Page 1 of When He Hunts

Chapter One

A woman knewwhen she was being hunted. And as Luna Black hurried through the busy New Orleans Street, ducking her head against the surprisingly sharp bite of the wind that blew up from the mighty Mississippi River, she had no doubt that she was the prey…and a very, very dangerous predator stalked her through the night.

I can get away. I’ve gotten away before. I’ll get away again. And then, tomorrow, I’ll meet up with the Feds. I’ll tell them everything. They’ll give me a deal. They’ll protect me. Goodbye, old life. Goodbye, terror.

Hello, new me.

She’d get a new name. A new home. Some desperately needed safety. Because for the last few weeks, Luna had been running on fumes and fear. Those two things could only sustain a woman so long. She’d gotten all the way from Atlanta, Georgia, down to the Big Easy. Since arriving in New Orleans, she’d been crashing at a friend’s place. A friend who was out of the country and didn’t exactly know that Luna was using her home. She’d crashed and tried to plot and plan and figure out a way to escape from the nightmare that held her in its grip only…

Shadows detached from the nearby building as Luna turned toward Jackson Square. Those shadows didn’t make a sound, but Luna had the terrible feeling that they’d been waiting there just for her. Watching.

She swallowed and pulled the oversized black jacket that she wore even closer to her body. Her long, dark hair was shoved under the hood of the jacket, but a stubborn tendril escaped to blow across her cheek. Her head remained facing the front as she continued her determined steps. Jackson Square was locked down for the night, so she edged around its exterior. Her stepsmighthave accelerated as she made her way toward the old alleyway to the left of the St. Louis Cathedral.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.She had to get out of there. She had to get?—

She ran right into a giant, immovable object. An object that hadnotbeen there moments before. An object that had also detached from the darkness and stepped right into her path.

Sucking in a breath, she tried to take a step back, but it was too late. He’d already caught her. The immovable object—a big, muscled man wearing what appeared to be an extremely expensive suit—locked his hands around her arms. Not a tight grip. In fact, one that was oddly careful. And unbreakable.

“Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t actually sound apologetic. “Did I scare you?”

Yes. A thousand times, yes.“Let go of me.”

The faint light from a flickering streetlamp fell onto him. Shadows surrounded him, but she could make out the firm line of his jaw—a jaw covered by the dark graze of a beard. His thick hair brushed back from his high forehead, and the top buttons on his white, dress shirt were undone. He had her in height by way too many inches and way too many pounds in body weight and strength. Physically, he was dominant and scary, and Luna knew trouble when it grabbed her. She shoved her hand into her crossbody bag to snag her taser because if the stranger didn’t release her in the next three seconds, he was going to get the shock of his life.

One.

Two.

Th—

He let her go. “You’ve got company.” He glanced over her left shoulder. “You familiar with them?”

“I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“The three guys who followed you after you left Café du Monde. They’re watching you from the shadows right now. I’m worried they intend to harm you. Thought you could use a hero, so I stepped in.”

She didn’t want to take her eyes off him in order to look over her shoulder.Heseemed like the big, bad threat but… “Is that what you are, a hero?”

He smiled. Or at least, she thought that he smiled. In the dim light, it was hard to tell for sure. “Is that what you want me to be?”

She weighed her options. And, dammit, Luna also peeked over her shoulder. Very, very quickly. Yes, crap. Three men were looming in the shadows.My time is up.They’d tracked her, and if she wasn’t both careful and lucky, there would be no way she’d live to make that eight a.m. appointment with the Feds in the morning.

Her head whipped back to the front, and she made an instant decision.One is better than three.Because if push came to shove, surely, she could take out this fancy-dressed stranger in front of her, right? Granted, he was big. Very big. And his shoulders definitely stretched the black suit he wore, but he was just one man.One versus three. I’ll take my odds against one man, thank you.

Her taser would work on him. She could tase him and run away.

But if she fell into the hands of thethreemen lurking close by…

No way can I take out three guys at once. I’d be done for.

“I definitely want you to be a hero,” Luna spoke crisply as she grabbed him. Looped her arm with his. Got way, way close to him. “Act like you know me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Act like we’re super in love, that you were waiting for me, and that you just can’t bear to let me go.” The words fired out far too quickly.

“Yes, ma’am.” Inclining his head, he pulled her even closer. “I think I can handle that.” His voice was deep and rumbly and warm, and it chased away the chill that wanted to wrap so tightly around her and pull her under until she couldn’t breathe. Until she was absolutely frozen in ice.

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