Page 86

Unknown Number:If you want to see Megan and your baby alive, turn back around.
My blood turns cold.
The car slows for a red light, and I glance out the window, scanning the streets for anything—or anyone—watching.
A second message pings immediately after.
Unknown Number:We’re closer than you think.
Chapter 27
Not A Small Ask
HUNTER
The back of the driver’s head blurs slightly as I stare, the tension wrapping around my chest, squeezing tighter with every heartbeat. For the first time in a long time, I feel uncertain, helpless—like a kid trapped in a game where the stakes are just too high. Every option feels like a dead end. Whatever move I make now could shape the rest of my life, and that of Megan, our child, and too many others.
With a steadying breath, I type a response to the anonymous message, keeping my fingers calm, even though my mind is racing.
Me: Who is this?
The wait for their reply stretches longer than I’d like, each second thick with the hum of the car engine, the faint smell of stale coffee, and my own pulse drumming in my ears. Then finally, the screen lights up.
Unknown Number: Wrong question.
A flicker of anger burns through my frustration. They think they’re calling the shots. I grip my phone tightly, the plastic casing creaking under the pressure, and respond like this is just business as usual.
Me: Then I’m done.
It’s a bluff. I don’t negotiate with cowards hiding behind blocked numbers. If I’m going to protect Megan, I need to act like I have nothing to lose. I sink back into the seat, feeling the car jostle slightly as we drive over a patch of rough road. A few heartbeats later, the next message buzzes in.
Unknown Number:You shouldn’t call our bluff.
I clench my jaw, forcing down the instinct to respond with rage. My emotions and logic battle it out, and for once, I’m unsure which side to follow. The stakes are too high, and this isn’t a game.
I dial Christian. He picks up on the first ring, his voice sharp with tension.
“Where are you?” he snaps, anxiety pulsing through the line.
“What’s going on in there? Can I talk to her?” My words spill out, tighter than I intended.
“Hell no, you can’t talk to her!” he shoots back. “She’s scared shitless, man.”
The driver glances at me in the rearview mirror as I slam my fist on my thigh, ignoring the questioning look he gives me.
“Christian!” I grit out, my patience slipping away.
“Alright, listen—Megan’s safe for now. But where are you? How far out?”
“There’s someone following me. They’ve threatened her safety if I get any closer to the hospital.”
The phone line goes silent as he processes my words, then comes back with grim determination. “I’ll call Vaughn. We can get extra men and more firepower. We’re not letting some–”
“No.” I interrupt him, each word controlled, deliberate. “I’m not putting Megan and my baby through a damn gunfight outside the hospital doors. That's not what I want for either of them.”
Christian lets out a frustrated huff. “You’re really going to let a random threat keep you from being there for the birth of your kid?”
“It’s not about me,” I tell him, swallowing back the urge to lash out. “It’s about keeping them safe, whatever it takes.”