Page 125 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

Alexander squatted down, whispering, “A little insurance for distraction.”

He winked, and in the next second, the serrated edge tore into my thigh. A muffled scream escaped my lips as hot pain seared through me, blood spewing from the wound. He’d hit the femoral artery—though, by the looks of it, just a nick.

“Better hope he hurries.” Alexander smirked, then disappeared behind a curve in the stone wall, waiting to pounce.

With the pungent smell of blood mixing with earth, my lip quivered. Of all the ways Hunter might lose his life, I didn’t want it to be like this, and I didn’t want to be the bait that lured him to his demise.

My throat swelled in agony.

The steps descending the spiral staircase were soft but urgent.

I jerked my body around, trying to break free from the duct tape that trapped me in its snare. But it was a lost cause.

The atmosphere was thick with the musty scent of mildew and old earth, the humidity clinging to the walls in glistening beads of moisture as I stared down the dank tunnel, where the unmistakable silhouette of Hunter began to take shape in the distance.

He was the kind of man who could make the shadows seem less terrifying to me—someone who’d kill to protect—and more terrifying to those unfortunate enough to meet the wrath of this apex predator.

But he didn’t know what was waiting for him.

There was a silent serpent lying in wait, and Hunter was the unsuspecting mouse.

My heart pounded against the confines of my rib cage, a futile plea for escape. A bitter, acid panic rose in my throat, and the sheer terror became paralyzing, like icy tendrils wrapping themselves around my ribs, squeezing until a cold emptiness consumed me.

His form grew clearer with each urgent step, his features emerging from the murk.

A sorrowful howl threatened to erupt from my chest, but it was strangled into a whimper. The cold, hard truth tore at my heartstrings, playing a mournful symphony of impending loss.

And then, when he spotted me, a feral rage rippled through his features.

I jerked my chin to the right, trying to warn him where Alexander was, but Hunter’s gaze fixed on my bleeding thigh, and he jogged toward me with panicked eyes.

I shook my head again and moaned. I could only watch as the world I knew crumbled into shards of cruel reality, my heart shattering along with it.

As Hunter emerged into the trap.

CHAPTER62

Hunter

Crimson life seeped from Luna’s thigh, a torrent in sickening slow motion, each droplet hitting the stone like sands of time, emptying the minutes she had left to breathe.

I picked up my speed, my steps rapid and urgent, but suddenly, a mere fifteen feet before I reached Luna, something made me pause.

The look in her eyes.

Wide and full of terror as her gaze shifted slightly, from me to something off to her right, moving her chin and moaning beneath the tape that bound her mouth.

I locked eyes with her and motioned with my finger toward the wall just around the corner.

Luna nodded, her motion so minimal, I could tell she was trying to conceal her movements should he be watching her.

I reached into the soft lining of my hoodie pocket and clenched the knife’s hard handle so tightly, that blood was probably getting cut off from my fingers. All I wanted to do was rush to Luna and stop her bleeding, but if he took me down, she’d die.

Barely moving her eyes, she looked off to the side again, and then her gaze returned to me and fixated on the dagger in my hand before looking back up to meet my stare.

I pointed to where he must be standing, then to my blade.

With only a half inch of movement, she gave one nod, her eyes filled with unwavering certainty.

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