Page 34 of Hunted

It took two fucking hours—and all that time, there was no word from the med center. When he finally straightened all the shit out and rose to go, he was pulled back by a call from Sugar.

Fuck it all. What now?

He sat back down and picked up the phone. “This better be important.”

Sugar said, “Thanatos has been waiting for a situation report. Our drone footage indicates the prisoner was recaptured almost three hours ago, and brought back to the Ridge over two hours ago. And yet, no report.”

Gunn could tell how fucked he was, because every word out of Sugar’s mouth pissed his wolf off more than the last. Like the word prisoner. ‘Prisoner’ was anonymous. Uncaring. It was easy to torture or get rid of a nameless prisoner.

Michelangela was a person. A warm, loving, caring person who he’d messed up with his duty and obligation and inability to tell anyone how he felt. And now he’d messed up even more by bringing her back here.

What was wrong with him, that he couldn’t let go of her? His tattoo started burning again, and a spot of blood seeped from it through his shirt.

“Gunn?” Sugar said.

“I’m here. I got her, and she’s administered a second dose of antidote to Dobe.”

“Thanatos would like to know how you persuaded her to do that.”

“My charming personality.” And hot kisses that made his dick stand on end. Who knew.

Sugar said, “Drone footage shows a liplock.”

Shit. He hadn’t even heard the drone; hopefully it had been far enough away that it hadn’t picked up their conversation in the truck.

He said testily, “If you knew, why ask? And what the hell does anyone care how I did it? It’s done.”

“Yeah.” He could practically hear Sugar smirking. “Problem is, you took too long. Window of opportunity’s closed. They moved the girl, and we don’t know where, or what they’re going to do with her.”

Gunn swore.

Sugar said, “I hope the bounty hunter at least saves Dobe’s life. After that, she’s useless to us.”

“We’re not killing her.”

“Neither you nor I are the ones who make that decision.”

Gunn said, “Then tell Thanatos. If she dies, I walk.”

Gunn cut the call and walked out of the command center. He caught their scent as soon as he walked out the door, but it still sent a flicker of cold wariness up his spine to see the Hounds ranged around him. They were in human form, but they smelled almost all wolf.

Still angry. Still on the hunt.

Tension crackled in the air between them.

Sanchez snarled, “The antidote’s not working. That bitch killed Dobe. We want our prey.”

Gunn snapped, “She’s not your prey. You work for Thanatos, and for me. When I say hunt, you hunt. When I say capture, you capture. And you only kill when I say kill.”

Cisco said, “But that’s the problem. You don’t say it. You always want to fucking save people.”

Matéo added, “Like we’re TV heroes or some shit.”

Sanchez said, “We’re not the good guys. And she’s a liability—an unacceptable risk.”

“You’re not the ones who decide that.”

Cisco said resentfully, “It’s bad for the leader to have private pussy, when nobody else is getting any.”