Page 58 of Hunted to Be Mine

“When I noticed your behavior shifting after Prague,” Kruger said to him, “I saw a way out. If I let it slide and you disappeared, I could leave. Walk away.”

“And Dresner allowed that?” I already knew he hadn’t.

Kruger laughed without humor. “Dresner doesn’t allow failure. He takes it personally.” He tugged his collar down, revealing a puckered scar on his neck. “I’ve been on his kill list ever since. It’s a miracle I’m still breathing.”

“You’re saying you let me go?”

“I didn’t stop you. There’s a difference.”

“Why?”

Kruger spread his fingers on the table. “Because of St. Elisabeth’s. Because I saw something the programming couldn’t kill.”

“What?”

“Humanity.” Quiet.

The room went still. A car alarm wailed outside, then cut.

“You still haven’t told me what happened,” Specter said, voice soft and sharp.

“No.” Kruger reached inside his jacket and drew out a small silver flask. He unscrewed it and took a swallow.

Specter slammed his palm on the table. Kruger flinched.

“Enough. Did I kill those children or not?”

My pulse kicked hard. The space felt too small, the air thin.

“No.” Kruger met Specter’s eyes. “You didn’t.”

He went motionless, the kind of quiet that precedes a fight. “Then what happened?”

Kruger drank again and capped the flask. “The mission wasn’t yours originally. It was assigned to three new agents fresh out of the Farm.”

“I don’t understand.” Specter’s voice had lost some of its steadiness.

“You had a reputation by then,” Kruger said. “Ruthless. Efficient. The operative who never missed. Dresner wanted to use you as…” He searched for the word. “…quality control.”

“Quality control,” I said. The euphemism turned my stomach.

“The three newbies were sent to St. Elisabeth’s to test their loyalty,” Kruger said. “Under your supervision, they were to go in and… clean the place.”

Kill everyone. The children, the staff. All of them.

“Why target an orphanage?” I kept my voice level.

“Dresner believes in breaking points,” Kruger said. “If you can make someone kill a child, you can make them do anything. Also, he’s a sadist.”

Specter’s hands balled at his sides. “So I was there to make sure they followed through.”

“Yes. And to report or eliminate anyone who hesitated.” Kruger sagged back. “But I’d reached my limit. I couldn’t watch more innocents die. Especially kids.”

“And you grew a conscience then?” Specter asked. “After how many missions?”

“Too many.” Kruger stared at the table. “I decided I’d go with you that night. My plan was to kill the agents, including you, before they reached the children. Then I’d finish it.”

“But that’s not what happened,” I said.