Page 10 of Hunter

Luca and I share a mutual enemy now, but the question remains—why was Sophia dragged into this mess? She hasn’t been a part of my life for months, and in the time since we’ve crossed paths again, she has been in a coma for three weeks and kidnapped for a week.

Sophia is the thread that ties Luca and me together. She’s the only reason we’re working together. But why does the puppet master want Luca in Miami? What does he stand to gain?

“We need to keep things close, Luca. We have a mole in both of our ranks. And it can’t be the same person. That makes the puppet master even more dangerous. He’s smart, playing us like chess pieces.”

Before Luca can respond, the soft ruffling of sheets grabs my attention. I freeze, my heart leaping in my chest as I look toward the bed.

Sophia’s eyes are fluttering open.

For the first time in weeks, I might get the chance to see those eyes—the ones I’ve been desperate to see again. My heart races so fast, I think it might tear out of my chest. I breathe a silent thanks to whoever might be listening.

“Sophia?” I whisper her name, my voice barely audible, not wanting to scare her.

Her eyes snap open at the sound of my voice, and my stomach plummets.

I stumble back, my breath caught in my throat. This isn’t what I was expecting. I knew things wouldn’t be the same. I thought she’d be angry, but where’s the love—the spark that made my heart race every time she looked at me? Where’s the fire in her eyes that used to shine so brightly?

All I see now is emptiness.

FOUR

SOPHIA

Voices. I hear them all around me, but I can’t make out who they belong to. I try to open my eyes, but the light is too much. Shutting them again, I wince from the brightness. When I finally manage to open them without feeling like tiny daggers are stabbing into my pupils, I take in my surroundings. I don’t recognize where I am.

Why do I have an IV in my arm? Why does my body feel like it has been run over by a truck? I try to focus, but my memory is blocked, like my mind is intentionally hiding something from me. That thought piques my curiosity, and I strain to recall my last memory.

Maxim’s voice. He was telling me he loved me. I felt pure joy for a split second before it was replaced by pure terror. The sound of gunshots from all directions had us running for our lives, Maxim’s frantic voice telling me to hide in a closet, and then…

I try to push through the fog. The closet door opens. Men with black masks. The terror is suffocating as memories come flooding back—violence, chaos, and pain. My heart races as I remember fighting back with everything I had—kicking,thrashing, screaming for Maxim. My throat went raw, but he never came for me.

The cold, cruel hands of strangers touching me, doing things to me only Maxim ever had permission to do. The anger surges inside me, hot and molten.

Maxim was supposed to protect me. He promised. He fucking promised—and he failed. But it wasn’t just his fault. It’s mine. I let myself trust him. I let myself get comfortable with someone so deeply entangled in this fucked-up world. Why didn’t I listen to my gut and stay away? After Luca, I swore I wouldn’t let myself go down this path again. But here I am. Broken. Confused. Lost.

I ball my fists, crumpling the sheets beneath my hands. The difference between this and what happened with Luca is that he only broke my heart.

“Sophia?”

That voice. My traitorous heart skips a beat. No, no, no, I tell myself. He doesn’t deserve this reaction. He doesn’t deserve my love. He doesn’t deserve me. But my self-doubt sneaks in, uninvited, tearing down the walls I’ve built.

You’re overreacting, Sophia.

No. I scream at myself, trying to fight it back. This isn’t overreacting. He’s the one who persuaded me, whomade promises he couldn’t keep. I told him my fears, and he swore to keep me safe. And look where I am now—kidnapped, molested, beaten, shot. This isn’t safety.

Adrenaline mixed with anger courses through my veins, and I gather the strength to open my eyes. I glare at him, letting every ounce of my rage, hurt, and betrayal flow into that look.

Our eyes lock. Maxim stumbles backward, his face draining of color. I don’t need words to say what I feel. I don’t have the strength to speak it, but my eyes tell him everything.

Movement in my peripheral vision catches my attention. I turn toward it, my heart sinking into the floor when I see who’s standing there.

Luca.

My world shatters again.

The word no repeats like a broken record in my mind. Why is he here? Why did Maxim let him near me?

Maxim knows how much damage Luca did to me. Why the hell would he think it’s okay for him to be here?

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