The Killing Bind

Chapter 20: Shots Fired

Atticus Berk and Kiera Hartley were at the Cabin were the man was kept. They were not in the cabin, but right outside it. The drive from the FBI office to here was uneventful. Not that he needed it, he had already experienced eventful things these past two days. He had no idea why two men attacked him at the gas station. He knew he might have pissed them off. The only eventful thing that crossed him across the short journey was a man who had a good build and looked pretty good was standing or more particularly walking to the beat up and abandoned gas station. Berk knew he had a car because he had seen a good-looking automobile a few feet back. One plausible explanation was his car broke down and he could not get anywhere or get any help. Though, Berk could not see any smoke coming from the car, he was not an expert on fixing them anyhow. On normal days, Berk would have picked him up. These were not normal days.

Berk had explained everything to Kiera. He left some parts out, like his and Kit's visit to the crime scene. He left it out because it was not relevant then and probably won't be relevant after. But somehow, he felt like he would tell her sooner rather than later. He knew this mission, if it can be called that, would certainly get Kiera killed. He knew better to tell her. He had this instinct to protect her. And he would certainly do so if it comes to that. His work in the field has got himself to be able to work with certain people without clashing, but after he 'walked out' of his Professional life, he was certainly losing that ability. He found some people impossible to work with or they wouldn't be able to keep up with him. He was lacking patience for people but gaining it for the cases he does. Unprofessional cases.

They got out of the car; Berk had been driving because he found that she was too careful with the law. At first, she was completely against it. It wasn't because it was her car. No, it was because of trust. She still hadn't trust him completely. Trust is the most expensive thing out in the world. Giving it to the wrong people can be fatal. Sometimes, the people that a person thinks they know or did care for might be the most dangerous of all. Berk had learnt not to give his trust to anyone. The thing with Kit, he might have believed him because Berk too felt there was more to the story than killing because of impulsive anger. There was always more. He knew not to trust anyone with his secrets and life. There was a saying his FBI trainer used to say to him. His trainer was one of the only one who

"The world is full of people that seem to love you or want to be with you because you are strong and powerful. You are a wolf among sheep. You can be whatever you want and whoever you want because you are strong. Stronger than most. But Trust, you should be careful who you give that too. Because sometimes the person who you might have trusted with your life might be the one to break it the hardest."

He never forgotten these words. Its embedded in his head because these words were the ones he could relate to the most. His Wife and child were killed by two of his mistakes. One being he didn't trust his gut. Second, he trusted the wrong person.

The door was already open, Berk knew he left it closed. He entered the place and Kiera followed. She was being extremely cautious. What she was doing was good. He needed to be cautious. There was no Kit nor the homeless man. This was not good; he pulled his gun out swiftly and aimed it at nowhere particular. He could feel her shift and tense up. She pulled her gun out as well. He walked over to the light switch with careful and cautious steps. Kiera stayed in her place but he could see her scanning the place. He flipped the light switch which turned a single electrical bulb in the center of the wooden roof.

Right then, he could hear a gun click. He turned his head to the door, and so did Kiera. It was not pointed at him but at Kiera. The one behind the gun was Kit Martin.

Berk could see Kit relax when he saw Berk. But then tensed as his eyes again drew to Kiera. He shifted on his feet, getting comfortable. Judging by Kit's feature he knew he was not going to shoot. But what he was doing was actually a positive. He should not trust anyone quickly.