Page 34 of Hunter's Game
“Hunter—”
“Later.” Her only shred of comfort was that he still moved to cover her as they headed for the exit, still matched her rhythm as they fought their way clear of the ambush.
They made it three blocks before the first explosion hit. Everything happened so fast, there was no time to process anything. Eden found herself airborne, then underwater as their stolen car plunged into the river. In a blur of one moment tothe next, strong arms pulled her free of the wreckage, and she broke the surface, coughing and sputtering, to find Hunter already scanning for threats.
Once she recovered her wits, she asked, “Still trust me?” She was trying for lightness, but the words came out raw.
His eyes met hers for a moment that felt like forever. “Trust’s got nothing to do with it anymore.”
“No?” She pushed wet hair from her face, trying to ignore how much that hurt. “Then what does it have to do with?”
His smile was pure predator as more explosions lit up the night behind them. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”
Grabbing hold of her hand, they ran, leaving burning questions and burning buildings in their wake. Ahead lay the compound.
And answers neither of them was sure they wanted.
Behind them, Romano’s forces gathered like storm clouds on the horizon. And somewhere in between, the truth waited like a loaded gun between them, ready to either save them or tear them apart completely.
Eden wasn’t sure which outcome she was praying for anymore. But she knew one thing with bone-deep certainty: by the time this was over, blood would flow.
She just hoped it wouldn’t be Hunter’s. Or worse—her own.
The problem with falling for a professional liar is that you never knew when they were telling the truth. Hunter watched Eden work from across Darkness’s office, her fingers flying over three different keyboards as she reconstructed the evidence from her damaged laptop. She moved with the same lethal grace that had first caught his attention at the Devil’s Mark, but now he saw the cracks in her perfect facade—the slight tremor in her hands, the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes darted to him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
“Someone’s been using my credentials since Thompson died,” she explained to everyone in the room—him, Darkness, and King— pulling up screen after screen of falsified reports. “Making it look like I’ve been feeding intel to multiple agencies.”
“And we’re supposed to believe you didn’t write these?” Darkness’s voice held dangerous skepticism.
“Check the timestamps.” She highlighted a series of entries. “Half these reports were filed while we were taking down the Devil’s Mark.Unless you think I was typing mission updates while dodging bullets and watching my father die?”
Hunter caught the slight break in her voice on the word ‘father.’ Whatever else she might be lying about, that pain was real.
“Romano’s trying to drive a wedge between us,” she continued. “Make you doubt my loyalty so you’ll cut me loose before I can expose his real operation.”
“Which is?” Darkness leaned forward, his expression unreadable.
Eden glanced at Hunter, something vulnerable flickering across her face before she squared her shoulders. A part of him wanted to reach out and offer her reassurances, but he ignored it. “He’s building a private army. Using the artifact smuggling to fund a military corporation that operates outside any government oversight.”
She pulled up financial records, shipping manifests, training rosters. The evidence was damning—and eerily familiar to Hunter.
“These training facilities.” He moved closer to examine the blueprints. “I’ve seen this setup before. Back when I was contracting for—” He cut himself off, but Eden’s eyes narrowed.
“For who?” When he didn’t answer, she pressed harder. “You want me to trust you? Start talking.”
“Blackwater.” The name fell like a stone in the quiet room. “After my discharge, I did some workfor private military contractors. Saw firsthand how they operated. How much power they had with zero accountability.”
“And now Romano’s building something even bigger.” Eden pulled up more files. “These shell companies? They’re not just moving money. They’re buying influence. Politicians, judges, military officials—anyone who might question his operation is either in his pocket or about to be eliminated.”
“Like your mother.” King’s voice was surprisingly gentle. He’d been mostly quiet up until then, which made his words even more impactful.
Eden’s hands stilled on the keyboard. “She found proof he was looting museums in war zones. Using the chaos of conflict to steal cultural artifacts, then laundering them through legitimate institutions. When she tried to expose him...”
“He had your father kill her,” Hunter finished. The pieces were finally clicking into place. “That’s why you joined the DEA. To get close enough to find evidence of the whole operation.”
She nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Thompson was her handler back then. He helped cover up her murder, made it look like she’d gone rogue. I spent fifteen years believing she’d abandoned me, that she’d chosen money over family. But she died trying to stop Romano. Just like my father died protecting his secrets.”
“And now Romano’s targeting you.” Darkness studied her with new intensity. “Why not just kill you? Why the elaborate frame job?”
