Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Hunter had been in hostile territory before, but nothing had prepared him for the particular torture of being trapped in a small office with his mate while she looked at him with wounded honey-brown eyes.
The space was cramped, organized chaos. Recipe binders lined one wall, supplier catalogs stacked on every surface, the desk buried under invoices and order forms. It smelled like vanilla and cinnamon with an undertone of printer ink.
“You’re Hunter Wolf. From .” The way she said it made his chest tight. “We matched two weeks ago? I sent you a message right after... after everything happened.” His wolf went completely still. “I guess I was wondering... Why…”
She waited, those honey eyes patient despite the hurt in them.
Hunter ran a hand through his hair. “I never read your message.” Her brow furrowed.
“I was on a bounty hunt for the last two weeks.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth.
“Lost my target, and I blamed the app for my failure. I deleted it without looking at the match. Without reading your message. Without even seeing who you were.”
She stared at him, processing. “You deleted it.”
“I didn’t reject you. Never even looked.” He gestured at the space between them. “My wolf knows what you are. What we are.”
She absorbed this silently, and he saw something shift in her expression. But he couldn’t focus on that now. Not when she could be in danger.
“But that’s not why I’m here.” His voice hardened, shifting into operational mode. “The murder you witnessed, you need to understand what you’re dealing with. The way you described it to Reynolds, execution style, point-blank. That’s cartel signature.”
Her face paled. “Cartel?”
“The industrial district where you got lost is their territory. It has been for two years. Your van has ‘Sweet Summit Bakery’ painted on both sides. These operations have lookouts and cameras. They document everything that enters their territory.” He leaned forward, needing her to understand. “They don’t leave loose ends.”
“Gabriel said he’s investigating…”
“The police can’t protect you around the clock. Steel Protection has a safe house an hour from here. Full security, comfortable, completely off the grid. You could stay there until this blows over.”
She shook her head immediately. “I can’t. The Winter Festival is in three weeks.”
“We could arrange for you to work during the day with an escort, then back to the safe house at night.”
“That won’t work. I need to be in the bakery at four in the morning. When would I sleep?”
“These aren’t amateurs, Brie.” His voice came out harsher than intended.
“I can’t just leave at our busiest time of year.”
“I’ve seen what these people do to witnesses.” He stood, planting both hands on her desk.
She absorbed this, and he saw the moment it truly hit her. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you saw something that could get you killed.” He set his business card on her desk. “Steel Protection can keep you safe.”
She hesitated. “I have responsibilities. My parents are counting on me. I already screwed up the Harvest Moon Weekend delivery. I can’t make any more mistakes.”
Hunter moved toward the door. “Then I’ll do what I can from the outside.”
He left before she could respond, striding through the kitchen and the front bakery. The November air was sharp when he stepped outside, but he was already planning. She wouldn’t go to the safe house voluntarily? Fine. He’d make her safety his mission from the outside.
He pulled out his phone as he walked to his truck, hitting Dom’s contact.
“How’d it go with the witness?” Dom answered on the second ring.
“Brianna Reyner is my mate.”
Dom was silent for a moment. “That complicates things.”