Chapter Thirteen #2
The two of them exchanged a glance, and to his own surprise, Archie found himself grinning when the hunter smiled at him. He quickly turned his attention back to Jasper, but maybe Martinez wasn’t a bad guy, after all.
Jasper had said more than once that he was sure that most hunters just wanted to help people.
The way the organization had been led over the past few decades made it impossible for them to, though, and it was time to change that.
Archie didn’t think that once they did, everything would be perfect within the organization, but it would give those hunters a chance to fight for what they thought was right.
It would give Martinez and the others the opportunity to show everyone what the hunters were supposed to be.
* * * *
THE EVENING AIR WAS cool against Jasper’s skin as he worked on the oil change outside the garage. It was way past closing time, and the street was quiet except for the occasional car passing by. Everything was normal. Peaceful.
It was a lie.
Jasper knew Archie was watching from across the street. Kerry and Corey were in the alley to Jasper’s left, and Cullen and Martinez’s hunters weren’t far, either. They were all waiting for the hunters to make their move.
Jasper had volunteered for this. He’d insisted on it despite everyone’s objections, especially Archie’s. He was tired of looking over his shoulder every time he left his apartment. Hell, he couldn’t even live there right now, and he hated that he’d been forced out of his home.
The car he was working on didn’t actually need an oil change—it was Braith’s, placed here to give Jasper a reason to be outside and vulnerable. The perfect bait.
Jasper wiped his hands on a rag and was reaching for the oil filter when he heard footsteps. Multiple sets, moving with purpose and not trying to hide.
They were here, and they were ready to confront him.
“Working late,” a voice called out. There was an edge to it that made Jasper’s skin crawl. “That’s dedication.”
Jasper straightened slowly, turning to face them. Five hunters, all armed and dressed in black, spreading out to cut off his escape routes. He recognized two of them. The leader from last time stepped forward.
“We’ve been looking for you, Jasper,” he said. “You’re a hard man to catch alone.”
“I’m not alone.” Jasper glanced around pointedly, even though the street appeared empty. “This is a public area. Lots of witnesses.”
“Not at this hour.” The man smiled, but it was ugly. There was no happiness there. “Besides, we’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to talk.”
“Usually, people don’t bring weapons to talk.”
“Usually people don’t talk to abominations.” His tone told Jasper all he needed to know. “But you’re special, aren’t you?”
Jasper’s heart was pounding, but he kept his voice steady. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He really didn’t. He’d been involved with Finn’s rescue, but that didn’t fit what the hunter was saying.
“Don’t play dumb. We know what you are. A monster raised by hunters. You’ve been looking into Sanctuary.” The man took another step forward. “We know you’re connected to it.”
Jasper’s breath caught. “What do you know about that?” Even he didn’t know for sure.
“Because we’ve been hunting Sanctuary survivors for years.” The leader’s smile widened. “Ever since we helped destroy that abomination of a place. Monsters and humans, living together, breeding together. We put an end to it years ago, and we’ve been tracking down the survivors ever since.”
Ice flooded Jasper’s veins. These weren’t just random rogue hunters. They were the ones who’d destroyed Sanctuary and had probably killed his parents.
“You murdered those people,” Jasper said. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what had happened there, but he knew Sanctuary was gone and that the hunters had been involved.
These hunters, apparently.
“We eliminated a threat.” The man shrugged. “Some monsters got away.”
Jasper’s hands clenched into fists.
“You’re going to tell us who else survived,” the leader continued. “Every name you’ve found, every lead you’ve uncovered. We’re going to finish what we started.”
Jasper didn’t have any of that, but this man didn’t know, and Jasper wasn’t about to reveal his hand. “Like hell I am.”
“Then we’ll beat it out of you.” He turned to the others. “Take him alive. We need him talking.”
They moved as one, closing in from all sides.
Jasper’s instincts screamed at him to wait for backup, but he was too angry.
These men had destroyed Sanctuary. They’d probably murdered his parents and had spent twenty years hunting down survivors—people like him, like Cullen, like those children they’d rescued.
Jasper met the first hunter head-on. The man swung something at his head, but Jasper was faster than he should’ve been, surprising even himself. He caught the thing mid-swing, ripped it from the hunter’s hand, and drove his fist into the man’s stomach with enough force to lift him off his feet.
The hunter went down hard, gasping for air.
“What the—” another hunter started, but Jasper was already moving.
He’d been holding back all his life, and he hadn’t realized it.
After he’d found out what he was, he’d been afraid of what the monster part of him could do.
He hadn’t known. But now, facing the people who’d destroyed his birth family, he didn’t want to hold back anymore.
He didn’t have to. These hunters were the real monsters, and Jasper wanted to make them pay.
He wanted them to hurt.
Jasper grabbed the second hunter by his vest and threw him into the third with strength that he’d never had before.
They crashed together, falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
The fourth hunter pulled out a knife, but Jasper was faster.
He caught the man’s wrist, twisted until he heard a crack and a scream. The knife fell to the pavement.
“You’re stronger than I expected,” the leader observed, pulling his own weapon—not a knife this time but a gun. “Interesting.”
He fired.
Jasper moved quickly, diving behind the car as the bullet hit the pavement where he’d been standing. His heart was racing, and he was still angry, but he wasn’t stupid. Being a monster didn’t make him bulletproof.
“Stand down!” Martinez’s voice cut through the night as he and his team appeared. “Drop your weapons!”
The hunters hesitated. Their leader was still focused on Jasper, gun raised. “You think you’re the first Sanctuary kid we’ve dealt with? You’re not, and you won’t be the last.” He aimed at Jasper again. “Your parents died begging for mercy. Just like you’re going to—”
Suddenly, Archie was there, tackling the man. The gun fired, but the bullet went high and wide. They hit the ground hard, Archie’s fist hitting the man’s jaw until the man went limp.
The other hunters tried to run, but Kerry and Corey cut them off from one side while Braith blocked the other. Martinez’s team swarmed in, weapons drawn, and within seconds, all five rogue hunters were on the ground, either unconscious or being restrained.
It was over.
Jasper stayed crouched behind the car, breathing hard. His hands were shaking. He’d wanted to hurt these men, and he had.
He didn’t feel guilty about it.
“Jasper.” Archie appeared next to him. His knuckles were bloody. “Are you okay?”
“He said they killed my parents.” Jasper’s voice was rough. “They destroyed Sanctuary. They’ve been hunting survivors for twenty years.”
“I heard.” Archie pulled him into a hug. “But they’re not going to hurt anyone else. Martinez has them. They’re done.”
Jasper buried his face against Archie’s shoulder. “I could have killed them. I wanted to.”
“But you didn’t.” Archie pulled back, cupping Jasper’s face in his hands. “You did it. We got the right guys, and we’re going to find out what Johnson is up to.”
That was what Jasper had wanted. He hadn’t expected Sanctuary to be involved in this, but maybe he shouldn’t be surprised. He’d known something bad had happened there, and he’d somehow ended up with Leroy and had been raised a hunter. Of course the hunters had been involved.
And now, he had the opportunity to find out how and why.
* * * *
ARCHIE’S APARTMENT had never felt so crowded. Kerry and Corey had claimed the couch, Braith was pacing by the windows, Cullen sat cross-legged on the floor, and Jasper was pressed against Archie’s side in the armchair, still coming down from the adrenaline high.
Martinez had been thorough and efficient, and he’d seemed satisfied with how the operation had gone.
The rogue hunters were in custody, and Martinez had personally assured Jasper that they weren’t getting released on some technicality.
They had too much evidence. Jasper wasn’t sure that would hold against Johnson’s power, but it was a start.
Martinez had texted earlier to tell Jasper that he’d already gotten enough answers out of them to find the kids they’d been looking for. The fights were over, at least for now.
And at nearly three in the morning, they were all too wired to sleep.
“I still can’t believe you threw that guy like that,” Braith said, shaking his head at Jasper. “I’ve seen a lot of monsters fight, but that was impressive.”
Jasper ducked his head, embarrassed. “I was angry.”
“You were controlled,” Archie corrected, running his fingers through Jasper’s hair. “You knew what you were doing.”
“Archie’s right,” Corey added. “We were watching the whole time. You were fierce, but you weren’t out of control. You stopped when they went down. You didn’t keep going.”
Jasper didn’t look convinced. He leaned further into Archie’s touch. He’d been quiet since they’d left the scene, probably processing everything that had happened. Archie couldn’t blame him after what they’d learned about what the hunters had done.
Kerry’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then sat up straight. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Archie asked.