Page 88 of Haunting the Hunter
I scoff, the sound breathy, bitter, defeated. “You haven’t left.”
You’ve seen the worst of me. And still, you stay. Somewhere along the way, you became the only thing holding me together in this.
“And… I—I need you…” I ramble weakly.
The truth of it sinks deep in my chest. I was raised for a mission. Shaped for a purpose. I never let myself want more—never believed I deserved it.
But now, despite everything… I feel it.
Hope.
And it’s because ofyou.
Pain pulses through my temple and I grit my teeth, forcing my head up.
How long have I been here?
I try to take in the room again, scan for details—anything useful—but my vision tilts, everything swimming.
My eyes flutter, heavy, and just as I’m about to let them fall closed, the door in front of me bursts open.
Two men enter. Benjamin and another, and behind them, a woman dressed in an all-white suit. Her hair is pulled back in a neat bun, andshe looks polished in the dirty room. She steps ahead of the men and looks me up and down with a straight face.
“Rosa White, I presume,” I say, my voice coming out broken and deep.
She spits in my face. Calm. Unbothered. Then lifts the hem of her skirt, slow and methodical, revealing the holstered gun strapped to her thigh.
“You do not get to speak. Monsters do not get words, they get cages.” Her voice is steady and poised as she paces around my chair. “You took my husband from me. My baby girl. You left me nothing but purpose. You. Do. Not. Speak to me.”
She stops in front of me before pulling the gun free and placing the barrel under my jaw, then she lowers her lips to my ear and whispers, “You are going to suffer for what you have done, Cade Halloway.” Pressing her gun harder into my jaw, she snarls, “And you are going to tell me where my sacrifice is.”
I force my head up to try to meet her gaze, but my tired eyes struggle to stay open, to focus on her.
“Looks like Ben has done his job well—too well.” She stands and turns to the men, anger in every line of her body.
“I need him alert enough to talk,” she says accusingly, hands on her hips.
“It’ll wear off just in time. He’ll be sharp enough for what you need,” Benjamin says with assurance, casually leaning against the far wall.
With a single, deliberate nod she pivots on her heel but pauses just before reaching the door.
“We will start tomorrow. Tonight, you will stay with him, Ben.”
She turns, her gaze pinned on me.
“You’ve done well to bring me a gift,” she says to Benjamin, her voice smooth. “But one act of obedience doesn’t earn trust. Not with me.”
Leaning in, she pats Benjamin’s cheek, as if mocking him, treating him like a good pet.
“Come now, Frank.” She flicks her fingers in a lazy wave and the other man hastens to her side. The two disappear through the door. It shuts with a hollow thud, leaving Benjamin and me in ringing silence.
“I’m not going to babysit you—so don’t do anything stupid.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say dryly, coughing, blood on my lips.
“You joke, but I mean it. I need you alive, asshole. This will only work if you do exactly as I say,” he says seriously, hands shoved in his pockets.
“Please enlighten me on your plan to keep that bitch from killing me.” My head rolls to the side, aching, my eyes heavy.
