Page 31 of Hunter

In desperation, they’d tried putting a short, coded message inside the label of a bottle of face cream, which they’d mailed to her with a selection of cosmetics she’d supposedly ordered. The innocent-looking package had been returned—with the contents damaged.

“Did you manage to talk to William Emerson?” Jonah asked.

“Bill. He insists on Bill,” Frank replied. He spared me about sixty seconds. He wanted to know how I knew she was here.”

“And?”

“I said I’d been consulted. He didn’t seem so happy about that.”

“Could you get him to tell you what she’s doing?”

“No,” Frank answered bluntly. He was wishing that he’d caught her before she left Baltimore.

“Could we sneak into Stratford Creek with an assault team and bust her out of there?” Jonah asked. “Maybe werewolves could get in—like Brand did when Tory was being held at that bogus mental hospital.”

“That was a private facility with a minimum of guards. Raiding a top-secret U.S. government research facility is an invitation to a hanging—or a media circus of a trial.”

Jonah sighed. “I know you’re right.”

“What about Dr. Kolb?”

“Communications to the staff are very limited. I’m working on getting his phone number. Maybe I’ll be able to contact him.”

“He could tell Emerson you contacted him.”

Frank made a sound of frustration. “I know. Maybe one of my messages will get through to Kathryn.”

“She doesn’t even know who we are. Maybe she’ll think we’re not legit.”

“That’s a problem.”

###

Taking Kathryn’s hand, Hunter tugged her across the backyard.

Although a few drops of rain had already started to fall, she stopped him when they reached the sliding glass door. He had told her the rooms might be bugged. Since she had to assume he was right, they’d better finish their conversation before they went inside.

The wind whipped at her hair, and lightning split the sky again. The storm was moving closer, judging by the almost instant crack of the thunder.

Then, as if a sluice gate had opened, the rain began to fall. He looked at her questioningly.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing his arm.

He turned his back to the storm, sheltering her between his body and the door. Yet his hands stayed at his sides. She wanted those arms around her, for warmth, for comfort. She was sure he wanted it, too. But she didn’t ask him to hold her, because she understood that touching him now was playing with fire.

The water pelted down as she leaned toward him and brought her mouth close to his ear. “Before we go in, I have to ask you a question. Does your . . . your training allow you to keep secrets?”

“My mission is a secret.”

“Yes. Right,” she said, remembering that she must speak with precision. “I mean, can you and I keep secrets together, just the two of us?”

Lightning knifed through the sky. She had to wait through the sound of the thunder before he answered, “The staff give me orders, and I must obey. You are on the staff. If you give me an order, it is the same.”

She clenched her fists. The more she heard about what they’d done to him, the more she wondered how she was going to cope with her anger. She didn’t want to give him orders, but in this case, it appeared to be necessary.

“All right,” she said. “I order you to keep the things that have passed between us tonight confidential.”

“I can do that.”

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