Chapter Six

Hunter

“Slow down,” Theo said, grabbing with one hand at the dashboard.

Hunter threw Theo an impatient look before he gunned the vehicle onto the freeway. Slow down? Was he fucking stupid? It was a good goddamned thing he and Theo had been sitting in his SUV when those bastards rolled up.

He pressed the accelerator and sped at top speed along the access road that would get him a ticket if caught. A few moments later, he merged between two big rigs.

Finally, the pair of SUVs were lost in his rearview mirror.

It was another five minutes before he took a moment to brush the glass from his shirt. The window had shattered from the hail of bullets. Thankfully, none had hit him or Theo, but someone was going to pay for this. He got over one lane and sped up until the traffic slowed—fucking bumper to bumper.

The SUV’s phone rang, and a number flashed with the incoming call.

Fuck. He gazed at the number…so last night hadn’t been my imagination.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Theo said.

“Yeah.” Instead of hitting the answer button, Hunter snatched up the phone and turned off the Bluetooth before he brought the phone to his ear.

“So that was you.”

“You’re still good Hunter, but you’re losing your edge.”

“How so?” he asked between his clenched teeth, ignoring Theo’s curious eyes.

“Five years ago, you would have caught me in that alley,” Jaxon West said.

“Five years ago, I was a different person,” he sighed, glanced in the rear-view mirror, and switched lanes again. “Why didn’t you stay to talk?”

“You had a shadow.”

Hunter smiled. Seven. He was so much more than a shadow, but Jaxon didn’t need to know that.

“Where are you?” Jaxon asked sharply.

“I’m on the road, why?” He gripped the phone tightly. “Wait…did you have something to do with the men at my house?”

“What men?” Jaxon snapped.

“Five of them from what I could see. Two dark, nondescript SUVs, guns, lots of bullets.”

“Fuck, listen to me.” Jaxon’s sigh came hard over the line. “Is there somewhere you can lay low?”

“I’m not alone.”

Jaxon snorted. “I know Theo is there, probably cowering in the passenger seat.”

“Be nice,” Hunter said and squeezed the wheel and phone simultaneously.

“When have I ever been nice?” Jaxon asked, followed with, “But he is there with you, right?”

“Yes. How’s the bodyguard business?” Hunter murmured.

“It keeps me out of trouble.”

“But not completely,” Hunter countered.

“No. Not completely,” Jaxon agreed.

Which meant that Jaxon still had his foot in Erebus.

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“I think it’s better than the alternative,” Jaxon said.

“What alternative?”

“Not knowing what the fuck is going on over there,” Jaxon said, and Hunter heard a hint of anger in the man’s voice.

“Do you know what this is about?”

“I have an idea, but not over the phone. We’ve already been talking too long.”

“Yeah,” Hunter softly agreed.

“Find someplace and send me a message. I’ll come to you.”

“I will.”

Jaxon hung up before he could say more, and Hunter tucked the cell phone into the inside pocket of his coat. Suddenly, he was fiercely glad Jaxon was in on whatever the fuck was going on. It would make any shit coming down so much easier to handle. In hindsight, though, if Jaxon West had been brought in, something was very wrong. The call to initiate West could only have come from Dave or higher. They didn’t call in people like Jaxon unless something had gone down or was about to. Hunter could surmise a dozen possibilities. He tossed a look at Theo, who sat clutching a gun to his chest.

“Put that away.”

“No.” Theo frowned and gripped it tighter.

“I won’t let them catch us.”

“I’m not taking any chances.” Theo’s chin tipped up and Hunter snorted.

Theo was paranoid and it had probably saved his life more times than not. Hunter couldn’t fault the man for that.

“Who was that on the phone?”

“Someone who may be able to help.” Hunter shot Theo a look.

“They’ll just get dead.” Theo looked glum.

Hunter hoped the hell not, but he saved that comment.

The traffic going north on the freeway cleared up, and some forty-eight minutes later, he got off on the next exit. He’d drive around the area for a while and make sure he hadn’t been followed, but the place he had in mind would be perfect.