Page 81 of Hunter's Game
Eden met Katherine’s eyes through the connection, sharing the same intention. Together, they redirected the systems away from Alexander’s purpose.
Instead of reinforcing his empire, they reconfigured the interface to reveal truth. The display shifted, showing something entirely different.
The crowd gasped as hidden information became visible around the room—every crime, manipulation, and evidence of the secret deal that had built Alexander’s empire appeared in detail.
“What are you doing?” Alexander’s voice held genuine fear. “This isn’t what we practiced!”
“No,” Eden replied firmly. “This is what Sarah died trying to expose—how you’ve been manipulating global systems.”
Through their connection, she felt Katherine adding more evidence to the display. Images shifted to show specific crimes—murders ordered, governments manipulated, lives destroyed.
“Stop this!” Alexander lunged for the devices, eyes wild with panic as he tried desperately to interrupt them. “You have no idea what you’re doing. This technology was meant to build empires, not expose them!”
“Wrong,” Katherine countered. “These systems were originally programmed to identify corruption and reveal hidden data. The programs were designed to enhance transparency, not enable manipulation. Sarah discovered the original parameters. That’s why you eliminated her.”
Eden sensed Hunter intercepting security teams while Darkness and the rest of the club members in attendance secured exits. But her focus remained on the truth flowing through the systems, revealing Alexander’s empire in ways he never imagined.
“Sarah knew.” Eden met Alexander’s desperate eyes. “She found the truth about these devices, about what they were really designed for. Our DNA wasn’t meant to build shadows—it was meant to expose them.”
The system completed its final sequence. Everything was revealed. Every crime. Every conspiracy. Every manipulation that had builtAlexander’s empire. And every piece of evidence needed to destroy it completely.
“It’s over,” Eden said as Hunter moved protectively to her side. “Everything you built, every secret you’ve hidden—it’s all exposed.”
“You’ve destroyed everything,” Alexander’s voice cracked as federal agents burst through the doors, causing attendees to gasp and whisper as they moved in on her grandfather. “Generations of power, of carefully built influence...”
“No.” Katherine smiled coldly as agents took Alexander into custody, the cold metal cuffs they placed around his thin wrists clicking into place almost obscenely in the stunned silence of the room. “We’ve restored what should have been. Used the technology as it was meant to be used.”
The devices powered down. Eden felt different now—understanding the technology not as a tool for manipulation but as a means of revealing truth.
Hunter’s hand was warm on her back as they watched agents leading away Alexander’s associates. “That was impressive.”
Eden leaned into his touch. “Turns out our DNA was never meant to build empires.”
Katherine nodded. “It was meant to reveal truth and restore balance.”
“What happens to the devices now?” Hunter asked.
Eden exchanged a look with Katherine. “They belong in museums where they can be properlystudied, not hidden away as tools for manipulation.”
As the agents with questions moved in, they broke away, allowing Katherine to take lead on the interviews.
Under the protective shelter of Hunter’s arm, Eden allowed herself to be guided toward the exit. She needed fresh air to clear her mind after tonight’s crazy events.
“And us?” Hunter’s soft question grabbed her attention, and his tone carried deeper meaning that she couldn’t miss.
Just a few steps from the exit, Eden turned in his arms, facing the future beyond this mission. For years, she’d avoided personal connections, seeing them as vulnerabilities. But with Hunter, that connection had become her greatest strength.
She looked up at him, letting him see both the tactical operator and the woman beneath—the one who had finally found something worth fighting for beyond revenge.
“Well, someone needs to make sure other organizations don’t fill the vacuum Alexander left,” she said, her eyes conveying both professional assessment and personal invitation. “Seems like the kind of long-term project that needs your particular skills.”
“Hunting corruption and exposing secrets?” Hunter’s smile made her heart race. “Sounds like my kind of mission.”
“With assistance from the Blind Jacks?” Katherine asked with a knowing smile as she approached.
“Always,” Eden replied, her focus wholly on the man in front of her. “After all, the best partnerships are built on trust and truth.” With a sly smile, she pulled Hunter down for a kiss that left no doubt about her intentions.
“And we’re just getting started,” Katherine added as she walked away to begin coordinating with the federal teams.
