking her path. He shut the door with Hanson and Juliet inside. Juliet almost lost her mind that he would treat someone like her like he just was. Even though his voice was stern he still kept an air of professionalism, "Please, have a seat." The woman hesitated but she followed orders. Hunter took the seat by the door, "How did you get in here?" The woman smiled, throwing Juliet off even more. Her voice resonated in the room with the power of angels with a tone so soft it would melt the heart of anyone, "You are as good as I've been told." She reached across the table grabbing his hands. The waterworks began as she pleaded, "You have to help me. My son was kidnapped and I'm afraid of what they'll do to him."
"Hanson, start taking notes. Who took your son?"
"A group of hunters. They hunt rare species for sport on private land."
"Do you know where they went?"
"There's an area in Virginia where they have a cabin near the mountains. Blacksburg is the closest town."
"Why not go through the normal channels to have a contract issued?"
"There are not a lot of people my kind can trust. You came into contact with my mother years ago and left a lasting impression on her. I know I can trust you and your people."
Hunter leaned back in the chair taking his hands from her. He placed them on the back of his head with a deep breath. He was already thinking about how to go after this job. "OK, we'll help. We'll keep it quiet. And we'll contact you when we return. So go home and wait for our call. We'll get your son back." The woman stood up from her chair lunging at Hunter. She grabbed him from the chair with ungodly strength, giving him a hug that made him feel as though his eyes were going to burst out of his head. "Thank you so much! I will find a proper payment for you and your people!"
He couldn't answer her other than a pat on her side. His arms were strapped to his side until she let him down. Able to breathe again, Hunter gave Hanson his first order, "Hanson, please give her a ride to the airport. I'll get preparations ready for our plane and meet you there with Juliet and some supplies." He nodded, folding up his notebook. He escorted the lady through the lobby to the garage and they were on their way.
Juliet was left stunned. "What happened? Who was she." Hunter stopped and turned around, "She was not an investor. I know them personally and their families. That woman was a client and a high-profile one at that. One of those that you cannot say no to."
"But who was she?!"
He placed a hand close to her face, "Not who, but what. She's a dragon matriarch."
Every question, every offense, every thought she had was stopped dead in its tracks. A dragon alone is a being so powerful, so mythical that there are those who aren't even sure they exist. For one to come to them, the head of a household no less, and ask for their help really is a job that they would not be able to refuse. The power that a dragon can bring is legendary. To refuse the request could have very well meant the end of all of them right then and there.
Hunter went to his office to change out of what he called his "monkey suit" and into his usual clothes. Short sleeves and comfortable pants! "Juliet, do you have your bug-out bag packed as I told you to?" She nodded. "Good, when we're done here I'm taking you to your apartment. Grab that, then we need to go do some shopping." He ushered her to the garage where he helped her into his car. The skirt was hard to get around in. It's just not something she was used to.
He parked out front of her apartment shouting that if she could change in under two minutes she could. She ran up the stairs, threw on something she had lying out, and grabbed her bag. With more comfortable shoes on she could move a lot faster. Her door was locked, and she was ready. She dropped herself into the passenger seat throwing her bag behind her as he pulled out back onto the street. He was in a rush to get to the airport as quickly as he could. Time was of the essence.
He started heading downtown away from the airport where their plane was stored. Wherever they were going, it was out of the way. The car began to ring during the trip. Hunter answered it through the car speakers, "Hanson, you're on speaker."
"Yes sir, the lady has been dropped off at the airport."
"Excellent, let a bank in Blacksburg know that they can expect a large money withdrawal in the next few days so they can call the treasury. After that, see if you can get us in on this hunting trip. We need to be there when things kick off."
"Right away, sir."
The phone clicked as he hung up allowing the radio to switch back to the radio station. Hunter pulled down an odd road that led to a bunch of warehouses. There was one that was marked with the company logo on a small sign. It was surrounded by a high fence and barbed wire. This was a very new place for Juliet. He pulled up to the gate hitting the buzzer. There was a voice on the intercom that spoke, "We've been expecting you. Come on in." There was a buzzing as the gate started to move. Hunter pulled in driving up to a garage door next to a walk-in door. The garage door went up as the two of them walked in.
There was a large counter that was behind a cage. Everything here was locked up tight. It smelled like an industrial building. Oil and smoke just permeated the air. "Welcome to the shop. What are you buying today, boss?" Hunter leaned on the counter rubbing his eyes, "Wish I had more time to prep. Uh, RMSR, 100- .338 Lapua, matching glasses, boots for Hanson and myself with heel GPS, two woodland gear sets, and… I'm feeling adventurous, and two bivouacs. Waterproofed. Oh! 4-rotor long-range drone with a signal booster."
"Camping, hunting gear, and survey. Got it."
He wrote down what he asked for and threw it behind him to someone else who took it and started running around looking for the stuff. Juliet tried to see what was back there. The stack of crates and shelves of just stuff blocked her from seeing too deep into the building. Hunter leaned against the counter just waiting as patiently as he could. The guy at the counter didn't seem nervous that his boss was there. He just worked on the computer marking out the inventory for restocking if needed. There was a loud bang from the back that everyone leaned over to see. There was a shout from the back "I got it!" and everyone went about what they were doing.
The deafening sounds of plastic wheels on concrete started making their way forward. The person working in the back pulled forward hitting a button releasing the magnetic lock on the door allowing him to exit. He doubled back and went right back into the depths of the warehouse while the other man started counting everything. "OK, it's all here. Sign please." Hunter signed the clipboard that was thrust at him. With that out of the way, it was theirs. The counter door was unlocked and the items were wheeled out. From there, Hunter easily loaded everything into the back of his vehicle. Two large green bags, a metal box that rattled, and a very large, incredibly intimidating gun case to top it all off. Hunter waved as they walked out the garage door closing behind them.
Back on the road, Hunter started directly towards the airport. Now Juliet knew the route they were on. But still, there was a lot of gear in the back that she was frightened of. They were loaded for a fight. The car flew through traffic working through every gap to get to their destination faster. Hunter pulled up to their gate to see Hanson already there. He was already parked near the back of their hanger ready to go. The plane was going through its checks to get off the ground as soon as possible.
Hanson moved towards the car as they rolled up. He helped Juliet out before heading to the trunk and grabbing one of the bags. Hunter grabbed the other and the rifle case. They loaded everything up at extreme speed to get on the plane as fast as they could. They were in the air and in the conference room for a proper briefing.
Hanson had a makeshift file of what they were going after with some photos. "Lady Angela VonGrace asked us to find her missing son Michael. She believes they were taken by a group of sport hunters that target rare creatures. They steal them, release them into an enclosed section of forest, and bid positions for the chance to hunt this rare creature. I found some chatter about one of these events coming up this weekend. Bidding is fierce but a lot have already dropped out. There are eight spots and we are currently in a position to get one of them. I will be keeping my eye on it as it progresses. The chatter is for a very high prize so I can only assume that this is Michael."
Hunter took over talking as he moved around the table, "Hanson and I will be going out hunting with the others who have won a spot. Our mission will be to find, capture, and if needed eliminate the other hunters as we go." That explains the hard weaponry. They really are ready for a fight. "Juliet, I'll get you an app on your phone that you can use to monitor our GPS position as we work. That way you know where we are and when we are on our way back. We'll need to get out as quickly as possible. We don't expect casualties but this is a different type of game. Michael will be brought home alive."
He was deadly serious about this. Hunter hated to resort to violence but the will to do harm to others was in his voice. Hanson stepped back in, "The event starts at 9am this Saturday. Winners will be contacted on Wednesday, where they will be given the address of the lodge and given a room. Guests are allowed. We will have radio communication as well so we can be reached. It is advised Lady Juliet, that you keep communication to a minimum and any attempts to reach out to us be done in private." She nodded understanding her role. She was going to listen to the other hunters at the lodge and relay any information back. Easy!
Everyone had their role. Everyone knew their job. This was a big one. Again, dragon. No need to bring that wrath upon them. Having this team take care of the issue to find her son was more appropriate than raining hellfire on the region. Angela would have done it too.
Their plane landed where the three unloaded heading to a simple motel on the outskirts of town. It was nice and quiet there. Perfect place for them to get things planned while they waited. Hanson would give updates every few hours on the bidding. Their group would drop out of the running before Hanson would place another bid bringing them up to the fifth position once again. This was starting to get expensive but they needed to be in it. Juliet stayed put in the motel for the few days that they had to wait. Hunter was even starting to get a bit anxious from just sitting there doing nothing. Wednesday came around and they got their confirmation they had won the seventh spot with a grand total of $2,460,000. Hanson started getting the money moved over letting the organizers know they would be in town tomorrow to pay and ready for their room Friday morning.
Hunter grabbed the rifle and some rounds to get it zeroed and ready for work. He was gone for half the day but when he returned, he was covered in sweat. It looked like he did more than just train on the rifle. He showered off before coming back out. He popped the case showing the rifle inside. Juliet gasped deeply when he pulled it from the case. This was not a hunting rifle. This was a weapon of war designed to be used against another person. He had taken it apart, cleaned the parts he needed to, and put it away. Juliet still looked flabbergasted at him. "Look, I don't want to. But I will if I must. It's not an easy choice."
She could see the pain in his eyes at this resolve. To take another human life is not an easy choice for him. But if it was for a greater good he could go through with it. It's not the first time she's seen him like this. This was another job though. One that they had to see it through for the better and the worst of it.
Their prep time was over. Hanson met with their contact to pay them. It damn near wiped out the small bank to get the cash together. Their entry fee was paid. They only had one more night in the hotel. In the morning they would get the address of the lodge they would be staying at for the weekend. It was going to be something else. A boy's life was being used in a game for some. Meanwhile, the other hunters didn't know that they would also be hunted. It was a restless night for all of them. To try and calm their nerves, they played poker until early morning when no one could keep their eyes open. Even with only four hours of sleep, they would be able to function for a while. There was also potential for a nap once they got set up in their room.
The night went on as they all managed to get some rest. Hunter and Hanson were on pins and needles as the sun came up. They needed to get moving in on the cabin to begin surveying the hunting area. The roles had already been divided out. Hanson and Hunter were going to be the ground force on this. They would head out to the hunting grounds themselves to go after the other hunters and retrieve the child. Juliet would be back at the cabin collecting information about the others from their guests and the hosts. She would also be taking the role normally reserved for Adam. She would be piloting the drone from their room to help assist them in locating other people. This was going to be a weekend-long trip. Hopefully, they will be able to do this quickly. Just grab the kid and get out.
Hanson's phone rang notifying him of a message. They had the address of the cabin. It was time to get moving. The ride itself took them through the town and out to the more rural areas. This was outside city limits. Their directions took them off the main highway and onto a dirt road that looked lightly used. Almost as though it had to be beaten in rather than made. It wound around the trees, through the wilderness, and across a few small rivers. This place really was out there. They knew they arrived when they approached the iron gates. Someone was standing outside at a small shack. They stopped, checked their vehicle, and made sure that they were the people they said they were and were allowed to be there. Once they were confirmed as participants, they were allowed access with a smile.
Juliet had an issue with this. It was going to be smiles all weekend while these people played a game with a child's life. But that's why they were there. To put a stop to the sick game.
The group got themselves settled into their room. The room was massive. It was larger than most of the hotel rooms they had stayed in before. They were put up on the second floor of the lodge. They had everything! The bed was massive, there was a patio with a hot tub already hot and bubbling. Juliet would be using this room as a base while Hunter and Hanson would be roughing it in the wilderness on their hunt. Hunter kept their equipment locked up tight leaving their drone out on the dresser. Hanson started teaching her how to use it. It has thermal, night vision, and with the ability to fly, it will give them a bit more of an edge. "He who rules the sky rules the war!" Hanson proclaimed as he continued his explanation.
The group stayed in their room for most of the day. They heard more people come in getting chummy with one another. There was booming laughter with excitement for the hunt. Juliet did all she could to pay attention to Hanson's lesson. Hunter just kept to himself in the corner going over the equipment. It started getting into the middle afternoon when it was decided that they needed to get themselves out there to meet with the other participants. Juliet was not required to come but Hunter and Hanson had their poker face on. They had to blend in with these other hunters.
The night carried on. The hunters were sharing tales of other hunts and adventures they had gone on. It turned into what Hunter described as a "giant dick-waving contest" between grown men trying to one-up one another. Hunter and Hanson just kept their mouths shut listening to them talk, occasionally asking follow-up questions to get them to keep talking. They had no idea that they were sharing a lot more than they knew. Soon these hunters would be hunted themselves.
As people started to retire for the night, Hanson and Hunter took their leave fairly late. Juliet was sitting on the large bed being a nervous wreck. The evening between the three of them was spent quietly. The walls were solid, and there was no need to worry about anyone listening in on them, but Juliet needed the quiet to try and relax. This was new for her. The details of this job were weighing on her in a way that it was taxing. This is why they made sure she was the one staying behind. She would be their support while these two did the hard work. But her support was critical to their success.
It was a restless night. They were surrounded by the enemy. Or that's how Juliet saw it. They were hunting a young dragon that had been kidnapped for sport. The more she thought about it the sicker it made her. Eventually, the exhaustion got to her as her body forced her to sleep. The morning came with the sound of Hanson's alarm. As the two stirred and started moving around Juliet slowly began to join them. She looked surprised that they had left the entire bed for her to enjoy. Hanson had taken the small couch across the room while Hunter took the chair next to the bed where he could at least put his feet up.
These two were something else when it came to accommodating her. With the lodge having a full kitchen, Hanson decided to venture down to the main floor and get a pot going for everyone in the lodge. It would help build trust.
There were already a few faces up and moving around the lodge. Most were the hosts and staff making sure that there was food ready. They already had coffee brewing so Hanson's plan died. He still got the coffee though. Back in the room, they started planning. Hunter took off with the profiles that he had built from the conversations the night before.
With their board up they started putting up names and photos as they started sharing information. Hunter took a deep sigh before he started, "There are seven other groups for a total of 15 other people. This includes their guests, not just hunters. The first group we have up is Judy and Fredrich. They work in oil. I'm sure that means that they don't do much but just reap the rewards and spend the money as they want. They spent a lot more than we did to get this spot and I'm hoping their overconfidence will be their downfall." He pinned their photo to the board before grabbing another set.
"Garth, Matthew, and Jerry. Self-proclaimed professional hunters. What they actually do is livestream them wandering around the woods shooting at whatever moves. They showed us some of their highlight clips last night and they won't be a threat. The only problem will be removing them quietly without alerting their group of followers." Their photos went on the board.
"Conney, Francine, and Mike. Their relationship is weird but they prefer camping to hunting. I imagine that at the end of the day, they will not return to the lodge. We can use that to our advantage." Photos go up, and another set is grabbed.
"Here is where we may have some trouble. Bill and Derek are avid hunters. They were telling us about some of the traps they brought with them. They prefer to take their hunts alive and deal with them later. If they do manage to catch this dragon, then it will be our best bet to bring him back alive if another group gets to him before us." Their photos went up. This one looked rather terrifying. They had a sadistic grin on their faces.
"William and Anne… I'm not even sure why they are here. They're local to the area. They know the mountains. But they don't really seem like hunters. More like nature enthusiasts. Unless they pull out something weird then I don't really see them as anything more than space takers." Their photo went up. This one was the strangest of them all so far. They looked like a loving couple hugging one another.
"And now for the newlyweds. Folly and Kirsten. They were gifted this trip for their honeymoon. They're recreational hunters with standard gear. Nothing too advanced but we still cannot let them get to our target first." A photo from their wedding was used as their profile photo.
"Lastly, we have Charles. A man of so few words I don't think we even heard him make a sound. He said nothing the entire night. Asked no questions, and barely had any reaction to any stories. I just don't know what to do with him. I can't gauge how much of a threat he could be. We just need to be vigilant." The photo they used was just of him sitting in one of the chairs from last night. There really was nothing that stood out.
With all the suspects up on the board, it was only a few hours before the hunt would begin. At 9am, the horn would sound and everyone would be let out into the wilderness. At 8, they would be called into the main foyer for orientation.
Everyone stood around ready to go. They had their gear packed, backpacks on, rifles in hand if they had them, and they were all swaying back and forth excited to get going. Their host stepped out wearing rather casual clothes. "Welcome one and all. You have won an opportunity of a lifetime but only one of you can walk away with the prize! This weekend, we have a special hunt going on. As you all know we have a real-life dragon wandering around our property. We released him early yesterday morning so he's had time to hide and wear himself out." Juliet started swaying herself but it was from the retching in her stomach. Hunter leaned against her so she could have something steady to lead herself.
The host continued with his speech, "As you can already guess, these woods are on steep hills with some dangerous terrains so watch your step. We are not responsible for injuries or death that may occur. But we are all here to have fun and partake in a noble sport! At 9am, the horn will sound and you are free to spend your weekend however you want! I wish you all the best of luck." He left with a nod walking off to one of the back rooms. The tension in the air was of excitement. The groups were ready to go. The livestreaming trio were stomping their boots and hooping at one another getting themselves hyped in front of a camera. It was sickening.
Francine was the only one from the other groups that looked like she was not going out with her group. She was still in her PJs with a cup of hot coffee. Hunter pointed it out to Juliet, "I'd hate to say this, but you should try and talk to her and figure out why she's staying behind. Plus anything the other two may have said in part of their plan." Juliet silently agreed as she continued to lean on him.
Once she got herself together enough that she could walk on her own, she made her way upstairs to their room where she could relax before everything kicked off. She made sure that the drone had a full charge, and that everything was working on it, and went over the instructions that Hansons had written out for her. This was going to be her contribution and it would be a very large part of this operation. She knew she had to do her best. The pressure was on but for the first time on a job, there was no hesitation. She knew what she needed to do. She knew what needed to be done. And she knew the stakes.
But she was ready for everything.