Chapter 3

Just before the three of them, Kraven, Gabby, and Maureen would have become visible to the lobby Gabby touched Kraven's arm lightly.

"Let us handle this Kraven, please? If you kill him we'll have to arrest you. I don't want to have to see you put behind bars. I may not like you Kraven, but you're a friend to the Marshal's service."

Kraven didn't like it one bit. It should be him going in their to protect Bobby from an abusive, and worse, father. He looked to Maureen, and saw agreement with Gabby in her eyes.

"I'll just sit here and plan a social of some kind then. I promised that boy nobody was going to hurt him, and I keep my promises." grumped Kraven.

"Why don't you guard the hallway in case he gets away from Gabby and I lad?" Kraven growled his displeasure, but nodded that he'd do it. Both Marshal's knew he wouldn't like it, but Kraven was a man of his word.

As the three of them rounded the corner and came into view of the lobby they saw a large drunken man dressed in dirty coveralls with a carpenter's toolbelt around his waist screaming incoherently at the poor receptionist.

Kraven took position in the middle of the hallway staying loose and alert for trouble. As Kraven scanned the lobby he noted several people holding their heads and other various body parts as they stared fearfully at the large drunk.

"Gonna be trouble ain't you big man?" Kraven whispered. If what he saw was correct the big man had laid out close to a dozen federal officers. What Kraven wanted to know was, why didn't they just shoot him?

Gabby and Maureen bracketed the drunken man as they drew closer. The receptionist, a goth college student named Linda was obviously terrified.

"I WANNA MY BOYLEE!" the drunk screamed again at Linda.

"I I I I I..." The poor girl was so scared she couldn't even talk, and from the looks of things, she had good reason.

Gabby reached for the man's shoulder to get his attention. "Sir, why don't you come with"--THUNK! The man had driven an elbow right into the center of Gabby's forehead. Poor Gabby dropped to the floor, out cold.

Maureen didn't spare Gabby but one look to see if he was breathing. Seeing that he was, Maureen drew out a collapsible baton and flicked it to full extension.

"You need to calm down sir, before you get into any worse trouble." Kraven was pleased to note that her voice iron hard and ice cold. The drunk was less than impressed.

"HAWHAWHAW RUN ALONK AND PWAY WHOORE" the man mushmouthed, his breath causing Maureen to choke back vomit.

Stepping back, Maureen was glad she had slipped her shoes off as she ran up. Dropping into a ready stance Maureen met the larger man's eyes coolly.

"What's your name drunk?"

The larger man blinked slowly, staring at the lady nearly his own height that dared to stand up to him. "Rupe" the larger man replied.

Maureen's mouth turned up the slightest fraction at the corners. "You see that guy dressed in skins over there Rupe?" At Rupe's nod she continued "His name's Kraven, and he wants to do nothing more than make you suffer for what you've done to little Bobby."

Instead of calming him as was her intentions, Maureen enraged the larger man. Rupe bumrushed Maureen with unexpected speed and agility, slamming her to the side and roaring as he charged Kraven.

"That's my boy, and I'll do what I want with him."

Kraven waited until the last moment before slipping to the side and planting a boot into Rupe's ass, sending the larger man sprawling at the feet of the second wave of FBI agents.

"Don't suppose you guys'll let me have him a few minutes would you?" Asked Kraven hopefully, touching a tomahawk with gentle fingers.

"I wish we could Kraven." Spoke one of the agents. The group was made up entirely of older gentlemen, many ready for retirement.

Kraven grunted his disgust and walked back to where Maureen was starting to tremble, now that the adrenalin was wearing off. Slipping an arm gently around the waist of the much taller woman Kraven guided her gently to sit on the desk of the now recovered Linda.

With a touch that none would've believed of the mountain man, Kraven gently lifted Maureen's head and met her eyes. "You okay Irish?"

The question and tone were gentle, if a bit gruff, and Linda took immediate notice of the man the FBI called the man killer.

Linda's hand strayed of it's own volition to the simple leather choker she wore, and she wondered what it would be like to have Kraven's name embossed on it for the world to see.

Lost in that fantasy she jumped when Kraven touched her shoulder gently.

"EEK! Yessirhowmaythisoneserveyou?" The rush of words left her mouth before Linda could control it. As Linda watched Kraven's eyebrows climb towards his hairline she realized what she had said.

Kraven watched the receptionist go a sickly shade of bone white; her eyes wide with fright. It was a hell of a time to realize that Linda, now without makeup, was a beautiful young woman, but Kraven did just that.

"You think to serve me? Why?" The questions were asked softly as Kraven leaned closer to Linda, forcing her to meet his gaze.

Linda's light blue eyes were fixed on Kraven's black and mysterious orbs. Linda answered as she had been taught to answer a Master.

"I seek a Master to serve Sir, and you would make a great Master for this unworthy one." Linda's eyes dropped to her desk after the soft answer she had given. Linda knew that chances are he would laugh in her face, she wasn't his type, or so she thought.

Kraven knew some about the relationship Linda wanted, not a lot to be sure, but some. He was startled when Maureen touched his shoulder.

"You should accept her offer Kraven laddie, for she'll no' be happy with anyone else." Maureen's words were so soft that Kraven could barely hear them, but hear them he did.

Turning he looked at the submissive pose Linda had adopted with her eyes still focused on the center of the desk, and her wrists crossed in front of her.

"Maureen says you won't be happy with anyone else. Is this right, or will any man you take a fancy too work?"

Linda's eyes snapped up, but that was all that moved on her.

"I've watched you Master as you come back from hunting those who prey on the innocent that live here. I've seen the determination, dedication, and death in your eyes as you walk out to find the evil that offends you." Linda took a deep breath and continued with her voice now more under control.

"I've seen your tenderness today, and how you treat those so lucky as to be close to you. Without you Master I do not feel complete." With that Linda's eyes dropped back to the desktop, patiently waiting for whatever her Master chose to do with her.

Kraven looked around with a lost expression on his face. A smirking Maureen stepped closer to him and took pity on the man. "Linda is a true slave Kraven, and has chosen you to be her Master."

Kraven looked at Maureen like she'd lost her mind. "Me? Hellfire, I'm nothing special."

Maureen and Linda both looked at him astonished. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"Master! You go out alone and hunt down those that Federal law enforcement deem too dangerous to capture. You succeed where entire teams have failed, and you say you're nothing special?"

Maureen was more direct in her chastisement. She just slapped the back of his head. "You're a damned fool Kraven Ambrose Knox. I'll have you to know sure and enough that you are exactly what that poor girl needs. Now get over there and accept Linda Kowalski so that we can get on with things."

Kraven looked over beside himself, and found that Linda had slipped up to stand half a step behind him on his left. "You sure you want me?"

Linda's smile did anything but reassure the young mountain man. Kraven had seen the same look on Fred's face just after the big cat had downed a deer. Made a man a mite nervous. " I'm sure Master." As the little dark haired pixie said this as she reached up and gently drew the larger Kraven down for a kiss.

That kiss was Kraven's undoing. Linda tasted like honey and the high lonesome. Kraven knew that he was now and forever bound by chains that not even the hardiest of mountain men could break.

Bowing to fate Kraven gave himself over to that kiss, and felt emotions race through his veins he hadn't felt in close to a decade.

It was kinda like the time Bubblegum decided to make Kraven his pillow. It happened and there was nothing Kraven could do about it. Made a man wonder just where fate was at, and if a bowie knife could make him quit cackling in laughter.

The kiss between Kraven and Linda was broken by an eighty pound-missile by the name of Bobby, who hit Kraven around the waist hard enough to knock him flat on the floor.

The boy was sobbing hysterically as he clutched Kraven tightly. "He sold me Kraven." Bobby wailed into Kraven's shirt over and over.

Kraven looked up to find Paul standing there with a hangdog look on his face. "Rupert Lee signed over his parental rights to a couple in Colorado Kraven. Someone then deposited fifty thousand dollars into his accounts."

Everyone in that lobby felt the temperature plunge to sub-zero as Linda and Kraven stared at Paul in disbelief. Even as Kraven's arms tightened around Bobby it felt like someone had torn a hole in his chest.

"Is that legal Mr. Severe?" Linda questioned in a small voice.

"Immoral yes, illegal no. However I think that I may have a way for you and Kraven to watch over Bobby." That got Kraven's attention and how.

"What do I have to do Paul?" Kraven's normally gruff southern drawl was soft and full of pain. It was plain to anyone who cared to listen that the man-killer who had entire cell blocks living in fear had been undone by a harmless little boy with a bruised smile and more bravery than his share.

"I can launch an investigation into the group home that Rupert signed Bobby over to. That would mean, that while he would still have to go, you would have a chance to settle down with Linda and prove that you're not a mindless killer."

Linda watched as Kraven and Billy clung to each other and cried. She had never seen anyone bond that quick. Reaching out she gently caressed her Master's tear stained cheek. "I have no doubt Master, you will show them how good of a father you will be."

Kraven pressed a kiss into the palm of Linda's hand. "How do you feel about Colorado Pixie?"

"If either of you show up within fifty miles of this boy I'll have you arrested and thrown in prison." Came the lemon sour voice from a pinch faced little man in a tweed suit that had somehow managed to sneak in and get close without anyone seeing him.