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JETHRO RAN HIS hand down his face. He had to stay awake. There’d been something off about Bruno. He couldn’t explain what it was or how he knew; he just did. Indy snorted in his sleep. The Guard had tried to talk him into going back to the bar over an hour ago. He should’ve listened. He could’ve picked up Sugar, mated and returned with plenty of time to spare.
There was a soft rustle in the bushes. He nudged Indy. The Guard sat up, blinking. He nodded at the tree line. Bruno stepped out of the bushes and over to his carriage. Another male Guard was with him.
“Who’s that?” whispered Indy.
“Don’t know.” There was something odd about the other Guard—the way he moved or carried himself. The Guard glanced their way, as if sensing someone was watching. The air froze in Jethro’s lungs.
“Hugh,” he whispered. He’d know that face anywhere, even covered by a fake beard,
“Holy shit. How’d you know Bruno was—”
“I didn’t.” He was glad he hadn’t wasted time with Sugar. There was bigger prey in the area.
“You scare me sometimes.” Indy gave him an uneasy look.
Hugh and Bruno climbed into the carriage and it took off down the street. He waited. Hugh wasn’t stupid. He had to take his time, stalk his prey, but his blood hummed, ready for the chase and the surrender. This game was almost over. All he had to do was catch Hugh and Trinity would be his. No one would stop her from sacrificing herself for the Almighty she loved. He snarled in the darkness. He couldn’t stop her from loving Hugh, but she would belong to him. He took a deep breath and leaned out the window. “Cack, let’s go.”
The Grunt lifted his head, his mouth full of grass.
“Go right but go slow.” He had to keep enough distance between the two carriages. He couldn’t afford to spook them.
Cack sent him a quizzical look but did as he was ordered.
They stayed far enough away that Bruno’s carriage, which was smaller and faster, was barely a dot on the horizon. It turned down an alleyway.
“Cack, stop.” The opening was too narrow for them. “Hurry, get around this building and to that street.” He wanted to jump out of the carriage and track Hugh down on foot, but that’d be stupid. He was fast but not that fast. When Cack pulled onto the other street, the road was empty.
“We lost them. How could we have lost them?” Indy stuck his head out the window, inhaling. “Nothing.”
“Keep going,” he ordered Cack. “They had to have gone somewhere.” He couldn’t fail, not in this. Soon, he wouldn’t have to go out to find a mate. She’d be his—at his house, at his mercy.
After they’d traveled quite a distance down the road he made Cack backtrack. He started searching every side road, fighting against the edge of panic and defeat.
“We lost them.” Indy nudged him. “Let’s go back to the bar.”
“No.” He wasn’t giving up. He couldn’t lose his chance to capture Hugh.