Page 117 of Hunted to Be Mine

A hint of a smile returned. “Is that so, Dr. Crawford?”

“Professional assessment. If there’s lingering worry, I’m happy to conduct further testing. For science.”

He laughed, warm and unguarded, and it did more for me than the fire. “For science.”

I turned back to the chair and lowered myself carefully. Everything hurt—ribs, arm, bruises arguing for dominance.

“You need to rest.” He started toward me.

“No.” I lifted my good hand. “First, tell me how you found me. I was drugged and taken from the hotel lobby in Zagreb. How did you end up in Dresner’s hands?”

Something flickered across his face—there, then masked. He leaned against the wall, careful with the distance.

“When I realized you were missing, I was already on the phone with Damon. He alerted the Commander and SENTINEL. They helped to a point,” he said, voice flat. “But they prioritized raids on the two warehouses we identified.”

“More important than finding me,” I said. The words came out flat. “I understand Commander Dawson’s perspective.”

“No, you don’t.” His voice hardened as he pushed away from the wall. “There’s nothing to understand about their priorities.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked. Anger bled through his control.

“Wolfe—”

He caught himself, drawing a slow breath.

“If anything had happened to you…” He stopped, reset. “I’m still not convinced I shouldn’t pay Dawson a visit when this is over.”

I kept my worry off my face. “So what did you do? The last thing I remember was being drugged in Zagreb, then waking in a luxury cage before Dresner’s little palace of horrors.”

“I couldn’t find you through conventional means,” he said, pacing the small space. “So I opted for a desperate play.” He faced me. “I broke into CuraNova Biotech in Geneva.”

“You did what?” I stared.

“It’s the one known channel that could flag Dresner directly,” he said, matter-of-factly. “SENTINEL intel confirmed it was Oblivion’s legitimate front. With SENTINEL busy, options were limited.”

“So you just strolled into their headquarters?” My voice climbed despite my best effort. “That’s insane.”

“It was calculated.” His gaze didn’t move off me. “I needed to be captured.”

“Needed to be…” I broke off, stunned. “You let yourself be taken on purpose?”

He nodded once. “I knew if he had me, he’d use me to get you. That meant I’d know where you were.”

It hit with physical force. “You sacrificed yourself to find me.”

“I created an opportunity.” He could have been discussing dinner. “Dresner wanted us both. Using myself as bait was the most efficient approach.”

“Efficient?” I nearly choked on the word. “They tried to reset you, Wolfe. They tried to wipe your mind.”

“They tried,” he said quietly.

I gripped the chair, ignoring the throb through my cast. “You risked everything. Your memories, your identity, everything we fought for.”

“Yes.” No hesitation. No regret.

“That was beyond reckless.” Heat climbed my throat. “What if you hadn’t been able to resist the reset? What if I’d lost you completely?”

“Then you’d still be alive.” His voice was simple. “And I’d have fulfilled my purpose.”