Chapter 6 · Uninvited Guests

"Get off him!" Leo slammed the metal pipe into the hunter’s shoulder.

The man barely moved. His armored hand stayed locked around Reid’s throat, pinning him against the wall hard enough to rattle the loose pipes behind his head.

Reid hooked two fingers under the hunter’s wrist. "Leo. Back up."

"He’s crushing you!"

"I noticed. Back up. Now."

The hunter’s visor flashed red. A small camera lens turned toward Leo. "Target confirmed. Minor present. Secure both."

"Try it," Reid rasped.

The hunter tightened his grip.

Reid’s boots left the floor.

The room was too small for a clean fight. One narrow door. Two broken chairs. A sink with no water. Leo trapped behind a stack of plastic crates, clutching that pipe like it was going to save him.

Three hunters filled the only exit.

Reid had already counted the angles. One rifle. One shock baton. One man with reinforced joints and a hand around his neck.

Bad odds.

Not impossible odds.

"You’ve got ten seconds," the armored hunter said. "Give us the shard, and the boy walks out."

Leo’s face went white. "Don’t give them anything.