Chapter 10
Hunter
The second I saw him move, I knew he was coming for us.
Late teens, maybe early twenties. Shaved head, jacket too big for his frame, but the piece in his hand was solid—a Ruger Security-9, held just loose enough to tell me he wasn’t as seasoned as he wanted to look.
He stopped a few feet in front of us, blocking the way forward with an easy smirk. “You lost?”
Jada stiffened beside me, but I didn’t stop moving. Slow, deliberate steps, like I wasn’t a threat. Like I hadn’t already mapped out exactly how to take him apart.
“We’re looking for someone,” I said. “Not looking for trouble.”
His smirk widened. “Yeah? Then why don’t you tell me why you’re walkin’ through my block like you own it?”
The gun lifted—just an inch, just enough for me to see the confidence creeping in. A mistake.
I moved before he could blink.
One step forward, my left hand snapping his wrist sideways, gun shifting in his grip as his finger barely had time to tighten on the trigger. He made a choked sound, more surprise than pain, but it didn’t matter. My Glock was already in my hand.
A second later, it was pressed under his chin. Punk’s smirk was gone.
“Where’s Copper?” I asked, my voice low. Even.
His throat bobbed. “Shit, man. You—what the hell? You cops?”
I cocked the gun, the sound loud in the empty street. My expression didn’t change. “Do I look like a cop?”
He swallowed again, eyes darting to Jada, then back to me. His bravado cracked.
“Fine. Yeah. I know him. I’ll take you to him.”
I stepped back, letting the tension stretch. Then I flicked the safety back on and shoved the Glock into the waistband of my jeans.
“Lead the way.”
The building he led us to smelled like sweat, smoke, and something rank beneath it all—rotting wood, maybe. The walls were peeling, covered in graffiti, the floor scattered with trash. A single exposed bulb flickered in the ceiling, casting long, erratic shadows.
Copper looked exactly like I expected him to be—sprawled in a beat-up chair, boots kicked up onto a scuffed table, a cigarette burning between his fingers. Two guys flanked him, both watching us with the kind of lazy interest that only lasted until they saw something worth moving for.
But it was Copper’s reaction that mattered. His gaze landed on Jada first, and the smirk that spread across his face sent a slow burn of rage through my veins. “Didn’t think I’d see you again, sweetheart.”
Jada went rigid beside me, her breath shuddering just slightly—enough that I knew she was scrambling for a memory that wasn’t there. But before she could speak, I took a step forward, my body shifting in front of hers. Blocking his view.
Copper’s eyes flicked up to mine, and for the first time, I saw a hint of curiosity. He hadn’t been expecting me.
“What do you want?” he asked, voice slow, casual.
I didn’t waste time. “Information.”
He exhaled smoke, studying me. “Gonna need you to be more specific, man.”
“The memory drug,” I said. “The one you call Blank Space. Who makes it. How to counteract it.”
That smirk twitched again. He took another drag off his cigarette, then tapped the ashes onto the table. “You came all this way for that?” His eyes flicked past me toward Jada again, calculating. “Or is this about something else?”
I clenched my jaw. “The drug.”
Copper chuckled, shaking his head. “You boys never learn. You think you’re owed something?” He spread his hands wide, like he was delivering bad news. “Not how it works.”
That didn’t even make any sense. Copper didn’t know me. I had no sense of entitlement. His men shifted beside him, their weight settling. Readying.
This wasn’t about the drug at all. I already knew where this was going.
Good.
Because I was ready, too. “All I want is information. This doesn’t have to get ugly.”
He jerked his chin toward his guys. “I’ll tell you what. You put down my boys here in under a minute with no weapons, I’ll give you the answers you want.”
I exhaled through my nose, slow. Controlled. “And if I don’t?”
Copper’s smirk sharpened. He flicked his cigarette away and spread his hands wide. “Then they do whatever they want with you.” His gaze slid past me to Jada, and something inside me went ice-cold. “And the woman with you? She’s mine.”
Jada tensed beside me. I didn’t look at her. Didn’t move my eyes from Copper’s smug face.
Low. Even. Deadly. “Fine. Clock starts when the first one moves.”
The biggest of the three, a six-foot-five brick wall with tattoos snaking up his thick neck, grinned like he thought this was going to be fun. His knuckles cracked as he rolled his shoulders, then took a step forward. “Let’s go.”
Big mistake. I moved before his foot even planted.
I was on him in less than two seconds. My left hand shot out, grabbed his wrist and twisted at the same time my booted foot connected with his knee. The snap of bone was quick, sharp, swallowed by his shout of pain as his knee buckled. Before he could fall, I wrenched him forward, driving my elbow into the side of his skull. He dropped.
One down. I had to have at least forty-five seconds left.
The second guy reacted fast, swinging wide. Sloppy. Predictable. I ducked, twisted into him, and slammed him into the nearest wall. The force knocked the air from his lungs in a wheezing gasp. I didn’t give him time to recover. A sharp knee to his ribs had him doubling over, and a quick elbow to the back of his head sent him crumpling.
Two down.
The third man hesitated.
He was smarter than the other two, but not smart enough to walk away. Instead, he lunged. His punch was faster, aimed straight at my face. I ducked, pivoted, and kicked his leg out from under him.
He didn’t go down easy. He rolled, came up swinging, this time a knife in his hand. I didn’t have time to debate the fact that he was breaking the rules of engagement. He got one good slice across my bicep before I blocked, countered, grabbed his wrist, and torqued him sideways. His own momentum worked against him.
He hit the floor hard, and before he could get up, I drove my knee into his chest, and he lost his grip on the knife. One well-placed punch and his body went limp.
I stood, exhaled slowly. Rolled my shoulders as I glanced at Copper.
“Fifty-four seconds. Impressive.” His smirk had slipped, eyes narrowing as he flicked a glance at his unconscious men. He tapped his fingers against the table like he was weighing his options.
I turned my head slightly toward Jada. “You good?”
She let out a breath. “Yeah.”
Copper blew out a slow, annoyed exhale, rubbing his jaw. “Gotta say, man, that was quite a feat.”
I didn’t respond. Just stared at him, waiting.
He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “All right, all right. You win.” His smirk came back, smaller now, edged with something I couldn’t quite place. “I’ll tell you about your little memory-wiping drug.”
I rolled my shoulders again, letting my body settle from the fight. My breathing was even. My hands steady. My mind clear.
He eyed me, then Jada, before finally leaning back in his chair. “It’s called Blank Space on the street. Supposed to erase trauma, bad memories, all that psychological bullshit people don’t wanna deal with. But it’s unstable.” He lifted a shoulder. “Just as likely to kill someone as it is to work.”
Jada stiffened next to me. I didn’t look at her, but I felt the way her breathing hitched, the slight shift in her posture. Caleb had already told me this yesterday, but it was new info to her.
I took a step closer to Copper, making sure his focus stayed on me. “How do you counter it?”
He snorted. “You don’t.”
I held his gaze. “Don’t screw with me.”
He spread his hands, a larger smirk playing at his lips. “I’m not. Guy who created the drug went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, from what I understand. So there’s no antidote, no reversal. If there was, don’t you think I’d be selling that instead?” His eyes flicked to Jada again, slow and mocking. “I warned her about that when I sold it to her. Figured she’d listen.” Another smirk. God, I was getting fucking tired of it. “Not that women ever do.”
Jada went rigid beside me, but she didn’t say anything.
Copper leaned back, lazy and smug, his gaze dragging over Jada like she was a thing he owned. “You know, last time we talked, I told you what would happen if you came back. Seeing you today, I figure that meant you wanted it.”
Jada inhaled sharply, but I was already moving, stepping in front of her again, cutting off whatever question was about to leave her lips. She didn’t need to ask. I already knew where this was going.
Copper’s eyes glinted, his grin slow and deliberate. “You, me, a little alone time. You were all about it, baby.”
Jada went completely still behind me, her silence sharp as a blade.
I didn’t give her time to process it. Didn’t give him time to breathe. Things were turning ugly. Copper was stalling—as obnoxiously as possible, but still stalling. Probably waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
We needed to get out of here right fucking now. There was no way I was letting this asshole get his hands on Jada.
I grabbed him by the throat, pulled him out of his chair, and slammed him against the wall. The impact rattled the table, sent his cigarette rolling off the edge.
“We’re leaving.”
His hands clawed at my wrist, his smirk finally slipping. Two of the guys I’d put down were still groaning on the floor, but I wasn’t stupid. Reinforcements would come soon. The second I let go, I knew this whole place would turn hostile.
I tightened my grip just enough to watch the panic creep into Copper’s eyes as he realized he couldn’t break free. Then I let go.
I turned, grabbed Jada’s wrist, and pulled her with me. Fast. Direct. We needed to be out before Copper figured out how to breathe and use his voice again.
We made it outside before I heard him yelling for his people to stop us. I didn’t slow down for a second.