Page 39 of Trapped Truth

As much as I want to hightail it out of here and hide somewhere that doesn’t involve my darkest thoughts being plucked out or examined, Willow’s words still linger. I know I belong in this team, this work, this fight. But if I want to rebuild, I have to start from within.

My head crashes into my palms. Ugh. If I could become a better person without enduring painful cross-examination by a licensed shrink, that would be preferable.

“Ember?”

Jolting upright, I spy none other than Hudson Knight walking towards me down the corridor. Damn, he looks as exhausted as I feel.

“Oh, hey.”

“You doing okay?” He stops a few feet from me.

“Fine. Just waiting for Richards.”

“So I thought.”

Tall, long-limbed and eternally imposing in his all-black clothing and visible tattoos, Hudson still strikes fear in most who cross his path. Being the co-director of Sabre Security only adds to that effect. Personally, I remain firm that he’s a kitten on the inside.

“He’s been held up downstairs with our house guest.” He plucks up a grim smile. “If Axel could heal up and come deal with his brother, we’d all appreciate it.”

“Gunnar still won’t talk?”

“Not a damn word for over a week now. He refuses to even confirm his identity, let alone give us any intel on Gael’s operation or the investigation.”

If I were in The Hunter’s position, I’d do the same. He’s out of easy hands to play. Using his silence as a bargaining chip is the last move available to him in a deck of stacked cards.

“Well, if Richards isn’t coming… want me to give it a try?” I force myself to ignore the unease making my skin itch.

Two vivid aquamarines study me assessingly. “With Gunnar?”

“Worth a shot. I was there in the end when he chose to take our side. Perhaps he’ll talk to me.”

“I’m not sure half-heartedly rescuing the man he shot in cold blood at the eleventh hour counts as a rescue,” he points out. “He hasn’t even asked about his brother’s health.”

I have to bite the insides of my cheek to steady my nerves. I’m sure Richards would love to dig into the flashes of Axel’s brush with death that fill my mind with horror on a regular basis. Intuition tells me confronting Gunnar directly will be a lot more therapeutic than talking it out.

“Let me try, Hudson. We have nothing to lose.”

He runs his thumb over the black piercing in his eyebrow. “I suppose it’s worth trying.”

“Where are the others? We should do this now. Hyland might not approve of me talking to the enemy.”

“They’re in a strategy meeting with Kade and the intelligence department.”

“Still?” I straighten from my perch against the wall.

“We’re running through our previous intel about Madden’s boltholes across the city before Sabre took down his infrastructure. There’s a theory he may use his old stomping grounds to launch an offensive.”

“You don’t think he’d anticipate us checking there?”

“We have to start somewhere.” Hudson shrugs, the dark circles under his eyes gleaming like fresh bruises.

“I suppose that’s logical.”

“We’re having Blaine and his associates cross-reference with their information. Who knows Madden better than his own people?”

“Using his own son against him—smart.”

“My brother thought so.” He rolls his blue eyes. “It was his idea to accept the intel provided by Blaine’s team too. That decision I’m less keen on, but we’re living in desperate times.”