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Whether or not it was uttered out loud, it was clearly an unwritten rule that I shouldn’t go anywhere. Sloan didn’t give me permission to leave the cave, and everyone did their part to keep the area around it well guarded in case I had a sudden urge to flee. I wouldn’t, but I didn’t fault them for being careful.

Still, I couldn’t hide forever. The Organization would call on us again soon, and Sloan never explained how he’d kept them at bay for a full two weeks without a detailed report. Or how he’d explained Phillip’s disappearance.

My throat burned, the guilt resurfacing with the mere thought of my previous partner.

“Okay,” Tiff finally said, huffing and slapping her yoga-pant-clad thighs. “That’s it!”

The rest of the room shifted their eyes over to the she-wolf as she stood up, dragging me with her. She huffed again loudly and jerked her eyes over to Sloan, who was perched on a chair in the corner with a laptop.

Not totally off the grid.

“She needs to get out of this damn cave. I don’t care what you say. V is a powerful, formidable lady and she deserves to breathe fresh air!”

Sloan’s lips tilted alongside mine, and the rest of the group mirrored similar looks. “Is that right?”

Tiff lost a little bit of her gusto in favor of swooning, and I couldn’t help but giggle. When she heard it, she perked up and swung her arm around my shoulders, catching my cheeks with one hand. “Look at thissweet face. She’s had enough of this dour, sour, and yucky dark cave. She needs sunlight. Fresh air. The strong scent of pine. The freedom of the forest!”

After two weeks, I knew better than to interrupt this woman. No sense in trying to stop the runaway train that was Tiff. Once Tiff made her mind up, there wasn’t a single person who could derail her efforts, and I truly admired that about her. It was a quality I often lacked when it came to Phillip because his voice was always the most commanding in the room.

Phillip.

“Look at this sad face,” Tiff said, emphasizing her point by squeezing my cheeks, and I could practically hear Sloan’s amusement. “Risk a little. Take her out.”

Nigel stood up, but he wasn’t given a chance to speak.

Sloan quickly spoke over him, already on his feet. “You’re right.”

My mouth dropped open. I hadn’t expected Sloan to give in, and it showed on my face. “She is?”

“I am?” Tiff parroted, just as astonished as I was.

Go figure she said all that while not expecting in a hundred years for Sloan to give in. It made me smile against my better judgment to think she’d spoken so passionately for me without any hope it would work out.

The rest of the group managed to keep straight faces, and it was a serious wonder how they could with Tiff’s hilarious antics. The chick was comedy gold and full of energy. And I liked her more and more every time she talked.

Sloan brushed back his hair and swept his gaze over to Nigel before taking calculated steps towards us. “I was just thinking the same, to befrank. It won’t be long before we need to move locations, and I agree you need a proper day out.”

“I do?” My eyes dropped to Sloan’s mouth the second his tongue swept across his bottom lip. “Today?”

Nigel grunted and crossed his toned arms. Sadly, Nigel was still delicious to look at, and I didn’t hide my desire very well when his muscular body presented itself with glorious clarity through his clothes. I couldn’t even pretend for a second I wasn’t thirsty as fuck.

“Two weeks is hardly enough time to sink under the radar. And what do you mean move locations? That’s news to me,” Nigel demanded in his pissed-the-fuck-off baritone.

Sloan didn’t look over. His gaze stayed with mine the entire time he addressed Nigel. “We’ll need to resume our assignments. The Organization won’t be appeased with any more excuses. Our service is needed in Sacramento, and it will take five hours to drive from here. We’ll be gone for a few days. Maybe a week. All depends on how quick we complete our assignment.”

“But Phil…”

Sloan’s smile rejected me the second it appeared. “I wouldn’t worry about Phillip. He’s clever, and if he hasn’t shown up, he has his reasons.”

“So he’s alive?” Nigel asked, voicing my own internal question.

The Brit sighed loudly, panning our group. “It’d take an army to get rid of that man, so yes, he’s alive.”

Relief hit like a cool breeze on a hellish day. “He finally made contact?” I asked, further prying and demanding an answer with a pointed stare at the other Hunter.

Sloan’s smile broadened. “He did.”

“And he’s okay?”