Page 10 of Theirs to Hunt (Girls Like Us #1)

Chapter ten

M y little fawn has called out sick.

I had planned an impromptu customer service meeting today. Purely a formality. Just enough to see her again.

Not happening, it seems.

I lean back in my chair, one hand resting against my jaw, eyes drifting toward the window.

She’s rattled, as expected. But not broken. Not yet.

Good.

I pick up the phone and dial.

“Brooks.”

“She’s staying home. I want you near her apartment. Don’t engage. Observe only.”

There’s a pause. I can hear him breathing.

“Stay close,” I add. “In case she runs.”

I end the call. This part of the game requires patience. She ran. Now she needs to believe she’s safe again. That’s when she’ll be most vulnerable .

I set the phone down and swipe open the latest security audit on my tablet. Everything looks clean. Numbers aligned. Reports airtight.

But I’ve built this company from the ground up. I know when something’s off.

Someone has been moving under the surface. Slipping through our security and systems. Careful. Quiet. Hidden in plain sight.

Now that Brooks is out of the Navy and with me full time, we’ll find it. Whatever it is.

Making sure everything was in order brought us here. And I’m already laying the foundation to make this place permanent.

But first, her.

Since the moment Brooks saw her, she’s consumed us.