Wolf's Hunger (Mafia Monsters #5) - Atlas Rose Page 0,54

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I stabbed the button and waited, stepping inside as the doors opened, and selected my floor. My eyes stung under the harsh white glare. I rubbed the nape of my neck, the muscles bunched and corded with knots on top of knots.

I hadn’t slept. Instead, I’d tossed and turned, my feet tangled in the sheets as I ached and wept. Church was alone…and probably hurt, and Phantom was running. They were all running. Everyone except me.

I felt that need stronger than I’d ever felt anything in my life. The steady beat of my heart sounded like the pounding of my boots against the ground. I wanted to run…and keep on running. I wanted to be a hunter of my own.

Hunt them down.

Protect what was mine.

The elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors opened. Sounds assaulted me. Frantic tapping on a keyboard, fax machines whirring, chatter from three agents standing in the hallway. Then silence as each one turned to look at me.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I made my way along the hallway to Harlan’s office. I opened the door and stepped in, coming to a stop in the middle of the reception area. Tracey lifted her head, her scowling expression freezing as she saw me. I couldn’t speak, just stood there, words would be like ash in my mouth.

There was no snarky bite to her words, no bitchy bark. She carefully chose her words as she met my gaze and said, “He’s waiting for you, Carina. You can go right in.”

I gave a small nod, but made no movement. Instead, I just stood there, until finally the door opened and Harlan walked out to meet me. He looked like hell, worse than I did, with bloodshot eyes and messy hair. The suit, although impeccably pressed, hung off him. He’d lost weight in the days I’d been gone…a lot of it.

“We’re in the conference room,” he said, carefully reaching out to grasp my elbow.

I lifted my gaze to Tracey with the contact. If she saw, she said nothing, seemingly preoccupied with whatever lay on her desk. I had no choice but to follow Harlan. He was my ticket out of here. The only one who could call off this…Wolfhunt.

We made our way out of his office and turned left, heading to the large conference room at the end of the hall. The door was already ajar. My senses pinged in warning even before Harlan let go of my arm and stepped forward to open the door all the way.

“Carina, this is Investigator Aleks Volkov. He’s here at the request of Homeland Security and is an observer only, I can assure you.”

I stiffened as the huge male rose from the end of the table and adjusted a suit that must’ve cost at least four figures. “Special agent.” He held out his massive hand to me.

I just looked at his thick fingers, encrusted with rings, the handshake waiting…

“Homeland Security?” I turned to Harlan. “Why?”

“Just precautionary, I assure you.” My boss eased out a chair for me and met my gaze. “I want to make it perfectly clear that you are not in trouble here.” But my Wolves are, right? Harlan just gave a sigh when I didn’t say anything, and continued. “We know you were under duress of some kind, Carina. We just want to make sure we have everything correct. We need to know what we’re dealing with here.”

“Dealing with?” I tore my gaze from my boss to the Homeland Security agent. “You’re dealing with a fucking obsessed agent that attacked me.”

Harlan just motioned for me to take a seat. “Carina, please.”

I wanted to stand there and dig my heels in. I wanted to be the same old pain in the ass Chase I’d always been. I wanted to get my way kicking and screaming, but as I stood here now, profoundly changed, I knew that wasn’t how this was going to happen.

There was no rock meets hammer in this moment. There was carefulness. There was strategy. There were the lives of the men I loved on the line. So I did something alien to me. I stepped forward and sank into the seat without question.

Even Harlan stiffened with surprise above me, then with a long, slow exhale, he stepped backwards. “Alright then.”

“Special agent,” Volkov started. “I just want to reiterate what Commander Harlan has said. You’re not under investigation. We just want a clarification.”

“For what, why Homeland Security is here to investigate the unwanted