As soon as we’re far enough away from the house, I stop and turn to face him.
“How did you find me?”
He smiles. “Come on, Hawk. You’re really asking that question? You and I both know The Elite can track anyone they choose. There is no hiding place, and no escape.”
“So what happens now?”
“I thought there was something odd that night when you tried to persuade me to let her go with you. It must have been difficult when Typhon chose her.”
My hands curl into fists, an action that doesn’t go unnoticed by Viper. I don’t answer. I don’t need to. He knows.
“Why her?”
I figure there’s no harm in telling him the truth. He can smell a lie anyway. “She wasn’t meant to be there. I chose her for me, not for The Elite.”
“That’s not how this works and you know it.”
I shake my head vigorously. “I disagree. An order wasn’t placed for someone of Calla’s description. I spotted her long before that night. I bided my time, carefully chose my moment, and then Baron fucked everything up.”
“Ah, Baron.” Viper rubs his fingers over his lips. “Unfortunately, Baron met a rather gruesome end. His body washed up about thirty miles south of our facility. Someone had knifed him. Broke several ribs in the process, too. Must’ve driven that knife in with some anger. And some power.”
He peruses me, looking me up and down, waiting for a confession. He knows I did it.
I shrug. “He had it coming.”
“That may be, but it’s not your call.”
Anger rears inside me as I recall how I felt when Calla staggered into that room, her eyes wild with fear, and I knew I was powerless to stop her fate.
“It was my fucking call,” I roar. “He stole something that belonged to me. He’s fucking lucky I made it quick. If I’d had the time, I’d have tortured the bastard for days for what he did.”
Viper doesn’t look remotely affronted at my outburst. In fact, his lips even curve slightly.
“And what about Typhon? You must want to kill him, too, surely. If this girl means as much to you as I figure, given your robust defense of her honor.”
My lips thin into a flat line. He isn’t wrong, but killing Typhon is way beyond my pay grade, as Viper knows only too well.
“If I could, believe me, I would.”
Viper chuckles. “I’ve no doubt. But this is a conundrum, Hawk. You and I both know you’ve broken a rule here, one that comes with penalties.”
I had hoped our long association might mean he would cut me some slack, but he isn’t going to. I’ll have to use my trump card. I reach into the pocket of my thick coat and close my fingers around the oval object. I hold it in the palm of my hand, ready to reveal it when necessary. Before I give it up, I want to know what Viper has in mind for my punishment. If I’m the one who suffers, I’m okay with that. If it’s Calla, then it’s a no.
“What kind of penalties?”
He cants his head to the side. “You’re my best tracker, Hawk. I don’t want to lose you. I haven’t told anyone else what you’ve done yet, and that affords me a little leeway. So here’s what I’ll do. You take that girl to where she should have ended up that night and forget about her, then get your ass back to work and we’ll say no more about her or Baron’s untimely death. But refuse, and…” He draws a finger across his throat. “And that goes for her, too.”
I feel the weight of the marker in my hand, and it calms me. If I didn’t have it, I’d kill Viper with my bare hands for daring to suggest I ship Calla off to a brothel without giving it a second thought. I wouldn’t survive killing someone of Viper’s standing within The Elite organization, but I’d make damn sure Calla did. He already told me no one else knows about her.
But I don’t want to kill Viper. Instead, I extend my arm and open my hand.
His eyes go wide, and he plucks the object from my palm, examining it carefully. It’s completely genuine, and he knows it, too. His head comes up, surprise tightening the skin across his cheekbones.
“She’s worth this much to you?”
I nod. “I love her.”
His lips twist to the side. “You must, to give up something as valuable as this. Where did you get it?”
“A few years ago, I saved the life of one of the top commanders in The Elite. It’s a personal story and one I don’t intend to share with you, but he gave me that and told me to use it when I saw no other way out.” I shrug. “I see no other way out.”
Viper slips it into his pocket and glances in the direction of my cabin, then returns his attention to me.
“I hope she’s worth it, Hawk.”
“She is.”
He gives me a tight smile and holds out his hand. I shake it.
“I expect you back at work within the week. I’ll email you with the criteria I’m looking for.”
“Another Red,” I say with a smile.
He stares at me in mock horror. “Dear God, no. Don’t do that to me.”
I laugh, the tension that’d ridden me since I spotted his car ebbing away. We walk back to the house and Viper gets in his car to leave. I wait until his car lights disappear, then go inside. Calla gets to her feet and wraps her arms around my waist.
“Is everything okay?”
I flick her hair over her shoulders and bend to kiss her. “More than okay, my sweet girl. In fact, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Thank you for reading Claimed, part of the Stalkers’ Anthology. An extended version of this story will be coming soon, so if you’re interested in hearing more from Hawk and Calla, be sure to
