Page 19 of Hunted

“Thanatos,” he said respectfully.

The voice said, “What is it that necessitated an in-person meeting? You should be working on getting the antidote.”

Gunn shook his head. “She won’t give it up. I want—”

But Thanatos didn’t even let him finish. “Why didn’t you force it out of her? Time is of the essence.”

Force it out of her. Gunn said tightly, “You know how I feel about that.” And this was Mikey they were talking about.

Thanatos glanced down at the table, where Gunn could see a thin stack of papers. “According to reports, you spent considerable time alone with this woman in the interrogation room, and then had her moved to your cabin.”

The word ‘woman’ held a slight tinge of distaste. Everyone knew Thanatos was a full-on misogynist, and Gregor had been too. It was one reason Gunn had never gotten along with him.

But Gunn wasn’t sure what Thanatos wanted from him. He waited.

When Gunn didn’t answer, Thanatos added, “The men present were of the opinion that you and the bounty hunter had met before.”

Lips tight, Gunn said, “We have.”

The voice grew silky. “And were you planning on telling me that she’s the Enforcer you were working with, before you came back to Outlaw Ridge during the attack last year?”

Fuck. He should have known Thanatos would already have found that out. The bastard knew everything.

“Yes. That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. I think the fastest way to get the antidote is to read her in to the mission—at least, part of it. We’ve worked with her before. If she understands what we’re doing—”

Once more Thanatos interrupted him, reading from the paper on top of the stack.

“Michelangela Connors. Born and raised in the Silverlake wolf pack near Cascade, Idaho.”

Gunn’s stomach went cold. Thanatos had a dossier on Mikey?

“Daughter of Rafe Connors, Second of the pack, and Terin Whitney, aka Terin Barnes. The Silverlake pack’s primary source of income is Enforcer work, with several members holding high-level positions on the Shifter Council, the Wolf Council, and the National Shifter Enforcers. She is close friends with the daughters of Jace Monroe, the pack alpha, and Kane Colton, the pack Enforcer, who is also the national Lieutenant Commander of the Shifter Council Enforcers. Ms. Connors commonly refers to Lieutenant Commander Colton as ‘Uncle Kane.’”

Gunn’s gut got even colder. That part Mikey hadn’t shared with him. He’d known where she was from and who she worked for, but not about all those tight personal connections with them. Her family—blood and otherwise—wasn’t just powerful and influential, they were legendary in the shifter world. Even if only half the stories about them and their allies were true, they were the last people you wanted to piss off.

Thanatos put the papers down and that dark hole in his hood looked straight at Gunn. Gunn could have sworn the gleaming eyes held a spark of red.

Thanatos said, “And you brought her here. To my territory.”

The words dropped like stones into the darkness.

Gunn opened his mouth to point out it wasn’t him that had brought her here, but Thanatos wasn’t done. “Not only that, you want to confide in her—her, of all people—the details of one of our most delicate and highly illegal missions.”

Gunn said, “She’s a caring person, and she’s been brought up to do the right thing. If she knew—”

Thanatos cut him off. “Enough.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. He’d only moved a few inches, but somehow he made it feel like he was looming over Gunn, like the shadow of death.

He said, “I have spent decades developing this territory, building this pack, building my organization. We do important work in the world, work that perhaps no one else can do. And it is built on this land; this is our foundation. All of us. Our fates are tied here. If the Silverlake pack and their Enforcer officers ever learned of this place, they could level it—and destroy everything I have spent this long time building.”

Those eyes began to glow red—something Gunn had never seen before and never wanted to see again. “Make no mistake, Gunnar. I will do whatever I have to do to protect this territory and the men in it. And as alpha of this pack, it is your responsibility to do whatever you have to do to protect them and this territory as well.”

“What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?”

“Your unfortunate moral code is preventing you from thinking this through. This woman has no reason to keep our secret—in fact, her entire upbringing and ties of loyalty would likely compel her to give us away. At the least, we would have to wipe her memories—”

Gunn felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. Memory wipes were a dicey business—there was no telling what would be erased from Mikey’s mind if that happened. Half of who she was could be gone.

And she wouldn’t remember him. The tattoo on his arm started to burn.