Page 100 of Haunting the Hunter

Everything in him stills and I flinch.

Recognition flickers behind his eyes, the kind that carries weight. Fear, maybe. Or awe. Or both. I can see him holding back—deciding whether to ask the question forming in his throat.

“Is he…” Jack swallows hard. “Is he okay?”

The question settles something in me, knowing that he’s at least trying to accept this. It’s the answer that breaks me.

My throat closes, and tears rise before I can stop them. My head shakes slowly, and I try to breathe through the pain of it—but I can’t. The moment he asked… It made it real.

Made it too much.

Jack shuts the laptop and turns to face me fully, his hand finding my shoulder, grounding me with slow, steady pressure.

“He’s alive, though,” he states. Not as a question. As a tether.

I nod, barely. “Yes.”

His expression softens, and he reaches up and brushes my hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers still when he sees the blood, swiping a thumb across my temple.

“Is that… is that blood?” His voice tightens, his eyes dancing over my face in that clinical way of his. “Christ, Calli, areyouokay?”

“No,” I confess in a whisper. My voice cracks, and I can’t hold it back anymore. The comfort—thekindness—undoes me.

The sob hits before I can brace for it. My chest caves, body trembling as hot tears stream down my face.

Jack pulls me into him. Strong arms wrap around me, and I let myself fall apart against him, sobbing into his chest.

“Hey… hey,” he whispers, holding me tight, rocking me slowly. “It’s going to be okay. We’re gonna get him back. I promise.”

He pulls back, cupping my face and forcing me to meet his eyes. There’s no room for doubt in his voice when he says, “I’m going to get him out.”

“You won’t need to,” I say, my breath still shaky, my fingers curling around his wrists. “That man—Benjamin. He wants to save someone. A girl. I think he loves her. But he needs Cade to do it.”

Jack’s jaw ticks, his eyes narrowing. “We can’t rely on that.”

“I know her—knew her,” I say, my voice low and almost pleading. “Genni. We played together when we were kids. We can trust her—at least enough to count on her wanting out. She wants to help Cade. Shehasto. She’s stuck there, same as he is. Same as I would’ve been.”

Jack doesn’t hesitate, already on his feet, storming off toward his room. “Then I’m going to go get them.”

“No—Jack, wait. You have no id—” I surge to my feet, panic at the thought of losing him sending me stumbling after him.

He whirls around, jaw clenched. “No, Calli. Youdon’tget to keep secrets from me, then turn around and tell me what I can’t do.”

I flinch at the heat in his voice, the betrayal there.

“This whole time,” he spits, shaking his head in disgust, “you’ve been pissed that we kept you in the dark. But you’ve been doing thesame damn thing.”

“I didn’t think you’d believe me,” I say, exasperated, throwing my hands in the air. “I barely believed it myself most days. And I onlyjuststarted learning how to control it. Istilldon’t know what I’m capable of.” I plead with him to understand as I trail him to his room, hovering in the doorway.

He grunts sharply, dragging a duffel from under the bed and shoving random clothes inside like he’s on autopilot, his frustration and anger bleeding into every movement.

“Fine. Whatever. I hear you,” he snaps back to me as he rummagesthrough his bedside table. “But I’m still going. I’m not leaving this up to thatasshole. I saw what he’s capable of—your little possession trick fried my PC, but I sawenoughof Benjamin’s files to know he’s not safe.”

I move to him, placing my hands over his to stop the frantic packing, gently squeezing them.

“Then let me help you,” I say, voice steady this time, my eyes catching his.

He blinks at me.