Scorched Ice (Fire and Ice #3)(35)

“No, I don’t believe they did.” Julian lifted his hands into the air, drawing all of their eyes to them. “But I glimpsed some of their secrets when I was held by them, and good ole Herb here has revealed some more. I think there’s only a handful of Commission members left, but they are actively recruiting more, and they have at least a dozen Hunters on their side.”

“Great,” Quinn muttered.

“If he’s from Pennsylvania, what is he doing in New Mexico?” Dani asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Julian replied.

“Maybe they were having a conference of psychos or something in the area,” Lou suggested.

“Maybe,” Julian murmured. “He may also have been looking for more Hunters or Guardians to recruit to their side. I can see some of his life through his things, but there are a lot of memories in this room, far more than his. The echoes of the others who have stayed here makes it tough to single him out.”

Julian’s gaze ran over the walls before settling on the door to the adjoining room. “There’s a good chance the Hunter was staying next door.”

“We don’t want to break in on someone sleeping,” Dani said. “Screaming is never a good way to go unnoticed.”

“No, it’s not.” Julian walked over to the door and knocked loudly on it.

Quinn bit her lip as he leaned against the door, pressing his ear to the wood. He stood that way for a minute before grabbing the knob and yanking the door open. She jumped as pieces of wood flew away from where he’d torn the deadbolt from the wall. Beyond the first door was another one. Julian didn’t bother to knock on this one before leaning his shoulder against it and shoving on it. The wood groaned for a second before giving way beneath his weight.

He took a staggering step into the other room before righting himself. No one screamed or shot at him from the pitch-black room beyond. She walked over to stand beside him and peered into the shadows. Enough of the parking lot light filtered in around the heavy drapes over the windows to reveal this room was the mirror image of the one they stood in, right down to the open suitcase on the stand in the corner.

Thankfully, the potent aroma of cologne didn’t permeate this room too, but then the occupant of this room had never had a chance to return for any of his things. Her stomach dropped when it hit her that they were standing in the doorway of a dead man’s room.

Julian stepped into the room and turned on the lamp beside the bed. Quinn swallowed heavily when she spotted the clothes neatly laid out on the foot of the perfectly made bed, waiting for their owner to return.

This Hunter definitely hadn’t expected his life to end when it had. She shuddered as a feeling of foreboding crept over her. Life was so fragile. It could be ripped away from someone in a second, even an immortal.

She almost jerked Julian back when he moved further into the room, but she kept her hands by her side. They couldn’t stand in this doorway all night, and they had to know more about what they could be facing. He walked over to the open suitcase. Like the last suitcase, he pulled the clothes from within and tossed them onto the floor.

She opened her mouth to tell him to have better care with these things, but what was the point? The owner no longer had the ability to care what happened to them.

Julian pulled a leather-bound book from within and held it before him. He undid the red strap tied around the book and flipped through the pages of what appeared to be a journal. The frown on his face deepened as he continued skimming.

His fingers slowed on the last pages of the book. He read through them before closing the book and tying the strap around it again. “I think his own journal may have been what Herb returned to his room for,” he said.

“What does it say?” Quinn asked.

“They were in the southwest looking for us,” Julian replied.

Julian stalked toward her with the lethal grace of a sleek panther. The tension coiled within his body beat against her skin as he took hold of her elbow. She knew this was the merciless man who delivered death without a second’s hesitation. The heat of his body helped to warm hers as he handed the book over to Luther.

“Someone had reported seeing us in the California area,” Julian said.

“Where you found Zach,” Devon said.

“Yes.”

“Who saw us?” Luther demanded.

“Just an average person,” Julian replied, his upper lip curling into a sneer. “The Commission has recently posted pictures on the internet of Lou, Chris, and Melissa claiming that they are runaways. It’s not a police website, but a personal thing. A family looking for their lost children.”

“Son of a bitch!” Luther exploded and paced away from them with stiff, jerky movements.

“Well that’s not good,” Devon muttered.

“I’ll find it,” Lou said. “I may be able to take it down.”

“Let’s hope so,” Quinn said. “Otherwise anyone who sees it and you may think they’re doing a good thing by calling to report you. Hell, they may even think they’re a hero and try to catch you themselves.”

“I’m sure someone will,” Lou agreed.

“You have to admit, it’s a bit of a genius idea,” Devon said. “Even if Lou, Melissa, and Chris are all of age, they could also pass for underage too, and people could still think they’re doing a good thing by handing over a runaway twenty-year-old to their family.”