Page 99 of Hunter

The sharp ding of a message tone jolts me, breaking through my spiral. Heart pounding, I fumble for my phone.

I don’t have all night, Sophia.

I exhale sharply, rolling my eyes despite the bile rising in my throat. She’s annoyed? She dragged me here into this nightmare.

Anger flares hot in my veins, temporarily drowning out the fear. Gripping my gun, I shove the door open and step into the suffocating night air. My boots crunch over gravel as I approach the motel entrance, adrenaline propelling me forward.

The moment I step inside, the stench of rotting carpet and stale urine punches me in the face. Gagging, I pinch my nose between my fingers, but it doesn’t help. Breathing through my mouth only leaves a foul bitterness coating my tongue.

The lobby is a wasteland. Paint peels in jagged strips from the walls, revealing water-damaged drywall. Broken windows cast jagged shadows, and empty beer cans and liquor bottles litter the floor.

A faint scratching noise comes from behind one of the walls, a sickening, animalistic sound that freezes me in place. I don’t want to know what’s making it. My pulse spikes, and I forcemyself to move, weaving through the debris toward the faint sound of pained groans.

Maxim.

I sprint toward the noise, my heart pounding as I reach a door barely hanging on its hinges. It’s blackened and splintered, the paint chipping away like dead skin.

Taking a deep breath, I pull my gun from my waistband and point it with trembling hands. My palm is slick with sweat, making the grip slippery. I press my other hand to the doorknob, twisting it, but it won’t budge.

“Dammit,” I mutter, wiping my hand on my shirt. I try again, this time managing to pull the door open. The hinges groan, the sound loud and grating, sending a shiver through me.

The room is cavernous and suffocatingly dark, save for a single spotlight dangling from the ceiling. It casts a circle of harsh, flickering light on two figures in the center. Maxim is tied to a chair, blood dripping from a cut on his temple. Luca lies crumpled on the floor, unconscious.

I take a shaky step forward, squinting at Luca’s chest until I see the faint rise and fall of his breathing. Relief washes over me, but it’s short-lived.

Maxim’s stormy blue eyes lock onto mine, burning with intensity. His face twists in fury as he struggles against the ropes binding him to the chair. The tape over his mouth muffles his curses, but I can tell exactly what he’s thinking.

Why the hell are you here, Sophia? You’re insane.

I bite back the urge to scream at him.Don’t give me that look. He’s not the one holding a gun with shaking hands, walking into God knows what.

I take another step forward, scanning the room. My hand tightens around the gun as I prepare to free him. Maxim’s muffled words grow more frantic, but I can’t make them out.

I force myself to ignore the panic rising again, stepping fully into the room.

“Took you long enough,” Jenny’s voice cuts through the darkness, making me jump. I was so focused on Maxim, I didn’t even realize anyone else was in the room.

That’s how you’re going to get yourself killed, Sophia. Pay attention.

I whirl around, heart pounding, bracing myself to face my sister. But there’s no one there—just shadows and an oppressive silence.

Where the hell is she?

I didn’t imagine her voice. I know I didn’t. Spinning in a slow circle, I search the room for any sign of movement. A sharp, mocking laugh echoes from my left. I snap in that direction, expecting to see her emerge from the darkness.

Nothing.

My muscles tense, coiling like a spring, ready to snap.

“What fucking games are you playing, Jennifer?” I scream into the room, my voice trembling with frustration and anger.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Her voice floats from my right this time, taunting me, but I don’t turn. I’m done chasing shadows.

I pull the gun from my waistband and extend it in front of me, my back pressing against the wall. My breath is shallow, adrenaline sharpening my focus as my eyes dart around the room.

“Let us go, Jennifer. We can forget about all of this—never speak of it again,” I say, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me.

“Here I thought my dear half-sister was too much of a little bitch to stand up for herself.”

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