Page 81 of Hunter

“What’s so funny?” he asks, setting the items down on the coffee table.

“Nothing,” Luca answers too quickly, cutting Sophia and me off before we can even think of responding. Sophia and I exchange a glance, our smiles still lingering.

Andrei raises an eyebrow. “Seriously, what’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Luca snaps, his expression tightening.

Andrei rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath as he sits next to me, “Someone’s got a stick stuck up their ass.”

Only I hear it. I lean closer and whisper, “He’s mad Sophia said he has a small cock.”

Andrei chokes on a laugh, quickly disguising it as a cough. Luca’s head snaps up from his phone, his glare pinning me like a dagger.

I shrug and pat Andrei on the back, keeping up the act.

“Thanks for your service, brother,” Andrei says, winking at me.

“Anytime.” I wink back, catching Sophia snickering in the corner.

Luca groans, his finger tapping impatiently on the arm of his chair. “Are you ever going to go through the footage?”

“What footage?” Andrei asks.

I fill him in quickly, explaining the hidden cameras.

Andrei frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. “Cameras in every blind spot of the house?”

“Yes, Andrei. Every single blind spot,” I reply.

“Including my office?”

I nod at Andrei, watching as his face reddens. His eyes flick to Sophia for a split second before he mutters, “Please don’t let her look through the footage. I’m trying to build a relationship with her, not scar her for life.”

My lips curl in disgust. “What the hell have you been doing in this house to even warrant that concern?”

He shifts uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze. I know Andrei is into some…unconventional things, but his reaction screams guilt.

Before I can press further, Luca interrupts, holding out a piece of paper. “Here are the dates. If you two are done whispering like schoolgirls, maybe we can get started.”

I snatch the paper from him, nodding my thanks. My heart starts pounding in my chest as the anticipation builds. Finally, we’re going to catch this bastard. I can almost hear his screams already.

“Wait!” Sophia jumps to her feet. “Don’t start yet. Let me grab my computer. It’ll be easier on your eyes.”

I open my mouth to protest—it’s an app, not a program I can just transfer—but she has already disappeared into her room.

Moments later, she’s back, holding out her silver Mac. “Here. Try this.”

The least I can do is humor her. I take the computer, thank her, and open the App Store. To my surprise, it’s available, and I download it quickly. Once it’s installed, I log in, paper in hand, ready to hunt through the footage.

A tightness grips my chest, my nostrils flaring as I zoom in on her face. This can’t be right. It can’t be.

Relax, Maxim. You’re jumping to conclusions.

My mind scrambles for explanations. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. She could have been in Andrei’s office for a dozen harmless reasons. I force myself to keep watching, clicking the speed button to fast-forward the footage. My pulse pounds as I stare at the screen, praying someone—anyone—else appears.

But no one does.

I let out a long, shaky breath. Fuck.

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