Page 5 of Theirs to Hunt (Girls Like Us #1)

Chapter five

S he doesn’t know I’m watching. That’s the point.

From where I’m standing, tucked in near the property line, my dark clothing blends with the night.

I have a clear view of where she slipped through.

She made it to the edge faster than I expected.

She’s smart. Scared. And more resilient than anyone Genevieve gave her credit for. That mistake is being corrected.

I watch as she ducks behind the azaleas, presses her back to the fence, and pulls out her phone. Her hand is shaking. I can see it from here. Doesn’t stop her.

If I had to guess, she’s pulling up a rideshare. She isn’t texting enough to be calling her friend Bobbie.

I stay put. She keeps checking the screen. Her shoulders rise and fall; she is holding back either a sob or a scream.

She doesn’t call anyone. Not yet. Good. That means she’s thinking .

A silver compact sedan pulls up at the curb. The driver leans over and confirms her name. She nods. She glances over her shoulder one last time. She feels it. Feels me.

She doesn’t see me in the shadows, but I know she senses something. She is tuned in now. Awake. Good girl.

I don’t follow the Lyft. I don’t need to. I know where she lives. Her apartment is in the Quarter. No roommate. That was the first thing I checked when I found her.

I have cameras installed on the exterior of her building. Not for surveillance. For safety. Once she found us, I took precautions and had the interior wired too. I need to know if she is planning to run.

Tonight could have gone very differently if I had not been here. Dad is right. She probably would have taken the option to bail. She doesn’t need money. She has a solid savings account and Calhoun Industries pays her well.

Dad thinks I’m soft when it comes to her. That I let emotion cloud logistics. But there’s a difference between control and chaos. She wasn’t ready for the game. And games without rules turn into bloodbaths. I won’t let that happen to her.

She is our forever.

Dad focuses on the board. Sometimes he forgets to track the emotional variables. He manages the structure. I track the threats. I cover the blind spots.

She is safe. For now.