Page 77 of Security Breach

“Wouldn’t have mattered if he gave away your location or not,” Rafe said. “The men would have killed him anyway. They don’t leave witnesses behind. It’s one of their trademarks.”

“That’s why they’re desperate to kill Emma.” Cal pushed away from the table and refreshed his coffee. “She’s the one witness who escaped.” With an apologetic glance at her, he added, “Since they fancy themselves as professional hunters, the men will hate that their prey outwitted them. Worse, you escaped from at least four teams, possibly five. That makes you a prized target.”

Emma sighed. “What kind of men hunt people instead of wildlife?”

“Evil ones.”

“Men who think they’re untouchable,” Jon added. He looked at Rafe. “If the FBI used Emma for bait, why wasn’t a team of agents on her at all times to catch the crew who stepped into the trap?”

“From what Emma said, the agents were stationed close to the safe house. Jordan probably hoped to capture the images of the hunters on camera to identify them all and scoop them up at one time.”

“But I can’t identify any of them,” Emma said. “At least, not yet.”

“The hunters don’t know that. I’m betting the information isn’t anywhere in the FBI files. Craig Jordan is a glory hound. He wants to make a name for himself by busting this crew of hunters and parading them in front of the cameras. I’ve always believed there are more victims than the FBI realizes, but the feds are keeping the information quiet instead of contacting law enforcement agencies across the country.”

David slammed his fist on the table, making Emma jerk. His face burned. “The hunters could have killed Emma. She was lucky to escape and almost didn’t the last time they found her. The Marshals didn’t survive Jordan’s plan.”

“That wasn’t the only possible flaw in his plan,” Eli pointed out. “If the mastermind behind this system is smart, one member of a team only knows his partner, but not the identities of other teams. Jordan would have captured the hunters and missed the mastermind.”

Rafe’s expression grew dark. “If word leaks that the FBI is looking for members of the Hunt Club, there’s a good chance the members will go underground until the interest dies down. Then, they’ll start the game again.”

Shoving aside his fury, David focused on what was important. “How do the teams choose their victims?”

“The teams are autonomous. Once they pick their target, they stalk and kill their prey. I’m assuming they report their success to the mastermind and are credited with the kill. I don’t know what the reward is for success.”

“A team in Alabama killed my family,” Emma said. “Have other teams murdered multiple victims at one time?”

“Not that I know, but I haven’t been part of the FBI for several months.”

Jon frowned. “The mastermind has to be keeping track of the hunts and teams.”

“I agree, but the FBI hasn’t captured a team and traced an electronic trail from them to the mastermind.”

“Then that’s part of our new mission. We nab a team and trace them to the mastermind.” He turned to Eli. “Agreed?”

“Yep. Emma’s safety is first. After that, I say we go after the Hunt Club and take them down.” He looked at David. “We have to bring Maddox into the loop.”

A nod. “If this crew is as large as Rafe says, we’ll need more than Wolf Pack and my brothers.”

“Unless we take them down one pair at a time.” Cal pushed aside his empty coffee mug.

“Too risky. All it would take is one nervous team to alert the mastermind.”

“We need to know how many teams are operating,” Jackson said. “Tracking them down will take a coordinated effort, especially if they’re stalking their next victims.”

“They can’t hunt all the time,” Emma said. “Unless they’re independently wealthy, they have to have jobs to support their disgusting hobby.”

“We’ll find out.” David squeezed her hand. “I need to update my brothers since there’s a good chance at least one of the teams is in this area now.”

Eli glanced at his watch. “Your brothers should be here soon.”

“Owen and Caleb are on duty in two hours.”

“I called Elliot while you on the phone with Jordan. We can’t have information gaps between the teams. Elliot asked the part-timers to cover the shift for four hours while we discuss Emma’s protection plan. He sent a text five minutes before you came inside to confirm their arrival time.”

He would have to rework the shift schedule. Although David was on administrative leave while the TBI investigated the shooting, the massive amount of paperwork required to keep his department running didn’t stop. At least he could help his deputies take care as much paperwork as possible. His top priority, though, was to ensure Emma’s safety and that of his family and Morgan County citizens.

“What’s the scoop on Agent Wells?” Jackson asked.