Hunting Her Box Set

She’s so pale. Entirely fragile.

Hunter is going to kill me… That’s if she gets out of here safely. If not, I’m sure he’ll think of a punishment much worse than death. And I’ll deserve that, too.

I’d begged her to bring me back to Portland and added a dash of emotional blackmail. Then I’d increased my argument with a feminist protest.

She hadn’t been able to ignore my pleas to let me slay my own demons. Despite her obvious reluctance, she concocted the plan to steal Hunter’s car and beat the men back to Richard.

Now she lies lifeless at my feet, the bruising on her face swelling as it darkens.

I wordlessly beg her to wake up. To blink. To show a sign that she’s still okay.

I wiggle a little more, nudging my chair leg against her knee as a deafening pop echoes through our metal cage. The gunshot makes the world stop. I don’t move, don’t breathe. But the shock isn’t enough for me to miss the jolt of Sarah’s hands.

She heard it.

She’s awake beneath those closed eyes.

As men shout orders, arm themselves, and fill the warehouse with panic, I continue to watch her, waiting for another sign that doesn’t come.

“Sarah,” I mumble into the gag. “Please, Sarah.”

She doesn’t blink or flinch. There’s no sign of life for long seconds. Then her pinkie finger taps against the concrete, twice, in quick succession.

That’s it. That’s all the acknowledgement she gives me, and it’s all I need.

I suck in a deep breath and sit up straight, trying not to let fear take over. I try so damn hard to picture my brother making the shot instead of taking it. Then the sound rings out again and again, the night being blasted with gunfire.

Kyle pulls out his gun and rushes to crouch behind my chair, while the men in the distance form a wall a few feet back from the door, acting as warriors to protect Drake, who remains behind them.

“I’m coming in,” Cole yells from outside.

Sweet exhilaration fills my belly, growing and expanding. It takes all my restraint not to scream out in relief when the door swings wide and he storms inside, an unfamiliar man held hostage at his chest.

“The dead guy in the parking lot is the price you pay for messing with my family,” he seethes. “How many more do you want to lose?”

He’s okay. He’s safe.

Not even a wrinkle or stain mars his tailored suit.

But he’s still alone. There’s no sign of Sebastian. No Hunter.

The men retreat as he approaches, their weapons at the ready, while the barrel of a gun slides across my temple from the coward at my back.

“Don’t move,” Kyle whispers in my ear. “You know I’ll shoot.”

I do as he says, not daring to move a muscle.

“She owes me money.” Drake walks backward, leading the way toward me.

“Then you come to me.” Cole’s voice roars through the empty space. “You never approach her. You never lay a hand on my fucking family.”

My eyes burn as I watch.

He isn’t fearful. Not even when outnumbered six to one. There’s a wealth of determination ebbing from him. An undeniable lack of doubt.

But there’s no doubt in Drake either. He turns his back to Cole and strides toward me with an open grin. “Your sister was a means to an end, my friend.”

“I’m not your friend.” Cole drags his hostage closer, the three goons following with him. “I will, however, be your executioner.”

Drake laughs, the sound a strategic taunt as he swings around and pulls a gun from the back of his pants. I don’t have a chance to scream. I barely feel myself blink as he fires, shooting Cole’s prisoner in the stomach.

There’s blood, so much blood, as the man wails and slumps to the ground.

What’s worse is the look on my brother’s face.

The confidence and sheer determination he had moments before is gone. I glimpse his shock, then the terror, before he hides the weakness under a mask of indifference.

Oh, God.

We’re not going to make it out of here. We’re all going to die. Just like the man on the floor who’s coughing the life from his lungs.

“Don’t look, Keira,” Cole demands. “Close your fucking eyes.”

No. I can’t.

I’ve done this.

I started the chain reaction that will lead to our deaths.

“What are you going to do now, Torian?” Drake keeps his weapon raised, the barrel now pointing in Cole’s direction. “You’ve got no hostage, and I’ve got a man with a gun to your sister’s head.”

Cole raises a brow. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

“No, you’re supposed to be scared. And you’re also supposed to drop your weapon.”

Cole complies, the gun falling to his feet. “You’re going to have to try harder because all you’re doing is digging yourself into a hole you won’t get out of. No amount of owed money justifies your actions. You’re all going to die for this.”

“This stopped being about money a long time ago.”

“You plan on taking over with these four, plus the guy hiding behind my sister?” Cole smirks and indicates the human wall protecting Drake with a wave of his hand. “My men are loyal. Whether I’m dead or alive, they won’t stop until you’re gu

“Loyal? For starters, you came here alone. That doesn’t scream loyalty to me.” Drake moves to my side, and Kyle takes the hint to step away. “Not even your own flesh and blood is devoted to your family. Didn’t Keira tell you about our agreement?”

Cole doesn’t respond. He stands tall, unaffected by the taunts.

“I still don’t have your attention?” Drake muses. “You’re right, I’ll have to try harder.”

His fingers tangle in my hair, gentle at first, then he yanks at the strands, forcing my head back and a shriek from my throat. “Once you’re dead, I’m going to hurt her. We’re all going to hurt her.”

My neck screams in protest, the pain taking over my shoulders. It’s nothing in comparison to my regret.

“And everything you do to Keira will be reciprocated tenfold. If not by me, then by my father.”

“I’ll deal with that if it happens.” Drake releases my hair and jerks his chin at one of his thugs. “Kill him.”

My heart stops. I can’t breathe.

I stare at Cole, wide-eyed and frantic, as I wordlessly beg for him to tell me what to do.

“Close your eyes, Kee.”

No. I shake my head over and over as my heart kicks back into action, beating so wildly it pounds in my throat.

“Please,” I plead into the gag. “Please. Please. Please.”

“Close your eyes.” His words are gentle. Peaceful. “Don’t remember me like this.”

The man stops a foot away and aims for my brother’s head.

This can’t be happening. It can’t.

How could one stupid decision cause me to be responsible for his death?

“Keira, don’t look.” This time it’s a demand. An order. “Shut your eyes.”

I keep shaking my head. No. No. No. But I listen.

For one last time, I promise to obey.

Tears blaze down my cheeks as I sob into the gag, my eyes squeezed shut, my chin tucked into my chest.

Then the gunshot sounds, and I scream and scream and scream.