The Breakfast Bounty - An excerpt from The Extropian Acceleration now available in the Kindle Store.
Upon arrival, Gigi parked and redistributed her gear, an easy enough task since she traveled with only a small knapsack. She changed into her bodysuit, which would be comfortable for running. Gigi ran a finger along her forearm, the smart cloth forming the seams to expose her armset. Everything else she packed away.
She settled her bill and had the rental car phone home. They were going to be pissed that they had to come get the car, literally, as far from a major road as it could go. That was on them. They should have invested in a drive home system.
Business taken care of, she happily loped into the forest after Eddie. This was literally a gift from him to her. The only thing better than a good run in the woods was a run in the woods on a hunt. She still had to watch her following distance - Eddie’s car was not even suitable for off-roading so his progress would be slow. Gigi could easily overtake him on foot.
The only possible destination was the small town of Tremont, on the far side of this trail, with some reasonably rugged land in between. Gigi could not believe that Eddie was naïve enough to think that his venerable gas-guzzler was going to make it through, even if he had the fuel. No, Eddie’s agenda was to abandon the car in a location where it would not be found immediately. Not realizing that this move was just a few days too late, he then probably had in mind walking on to Tremont, and enjoying quiet town life for a little while, before resuming his flight. Eddie had selected the time and place to end the ritual properly.
Gigi got in a decent stretch, if not a workout. She found her following pace, which was just a little too slow to be comfortable. When the blip of Eddie’s car came to a halt, she slowed to a stroll. After giving him plenty of time to clear out, Gigi closed in on the abandoned vehicle. Eddie had found a gully where he had intended to cover the car but was smart enough to realize he could not get it entrenched well enough without rolling it over and risking injury. Instead, he had removed his prize license plate and moved on.
Gigi took her time searching the car for evidence. Once satisfied that Eddie left nothing significant behind, she recovered her tracking device. After enjoying a powernap, she made sure she had a good lock on Eddie’s scent and followed him towards Tremont.
From a few booths away, Gigi watched as Eddie dug into his breakfast. It was best to let him eat, leaving him a little more content and, hopefully, lethargic before she confronted him. She stuck to coffee with some difficulty, as the food in the homey diner smelled terrific.
Alarm briefly swept over her, as her view of Eddie was suddenly disrupted. Fighting the instinct to coarsely crane around the obstacle, she looked up. Her consternation grew because the obstruction had not gone away. It was a man in a black false suit, looking very out of place for the hamlet of Tremont. He seemed well put together and official – like a Fed or a big city lawyer.
“I hope you don’t mind if I join you?” he slid into the booth, opposite her.
The restoration of her view eased her hackles down a bit, but she did not hide her unfriendly feelings. The man was gazing at her directly, patiently awaiting an answer.
“Please,” he said, “Let me buy you some breakfast.”
She sneered in disbelief. “No,” she said. “No, thank you. Look I’m busy – and I’m not interested in sex.”
The man coughed slightly and looked bemused. She had caught him off-guard and apparently misread him. “Well then, I guess that crosses one topic off the list of things we can discuss.”
Gigi flared her nostrils and sniffed him openly from across the table. It was a vulgar act, and ultimately unproductive. “You smell funny,” she said.
“Yes. Well, sorry, but if you don’t mind, I’d prefer for that to be off the list as well, Ms. LaBête. Or may I call you Gigi?” Before her anger could flare, he said, “I’m sorry. My name is Bob.” He extended a hand.
Gigi stared at the offered appendage suspiciously.
“Is that Edward Huỳnh behind me? Naturally, that’s how I found you.”
“Keep your voice down!” she snarled, although his voice had been perfectly discreet, and he had made no gestures. “What’s your game, Bob?”
“No games. I’m just looking to hire a hunter, and you come highly recommended.”
“But you located me, you say, through the target I was after. Doesn’t seem like you really need a hunter.”
“Oh, I just dabble – and I have a limited playbook. I’m not a professional like you.”
Gigi was frustrated and intrigued at the way she could not get a handle on this strange man.
“If you will take my commission right now,” he continued, “I will pay you what Eddie was worth, on top of a generous fee for the job I have in mind.”
Gigi shook her head vehemently. “I can’t do that. If you did your homework on me, you would know I work one job at a time, to the end, no diversions.”
“I did, and I do,” said Bob. “I was just curious to hear it from you. From what I understand, you also don’t take in anybody who is innocent.”
“So what if I told you Eddie didn’t do it?”
“I would thank you to keep your opinions to yourself.”
“You determine guilt for yourself.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have pursued the bounty or chased him this far if I wasn’t fairly sure,” She glanced quickly at the fugitive, “But, we’ll know soon enough.”
“Well, I don’t want to detain you - but I am absolutely convinced that I have the right woman. Finish your business with Eddie, and then you must come to work for me.”
Gigi scratched herself behind her ear. “You make no sense whatsoever – but I’ll be back.” Gigi stood up and looked over at Eddie’s booth. He was utterly focused on the last remnants of his meal. Gigi took a breath and walked over to him.
She had been determined to stretch her weak skills: bat her eyes, and try to get Eddie to buy her breakfast. Instead, on the short trip over, she lost all patience for it. Eddie probably would not be conned, and with her recent failures in that department, she was in no mood to face another embarrassment. This hunt had given Gigi a lot of pleasure, but the moment of truth was rapidly going to pot.
She roughly pushed her way onto the bench next to him, blocking his exit. “I’m tired and bored, Eddie. Did you do it?”
Eddie recoiled from her with what little space he had. His right arm desperately fumbled with his clothes. Gigi’s right hand secured the back of his neck and violently introduced his face to the table. Food, utensils, and shards of dinnerware exploded in every direction.
She kept his face buried and reached over with her left hand. She easily drove off his hand and recovered his .40 caliber. She dropped the mag and tossed the pistol under the table, close to the aisle. “Remain calm!” she commanded the room. She stuck her left arm straight into the air and slowly twisted it back and forth. At that verbal command, her armset displayed a high res image of a law enforcement badge. Even among those that would be unimpressed by pictures, many knew that it was genuine. It was her Digital Letter of Marque - her license to apprehend fugitives.
Gigi carefully let Eddie sit back up. His nose and lips were a bloody mess, and he did not seem to have fight in him. “Look,” she said, “I know you’re guilty of plenty of counts of fraud and theft – but that’s not why I’m here. In desperation, you do what you have to. If you didn’t kill them, I’ll let you walk.”
He looked at her, face oozing, eyes calculating.
“No. It wasn’t me!” It was a harsh whisper as if he did not want anyone but her to hear his claim of innocence.
She scrutinized his face, but it was smeared with blood, and rapidly swelling. His eyes were rock steady. Gigi drew in his scent. It was confusing. The adrenaline was there, but then again he had already attempted fight and flight.
She grabbed his head again and moved her face in as close as she could get. She brushed her nose right along the skin of his neck, his cheek, his ear. To the observers, it may have looked like an affectionate nuzzle. She lifted her hand to grasp the other side of his face, completing the bizarre spectacle. She softly growled in his ear. “The girlfriend was one thing, Eddie; but the old lady? The little girl?”
He trembled slightly and tried to hold his breath. His pulse rate spiked even higher, while a bead of sweat rolled down from his scalp onto Gigi’s cheek. There it was – the stench of the lie was now unmistakable.
She slammed a fist into his right kidney and then tabled him again. “Piece of …” she growled. She forced his arms behind him and cuffed his wrists. After collecting his weapon, she hauled him out of his seat. Once he was steady, she dragged him towards her own booth. Bob was sitting, turned to his side, casually watching the events.
“Bob, Eddie. Eddie, Bob,” she said.
Eddie looked at him and slurred, “Are you a cop to collect me? Get me away from this bitch!”
“No, Eddie,” replied Bob. “I’m just here for the show. But, if I don’t miss my guess, you both could use a ride.”
