Page 72 of Haunting the Hunter
The way she takes extra care scratching Karma’s belly when she lounges on the windowsill.
I feel the sway in her hips as she makes her way to the kitchen to pour herself a hot cup of coffee—feline friend in tow. Every move this woman makes is divine, elegant. Her brother is already at the table next to that chipper little shit. She sits down across from them.
“Good morning,” Jack says in his usual positive tone. Clearly pretending yesterday didn’t happen.
“Let’s wipe that annoying smirk off his face,”I prod at her.
“You stay quiet,” she says aloud, and I laugh as I watch both their reactions. Her brother’s brows furrow, and he gives Jack a death glare while Jack shrinks in his seat. Cade speaks up, not making eye contact, our traitorous kitten leaping into his lap.
“Go save our baby from the bad man!”I screech, and I can feel her eyes roll.
“He’s the one who brought home the cat,” she breathes. “Besides, she likes him.”
“Darling, when I get out of here, you are so getting a spanking.”
“Okay…” Cade mumbles, Karma now purring in his lap. “Jack found one of the Covenant’s safe houses and was able to hack thesecurity system—I’ll be heading out in about an hour to make my way there to slip in and bug the place,” he says in a low, flat tone.
This is hilarious. You could cut the tension in the room with a fucking knife.
“I’ve had a premonition, Cade. This could be a trap. You need to be careful.” She says it with resolve, but her voice comes out unsure.
Jack speaks up, his voice quiet and reassuring. He goes to reach out to touch her hand but stops himself, pulling back. Smart move…
“This may be one of the safest missions he’s taken on, Calli.”
I can feel the gears turning in her head. She’s doubtful. I hear her whispered thoughts repeating:It’s a trap. Her instincts tell her to doubt the situation, but in the end, her trust in her brother and Jack wins out. But this isn’t some scared little girl—this is a woman demanding to step into the power she knows she has. She was treated like nothing, even now she has no control over her life, yet she doesn’t feel small. Looking in her head, it appears she never has. That’s something I’ve never seen in a mortal. It’s… perplexing.
She sighs. “Okay—who’s the target?” she asks as she sips her coffee.
“No one specifically. This mission is solely to gather intel. Rosa hasn’t been to the property, but one of her right-hand men has—seen on traffic cams going there multiple times. Could be living there or prepping for Rosa. His name is Benjamin Teller,” Jack says, shoving cereal in his mouth as he talks.
I feel the chill that crawls up her spine at that name. She may not know it yet, but that’s her intuition. This man is dangerous.
Her mind flashes with worst-case scenarios—images of her brother tied up, covered in blood. This could have been one of her dreams, but it’s too clear… too vivid.
“There are only three guards stationed—” Cade begins, but she cuts him off, putting her mug down with a thump.
“As far as you know,” she counters. “Do you really think they would be so brazen after one of their own went missing?”
“If it’s any consolation, Calli,” Jack says, trying to soothe her, “I’ll have eyes on him the entire time through the security cameras. I’ll be guiding him the whole way through the house. This is a stealth op, simple and clean.”
She relaxes slightly, but her mind is still torn.
“This is a bad idea,” she murmurs, mostly to herself, but Cade sits up straighter, Karma leaping from his lap, his tone sharp.
“You don’t make the decisions, Calli—I do. Rosa’s good at covering her tracks, so this is our best chance, and we have to actnow.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed, Cade,” she snaps, crossing her arms, thoughts singing with worry and frustration.
“Feel lucky I’m even telling you this.” He gives her a long, pointed stare. “I’m trusting you with this,” he continues, voice weary and a glazed look in his eyes. Even I can see he looks off. He sighs, shaking his head to clear it before asking, “Have you found anything useful on their God or the Covenant’s origins?”
“Not yet… I’m working on it,” she tells him, not meeting his eyes.
“All right, I—”
“Fuck you, Cade.” She glares as she stands with her coffee. As she storms away from her brother, again. I can feel the bitterness in her. He blatantly disregarded her. Which, if I’m being honest, is fair. I almost respect his reckless idiocy masked as confidence, knowing Cade really will do anything for her even when she betrays him.
He gets up and follows her. Grips her arm enough to stop her. His face softens. She jerks her arm out of his grip, shoulders dropping as she exhales a breath.
