Page 119 of Hunt Me

“They’re using rotating ciphers,” I continue, typing commands. “Three-layer encryption with?—”

His thumb brushes the base of my spine. Deliberate. Possessive.

My breathing hitches despite my best efforts. The encryption code blurs momentarily before I force concentration back.

“With randomized authentication protocols,” I finish, pulling up the signal analysis.

Dmitri’s gaze flicks between us, expression unreadable. He says nothing. Just returns attention to Nikolai’s briefing.

“Good.” Nikolai zooms into South Boston coordinates. “That gives us twelve hours before they regroup fully.”

Alexi’s fingers drift higher, tracing vertebrae through fabric. His other hand reaches past me to tap the touchpad, highlighting a cluster of communications.

“This frequency spike.” His voice rumbles near my ear. “What’s causing it?”

I swallow hard. “Panic. They’re coordinating faster than protocol allows.”

“Sloppy.”

“Desperate.” I pull up the raw data feed, hyper-aware of every point where his body almost touches mine. “They know we have leverage they can’t counter.”

His hand slides lower again, resting just above my hip. Claiming. Reminding me exactly who I belong to.

Heat pools low in my belly. Completely inappropriate timing, but my body doesn’t care about tactical briefings.

Erik rises from his position near the window and moves to the tactical display. His movements carry that predator’s efficiency—economical, purposeful.

“Three extraction teams.” He taps locations on the map. “Alpha team here, twelve miles northeast. The Beta team is positioned to the southeast, near the harbor. Charlie team’s maintaining mobile status along Route 128.”

The markers pulse red against the digital terrain. Too close. All of them.

“Timeline?” Nikolai asks.

“Seventy-two hours maximum before they establish coordinated strike capability.” Erik zooms into the compound’s perimeter. “They’re mapping our defenses, rotating surveillance positions every six hours.”

My pulse quickens. Professional killers circling like wolves.

“Ambush points?” Dmitri leans forward, studying the topography.

Erik highlights three locations. “The access road here—single lane, limited visibility. The eastern perimeter fence backs up to conservation land. And this clearing where our power lines run.”

His finger traces the vulnerable spots, and each one is a death trap waiting to spring.

“They’ll hit us during shift change,” Erik continues. “Dawn or dusk when shadows work in their favor.”

Alexi’s hand tightens on my hip. Not painfully, but possessive. Protective. His other arm comes around my waist, pulling me back against his chest.

The gesture should feel confining. Instead, it anchors me while Erik catalogs all the ways we might die.

“Contingencies?” Nikolai’s tone stays level.

“Rotating patrol schedules, thermal surveillance enhancement, secondary escape routes prepped.” Erik meets hisbrother’s gaze. “If they breach the perimeter, we have maybe eight minutes before they reach the main building.”

Eight minutes. Not much time to live or die.

I lean back into Alexi’s solid warmth. His heartbeat thuds against my spine—steady, unafraid. His chin settles atop my head briefly before he straightens.

“They won’t breach,” Alexi says. His voice carries absolute conviction. “Not with what we’re about to send Kendall.”