After some of the things she’d witnessed and endured on the street, she knew that better than most people. She didn’t blame a god who might or might not exist for it; she’d simply learned that’s the way life went.
It was cruel and sometimes far too short, but it was also wondrous, beautiful, and full of good and bad surprises. All one could hope for was that, in the end, the good outweighed the bad.
“Yes, it is, but I still thought at least half of them were dead,” she said.
“I’m not looking to become a Savage, and Asher isn’t going to be thrilled to kill a hunter, even if they are trying to kill us.”
Elena inwardly cringed at the defensive tone of his voice. “I didn’t mean anything by it; I really didn’t.”
Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his still out-of-control emotions. He did not want to be a Savage, but the coppery scent of the blood and the brutality unleashed here had his bloodlust and killer instincts on high alert. Not to mention seeing Mateo abuse Elena in that way.
He contemplated breaking Mateo’s neck as he stared down at him. He didn’t care if the man was defenseless or not; he deserved to die.
“We might be better off if they were dead,” he muttered.
She hated to agree with him, but there was a good possibility he was right. She had no idea what they’d unleashed here or what the consequences would be.
“What we do with them now?” she asked.
“We’ll move them inside and put most of them in the second room. Mateo will go into the end room with us.”
Chapter Nineteen
It tooksome time and maneuvering to get everyone inside. By the time their prisoners were all secured, some of them were starting to wake. Logan and Asher gagged them, hog-tied them, and made sure they were all securely restrained.
When they finished, Mateo was awake and glaring at Elena from where he sat, tied to one of the chairs. She perched on the bed across from him; her hands rested on her knees as she watched the hunter. So much hatred filled Mateo’s eyes that she knew she wouldn’t have survived whatever he planned for her at the compound.
When Asher and Logan returned to the room, the look on Mateo’s face caused Logan to hesitate in the doorway. Not for the first time, Logan wished he’d killed the hunter.
This man was the enemy, and being a hunter didn’t change that.
He wanted to pull Elena from the room, but she simply stared at Mateo with a blank expression on her face. She seemed to be trying to read him, but it was impossible to tell.
So much duct tape tied Mateo to the chair that they would probably need a saw to cut him free. As far as Logan was concerned, the hunter could rot there. He stretched his arm out, feeling only a small pull.
His recent wounds had already healed, and once they made sure their prisoners were secured, he’d gone to feed on the guests staying in the first room. He didn’t feel good about using the young couple, but he couldn’t be weak around these hunters. It could get them all killed if he were.
Walking over, Logan grabbed the piece of duct tape covering Mateo’s mouth and tore it free. He smiled when Mateo stifled his cry, but not in time to completely suppress it. He was pretty sure he’d taken off some flesh with the tape and some of Mateo’s lips, and he was glad.
“Fuck off,” Mateo spat.
Logan shrugged. “You can tell me to fuck off all you want; I’m not the one tied to the chair.”
If looks could kill, Logan would be six feet under. He turned to Elena. “Would you like to ask him anything?”
“Where’s my mother?” she demanded.
When Mateo just stared at her, Elena contemplated getting up and punching him in the face. He deserved it, but hitting a man taped to a chair was pretty low.
“Why did you kill my father?”
She hated that her voice hitched a little when she asked the question, but she couldn’t stop it.
Again, he didn’t reply.
Logan rested his hands on Mateo’s knees as he bent to meet his gaze. Mateo’s black eyes glittered with malevolence. There wasn’t an ounce of this man that didn’t despise Logan; Logan loved it.
His smile grew as he squeezed Mateo’s knees. “I’m sure you heard her, so I’d suggest answering her.”
