Page 82 of Hunted to Be Mine
Something eased in my chest. “You better.”
I moved to the bed and sat on the edge. The next hours would be hell: listening to his breathing, catching sounds I couldn’t interpret, stuck here with nothing to do. But it was better than nothing. Better than silence.
“Tell me what you see.”
“Not much yet. Heading east through the old town. No tails.”
I closed my eyes and pictured him on Zagreb’s narrow streets, always scanning. “The coat looks ridiculous, by the way.”
A quiet laugh. “Functional matters.”
“Says the man who stole it because it was ugly.”
“Borrowed.”
“Fine. Borrowed.” I pulled my knees up and wrapped an arm around them. “How are your ribs?”
“Manageable.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.” A pause. “Seven-minute mark. Still clear.”
I settled into his rhythm, counting the spaces between his updates, listening to the breath that told me he was still there. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. With each one he moved farther away, deeper into danger. I sat in a cheap hotel room, hands empty.
“Approaching the industrial district,” he said, voice lower. “Less foot traffic. More cameras.”
My grip tightened on the cell. “Be careful.”
“Always am.”
I almost smiled. Careful wasn’t the word anyone would pick for him.
“I’m going to go radio silent for a few minutes. Need to slip past some checkpoints.”
“Understood,” I said, even as every part of me wanted to tell him no.
The line went still except for the faint sound of him breathing. I counted. One minute. Two. Three.
“Still with me?” His voice came back, low.
“Always.” My shoulders eased.
For the next hour, I listened. He moved through the city like he belonged there, voice calm, sometimes tighter when he had to change course or when he spotted a problem. I tracked every shift.
His voice returned at last. “I have eyes on the target. Looks the same as before. Minimal security. Bare-bones staff.”
I sat up straighter.
“East side has a loading dock with bad camera coverage. I’ll go in there, then move to the central office.”
“And if someone sees you?”
A beat. “Let’s hope they don’t.”
“Specter—”
“I’m in position. Going silent until I’m inside.”
