Page 54 of Hunter's Game
“No.” His laugh turned to a wet cough. “She smiled. Just like you’re smiling now. Like this was exactly what she wanted.”
Understanding hit Eden like a physical blow. “She knew you’d lead me to them. To the truth.”
“Fifteen years.” Carson’s voice was fading. “Fifteen years I’ve carried that smile. Watched yougrow up, knowing someday you’d wear it too. Knowing someday you’d understand...”
“Understand what?”
But his eyes were already glazing over, the truth dying with him.
Movement behind her. Eden spun, weapon ready, but it was Hunter emerging from the roof access.
“Eden.” His voice carried a warning. “We’ve got incoming. Big response team, heavily armed. Romano’s not taking chances anymore.”
She nodded toward Carson’s body. “He was feeding them our positions. Without that intel—”
“They’ll hit us harder.” Hunter moved to check the VP’s pulse. “Make up for tactical uncertainty with overwhelming force.”
As if to prove his point, another helicopter appeared on the horizon. Through her scope, Eden caught glimpses of more vehicles approaching—enough firepower to level the compound.
“We need to move.” Hunter was already heading for the ladder. “King’s got an escape route—”
“No.” Eden’s voice stopped him. “No more running.”
“Eden—”
“Carson said something about my mother. About understanding.” She met Hunter’s eyes. “She knew this would happen. Knew someday I’d end up here, facing the same choice she faced.”
Just like Katherine had known, staying embedded in Romano’s operation all those years, documenting everything with the same methodical precision their mother had taught them both.
The curator’s patient approach made sense now—gathering evidence while maintaining deep cover, creating backup systems that would trigger even if neither of them survived. Eden wondered if Katherine was watching now, monitoring events through the surveillance network they’d established, calculating next moves with the same analytical precision she’d applied to artifact authentication and preservation.
“Which was?”
“Die running or die fighting.” Eden checked her weapons with mechanical precision. “She chose wrong. Tried to run, to protect me. And they killed her anyway.”
Understanding dawned in Hunter’s eyes. “So you’re choosing to fight.”
“I’m choosing to end this.” She moved to the roof’s edge, surveying the approaching forces. “Romano, his brother, their whole operation, it ends tonight.”
“That’s suicide.”
“Probably.” Her smile was fierce. “You with me?”
Instead of answering, he kissed her—hard and desperate and full of everything they’d never said. When they broke apart, both breathing heavily, his eyes held the same deadly certainty she felt.
“Always.”
The radio crackled. King’s voice carried over sounds of battle. “Whatever you two are planning up there, make it quick. We’ve got maybe ten minutes before they overrun us completely.”
Eden keyed her radio. “Remember that insurance policy I mentioned? Time to cash it in.”
She could practically hear King’s smile. “Give the word.”
Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Want to share with the class?”
“Remember how I said Carson wasn’t the only one feeding information to Romano?” Eden pulled out her phone, showing him a complex web of data. “Every piece of intel he got about the compound’s defenses, every tactical advantage he thought he had? It was all part of the trap.”
Understanding lit Hunter’s eyes. “You used Carson to feed them exactly what you wanted them to know.”
