Page 101 of Hunted to Be Mine

Damon moved fast, forearm across my chest, pinning me to the barrier. His other hand bent my wrist. Clean hold. Firm, not crippling. He knew what he was doing.

“Stand down.”

I tested his grip. Solid.

“Enough!” Mattie’s voice cut through. “Both of you.”

We froze for a beat. Damon stepped back, smooth, controlled.

“This isn’t helping Selina.” Mattie’s focus stayed on me. “We work together, or we make it worse.”

I flexed my fingers. Split skin stung.

“What about pulling some people off the raids? Half on documents, half on Selina.”

“Not possible,” Dawson and Damon responded together.

“The warehouses are priority. They could open Oblivion’s European network.”

“And Selina becomes collateral.”

Something flickered in Dawson’s face. Regret, maybe. “I’m sorry. We have to make calls.”

“Easy to say when it’s not your person.”

His expression cooled. “Easier than you think, Mr. Lennox. This isn’t my first hard call.”

He ended the connection. Silence settled.

Mattie came closer. “Let me see your hand.”

I hesitated, then held it out.

“You won’t find her by wrecking yourself.”

“I won’t find her if SENTINEL keeps chasing files.”

Damon stayed back, watching. His stance was still keyed up. His attention lingered on Mattie even as he tracked me.

“You might be right. But Dawson’s orders stand.”

“Then what’s the point?” A tender spot throbbed as Mattie examined it.

“Sometimes you play by the rules. Until you find a way to break them that works.”

Our gazes met. Something like understanding moved through the space between us.

Mattie guided me to a metal stool, grabbed supplies. Antiseptic cut through the stale room.

“This will sting.”

I nodded. The bleeding had stopped, but dried blood ringed the cuts. Sloppy. Emotion over training. Dresner would’ve called it a failure.

“It’s fine.” The alcohol barely registered against my knuckles. Physical pain’s easy.

Radio chatter bled in from the teams. Coordinates, checks, timings. The raids would go on without me.

“You’re taking this personally.” Not a question.