Page 98 of Hunted to Be Mine

The calm way he said it landed harder than a screamed threat.

“You, of all people, grasp what I can do.”

“Threatening me won’t work.” I kept my chin level. “Men like you confuse control with power.”

He turned to go, then paused in the doorway. The polish slid off. Something raw showed through.

“You think this is a negotiation?” he asked, voice dropping. “Defy me, and I’ll carve pieces off everyone you care about while you watch.”

The casual cruelty knocked the air from the room.

“Your friend Dr. Prieto has such delicate hands. Surgeons do, don’t they? How many fingers before she’s useless?” He smiled, wrong on his face. “Mr. Seok’s profile suggests extreme pain tolerance. An interesting problem.”

My gut lurched.

“As for the anomaly formerly known as Specter,” he added, almost bored, “recapture parameters have been adjusted. Dead or alive no longer matters, though I prefer enough brain tissue to study.”

The civilized coat was gone. The thing beneath looked out.

“Your cooperation keeps them breathing. Your defiance ensures they suffer. Simple math, Doctor. Even someone blinded by attachment should follow it.”

He nodded to Blackout. “Prepare her for transport. One hour.”

The door shut. I was left with the math he’d just drawn for me, and the fact that my compliance might be the only thing keeping Specter—and the others—alive.

Chapter 23

Specter

The wall clock’s red digits mocked me. Three days since Selina vanished. Seventy-two hours of chasing nothing, a knot tightening with each tick.

I stood against the wall, watching the command center. A dozen SENTINEL agents moved through the converted office, voices low under the hum of hardware. Zagreb filled the screens. Two red circles marked the warehouses we’d flagged.

“Primary objective remains document recovery.” A tactical officer addressed his team, his back to me. “Intel says these facilities tie to Oblivion’s network.”

My jaw worked. All this time, and Selina was still a side note.

I caught my reflection in a dark monitor. Lean face, shadows under my eyes, stubble going wild. The gaze looking back was steady. I’d done worse on less sleep.

“Wolfe?”

I didn’t turn. The name still felt borrowed.

“Seventy-two hours, and you’re still chasing paperwork instead of finding her.”

Mattie walked in with two coffees. Damon shifted without making it obvious, putting himself between us. Protective reflex. Still didn’t trust me.

“Here.” Mattie offered a cup around him. No hesitation. “You look like you need this more than I do.”

I took it. “Thanks.”

“Any news?”

I shook my head. The coffee was bitter. “Nothing.”

The hotel lobby flashed in my mind. My call to Damon, turning back to Selina’s spilled cup, a security guard out cold. No struggle. Just a gap where she should’ve been.

“Raid teams deploy in an hour. Both locations. Same time.”