Page 23 of Haunting the Hunter

“Want to get out of here?”

“You have no idea.”

We’ve been driving for about thirty minutes before I finally speak up.

“So, where exactly are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Jack says with a big grin. “We’re almost there.”

“You better not be taking me to a fucking strip club, Jack.”

He laughs as he turns into a small gravel parking lot. There’s a little building with a sign that readsCarmalitas.

“A restaurant?” I ask, my brow raised in confusion.

“They have the best enchiladas. You’ll love it,” he says, pulling the keys from the ignition, stepping out of the truck, and turning to me. “C’mon, let’s go.”

I reluctantly exit the truck. The building looks old. Red, green, and white banners hang from the outdoor seating area.

He opens the door for me. “Ladies first.”

I give him the side-eye and walk past.

“Table for two?” the hostess asks with a smile.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack speaks up.

She grabs two menus, ushering us to a booth in the back.

“Any suggestions?” I ask, sliding into my seat across from him.

He leans in excitedly, pointing to the menu. “You’re gonna want their chimichangas—they are to die for. Oh! And their deep-fried ice cream,andthey have the best margaritas,” he says enthusiastically.

“I’m sorry… did you say deep-friedice cream?” I look to where he is pointing on the menu. “How does that even work?”

“I think they freeze-dry it or something, but it’s amazing. Wanna try it?”

I nod slowly. “I will admit, I’m curious. Let’s get it.”

After we order, Jack jumps out of the booth and jogs up to our server, whispering something in her ear before coming back over.

“What was that?” I ask.

“You’ll see,” he says with a mischievous smile.

It doesn’t take long for our food to arrive. I pick up my fork and take my first bite, and my Gods, it’s delicious. I look up and see Jack is focused on his phone. My heart drops. We shouldn’t be hearing fromCade until he gets to Allen’s last-known location, and that won’t be for a while. If it’s him, something could be wrong.

I speak through my full mouth.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he laughs, turning the phone to show a picture of me taking a very large, very unflattering bite of food.

I reach across the table to grab the phone, my mouth still full.

“Delete that!”

“No way! You look cute,” he says with a genuine smile.