“Why have you been hunting for me?” Kus asked, struggling back to his feat. “And what the hell is an Imperial Hunter? How the hell am I alive?”

  Franz reached out to steady Kus, but when his help was shrugged off, Franz nodded and tinued his expnation. “Like I said, there is a limited amount to what I tell you at the moment. Several oaths I have sworn bind me. But, I will share what I . Distant people with a e to you sent me here to first observe you and then, should you meet certain criteria, retrieve you for a purpose that will be made clear.” Franz paused and waited for Kus to respond.

  Kus stepped back, opening the distaween himself and Franz. Not that it mattered, given how quickly Franz could move with those bdes of his. Kus shook his head, banishing the idle musing to focus on what was important.

  “So, acc to you, a man who has just saved my life, you have been following me for weeks. Moreover, now, that you are here in front of me, you say you ot go into aails as to why. Worse, you state ht the end of your missiarding me, is abdu? Do I have that all right?”

  Franz cocked his head and shrugged.”Pretty much, since you have met the criteria I was sent to assess.”

  Seeing Kus growing stiff and moving to step further back, the swordsman lifted his hands to rest them on the hilts of his ons. Whether it was a fortable motion he did without thinking, or a subtle threat, Kus was not sure. All the same, it caused Kus to stop his movements.

  “I ’t say anything more on the criteria itself, and as to the tter questions, it is much the same, I am afraid.” Franz’s tone even seemed somewhat regretful. “You will have to sole yourself with the knowledge that you will know the ao your questions when you are meant tardless of your feelings oter, you will have to e with me.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “A promise.”

  Kus’ eyes gnced down to Franz’s hands, which tightened ever so slightly on the hilts he had been holding. No, not a promise; definitely a threat. As Kus tensed and Franz’s eyes narrowed, a sound came from behind the swordsman that pulled them out of their almost frontation.

  A weak ugh.

  As one, Kus and Franz turo look at the body of Anselm who, as ce would have it, was not yet dead. At some point, the Blood Eagle had pulled himself up to a sitting position. Hands pressed tight to the sword wound low on his chest, Anselm struggled to staunch the flow. He was not having much luck, but his efforts seemed to be at least enough to offer a parting jab at Kus.

  “As much…as I would love…to see you kill yourselves…I don’t think I’ll…st that long,” Anselm said slowly, gasping for breath between his words.

  “Then why the ugh?” asks Kus.

  The bloody grin Anselm directs their way sends a chill down Kus’ spihe Blood Eagle visibly pushes some of the pain away to answer while he still . “Well, it’s because we’ll still be getting our revenge. You see,” his eyes flick to Kus, “the Blood Eagles know all about you and your family. When those emails show up…but we don’t…it will be your family…that pays…the…” Anslem slumps to the side.

  Heedless of the potential mistake he is making, Kus staggers on still-sore legs over to the Blood Eagle, grabbing for his shoulders to haul him back upright.

  “Where did you make me send that information? Where?!”

  A firm hand came down on Kus’ shoulder, causing him to flinch. Franz stood o him, but Kus had never even heard him move.

  “I’m sorry Kus, he ot answer you. He is dead.” Franz’s hand tightened on Kus shoulder. “And we have to be going.”

  While Kus was being pulled upright he frantically tried to think of a solution. Only one came to mind. Standing the rest of the way on his own, he faced Franz.

  “If I promise to go with you without resisting, will you help me save my family?”

  Franz paused. One hand still on Kus shoulder, the other tapping on the hilt of his sword. The Imperial Huook his time before responding.

  “Though dead now, Anselm was right. If none of them show up by the m, the Blood Eagles will go after my family.” Seizing every advantage he could, Kus pressed on with his plea, hoping it would be enough to vihe man. “If you help me get to who received the emails, I delete them and my family will be saved. Please.”

  Kus put all the hope he had in the plea, but his heart dropped at Franz’s response.

  “Why?”

  That single word, while full of curiosity, also had the sound of ambivaleo it. Like Franz did not care either way.

  “What do you mean ‘why’? I want your help to save my family. I am willing to sacrifice everything for that.” He shuddered. “The Blood Eagles are among the worst of the gangs in this city. They and will kill my father and brothers. Worse is what they will likely do to my mother and sisters.” Kus pled one more time, “So please, if you help me now, I swear I will go with you willingly after. Just save them.”

  Rather than respond, Franz stepped bad began to circle Kus at a slow pace. Quiet steps gave way to squishing as Franz did not alter his stride around the blood of the dead Blood Eagles.

  “You know what your asking will take you into danger, correct? For I will not go by myself, at the ight take your family and flee. Even with all my strengths, and they are many, you would be risking your life going with me. At that is the only way I would do this for you. No,” he paused, looking ily into Kus’ eyes, which had been following Franz in his circuitous route, “you already know this. But you ask anyway.” Franz came to a halt back where he had started, hand leaving the hilt of his sword to rub idly at the long scar down his cheek. “You really are quite iing.”

  “Does that mean we have a deal?”

  “Yes, we have a deal.” Franz raised his other hand into the air, a finger extended. “But it will be up to you how we find their hideout. I am a bit out of my element here.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Kus said, feeling nothing but relief despite the knowledge he might soon be fag again. “I’m sure one of their phones has the information we need.”

  In point of fact, all three had the same address listed under a tact called Underboss Junger. Kus was not sure if Underboss was a title, or just what they called him, but with the ck of any nifit names across all three phones, Kus was hoping that he had found the address of their target.

  “I have the information we need.” Kus poio the western portion of the factory. “Six blocks that way should be the address.”

  “Good,” Franz nodded. “If we head there now, we should be able to get there in full darkness.” So saying the swordsman began walking towards the entrance of the factory that Kus had been brought in through.

  “What about the bodies?” Kus asked. “And what about Dr. Halter?”

  “I’m afraid we are in a tight schedule now,” Franz called over his shoulder, still walking, “but your police will eventually find it, and your friend will receive proper st rites then. Now e, we have to go.”

  Knowing he had already used up more than his fair share of luck tonight already, Kus didn’t argue, though he did cast a sad, regretful gnce back at the barrel that held Dr. Halter’s body. The man had been a mentor and a friend. Kus felt guilty not doing more for him but khat the doctor himself would have pushed for him to save those still living.

  Kus stepped out of the factory bato the darkereets of the city. No one was out this time of night, and the only ear him was the ohe now-dead Blood Eagles had used to get here. Already Franz ening the passenger door.

  “Guess I’ll drive then.” Kus hurried to the car, got into the driver seat, and turhe keys that still sat in the ignition. A slight stutter and then it was running. Kus typed in the address to the car’s GPS. Pulling into the street, he then drove east.

  “I have to admit, you have impressed me,” Franz said, breaking the silence. “It’s a rare man that be dropped into the unknown, almost die, and race off the violence against someone else a heartbeat ter.” The man grinned from the seat o Kus. “And to think I thought you a simple civiliahese past few weeks.”

  Since Franz brought it up, Kus asked a question that had been bugging him since Franz had saved his life. “That’s aime you have mentioned weeks, but I have only seen you today that I remember. Where have you been me from?”

  “Why the alley beyond your apartment, of course,” Franz said with a chuckle. Leaning ba his seat, bdes awkwardly positioned for him to be as fortable as possible, he tinued. “Why do you think a homeless man would keep visiting only the alley behind your apartment looking for food, yet always run away whenever you offered him any? It was because I couldn’t have you catch sight of who I was until after I was ready to make tact.” Franz sighed. “Sadly I had to move up the timelier you were taken.”

  ing to a stoplight, Kus gnced sideways at Franz. The trenchcoat was more than a bit er than what the homeless man had been wearing, but it would be simir enough if Franz coated it with enough mud and garbage. Kus snorted. Not like he would be lying about something like that, givehing else he had told Kus so far. Which still wasn’t enough for his taste.

  The light turned green. As he gripped the wheel to turn it, a nearby streetlight put the new scars across his hands in stark relief. Given all the injuries he had suffered, Kus knew simir scars would be c a good k of his body.

  “I am sorry.”

  The apology from Franz broke Kus’ examination of his hands. “Why are you sorry?”

  “The healing potions I gave you were of a lesser quality than I usually have. Normally you wouldn’t even have a scar from the wounds you suffered.”

  Kus shrugged, strangely ung. Scars were the least of his worries right now, and given the unknown looming ahead in his future, not something he could himself with at the moment.

  “At least I’m still alive,” Kus finally responded after a few minutes of silent driving, “no matter what else happens, the fact that you saved my life, and are helpio save the lives of my family, puts me in your debt. Ohat I’m not sure I’ll be able to repay.”

  “No,” Franz shook his head, interrupting Kus before he could say more. “So long as you keep your promise to willingly e with me when I say it is time to leave, there will be between us.”

  “Alright. But if you do think of something else, just ask.”

  Kus could feel Franz’s eyes on him as he made the final turn. The massage parlor they were looking for loomed ahead despite its seemingly small size. In rough shape, the paint oerin was fading, and the bars that covered the windows showed signs of rust. The low profile robably why they had chosen it.

  ing to a halt out front, Kus put it into park and turned off the engine. Opening the door, Kus could have sworn Franz muttered how things were getting even more iing.

  There was no time to sider the swordsman further, however. The night was almost half over and the lives of his family still hung in the bance. Kus took fast strides to the front door of the massage parlor, Franz but a step behind.