Page 12 of Hunter's Game
Eden felt that familiar sensation—the pieces clicking into place with suspicious perfection. “Romano’s cleanup crew. He never could stand loose ends.”
She shifted position on the warehouse roof, ignoring the way her evening gown caught on rough concrete. The dress was alreadyruined, torn and bloodstained from their escape, but it still felt wrong to be sniping in couture.
“You say that like you know him.” Hunter’s voice held careful interest as he moved to better cover.
“I know his type.” Eden kept her tone neutral despite the memories trying to surface. “Men who think power means never leaving witnesses. Never letting anyone threaten their carefully built empires.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Speaking from watching my father build his own empire on bodies and betrayal.” She tracked the lead vehicle through her scope. “Romano’s just better at hiding the bodies.”
Understanding colored Hunter’s voice. “That why you joined the DEA? To take down daddy’s criminal empire?”
“Originally.” Eden felt that power stir in her blood again as she lined up her shot. “Then I found out what really happened to my mother.”
The trigger broke clean. The lead vehicle’s tire exploded, sending it into a controlled spin. Professional drivers, then. More evidence these weren’t federal agents.
“Your mother.” Hunter’s voice was careful as he engaged the second vehicle. “The one Romano had killed?”
“The one my father murdered on Romano’s orders.” Eden’s next shot took out another tire. “Atleast, that’s what the official story says. Reality’s more complicated.”
“Reality usually is.” His own shot disabled the third vehicle with mechanical precision. “Speaking of complicated. Want to tell me why those artifacts were glowing when you got close to them?”
Eden’s hands stilled on her rifle. Through her scope, she watched black-clad figures emerge from the disabled vehicles. Definitely professional operators, moving with military precision despite the ambush.
“You saw that?” She kept her voice steady despite the implications. Most people couldn’t see the energy that sometimes gathered around certain objects when she was near.
“Hard to miss.” Hunter’s voice carried dark amusement. “The blue light when you touched that dagger? Not exactly subtle.”
“And yet you still helped me steal it.” Eden shifted her aim to cover the operators trying to flank their position. “Most people would have run the other way from the unexplainable.”
“Most people aren’t like me and my friends.” His laugh was pure predator. “Besides, you’re not the only one with experience dealing with...unusual situations.”
Before Eden could respond, the operators launched their attack. The next few minutes were a symphony of violence and precision as she and Hunter worked in perfect sync, covering eachother’s blind spots like they’d been fighting together for years.
Through it all, Eden felt the nanite technology activating in her bloodstream—the embedded tactical system running complex calculations and probability models. Their specialized equipment compensated for environmental variables, the advanced targeting systems ensuring accuracy despite difficult conditions. The Mitchell-developed technology anticipated needs with algorithmic precision, creating tactical advantages that seemed almost uncanny to untrained observers.
Hunter’s voice carried over the gunfire. “ Looks like the tactical prediction system is working perfectly.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But Eden felt the lie in her bones as another impossible shot found its target.
“Sure you don’t.” His amusement was clear even as he dropped another attacker. “Just like you don’t know why Romano’s so interested in certain artifacts. Or why your mother was investigating them before she died.”
The pieces of a larger pattern began emerging, too perfectly orchestrated to be random chance. “How do you know about my mother’s investigation?”
“Because my friends have been tracking Romano’s operation for years.” Hunter’s voice turned serious. “Ever since he started using artifactsmuggling to move something much more valuable than art. The museum curator’s been on our radar too.”
“Dr. Chen?” Eden pictured the woman’s face from the museum documentation—striking features that had always seemed vaguely familiar, with dark hair usually kept in a severe bun and penetrating eyes that missed nothing. Dr. Chen had the kind of presence that commanded respect in academic circles, though Eden had noticed she deliberately downplayed her physical capabilities, moving with a contained precision that spoke of training. “What’s her connection?”
“She’s documented every piece that’s passed through Romano’s operation. Too thoroughly to be coincidence.”
Eden nodded, remembering the patterns she’d found in Thompson’s files. “Makes sense. Romano’s been using the artifacts to hide data. Financial records, blackmail material...”
“And something else.” Hunter moved closer, covering her six as she reloaded. “Something that responds to certain bloodlines. Something your mother found right before she disappeared.”
Understanding hit like a physical blow. “The glowing. The way reality bends sometimes. That’s not just coincidence or luck...”
“It’s inheritance.” Hunter’s voice was granite. “Written in blood rather than code. Why do you think Romano’s so interested in you specifically?You’re not just Sarah Mitchell’s daughter. You’re carrying whatever power she discovered.”
