Page 10 of Cats and Dogs

“You got a name?”

“I…I’m Mike, sir.”

“And I’m no sir, Mike. I’m Hunter.”

“I know. You’re Hunter Force.”

Of course he knew.

“Why did you help me?”

A million-dollar question, to which he had no answer; no satisfactory answer, in any case. Instead of attempting to make one up and waste more time, he said, “Look, kid, I’m not gonna lie, we’re in trouble. My father didn’t send the wolves after me now because he couldn’t afford to risk his only enforcers on duty while the outer territory was manned by only five guys. He’s gonna call in everyone, and he’s going to send trackers and hunters after us.”

The kid’s eyes were saucers by then. Shit, was he supposed to say that to a ten-year-old?

“What are we gonna do?” Mike asked, his voice small.

Great question.

“Ditch this car, discreetly, buy another vehicle for cash, and hopefully get them to lose their track. The next twenty-four hours are the hardest. If we survive them, we have a chance.”

Mike nodded.

Hunter started the car and drove.

When they got to a dealership, Mike showed some initiative. “There’s a mom and pop store across the road. Can I get food while you pick out the car?”

He hesitated, unsure about whether he was supposed to let the boy go in by himself. People would remember a lone kid if questioned. But they didn’t have a lot of time and getting some food into them wasn’t the worst idea.

“Yeah, sure.” He handed him a hundred bucks. “Get me two burgers, two fries. Beef jerky, if you can get it. If they have Coke, get a bottle, and water, too. You got it?”

“Okay.”

The kid was off, dashing across the street.

Looked like it wasn’t going to be as hard as he thought.

But now what?

He knew his father. His pride was hurt. He wasn’t going to let it go until he got him back to the territory and taught him a lesson, in front of everyone, to prove his dominance. Plus, he wasn’t going to let a Vergas submissive child breathe if he could help it. It went against everything their sick pack had been about.

What now…

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