"Every name on your father’s list is a confirmed missing person. Twelve names across at least three states. All within the last two years. Every case was closed early. Runaways, voluntary disappearances, dead-end investigations. Every single closure traces back to jurisdictions where your father has influence."
"His buddies," she whispers. "Other sheriffs. Guys he hunts and drinks with."
"Yes."
Her fingers flinch against my thigh. "Is there more?"
"One body’s been recovered. A twenty-four-year-old male out of Georgia. Dumped in a rural area, not killed where he was found. Gunshot listed as cause of death. But the other injuries were extensive. Not consistent with torture. Not consistent with anything standard."
"Then what?" she asks, tone strained.
I take the next switchback, our headlights swinging across a wall of old growth. "His injuries were consistent with someone who’d been running through rough terrain for a long time, possibly while being chased."
The engine roars as I take the next straightaway.
"That sounds like he was hunted," she says, words laced with disgust.
"Yes, it does."
Her breathing changes. Shorter. Shallower. Nails begin to dig into my thigh.
"There’s more," I admit. The worst is to come and I hate it for her.
CHAPTER 11
Jade’s gone stone-still. Waiting, her expression filling withdread.
"The dark web link from your father’s files led to an auction site," I say, shifting my hand against the wheel as I think about how close she’s been living to monsters. The sickest kind of humans.
"The site’s been scrubbed, but Mako pulled cached pages. They were selling access to live events. People paying a fuckton to hunt humans. But we suspect it’s also got a gambling component."
"Oh my god." Her voice is barely loud enough to hear over the rumble of tires on pavement. "Oh my god, Ryker."
"The people on that list you found weren’t just taken. They were sold into these events from what we can gather. Your father’s office, and his buddies offices were part of the supply chain. They closed the cases so nobody came looking."
She covers her mouth with both hands, rocking in the seat. "This is horrible. I can’t… I can’t even begin to imagine how scary that is."
My resolve hardens more. This is personal now, not just a mission.
"But you said the site is down. Does that mean it’s over?" Jade asks.
"We’re not sure. Mako found a schedule too. The next event is within the week."
Jade turns toward me. The look on her face is something I’ll carry for the rest of my life.
Her understanding.
The worst kind of awakening. A dawning that rewrites your entire history in a single breath.
"Jade, there’s more. We believe Trevor is?—"
Headlights flash across the windshield, blinding me for a second, slicing through the cab, coming from the left.
By the time my brain puts the pieces together, there’s barely time to yell, "DOWN!"
I’ve been in explosions. This impact is horrific.
Lights arc wildly. Glass shatters. Airbags surround us. The centrifugal force is the only way to tell our SUV is in a spin.
