Chapter 23 "Trent is late," I look down at my watch and then grimace at the five men in front of me. If I'd been paying more attention the last few days, I would have never agreed to this line-up of fighters. We have applicants by the hundreds, but I'm very careful about whom I accept. They are men of the strongest variety. Soldiers, fighters, stockbrokers, all top of their field and all looking for a deep, meaningful connection with a woman the modern world makes difficult. The women who participate want the same. A true protector and provider. But I am careful to pair each female with the right contestants. In Cadence's case, the men were all of seemingly balanced temperament, to make certain they'd be patient with her struggles. When she doesn't trust, she fights. Her Hunt required players that would not use force with her, only on other men. It was imperative. Of course, one hunter managed to fool me, a mistake I promised myself I would not make again. Which is why the players of this field fill me with alarm. This lineup is twenty times more aggressive than Cadence's. All of these men have competed before, most of them in the most aggressive manner possible. I don't like it. I'm not sure I'd allow any of them a second chance to compete. The fact that they're all here on one hunt has me seriously questioning Trent's judgment. And now, he's late. I've never doubted Trent before, we're brothers in arms and in pain. But lately, he's been acting strangely. Trent was one of my father's top guys before we came to the states. My father blackmailed him, much the way he did me, taking the woman that Trent loved in order to force Trent's loyalty. But Trent has been faithfully helping me take power away from my father so that we can get his wife, and my sisters, back. The men flanking me shift restlessly. We're in the middle of a field, a river winding on the left, trees ringing us on all other sides. The river has created a forested oasis. Which is why I chose this spot. It's close enough to Vegas to be convenient, but quiet and private enough that our activities are not discovered. I bought the area and fenced it with a twelve-foot wall to keep prying eyes out. "What the fuck?" One of them rumbles. Tazz. Crazy MMF fighter who likes spirited women. His last girlfriend was the CFO of a major company. He's quite gentle with women, it's other men with whom he's inappropriately hostile. His aggression was a problem during the last round of The Hunt. "Calm your shit down," Callum rumbles. He's ex-Special Forces and scared the woman in his competition so much that she spent the first week with her winner, curled around him like a fly stuck to fly paper. He didn't mind, and it likely helped their bond, but it was unnecessary for Callum to frighten her that much. I look down the line of them, my eyes narrowing. Trent knew I'd flagged each of these fighters. Why are they here? He'd never make a decision like this without speaking to me. Why did he do so this time? Which makes my skin prickle with warning. Trent has been straight-up acting strange and I would have noticed if I wasn't so distracted. My muscles twitch as I pull out my phone and call him. He doesn't pick up. But I understand why he didn't answer in a moment when headlights flash through the trees, and I hear the clang of the gate closing. He's finally here. I hope he picked a woman who is prepared for this level of masculine energy. It's going to take a strong woman to survive this. He kills the headlights and the path from the parking area to the field goes dark again. The air stills and I feel its crackle as the men around me shift restlessly, ready to begin. I've checked all the contestants for weapons, but I reach back feeling my own pistol where it's nestled in the small of my back. I look to the right, one of my men standing at the end of the line. Alex. He looks back with the same wariness that I feel. The entire place is rigged with cameras, more of my men are in a booth watching in case they need to intervene. We have all sorts of safety measures in place, but that doesn't stop the sizzle of wariness that zips through my body. I grab the walkie talkie from my hip, hitting the call button as I bark into the receiver. "What's Trent doing?" The line crackles as one of the men answers, "Leading the girl to the field now. Hunt should start any second." I don't recognize the voice on the other end which only heightens my concerns. Something is very wrong. The contestants have heard his words and they still, ready and waiting. The air crackles with their tension and mine as my back molars grind together. Looking toward the path, a lone figure appears, small and hunched. My eyes narrow. She's wrong. I know it in a single glance. A woman with this sort of field should be a fighter. The kind of strong who can handle the aggression. This woman is frightened out of her wits. "Wait," I rumble low even as Tazz takes a step forward, muscles twitching. Alex steps forward too and the other men follow suit, shaking their limbs as they prepare, waiting for the sound of the horn. "Wait," I yell out and then hit the button on the walkie talkie. "Do not sound the horn. I repeat, do not sound⁠-' There is no answer, no one responds before the horn blasts through the field, my command ignored. The woman screams and something in the pitch of her voice, I hear the fear. But also... The tone. It takes a half second for me to process and then I know. It's Ava. Ava stands on the other end of this field. My body springs into action before my mind catches up, and I take off at a full sprint. I reach Alex first. "They can't reach the woman," I grit out. "Stop them at any cost." Then, I push forward to the first contestant. I've been trained since childhood to be a fighter, and I don't hesitate now. I jab my fingers into the side of his throat. My attack is unexpected, he goes down like a ton of bricks. The thunder of the other men's feet keeps them from hearing, and I keep the element of surprise. Ahead of me, Ava has curled into the fetal position on the ground. It pushes my legs faster, as I reach another of the hunters, hitting him in the kidney with a blow that sends him falling to the ground. He'll recover and then he'll be behind me, but my first job is to get to Ava before any other man. I reach the next man and swipe out a leg, tripping him and sending him crashing to the ground. I hear the crack of bone as he hits the ground, but I don't look back. There are only two men in front of me: Tazz and Callum. Tazz veers to his right, knocking into the other man with such force, that Callum flies to the side, landing with a thud in the grass. I grit my teeth and pump my legs faster, air burning my chest. My best move is to push him hard right before he reaches her and then stand guard as any able fighter makes his second attack. Tazz snarls as he looks over his shoulder, meeting my eye. And then with a burst of speed, he pulls away. I roar rips from my chest as I push my body harder, my lungs near bursting from the effort. But that's when a figure in black steps from the shadows. For a moment fear beats like a drum in my chest. I'm losing ground and now there is another man... The dark figure sends a fist flying through the air, the punch landing with deadly accuracy on Tazz's jaw. He stops mid stride, dropping like a stone. That's when I meet the eyes of the man in black. Killian Smith. I don't have a moment to consider what that might mean as I draw closer to Ava. I slow my speed, pulling up and spinning my legs landing on either side her where she's curled in the fetal position on the ground. "Ava," I push out of my bursting lungs, barely able to say the words. "It's me." She looks up at me her blue eyes looking...haunted. And then, she's wrapping herself around my leg, locked so tight, I'm not sure I can even fight. But her touch, it clears my head, my body infused with adrenaline as I prepare to protect my woman. Two of the other fighters surge toward us a I turn to face them, but Killian steps between me and them. "If you want to live through the next five minutes..." He pulls two pistols from his belt. "I'd suggest you stop." The other fighters instantly obey, and for a split second, I let out a breath of relief. But that's when I hear the click of a gun next to my temple. "Sorry, Dimitri, but you don't get to keep her." Trent. The barrel presses into my skin. I'm going to kill him slowly.