Read FreedomofThree for Free Online

fit right in,” Thorn answered with a twinkle in his eye.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eight
    Brody Chooses A Hunter
     
     
    That night the stars were stormy. Heavy atmospherics pressed down on Star Fighters HQ causing the already dead air to stop lifeless in its tracks. Nowhere to go. No one to blow. Deep inside the secret headquarters, its founder ordered the air conditioning turned up higher. Business was booming and so were his temples. An hour previously, he had partaken of a peculiar conversation with an annoying woman, Queen Uno, which would have triggered his migraine headache regardless of the weather pressure outside.
    Hudson Brody sunk back in his soft, black leather swivel chair, half wishing it would swallow him up just for a couple of hours so he could rest. But he knew he would not rest. Not even deep inside a comfortable leather chair. He would still be thinking about the missions, the hunters, the artillery, the building, the advertising. Such a huge to do list where nothing was ever fully checked off.
     
    Knocking on his door was Raniko, the hunter he had in mind for the Irellan job. A deliciously hot, melt in your mouth, caramel voiced, honey skinned, half- French, half- Japanese, experienced and deadly hunter whose sultry, ravishing looks belied her lethal expertise. Her hair tumbled about her face like a mane of glossy black serpents, untamed just like her, and within her heart-shaped face sat the deepest brown, tapering eyes, button nose and thick, full lips. Hudson buzzed her in and watched her, lithe and athletic, prowling to meet him like a fighting dragon, saluting uprightly in front of his desk. In her presence, Hudson always felt like somehow he should be the one saluting as Raniko glowed with the presence of a titan; confident, poised, exultant.
    “At ease,” he half-spoke, half-choked upon his lust.
    Raniko seemed excited, full of energy and pouted challengingly. “You have a new mission for me, sir?”
    “I do, Raniko, I do, but I don’t think you’re going to thank me for this one.”
    “Sounds intriguing. Fill me in.”
    Hudson wished he could, but Raniko was the same size as him and he tended to steer away from women who made him feel small. This being the case, since beginning Star Fighters his sex life had virtually dried up as all his female hunters put him in this unfavourable position. If only he had known that Raniko had hero worshipped him for the entire first year of their meeting, both their lives could have been very different.
    “Step up to the screen,” Hudson grumbled as his erection deflated along with his ego.
    Hudson stood before a large screen which covered the wall behind his desk and pulled in with a strong finger the information which Raniko would need; the planet, its longitude and latitude, its pitfalls and promises. She stood next to him, naturally falling into the pose of a catwalk model which had been her previous career. Hudson gave her a whirlwind tour of Irella.
    Next, sitting back at his desk, he replayed the conversation he had partaken earlier with Queen Uno so that Raniko would hear the directive straight from the mouth of the bounty provider. Hudson steepled his fingers together and smiled almost sadistically as he watched Raniko’s face contort into horror and loathing as she listened to the spiky tones of the bossy queen. Hudson smiled, almost unnoticeably, for he knew that Queen Uno had better not upset Raniko as she herself was Star Fighters royalty.
    “Any chance I can say no?” she asked
    “I suppose you could. If you wanted to. I’ve never had to force a hunter yet.”
    “No, I’ll take it. Sounds interesting. So, do we have any visuals on this Devon character?”
    “Sure.” Hudson brought up the file on his computer that Uno had sent and swivelled his screen around.
    “He’s pretty.” Raniko nodded, “A bit of time on the old ship with him ain’t going to be a problem to me. He’s really upset this Queen Uno and she