Page 32 of Hunted Innocence

His lips twitch, and I watch his beard move with the action. “Something like that,” he says with a small laugh. “But when he didn’t show, I thought I would come here and see if he was stuck doing some paperwork.”

“I tried calling him,” I blurt out.

He hums. “Me too.”

Taking half a step forward, I look behind me at the closed back door before I speak. “What do you know about Landon Tate?”

His brows snap together, and I hear a growl escape his throat. “Enough to know that he is a piece-of-shit pig.”

I mean, he’s not wrong. Landon Tate is a piece of shit, the biggest steaming pile of shit that ever existed, and it doesn’t even have to do with the fact that he’s ATF. He’s just generally an asshole of a human.

I’m under the impression that police officers are genuinely good people, but I know unequivocally that Landon Tate is not one of those genuinely good people. He’s without a doubt what Orion just said,a piece-of-shit pig.It’s the absolute best way to describe him.

“He is that,” I agree with a single nod of my head. “He’s also after me, which means he’s after Brody.”

“You in danger?” Orion asks.

“Probably,” I confess.

“Give me your keys,” he demands.

I don’t do anything at all. I stand in front of him, staring at him as he watches me. I observe him. We stare at one another for a silent moment, then he clears his throat.

“I’m driving you to the compound, where I can keep you safe.”

“I’m safe,” I whisper.

He shakes his head once. “Are you?” he asks. “I walked in here, and you were passed out on the floor.”

“I have no explanation for that,” I say.

He presses his lips together in a thin line. “Until we find Prez, you’re with me,” he announces. “You’re family, and he would have my balls if I let anything happen to you. We’ve had many discussions about you, Nadine.”

I should tell him no and drive back to my apartment. But I don’t want to be alone, and the way he says they’ve had discussions about me, it warms my soul.

Reaching into my purse, I take out my keys and slip them into his hand. He curls his fingers around them as he walks past me to the back door. I follow behind him and slip into the passenger seat.

Orion grips the steering wheel but doesn’t make a motion to move. I wait for him to shift the car intoReverse, but he doesn’t, at least not immediately. Instead, he turns toward me. His eyes find mine, searching before he speaks.

“We’ll find him.”

I don’t speak, mainly because I don’t know how to respond. Orion continues. “And we’ll protect you in the process. You’re family, babe.”

My entire body melts—again.

GRAYSON

When I arriveat the construction yard, I don’t see Nadine’s car in front, and my heart continues to beat harder and faster at the thought of something having happened to her on my watch. What the actual fuck? Where could she be?

Boden is standing just a few feet away from my car, his head tipped down as he looks at something on the ground. Unfolding from the front seat, I make my way over to him, trying very hard to keep from losing my shit completely.

“Merrick said her car was here,” I announce.

Boden hums. “It was. He’s downloading footage and sending it to me.”

“I’m ready to kill him,” I say.

Boden hums as another car pulls up. Vaughn is the next to arrive. His eyes are looking wildly around the area as he jogs toward us. He does at least appear to still be half asleep, so, as much as I want to demand he give me any answers, I doubt he has a single one.

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