Page 61 of Savage Hunter

Rage holds up his wrist. “Go!”

I take thirty-two point five seconds to reassemble the Glock and hand back the loaded weapon to Rage.

“You beat your last time.”

I hold Wolfe’s dark gaze. “I had a point to make.”

Rage grins with pride written all over his face. “You sure, did, baby girl.”

Wolfe stands with his arms tucked over his chest, feet planted wide and a look of indifference on his face. But I see the arch of that brow and the slightest hint of pride through the narrow slits of his eyes.

“Your lesson here is never judge a woman by size and rumors. It might come back to bite you in the ass,Wolfie.” I add an extra dose of sass to my new nickname for him. That puts some color in his cheeks.

“Ohhhh…fuck man.” Dragon walks back in just in time to hear me snap at Wolfe. The glare in his eyes tells me at some point I’m going to pay for lashing out at him. I dare him to try. I meant it when I told him I am not someone to be ignored. Here, surrounded by my family, I’m the real me most times. Out there in the real world…that is something else.

I swallow the sudden lump forming in my throat at offering myself up to walk back into the devil’s layer.

“Wolfe knows everything he needs to know about getting into thehacienda.”

“Persephone,” Wolfe growls.

“Look, she’s going with or without you from the looks of it. You might as well get your ass attached to the train she’s leaving on because no one is holding that girl back. Not even you. Wolfie.”

I purse my lips and try to hide my surprise at my new back up support. She looks around Wolfe and throws me a wink despite looking pale and in dire need of more pain meds.

Wolfe levels me with a look that says look what I started. Another infraction I’ll end up paying for at some point, I guess.

“She’s right.”

Ares puts a hand on my shoulder and another on Wolfe’s but he’s talking to Fergie when he says, “Gather the girls and pack as little as possible. Only what you need for a few days until we take care of the problem. Nova?”

“About that.” I cross my arms over my middle, feeling the high from my adrenaline rush with Wolfe fading.

My internal voice, feeling bolder by the minute, whispers this is the time to fill everyone in on my secret.

“There’s something I need to say.” I exchange a tight smile with Nova. She doesn’t know what I am about to say but my words have her stopping in the middle of the living room and giving me her full attention. It makes me sorry that I have to break her trust. What I have to say will show I am a danger to them all. And that I have lied since day one when they were nothing but kind to me. Maybe hearing what I will have to say will show them why I have to be the one to help rescue Ghost’s daughter and Persephone’s sister.

“You’re right. We go together,” Wolfe cuts in and I slip my mouth closed. “The Colombians know where to find us which means your brothers do too and so does the Society. That’s three against one. We should already be on the road out of here.” Wolfe looks at me while he talks to Ares. The movement is subtle but I read the slight shake of his head.

“Agreed, brother. Let’s move out.” Ares pulls his phone out to call someone. Probably Harlon or Ares’ contacts in New Orleans. Everyone else goes into preparation mode.

Everyone except Wolfe.

He pulls me out of the living room and down the hall toward the kitchen. Checking that we are alone, he corners me against the kitchen island.

My pulse races with something far stronger than anxiety. It’s more like a concoction of the three major poisons I constantly battle—fear, doubt and shame.

“Why?”

He knows what I am asking. I was about to purge my soul of at least one of my sins and he stopped me. I want to know why.

Wolfe leans in until I can see the shafts of light brown break up the intense dark brown of his irises. I breathe him in greedily knowing damn well this isn’t the time or place to let my wants run rampant.

He towers over me so I have to lean my head back a good way to lock eyes with him. Either hand grips the side of the kitchen island, locking me into place. “They deserve to know why they are getting attacked. This is all my fault.” My stomach churns and revolts against itself.

“You can play brave all you want. I’m not letting you put yourself in danger. I just got you back. I’m not losing you again. I’ve already told you this.”

“That isn’t what I asked. We can circle back to your alpha posturing later.”

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