Page 30 of The Hunter's Heart

Simon said in a low voice, “We need to get gone, Mia.”

“Just don’t hurt them too badly.”

In a heartbeat, Neil and Isaac were out of the house and on Zander and Gabe, and Simon was hurrying her past the ruckus to a black SUV parked down the street. He opened the back passenger door and said, “Duck down until we’re out of town.”

She crawled onto the back row and laid down. Simon got behind the wheel, started the car, and swung around, gunning the engine as the SUV roared down the street. He stopped hard enough to make her almost fall off the seat, and then two doors opened and Isaac was sitting next to her with Neil in the passenger seat. The tires squealed as Simon floored it and she was pushed back against the seat with the force.

She looked at Isaac. “How far away is wherever you’re taking me?”

“An hour,” he said.

Neil turned around to look at her. “Do you know what Lucian is?”

“A berserker.”

He blinked in surprise. “Shit, really? And you’re his mate?”

“He marked me and I marked him, so yes, we’re marked mates. And I’m pregnant.”

“Damn,” Simon said, letting out a low whistle. “No wonder he’s acting like that.”

“Like what?”

“Crazy.”

“So you didn’t know, either?” she asked.

Neil shook his head. “We thought he was human.”

They told her how they’d helped Lucian break Antonio free from the hunters’ prison, but he wouldn’t let them come to help rescue her.

“He had his dad,” she said, sitting up and buckling her seatbelt as they left Wilde Creek. “They killed everyone and set the house on fire.”

“We know,” Simon said. “Show her the video.”

Isaac pulled a small laptop from a pack on the floor and opened it. He clicked a few buttons and then turned it to her as a video began to play. It appeared to be a bodycam like she’d seen police officers use.

“If he won’t come quietly,” a male said, “use the tranqs.”

“Why can’t they just call him to come into the office?” a male asked.

“They tried, but he disappeared. We tracked him here. It’s our job to bring him in, and that’s all,” the male replied.

The door to a tattoo shop opened and Lucian stepped clear, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Thanks for trying,” he said to someone inside the shop.

“Sorry I couldn’t help. Let me know if I can do anything else for you.”

The door shut and he let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping. He looked so despondent that she wanted to reach through the screen and comfort him. The camera started to move forward rapidly. Lucian’s head shot up, and he snarled.

“What do you want?” he demanded.

“You’re going to come quietly. The bosses want answers,” a male said.

“I have something to do first,” Lucian said. “I’ll come in after I take care of–”

“No,” the male said, cutting him off. “You don’t go anywhere but with us.”

Lucian’s head tilted and his eyes flashed. She could see the red of his berserker, and knew that Lucian was pissed.

---