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"How exciting! Of course, dear," Maggie replied after he read it out, her voice never losing its upbeat tone. "Just give me a moment."
Ryker could hear her typing away even as she spoke, and couldn't help but marvel at her multitasking prowess.Librarians, he mused,truly were a force to be reckoned with.
When it came to handling technological intel, most people paid out the nose to sneery little men who talked a lot about databases and computing power. But they were getting fleeced. You could get the same for much cheaper if you played your cards right.
It had cost Ryker many bouquets of flowers and a few 'talks' with unruly neighbors, but now he had a truly powerful fount of information in his pocket: there was no better source of intel than a bored librarian with a decades-long love of crime fiction. Maggie, an information professional, was always delighted to do her thing.
Ryker's fingers tapped an impatient rhythm on the steering wheel, his nerves frayed and raw. The seconds ticked by like hours, each one stretching out into infinity as he waited for the information that would put him back on Caleb and Eli's trail.
"Found it," Maggie finally said, her voice triumphant. "It's always just a matter of knowing where to look, dear. I'll send you the address right away. You be careful, now."
"Thank you, Maggie," Ryker replied gruffly, a surge of gratitude rushing through him. He ended the call as the address appeared on his phone. He stared at the screen, memorizing the location, before slipping it back into his pocket.
With a roar of the engine, Ryker set off toward the address, every fiber of his being focused on one goal: to reclaim what was rightfully his. And nothing – not Arkady, not any other force in the world – would stand in his way.
Chapter eleven
Thesunblazedmercilesslyupon the cracked desert landscape as Hunter's car swerved through its desolate expanse. Dust billowed behind them like a billowing specter, clinging to their vehicle as if attempting to pull it back into the oblivion from which they'd emerged.
Caleb bit his lip, eyes flicking nervously towards the rearview mirror. There, he caught sight of Eli's small form strapped into the back seat. His face was still puffy from crying, and even now, fear lingered in his innocent eyes. It was a testament to the terror Hunter had instilled when he'd knocked out Ryker. Eli was a happy kid, but that had scared him — badly.
Caleb swallowed hard, his voice barely more than a whisper as he addressed the cold, gray-eyed man at the wheel. "Where are you taking us?"
"Airport," Hunter replied gruffly, his focus never leaving the seemingly endless stretch of road before them.
Caleb's heart sank, the word echoing hollowly in his chest. This didn't feel like a rescue; it felt like a trap.
Lost in thought, Caleb jumped when Hunter tossed him a bottle of pills without warning. He fumbled to catch them, his palms damp with perspiration. "What are these for?" he asked, eyeing the container warily.
"I was warned that you can be a pain in the ass," Hunter drawled, the corner of his mouth twitching into a sardonic smirk. "Consider this my way of keeping things… smooth. Mild sedatives."
Caleb's pulse raced at the implication, a chill creeping down his spine despite the oppressive heat outside. He stared at the bottle, horror settling heavily in his gut. Hunter's expression hardened as he seemed to sense Caleb's hesitation. "You're going to take enough to keep you sleepy and docile," he commanded, his voice low and dangerous. "And if you don't take them willingly, I'll make you take them by force."
Tension crackled in the air between them like a live wire, the threat hanging heavy and suffocating. Caleb's fingers trembled as they closed around the bottle, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. Hunter's gaze bored into him, unrelenting, as if daring him to defy his order.
"Fine," Caleb whispered, his voice barely audible above the hum of the engine. He uncapped the bottle with shaking hands, resigning himself to the bitter pills that would ensure his compliance -- at least for now.
Caleb took a sip of water from a bottle, and allowed the pills to slip down his throat, feeling the bitter, dusty taste linger on his tongue.
But the joke was on Hunter. He'd given Caleb enough to send someone under.
Someone normal, that was.
As an ex-addict, Caleb knew that the dose Hunter had given him wouldn't have the same effect on him as it would on others. He'd built up a tolerance over the years. This dose was enough to knock out a horse, but for Caleb, it would only grant him a warm fuzziness — for now.
He leaned back against the car seat, feigning drowsiness, and let his eyelids flutter closed. This was an edge, and ace in his hand. He just had to figure out how to use it…
"Who warned you about me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The sound of the engine hummed like a lullaby, coaxing him to play up the act even further.
"Your twin," Hunter replied, his tone curt and unamused.
Caleb's eyes snapped open, shock and concern flooding him at the mention of Rowan. "Is he okay?" Caleb pressed, fear gripping his chest as he stared at the side of Hunter's face.
The man's jaw tensed, clearly annoyed by the line of questioning. "Relax, princess. My boss is treating him well…verywell," Hunter drawled with a dangerous smirk. Caleb's heart clenched at the implication. "As I said before, we're following orders from Eli's uncle — Zane Thorne."
Oh, shit.
When Hunter had said that Eli's uncle had sent him, he'd thought that Mia had a brother. She hadn't talked about her family much, just saying that they were out of the scene.
