Rogue Huntress

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Or rather, Derek had run out of time. Because danger hadn’t descended upon me as a result of this ill-fated phone call. No, our enemies had used the connection to track down my brother instead. And Derek lacked the resources to bust himself back out of custody once he was caught.

The only other option was.... “Run!” I demanded, pushing every ounce of alpha dominance I possessed into the plea.

The effort really shouldn’t have worked long distance, as I would have realized if I’d given the issue even an iota of rational thought. But my brother’s phone clattered to the ground anyway as he leapt to obey, the device bouncing before landing screen up. And rather than broadcasting a view of the cloudless sky overhead, an irregularity of the pavement angled the screen perfectly so I was given a front-row seat to my brother’s cat-like retreat.

I’d thought myself a pro at roof running, but Derek’s dash for freedom left my best efforts in the dust. Using a concrete planter as a launching pad, the long-legged twenty-one-year-old leapt for a window ledge and proceeded to swarm his way up the side of the building so capably I had to assume he’d plotted this retreat the moment he first turned into the alley. Apparently my brother’s feral-cat personality was paying off at last.

In contrast, my own upbringing had been more pampered pet than alley cat. So, even though my finger hovered above the end button, I found myself holding my breath and maintaining the connection on the off chance Derek might provide another clue before he left his pursuers behind. Because it went without saying that this hard-won connection—cobbled together through my own sleuthing, my pack’s fast action, and Dad’s coding skills—wouldn’t be accessible after today. Surely my brother wouldn’t disappear without offering me another way of getting in touch?

But Derek had more important matters on his mind than a worried older sister. Shiny black shoes and dark dress pants filled the screen as pursuers clustered around the spot my brother had inhabited only seconds earlier. There was grumbling, swearing, then a hand descended toward me—or rather, toward the front of Derek’s discarded phone.

The images on the screen shifted—brick walls, a dumpster, and grimy windows flickering in and out of view as the phone swung upwards. For an instant, I caught a glimpse of brilliant blue sky, my brother’s lanky form silhouetted against the rooftop. Surely Derek was safe now? Mere humans shouldn’t be able to catch up to an agile werewolf who possessed the literal high ground.

Sighing with relief, I watched the countdown timer on Dad’s defensive program descend toward zero. Three seconds, two seconds, one second. I might have lost the thread of this particular lead, but at least Derek was okay. At least I hadn’t harmed the sibling I’d set out to protect.

But then, just before the connection automatically cut itself off, the phone completed its arc from ground to sky. And a face came into view that shocked me with its familiarity.

Man in Black. The same government agent who had kidnapped my mate and secreted him away in a hidden bunker. This was the person who had been so tight on my brother’s trail that he’d nearly managed to snatch Derek off the street as a result of my call?

“Who...?” Man in Black demanded. Because while I’d seen the agent in question from a distance, we’d never officially met. He should recognize neither my name nor my face.

But before the male could complete his question, Dad’s safeguards kicked in. The phone dinged, the app crashed, and any tracers that might have been feeling through the darkness of the internet in search of my location were severed as the screen went abruptly black.

For my part, I was left with a hole in the pit of my stomach that no chocolate cake donut could fill. Instead, as I ripped the battery out of the burner phone, dread coiled at the base of my spine. I’d confirmed that my brother was alive and kicking. But it appeared that Derek had gotten in over his head in the process...while leaving me no way to pull him back to safety.