Page 5 of North (Hunter Squad #2)

CHAPTER FIVE

North

T he next morning, I hurried into the squad room. We’d gotten a call out.

I’d spent the night trying not to think of Jessica Ramos. Definitely not thinking of her tight pussy, her sweet cries, or the scratches she’d left on my back.

I turned the corner, and heard my squad talking. Marc’s voice was louder than the rest, and he was yammering on about something.

Then I saw Jess. My insides locked.

Everyone stood at their lockers, strapping on their armor and checking their weapons. Jess was sliding a knife into the sheath on her thigh. The thigh that had been wrapped around my head while I’d eaten her last night.

“Hey,” Jameson said. “There you are. I was about to send out a search party.”

I gave him a chin lift.

Jess looked up, and our eyes locked for a second before she looked away.

“Did you get lucky, Connors?” Marc asked, grinning at me. “You look…different. And you’re never late.”

“I’m here, and where I put my dick is none of your business.” I opened my locker.

“Ooh, I take it back. You’re too uptight to have gotten lucky.”

I toed off my shoes and tossed one at him.

Marc dodged with a laugh.

I methodically pulled my armor and combat boots on, then got my medical backpack out. I’d already re-stocked it, I did that every time we returned from a mission, but I still always double-checked it before we headed out.

“Okay, everyone, listen up,” Jameson said.

We all gathered around.

Jess stood beside me, and I tried not to notice her proximity. It was impossible. I could smell her, hear her breathing.

Out of our systems, my ass.

Jameson’s rugged face was set in serious lines. His gaze flicked to me for a second, then Zeke, before he looked at the others. “We have two children missing from the town of St. Albans.”

My gut curdled. Old memories scratched at me with sharp claws.

“The two boys are ten and eleven. Their names are Joe and Hudson. They snuck out past the town wall, and some of their belongings were found abandoned in a field.” He paused. “There were monster prints nearby.”

“Jesus,” Kai murmured.

Across from me, Zeke sucked in a deep breath. He’d been snatched by a monster when he was twelve. He’d survived, but he never, ever talked about it.

“We’re not giving up hope.” Jameson looked at me again. “We’re going to do everything to find them and bring them home to their families.”

One way or another. I heard the unsaid words. I nodded.

“Zeke, you good?” Jameson asked.

The tall man’s chin lifted. “Yes.”

Our leader nodded. “Let’s move out.”

I turned back to my locker. I remembered another boy. Hurt and scared. I’d promised to help him… And I’d failed.

“North?”

Jameson stood behind me. The locker room was empty, and I realized the others had gone to the Talon.

“I’m okay, Jameson. This brings up some bad memories, but I’ll do my job.”

“I know. These kids could still be alive.”

I hoped they were. I pulled my medical backpack on.

Side-by-side, we walked out to the hangar. There were several quadcopters parked in a row. Colbie was already in the cockpit of our Talon. She waved at us through the glass, and Jameson and I climbed aboard.

“Prepare for takeoff,” Colbie said.

I sat, and a moment later, a siren sounded. I knew the roof overhead was retracting. The Talon lifted off.

As soon as the Talon cleared the base, I stared down at the green fields around us. The aircraft swiveled and we headed north. St. Albans was a small, inland town, north of New Sydney.

“Any description on the monster that took the kids?” Jess asked.

Jameson shook his head. “No one saw it. They sent through pictures of the prints.” He pulled out his communicator, and tilted it so we could see.

My gut hardened. Hell . It was big. The print had three huge claws and made me think of fossilized dinosaur tracks I’d seen in images.

“They said there was a pungent smell,” Jameson added. “Like rotting mud.”

Jess nodded, and made some notes on her own communicator.

I turned my head to look out the window. I wasn’t sure if I was hoping the kids were alive, or had been given a quick death. Monsters could cause a lot of damage without killing.

Old memories pushed at me again, but I ruthlessly locked them down.

I needed to focus on saving these two boys, not thinking of the one I hadn’t saved.

Jess

I’d known that seeing North this morning would be awkward.

It was weird. I was sitting across from him, and all I could think about was the fact that he’d been inside me, that he’d made me come. My belly filled with heat.

I swallowed, and stroked the cool metal of my carbine. I’d expected some glares or something, but all I’d gotten were a few long gazes, and now he seemed preoccupied.

Next to him, Zeke’s face was totally blank. He was usually hard to read but right now, I got nothing off him.

“Marc?”

“Hmm.” My squad mate was sitting beside me and gave me a small smile.

“Why did Jameson ask if Zeke was okay with this mission?”

Marc’s smile faded and he glanced at his brother. “Zeke got snatched by a monster. He was twelve. He made it, but…”

I saw a terrible darkness flit through Marc’s eyes. It had to have been hard on Zeke and on Marc.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on my bro,” Marc said. “He’ll do everything he can to save those boys.”

I glanced at North again. “Is North okay?”

Marc blew out a breath. “When it’s kids, it’s tough on him.” He leaned in closer, keeping his voice low. “On an early mission, he rescued a boy. A teenager. A monster had torn the kid up really badly, and the boy was terrified. North did everything he could, but…the kid didn’t make it.”

“Oh.” I glanced back at North. His jaw was so tight it looked like granite, and I wanted to touch him, comfort him.

I curled my fingers into my palm.

He wasn’t mine to touch or comfort. We were colleagues. Squad mates. We couldn’t be more than that, no matter how good the sex was.

I was here to be a member of Hunter Squad. I was going to expand my monster research. I’d promised my dad on his deathbed that I’d do this, and live to the fullest.

He’d been so proud of my work.

“You can see New Sydney below us.”

I startled and looked at North. He tilted his head toward the window.

I shifted over and looked out. Oh .

Ruined buildings filled the landscape below us. Just ahead lay what remained of the city center. There were still some skyscrapers standing, while others were in tatters. One section of the city was different. It was surrounded by a sturdy, metal wall. The streets were clear of debris, and the buildings were lower and looked newer. One looked grander than the others, with a domed roof. I assumed this was the rebuilt center of New Sydney.

Then the Sydney Harbor Bridge came into view. It was broken, the two sides no longer meeting over the water.

Wait . I leaned closer to the window. There were workers on the structure. A large crane was set up on the northern side.

“They’re rebuilding the bridge?”

“Yeah,” Jameson said. “It’s the main access across the harbor north and south. Right now, people have to fly or take a boat across. Plus, it’s also a symbol. That things can be rebuilt.”

My gaze drifted over the water of the harbor as it stretched eastward toward the ocean. Then, the city center was gone, and there were more ruined suburbs below. Every now and then, I’d spot a lone building that seemed untouched by the chaos.

We continued north, and soon we moved over a dense spread of trees. Ahead was a large river.

“This was all national park,” North said. “And that’s the Hawkesbury River.”

“We took down some monsters hanging in the river last year,” Marc said. “They kept stealing cattle from a nearby town. They were holed up in the rusted shipwreck of an old Australian Navy ship from the 1900s.”

The Talon changed directions, following a smaller tributary of the larger river.

“St. Albans ahead,” Colbie said.

“Jameson,” Sasha’s voice came clearly over the comm line. “The town leader is waiting for you, her name is Danielle. Along with her head of security, Garth. They’ll meet you on arrival.”

A small, walled township nestled beside the curve of a river came into view. The land around it was hilly, and quite pretty; green and lush. Some smaller, walled enclosures sat outside the town proper, and I realized that they were for livestock.

A group of people was waiting outside the gates for us. Several guards stood nearby, weapons in hand. The Talon descended and landed.

I followed the others off the aircraft. A woman with steel-gray hair stepped forward. She looked like she was in her mid-sixties, and her gaze shone with sharp intelligence.

“Hunter Squad, I’m St. Albans town leader Danielle Fraser.”

“I’m Jameson Steele.” Jameson shook the woman’s hand. “Tell us everything, so we can get started.”

She nodded. “The boys snuck out early, before school. They found a spot where they could get through the gates.” She huffed out a breath. “They’re both bright, curious, and adventurous. Too adventurous.”

“You found some of their gear?” Jameson asked.

She nodded. “We believe they were going to see some of the livestock.”

“Show us the area where you think they might have been taken.”

A tall man stepped forward. “I’ll take you. I’m Garth Stevens, Head of Security for St. Albans.”

“How long have they been gone?” I asked.

“They were discovered missing when they didn’t turn up to school.” Grim lines bracketed Garth’s mouth. “Their parents were working. The boys have been gone for over four hours.”

Shit . That was a long time.

“Is that them?” a woman’s sharp voice said.

We all looked up. A frantic woman, along with a couple, was pushing out the gates toward us.

The woman’s face was lined with fear and worry. “You’re going to find Hudson? He’s my only child. He’s all I have.”

The couple grabbed her, and the other woman hugged her. The man was tall and slim, and kept his arm around both of them.

He looked over. His shirt was rumpled and his hair messy, likely from running a hand through it. “Our son Joe is missing, too. He and Hudson are best friends.”

“We’ll do everything we can to bring them home,” Jameson said.

I glanced at North. There was a desolate look in his eyes, and I took a step toward him.

His gaze sliced my way and his face shuttered.

“We’re going to find them,” I said quietly.

He gave a brief nod. “We’ll try.”

We followed the head of security through some trees. There was a round enclosure near the river, filled with mooing cows.

“The Macdonald River has created excellent farmland,” Garth said. “People have been farming here for hundreds of years, I—” He gripped the back of his neck. “Please find the boys.”

That’s when I saw the shoe in the grass by the cows. A kid-sized running shoe. Nearby, there was a comm unit with a cracked screen and a toy. I crouched down. It was a small robot.

“They were taken here,” Garth said.

I lifted the robot. The paint was worn off in parts. It was white with a touch of red. It was well-loved. Oh, God. The shoe was so small, and it made my heart squeeze. They were just kids, exploring, pushing boundaries.

Kai crouched and touched the monster print nearby.

“Looks like it was just one creature. Big. Carried both boys.” He rose and followed the trail toward the river. He paused and looked back. “I can track it.”

Jameson nodded. “We’ll find them.”

Danielle nodded and wrapped her arms around her middle. “Please. They’re good kids, and they don’t deserve this.”

“We’ll do our best.” Jameson turned and jerked his head. “Hunter Squad, move out.”

I slipped the robot into my pocket. I was going to give it back to whichever boy it belonged to.

Kai took the lead, moving at a steady pace along the river, following the prints and signs. There were spots in which I couldn’t see any trace, yet Kai knew where to go. He was good.

We crossed a green field, and I saw the ruins of a very old stone building. A chimney was still standing but the rest was rubble.

“Lots of old historic buildings from when the Europeans first settled here,” North said.

We crossed through the river, splashing as we came out the other side. On this bank, the trees thickened. I looked up at some birds squawking in one of the trees. I was so busy admiring them, I tripped on a tree root.

A strong hand grabbed my elbow and caught me. I turned and looked at North. “Thanks.”

He gave me one nod.

As he moved ahead, I still felt tingles from his touch. Then I remembered other places he’d touched me.

Jess, stop thinking about him.

Ahead, Kai paused. His brows drew together as he studied the ground.

“The tracks have stopped.” Marc looked around. “The ground’s really dry here.”

No . I looked at the hills around us. We needed a trail, or we’d never find the kids.

Kai crouched and pressed his palm to the soil. He closed his eyes.

A minute passed, and Kai didn’t move or say anything. Nor did the others.

“What’s he doing?” I murmured.

North got a strange expression on his face. “He’s reading the earth.”

My brows drew together. “But there’s nothing to read. There are no prints.”

“No, he’s not looking for prints. His mother is really connected to nature. He doesn’t have her full abilities, but he can still…feel things. Through the earth.”

My brows winged up. Oh, wow.

Then Kai rose and pointed. “They went that way.”