Bounty Hunters (Errand Runners 2) **NEW UPDATE 2018**

Chapter 0: Nova's Unseen Danger

I've been working at this for a long, long time, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to sharing this story. I truly hope you enjoy this sequel of Errand Runners. As always, thank you for reading :)

“Chief, you shouldn’t be doing this,” Maddox warned from behind the wheel. “He has nothing else to offer us.” He glanced at Hadley from the corner of his eye. His partner was sitting straight in the leather seat beside him, eyes dead set ahead of her.

“Captain, I appreciate the concern,” Tom replied from the backseat, “but I am more than capable of taking care of myself.”

Glancing at the Chief of Enforcers from the rear view mirror, Maddox couldn’t help but agree with him. If anything, Tom’s lack of formal attire and near-refusal to accept back-up accompaniment spoke volume about his courage.

The three Enforcers continued the ride in tense silence, the scenery of the city zooming by them in an endless loop. The late afternoon sun beamed into the windshield, painting their faces in luminous light. Some civilians were out, much more than there would have been had Caswell not been removed. Although Tom had markedly improved the state of the city in many ways, the citizens were less than forgiving toward Nova City's formerly corrupt Enforcers Unit. Many stared at the squad car with disinterest, but a few scowled on sight.

“Can’t build Rome in a day, right Maddox?” Tom remarked from behind the Captain’s seat, as if reading his mind.

Jett met his chief’s stone cold eyes in the rearview mirror. “No, Chief.”

When they arrived to their destination, Tom and Hadley immediately exited the car and waited for the guard to meet them. Tom lazily leaned against the twenty-foot fence, it’s top lined with curls of barbed wire like icing on a cake. Hadley stood firmly in front of the car, the auburn lenses of her aviators emitting a glare.

Slamming the door shut, Maddox observed Hadley silently.

“Stop that,” Hadley instructed. Maddox didn’t reply, expecting her to continue. “I’m fine.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than her partner.

His eyes flicked to the barely visible stitches on the insides of her wrists. “I expect nothing less,” he responded sternly.

When the gates rolled open, both captains approached the entrance with Tom. The long walkway welcomed them into the large stone structure that seemed to hover over them like a massive grave. Concrete blocks met side by side all over the wall, except for the two doors of a dull navy hue.

Once inside, Hadley propped the sunglasses above her head, tucking away her newly colored brunette bangs in the process. She also adjusted the khaki cuffs of her coat, masking the scars inflicted only months ago. The motion was subtle, but Maddox noticed all the same.

Chief Tom on the other hand, strolled into the lobby, where the warden greeted him respectfully. Although he was just appointed, everyone in the official channels showed nothing but respect to Tom.

The two leading men made cordial conversation before approaching the main subject at hand. It didn’t take long for the warden to assign two guards to lead the three of them to the third level of the penitentiary.

Prisoners were in their cells in order to sustain an orderly appearance for the visiting Chief of Enforcers. As they passed through the first level, many of the men shouted at the visitors. Most of their attention was on Hadley, but she didn’t flinch at their howls. The noise level substantially lessened when entering the second level, and even more so when in the near-silent third. In fact, the only sound in the third level was the sound of their footsteps as well as a rhythmic tapping.

“Here, sir,” one of the guards said, halting at a particular cell. “Prisoner 817, on your feet!”

“That won’t be necessary, boys. I can take things from here,” Tom replied, taking on a serious tone. Nodding in response, the attending guards took positions a few yards down the corridor. Both Maddox and Hadley remained where they stood despite their increasing curiosity.

Minutes passed without either party speaking, but the tapping continued. “Tell me,” a coarse voice hissed in between taps. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Again, Hadley shifted, but this time, both her partner and the chief noticed. “I’m fine,” she stated curtly.

“Oh no!” the voice declared, ceasing the tapping. “Is that Hadley?” Before Maddox could begin urging Hadley to wait outside, the prisoner’s face appeared in between the cold, gray bars. Brown hairs hung loosely across his forehead. After six months in jail, the only noticeable change in appearance was the slightly longer hair.

“Cut the smack, Ryker,” Maddox interjected impatiently. “Why did you call Chief down here?”

“Healing well, Had-“

To Maddox’s surprise, Hadley interrupted, “You must not know me at all, Ryker. If you think you can rile me up, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Well said,” Tom concluded, regaining control of the discussion. “Ryker, let me get down to business. According to witness reports, you claimed that there are more individuals like yourself out there.”

Maddox observed his cleanly shaven former coworker, remembering how the man had a talent for hiding blades on his person. Aware of his M.O., Tom kept more than arm’s length from the cell.

A chuckle escaped Ryker. “Witness? You mean that Vale kid? So he lived, huh? What about blondie, he live too? How long ago was it when I was torturing him?” the former sergeant reminisced.

“This is an opportunity to lessen your sentence. Talk, or we’re gone.” Folding his arms, Tom displayed every fiber of seriousness he could.

Ryker let out a curt sigh in between his smirk. “What happened to Mr. Fun-and-games? I’m facing multiple life sentences, Tommy. I’m not some schmuck.” Before Tom could warn him again, Ryker continued. “Ah well, I’ll cut you some slack, Chief.”

“Did you have allies beyond Caswell?”

“I would hardly call Caswell an ally,” Ryker defended.

“Others,” Tom persisted, losing his patience. It didn’t help that Ryker was clearly disinterested in helping them.

Realizing this, Maddox spoke up. “Chief, he has no intention of sharing any information.”

Tom lingered in front of Ryker, staring him down. “You seem to be right, Captain Maddox.” He proceeded to wave the guards down before turning in the direction from which they’d come. Before stepping more than a few feet from Ryker’s unit, their enemy called out one last time.

“You have no idea what’s coming, Tommy. You’d better watch your back,” he scoffed. Maddox glanced at Tom, who didn’t flinch at the words. “Tell those kids I said hi,” he concluded with a brief guffaw. All three Enforcers then left the corridor, the steady sound of tapping replacing their footsteps. 

The glorious cover design in the multimedia was done by @mintaftertaste, yet another one of the talented cover designers gracing Wattpad! I highly recommend her!