Chapter 22 Hunter
HUNTER
The morning light filters through the penthouse windows as I watch Aurora across the kitchen island. She’s stirring her coffee absently, scrolling through news alerts on her tablet. Even in this mundane moment, wearing one of my T-shirts that drowns her slender frame, she’s captivating.
Three days of living together since returning from the mountain safehouse, and I’m addicted to these quiet moments. The way she hums in the shower. How she curls against me in sleep. The domesticity of it feels foreign but strangely right.
“Anything?” I ask, knowing she’s checking for anything about Liv or Jax.
Aurora shakes her head, the worry etching lines between her brows. “Nothing new.”
I circle the island and press my lips to her temple. “The Montana lead is solid. Grayson’s team is narrowing the search grid hourly.”
She leans into me, her body seeking comfort even as her mind refuses it. This balance between us is still new—her allowing herself to need me while maintaining her fierce independence. It’s a delicate dance we’re learning together.
“I know,” she says. “I just—”
“We’ll find her,” I promise, turning her to face me. “Whatever it takes.”
Her fingers trace the line of my jaw—a gesture that’s become familiar in the past days. These small touches communicate more than words ever could between us.
The security panel by the door chimes, interrupting our moment. The penthouse camera feed shows Grayson standing in the private elevator hallway.
“It’s Grayson,” I tell Aurora, noting her immediate tension.
I cross to the door, already sensing something’s wrong from Grayson’s stance. When I open it, my suspicion is confirmed. His normally composed expression is taut, his eyes holding the controlled intensity that only appears when things have gone sideways.
“What happened?” I ask without preamble.
Grayson glances past me to where Aurora stands. His jaw tightens. “We need to talk,” he says, his voice deliberately neutral in that way that sends ice through my veins.
“What’s wrong?” I demand.
Grayson’s eyes dart to Aurora briefly before focusing back on me. “We have a situation.”
I step aside, letting him into the penthouse. Aurora approaches, her posture rigid with anticipation. Her hand finds mine, squeezing.
“Tell us,” I say, gripping Aurora’s hand tighter.
Grayson exhales heavily. “We got a call from Ari about two hours ago. He was in Montana, operating on his own.”
“Montana?” Aurora’s voice rises. “Where Liv might be?”
Grayson nods grimly. “He found the cabin. Confirmed Jax was holding Olivia there.”
“Fuck,” I growl. “Why wasn’t I notified immediately?”
“Because he went dark afterward. Said he was going in.” Grayson’s expression hardens. “We begged him to wait, wait for backup, but he didn’t listen. He was too emotional about Olivia.”
Aurora’s fingers dig into my palm. “What happened?”
“We redirected a surveillance drone to his coordinates.” Grayson pulls out his tablet, his movements precise, controlled. “We were too late. The footage shows Jax taking Liv and Ari, loading them into an unmarked van.”
“Show me,” I demand.
Grayson hands me the tablet. The grainy aerial footage shows a remote cabin surrounded by dense forest. Three figures move across the clearing—Jax’s tall frame unmistakable even from this distance, a second man dragging what appears to be Ari’s unconscious body, and between them, Olivia, her blonde hair catching the sunlight.
I feel Aurora trembling beside me as she watches her sister being forced into a black van that disappears down a dirt road moments later.
“When was this?” I ask, my voice deadly calm.
“Ninety minutes ago.”
“Did the drone follow them?” I ask, my voice tight as I hand the tablet back to Grayson.
He nods, rubbing his jaw with tension evident in every movement. “It followed as far as it could, heading south. But then it ran out of battery and had to return to base. Couldn’t keep following.”
“Fuck.” I turn to the window, mind already mapping possibilities. “Traffic cameras? Highway patrol?”
“There’s no ANPR in the area,” Grayson says. “And they were sticking to the back roads. Local infrastructure is minimal at best.”
Aurora’s face drains of color. I watch her hands begin to shake—the same tremor I’d noticed during her first days of recovery. Her eyes fill with tears as she looks between us.
“Does this mean we’ve lost them forever?” Her voice cracks, raw panic rising. “We were so close! She was right there!” She presses her fist against her mouth, trying to contain a sob. “What if we never find her now?”
I cross to her immediately, taking her face between my hands. “Listen to me. We are going to find them. This isn’t over.”
“But if you don’t know where—”
“We’ll know,” I say firmly. “Jax can’t go far without leaving traces. He’s arrogant, thinks he’s invincible. That makes him predictable.”
Aurora’s breathing comes too fast, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I press my forehead to hers, forcing her to focus on me.
“And now Ari is with her,” I continue, my voice low and steady. “He’s trained for situations like this. He’s resourceful, skilled. At the very least, Liv isn’t facing this alone anymore.”
“You think he can protect her?” Aurora whispers, hope threading through her words.
“I think he’ll do anything to keep her safe,” I say. “And maybe find a way to get them both out. Jax doesn’t know everything about Ari—what he’s capable of when pushed.”
Aurora nods, her breathing slowing as she clings to this small comfort. “At least she’s not alone now.”
Grayson takes out his phone, his fingers already tapping commands as he speaks. “I’m getting everyone on this. Penn’s coordinating with our satellite team to scan the area, and Blaze is analyzing the most likely routes based on the drone footage.”
I nod, watching him work with the efficiency that’s made him invaluable to me for years.
“I’ve got a ground team deploying to the last known coordinates,” he continues, not looking up from his screen. “They’ll take the same roads and check every possible turnoff, abandoned structure, and potential hiding place along the route.”
“ETA?” I ask, keeping my arm firmly around Aurora’s shoulders.
Grayson’s expression tightens. “They’re about twenty minutes out. It’s remote terrain, and our closest operatives were stationed at the perimeter we established. They’re moving as fast as possible, but—”
“But Jax has a significant head start,” I finish for him.
He nods grimly. “It’s going to be tough to find them on the ground alone. But we’re not just relying on that. I’ve got contacts in three state police forces checking in-state cameras. Any vehicle matching that description will trigger an alert.”
I move forward and clap Grayson firmly on the shoulder. His loyalty has never wavered, even when following me meant turning against Jax and the Vipers we helped build.
“Thanks,” I say simply, the word inadequate for what he’s risking.
“When you inevitably get yourself killed,” Grayson replies with a hint of his usual dry humor, “I expect a significant raise in your will.”
Despite everything, I feel the corner of my mouth lift. “What makes you think you’re in it at all?”
Grayson snorts. “Please. Someone has to keep your empire from burning to the ground when you’re gone.”
I laugh, the sound breaking some of the tension in the room. “Get out of here. And keep me updated every thirty minutes.”
Grayson nods, already checking his phone as he heads back toward the elevator. The door slides shut behind him, leaving Aurora and me alone in the sudden silence.
Aurora crosses to the window, wrapping her arms around herself. “What if we don’t get another lead, Hunter? What if this was our one chance?”
I approach her carefully, seeing the tremors starting again in her shoulders. “Jax won’t disappear completely. He’s too arrogant for that.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispers, her voice cracking. She turns to me, tears forming in her eyes. “When we were there... Jax had this—this interest in Liv.”
My entire body goes rigid. “What do you mean?”
“Sexual interest.” The words fall from her lips like stones. “He would come to our cell, drug me so I couldn’t move but could still see, and then—” Her voice breaks. “Then he’d touch her. Make her—”
She can’t finish the sentence. She doesn’t need to. The implication alone makes my blood turn to ice.
“He was obsessed with her. The way he looked at her...” Aurora’s composure finally cracks, her body folding in on itself as sobs wrack her frame. “It was sick. And he still has her.”
I pull her against me, cradling her head to my chest while fury burns through every cell in my body. “We’ll get her back,” I promise, though I know the reality is far more complicated.
If Jax wants Olivia that way—if he’s fixated on her—separating them will be exponentially more difficult. Jax doesn’t relinquish what he considers his. Not willingly. Not ever.
And Ari—fucking hell. If he loves Olivia as much as I suspect he does, as much as I’ve seen in his desperate search for her these past weeks, he’ll fight to protect her from Jax’s advances. Which puts him in immediate, lethal danger.
Jax won’t tolerate competition. Especially not from someone he’ll view as a traitor.
I hold Aurora against my chest, her body shaking with sobs as the full horror of what she’s revealed sinks in.
The thought of Ari walking into that situation blindly makes my stomach turn. He’s skilled, strategic, one of the best—but he didn’t know what he was walking into. His judgment would be compromised by his feelings for Olivia. Against a psychopath like Jax, that’s deadly.
Without letting go of Aurora, I pull my phone from my pocket and text Grayson:
New intel. Jax has a sexual fixation on Olivia. Was assaulting her while they were captive. Aurora witnessed. Changes threat assessment. Ari is likely to provoke an immediate hostile response if he tries to protect her.
I add after a moment’s thought:
And Grayson—make sure the team knows. No holding back when we find them. Jax doesn’t walk away from this.
I set the phone down and pull Aurora closer, resting my chin on top of her head. Her tears soak through my shirt as her fingers grip the fabric like she’s afraid I’ll disappear too.
“Listen to me,” I murmur against her hair. “We’re going to get them back. Both of them.”
Her breathing hitches. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.” My voice hardens with certainty. “And Jax is going to pay for everything he’s done. To your father. To you. To Olivia.”
I feel her nod weakly against my chest.
“I will burn the world down to find them,” I promise. “And when I do, Jax won’t survive what comes next.”