Page 39 of Trapped By the Cartel

"Fuck," Damon muttered, supporting Hunter's weight effortlessly. "You okay, soldier?"

Hunter nodded weakly, clinging to Damon. "Y-yes, sir. Just… just a little dizzy."

Damon's brow furrowed as he examined Hunter closely. Whatever he saw, it clearly concerned him.

"This isn't normal, Elliot," he murmured, turning back to me. "His symptoms… they're getting worse. Fast."

He didn't even have to tell me that. It was pretty obvious what was happening to Hunter.

Fear gripped me as I realized the true extent of our situation. Not only were we trapped in a secret facility during a dangerous attack, but now, one of our protectors was falling apart before our very eyes.

"I don't understand," I confessed, confusion warring with fear inside me. "Why are these things happening? Why now?"

Damon's gaze hardened, determination flickering within those ice-blue depths. "Because fate has a fucked-up sense of humor, Elliot. And she's decided to test us today—to push us to our limits and beyond."

He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But I have faith—in myself, in you, and most importantly, in us. We can figure this out. We'll save Hunter, protect our home, and raise our son."

Chapter 18

Damon

As I cradled Stellan close to my chest, watching Elliot sleep peacefully beside me, I allowed myself a moment of quiet relief. It wasn't something I thought I'd have anytime soon, considering the chaos going on outside.

Our son was alive, healthy, and nestled safely between us. That was all that mattered in that moment.

Yet, the calm wouldn't last long. I just knew it wouldn't.

There was too much to attend to—the attack on our territory, Hunter's deteriorating condition, and the ever-present threat of the Serpents looming over our heads. Not to mention the delicate balance between Elliot and me, which seemed more precarious than ever.

I needed to deal with that soon, but it wasn't so easy, or simple.

First things first—I needed to check on Hunter. His earlier collapse had left me shaken, and I couldn't ignore the fact that he might be suffering from something far more sinister than mere exhaustion or stress. If his symptoms continued to worsen, we'd have a real crisis on our hands. In other words, a crisis that couldjeopardize not only his life but also our entire operation here. And that was definitely not something I could let happen.

Leaving Elliot and Stellan to nap undisturbed, I made my way upstairs and found Marcus barking orders into a satellite phone, the only communication device still functional after the EMP strike. He looked up as I entered, relief flashing across his face.

"Damon! Thank fuck you're alright. How's Elliot and the baby?"

"They are fine," I replied curtly, not wanting to dwell on the details. There was no time to do that, after all. "But I'm worried about Hunter. Have you seen him since I carried him downstairs?"

Marcus' expression turned grave. "Yeah, I checked on him a few minutes ago. His vitals are all over the place. Heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation… none of them make any damn sense."

My gut twisted into knots. This was bad and not just for Hunter, but for everyone involved in this clusterfuck. If his condition worsened, there was no telling how it would affect the rest of our operations or how it might impact the pack dynamics.

Some people wouldn't admit it, but he was an important member of our organization.

"We need to get him stable," I growled, my mind racing through possible solutions. "Can you prep an IV line with some sedatives? Maybe that will buy us enough time to figure out what's going on."

It wasn't going to be enough, but still better than nothing.

Marcus nodded, already moving toward the medical supplies scattered around the room. As he worked, I paced, my thoughts spiraling through countless scenarios, and none were pleasant.

Then, as if sensing my inner turmoil, Marcus glanced up at me, his brows furrowing. "What's really eating you, boss?" He asked, not bothering to sugarcoat anything. He never did that. "It's not just Hunter, is it?"

So, it was that obvious, wasn't it?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Leave it to Marcus to cut straight to the chase. The man was like a bloody terrier when he wanted answers.

"No," I admitted, leaning against the countertop. "It's everything else. The Serpent attack, the EMP, the fucking experiments gone wrong…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "It feels like we're drowning under shitstorm after shitstorm, and I don't know how much longer we can keep our heads above water."

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