Page 40 of North

I headed into the locker room, and he followed. I tried not to drool over his abs and that tattoo. I wasn’t sure what I liked most—the abs, his chest, or his muscular arms.

Maybe all of him.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. “Night.”

“See you later, Jess.”

I felt his blue gaze on me as I left.

CHAPTER NINE

Jess

Peering into the microscope, I studied the sample of the sticky cocoon substance. I wrote some notes on my communicator, then looked at the next slide.

Around me the lab was filled with the quiet murmur of voices from the lab technicians as they went about their work. Squad Command had a really good lab. It was well-equipped and staffed with smart people.

How were the monsters making the cocoons? Could they all create this substance? And why? That was really what was bugging me.

I glanced out the windows into the courtyard below. Squad Command was a squat building built of solid concrete. The upper floors had glass, but the lower levels had no windows. It was surrounded by a large wall with several guard towers. The place was monster proof. Down below, some trainee recruits were being put through their paces.

Hunter Squad hadn’t gotten a call out today. I’d decided to come into the lab, and I knew the rest of the squad were here too,working out in the well-equipped gym. Except North. Jameson had mentioned he’d volunteered to do some extra shifts in the infirmary.

I wondered how he was doing. Had he slept?

He isn’t yours to worry about, Jess.

“Ms. Ramos?” A female technician stopped beside me. “I forwarded the toxicology report you requested to your device.”

“Thanks.” I swiped my comm unit and found the report.Hmm. I studied it and frowned. The cocoon substance had some sort of unknown chemical in it. They speculated it was possibly a sedative.

Not a toxin. So the cocoons weren’t designed to kill their prisoners.

“You look good in a lab coat.”

I looked up at Marc. He was wearing gym gear and smiling.

“What’s up?”

“The boss man sent me to get you. We have a meeting with the generals. They want an update on the freaky-ass cocoons.”

I wrinkled my nose and grabbed my communicator. “I wish I had more to share.”

“Anything is better than nothing.”

“Have you seen North today?” I asked casually.

Marc sighed. “Yeah. He looked like hell.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets. I really wished there was something I could do to help North.

“When we rescue kids, it just stirs things up for him,” Marc added. “He’ll be fine. He’s tough.”

We walked down the hall, then a moment later, a set of double doors whispered open, and we walked into the main command room.

One wall was all flat screens, showcasing maps, live feeds, and other data. A huge light table sat in the center of the space.The rest of the Hunter Squad stood around it. My gaze went straight to North and my heart squeezed hard.

He hadn’t slept. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted. His gaze flicked to mine for a fleeting second before he looked away.

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