Page 29 of The Tracker's Mate: Sunderverse

I put my one towel on the shelf, unwrapped a bar of soap, and set my toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter. It was all simple and basic, but I felt empowered all the same. Everything in the condo was mine, bought with my own money.

When the bell rang, I answered the door without looking. My stomach was growling at the thought of my juicy burger, but when I opened the door something much taller than the triple-decker I’d ordered was waiting for me.

“Jake,” I blinked in surprise, “what are you doing here? How did you know where to find me?”

“Rosalina told me.”

I’m going to kill her, I thought.

Don’t do that,Jake thought back.

Damn, I hadn’t meant to think that so loudly.

Jake shrugged. “Rosalina only told me because I twisted her arm.”

“You’d better not have laid a finger on her.”

“I meant that in the figurative sense, of course. May I come in?”

I put a hand on my hip. “Nope. You’re not welcome here.”

He opened his mouth to say something when steps sounded behind him. He abruptly turned, crouching low, ready to attack.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be stupid. It’s just my dinner.”

A pimply guy carrying a large paper bag stopped on a dime, staring wide-eyed at the threatening man standing in the way of his delivery.

I sighed in frustration. “Get in, Jake.”

He crossed the threshold but kept an eye on the guy, who stayed as far away as possible as he handed over the bag. I took it, and he whirled and left in a hurry. I closed the door and stared up at Jake. Tall and imposing, he stood in the little foyer.

So much for my quiet evening.

I took my dinner to the living room, set it up on the coffee table, and sat cross legged on the floor.

Jake glanced around. “I like the new place.”

I made a sound in the back of my throat as I took my first bite and pretty much ignored him. He walked around the armchair across from me and sat, watching me closely. He gave my burger and onion rings a hungry look. His stomach growled, and he licked his lips.

Picking up one of the crunchy rings, I took a bite, rolling my eyes into the back of my head and making a moan of pleasure. I followed that with a big slurp of my strawberry shake.

“Mm, that hits the spot,” I practically moaned, sounding like I’d just had an orgasm.

He pursed his lips and rubbed his chin, judging me hard. “I guess I should’ve grabbed dinner before I headed here. Didn’t think you’d be so inhospitable.”

“I’m not running a restaurant or a soup kitchen here. Hell, I don’t even have anything in my fridge, so if you’re hungry, make this quick and hit the road.”

“Maybe I made a mistake coming here.” He stood and started walking toward the door. “I just thought you might want to know that I found Blake.”

“Wait, what?!” I jumped to my feet, my dinner forgotten. “Where is he?”

He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a crooked smile. “I’ll tell you... if you share your burger. I haven’t eaten all day. Been busy, tracking the bastard and storing him in a safe place.”

“Storing him?”

“Yeah, he’s waiting for us.” As he said this, his voice rang with malice, making me wonder what he had in mind.

I gestured toward my burger. “You can have it all. The rings and shake will hold me.”