Chapter 3 Hunter
HUNTER
Islam Kevin against the wall, my forearm crushing his windpipe. His feet dangle inches above the ground as his face rapidly turns purple.
“Where would Jax take them?” I release enough pressure to let him speak.
“I don’t know.” His voice comes out in a rasp.
I press harder. “Wrong answer.”
Penn stands behind me, arms crossed. “He’s one of Jax’s closest lieutenants, Hunt. He knows.”
Kevin’s eyes bulge as I increase the pressure. “I swear—”
I drop him to the floor. He collapses, gasping. Before he can recover, I place my foot on his throat. “You have five seconds.”
“There’s a network,” he chokes out. “Safe houses.”
I ease up slightly. “What network?”
“Jax has properties... off book. Not in Viper records.”
I exchange a look with Penn. This is news to both of us.
“How many?” I demand.
“Twenty, maybe thirty, all of them spread across the country.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” I press my heel deeper.
Kevin’s eyes dart between Penn and me. “Jax’s orders. Said you didn’t need to know.”
I remove my foot but deliver a swift kick to his ribs. “Locations. Now.”
While Penn restrains him, I fetch my laptop. Kevin reluctantly identifies twelve locations on a map. Properties purchased through shell companies, completely disconnected from official Viper assets.
“Why keep this from me specifically?” I ask, though I already suspect the answer.
Kevin hesitates. Blood trickles from his split lip.
“Tell him,” Penn demands.
“Jax thinks you’re positioning to take over,” Kevin mumbles. “Has for years. Said your ambition makes you dangerous.”
“And the others knew about this?” I keep my voice deadly calm.
Kevin nods. “Most senior members. We were instructed to compartmentalize information around you. Jax said it was insurance.”
Ice forms in my veins as I process this information. For years, I’ve been the outsider in an organization I helped to build.
“When did this start?” I ask.
“After you brought in the Westcott acquisition. Jax said anyone who could orchestrate a hostile takeover that clean would eventually come for his position.”
I slam my fist into the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster.
Kevin flinches.
“I never wanted his fucking position,” I snarl. “Not once.”
The irony burns like acid. For years, I’ve declined opportunities to challenge Jax’s leadership. I built Reed Technologies specifically to have my own separate power base—not to threaten the Vipers hierarchy.
“You believe him?” Penn asks.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I pace the room, rage building with each step. “Jax took me in when I had nothing. Taught me everything about power, control, loyalty.”
Loyalty. The word tastes bitter now.
“I respected him,” I continue, my voice dropping to something dangerous. “When others questioned his methods, I defended him. When opportunities came to split the organization, I refused.”
Every decision I’ve made has been about strengthening our position, not undermining Jax. My work brought the Vipers into legitimate business spheres we would never have been able to access otherwise.
“And this is how he repays loyalty,” I say, gesturing to Kevin. “With paranoia and betrayal.”
Penn remains silent, watching me process this revelation. He knows me well enough to give me space.
“I built an empire that made us untouchable,” I say, my voice eerily calm. “And while I was doing that, he was plotting against me.”
I turn back to Kevin, who’s still sitting on the floor, wary of my next move.
“Jax’s paranoia will be his undoing,” I say. “He made an enemy where there was none. And now he has what he always feared—me, genuinely coming for him.”
I check my watch. Aurora has been missing for three hours and seventeen minutes.
“Where would he take them first?” I ask Kevin. “You may not know the exact location, but the type of property. What’s his pattern?”
Kevin’s eyes dart between Penn and me, desperation creeping across his face. Good. Fear makes men compliant.
“I’ll ask again,” I say. “Where would Jax take them first?”
When he hesitates, I calmly walk to the toolbox Penn brought in. I select a pair of pliers and test their grip.
“You have ten fingers, ten toes, and various other appendages,” I explain, approaching him. “I’ll remove them one by one until you give me useful information.”
Kevin’s face pales. “Wait—Jax usually starts at the riverside property. Old industrial building.”
I place the pliers against his pinky finger. “You’ve already listed that one. I need something you haven’t told me.”
“I swear, that’s his pattern! Start at the riverside, then move them within forty-eight hours.”
Penn watches silently as I press the pliers into Kevin’s flesh.
“Please,” Kevin whimpers. “I’m telling you everything I know.”
I release his finger and instead grab his hand, extending it with the palm down on the table. In one quick movement, I drive a knife through his hand, pinning it to the wood. His scream is satisfying.
“I don’t have time for half-truths,” I explain, watching blood pool around the blade. “Aurora has been missing for three hours and twenty-two minutes. Every minute you waste, I’ll add something new to your pain.”
Kevin’s sobbing now. “There’s—there’s a basement level at the riverside property. Not on any blueprints. Jax keeps it for special interrogations.”
I twist the knife, causing him to howl.
“Continue,” I say, feeling nothing but cold purpose.
“Concrete cells, soundproofed. Military-grade security. You need a retinal scan and a six-digit code to access it.”
“The code?”
“Changes weekly. This week it’s 391844.”
I lean close to his ear. “If this information is incorrect, I’ll find you again. What I’m doing now will seem merciful compared to what comes next.”
I withdraw the knife from Kevin’s hand and wipe the blade on his shirt sleeve. His whimpers fade into the background as my mind races through the logistics of infiltrating Jax’s riverside property.
“Penn, call Blaze, and Grayson. Tell them to meet us at the southeast quadrant access point in thirty minutes. Full tactical gear.”
I turn to Kevin, who’s clutching his bleeding hand against his chest.
“You’re coming with us.”
“What? No, please—Jax will know I helped you—”
I grab his neck, squeezing enough to silence him. “You think I care about your problems? Aurora has been in Jax’s hands for long enough. You’re our access key.”
Penn makes the calls while I force Kevin into a chair and have our medic patch his hand enough to keep him functional.
“What about Ari?” Penn asks when he returns. “Is he stable?”
“Barely. Whatever they injected him with was strong. Doctor says he’ll be out of action for at least six more hours.”
I check my weapons—two Glocks at my hips, tactical knife in my boot, garrote wire in my jacket pocket. The weight feels reassuring against my body.
“Ari stays under protection. When he’s conscious, have him join as backup if he’s able.”
Kevin watches. “You know what you’re doing is suicide, right? Jax has at least twenty men at that compound.”
I don’t bother answering. Numbers mean nothing. Strategy means everything.
“What about the girls?” Penn asks quietly. “Aurora and Olivia—what shape do you think they’re in?”
Something dark twists inside me at the thought of Aurora in that basement, frightened, possibly hurt. The primal part of me wants to tear through the city with my bare hands, ripping apart anyone between us.
Instead, I force ice into my veins. Emotions are a liability now.
“Jax won’t harm them immediately. They’re leverage.
But every hour increases the risk.” I check my watch again.
Three hours, forty-seven minutes since Aurora vanished.
“We leave in five minutes,” I announce. “If Jax wants war, I’ll give him extinction. ”
Something unfamiliar burns in my chest, spreading through my body like wildfexcruire. This isn’t the usual detached calculation that I typically feel.
I close my eyes for a moment, seeing Aurora’s face behind my eyelids. Her defiance when we first met on that cliff. Her reluctance turned to passion in her father’s garden. Her vulnerability when I held her through the night.
My hands clench into fists, knuckles white with strain. This is beyond possession. Beyond obsession.
“Hunt, we need to move,” Penn says, breaking into my thoughts.
I nod, checking my weapons one last time, but my mind remains fixated on Aurora. I’ve been with countless women but never felt this excruciating sense of... fear.
“I’ll find you,” I whisper under my breath, the promise like a prayer. “Whatever it takes.”
The realization hits me with physical force, nearly staggering me where I stand. This isn’t just about reclaiming something that belongs to me. This isn’t about winning against Jax or proving my dominance.
I’m in love with her.
Love is a vulnerability I’ve spent my entire life avoiding. Love is weakness, distraction, and compromise.
Yet here I am, ready to burn down the entire organization I helped build, prepared to kill the man who mentored me—all for Aurora.
“You okay?” Penn asks, studying my face.
“No,” I answer honestly, strapping on my tactical vest. “I won’t be okay until she’s safe.”
I’ve never needed anyone before. Now I need Aurora like oxygen.