Hakan Severin by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Page A

Stanton Locke.
    “I think I found something you’ll be interested in on Mr. Locke.”
    “What is it?” Hakan demanded.
    “I know that you’ve had Hunters watching his home in the Garden District, but I’ve found another address that I’ve traced to him through a dummy corporation.”
    “Where?”
    “An old warehouse near the docks.” She held out a sheet of paper that had the coordinates printed on it. “Here you go.”
    “Thanks.”
    He shoved the paper in his pocket, preparing to follow Lydia as she left.
    “Hakan.”
    The soft voice immediately had him spinning around to meet Payton’s worried expression.
    “Yes?”
    “Be careful,” she said in soft tones.
    A fierce satisfaction surged through him at her obvious concern.
    “Don’t worry.” He moved to gather her in his arms, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “I have every intention of returning.” Lifting his head, he held her gaze, letting her see his unspoken pledge that he wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. Not when he was so close to getting everything he desired. “We have unfinished business.”
    With a last kiss on her lips, Hakan pulled his phone from his pocket and headed out of the office.
    “Parish, meet me at the garage,” he said as his leader answered. “We have a lead on Hiss.”
    Less than two hours later, he was seated beside Parish as they took the narrow backstreets to New Orleans East.
    “Do we have any research on the property?” Parish at last broke the silence, his expression tense.
    He’d commanded a dozen Hunters to surround the area. It was never easy to put his people in danger.
    Hakan glanced at his phone, skimming through the series of messages that Payton had sent him since leaving the Wildlands.
    “It’s listed as a cold-storage warehouse although it’s not currently in operation,” he read out loud, scrolling to the next message. “Payton checked and the electricity is still running.”
    “Which means someone is using it,” Parish said.
    Hakan tossed aside his phone and pulled out his gun, his body tense as he prepared to engage the enemy.
    “A perfect place to hide Hiss,” he growled.
    Parish nodded. Keeping a Pantera locked in a freezer wouldn’t kill him, but it would weaken him to the point he would be far easier to control.
    “These shitheads are starting to piss me off,” Parish muttered, turning onto the road leading toward the nearest canal. “I thought the disciples were a pain in the ass, but they weren’t nearly so well-funded, well-armed, or well-organized.”
    “True,” Hakan agreed. “But they’re not Pantera. Which means they’ll eventually make a mistake that we—”
    His words were cut short as Parish stomped on the brakes and yanked the vehicle to the side of the road. At the same time he shoved open his door to take a deep sniff.
    “Do you smell that?”
    “Smoke,” Hakan growled.
    Together they were leaping out of the car and jogging down the street. Rounding the corner they came to a halt at the sight of the long building that was swiftly being consumed by flames.
    “We’ll only have a few minutes before the human authorities arrive,” Parish said, his voice tight. “You circle right. We’ll meet back here.”
    Dread clutched Hakan’s heart as he headed directly toward the burning building. Hiss might be a traitor, but Hakan wouldn’t wish his worst enemy to be trapped in that inferno.
    Ignoring the fierce heat that seared his skin and the smoke that threatened to choke him, Hakan did a thorough sweep, his senses on full alert.
    At last he was forced to back away as the first fire truck was pulling next to the nearly destroyed building.
    Avoiding the throng of humans that were gawking at the disaster with fascination, he joined Parish at the edge of the empty parking lot.
    “Anything?” the leader demanded, his voice harsh as he carefully scanned the crowd for any hint of danger.
    “Hiss was here,” Hakan said.
    Even with the thick smoke and nearby