Page 11 of Unmasked

My shoulders slump, dejection racing through me. Our worlds couldn’t be more different. I was a poor boy who lived in a trailer on the wrong side of town. She’s the daughter of two Hollywood elites.

Resolve fills me, my jaw lifting from the determination racing through me.Doesn’t matter if she’s out of my league. I want her, and I will have her.

I spot her laundry hamper and dig through it, finding a pair of underwear she wore. I hold them to my nose, inhaling deeply, before shoving them into my pocket.

My gaze scans her bedroom, looking for the perfect spots to install cameras.

I freeze as the front door of her apartment opens, and I hear her voice.

Fuck. I need to hide.

Crouching, I slide beneath her bed.

Another feminine voice floats through the hallway. “Are you sure you didn’t leave it in your bedroom?”

“I swore I had it in my backpack. Maybe my ID fell out on the way to the dining hall. I’m glad the front desk issued me a temporary one. But it’ll drive me crazy until I find it.”

“I’ll help you look.”

You won’t find it, ladies. Not unless you discover me lying beneath the bed.

The girls eventually make their way back to Mallory’s bedroom. They search her desk and nightstand before giving up.

Mallory’s voice is full of defeat. “Well, at least I have the temporary ID.”

“Maybe you dropped it, and someone found it. They may have taken it to the university police.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. You’re brilliant, Mandy.”

“Let’s go to the coffee shop. You look like you could use some caffeine.”

“Sounds good. I’ll check with the university police to see if anyone turned in my ID tomorrow.”

“Still on for the Learning Center and studying in the library afterward?” Mandy asks.

“You bet.”

Mallory and Mandy leave the room, their voices growing fainter as they head to the front door.

When it shuts behind them, I breathe a sigh of relief. Even though I’m uncomfortable, especially with the damn mask in my pocket, I continue hiding beneath the bed, ensuring they don’t return, before finally crawling from my hiding spot and rushing tothe front door.

I exit her apartment, ensuring no one sees me leaving.

Once I’m outside her apartment building, I erase the swipe and the video of me going in and out of her apartment. Then I head to the trail, sprinting to the RV to get the cameras.

Now’s my chance. While she’s studying, I’ll install them inside her apartment.

CHAPTER 11

Stryker

Istrategically install the cameras around her apartment and check the app to ensure I have the perfect views.

Sitting in her bedroom, I hack into the housing system, making a copy of her ID so I’ll have access to her apartment.

After that, I pass the time by checking out her social media. There aren’t many photos and few videos, but the ones I see infuriate me. Various male celebrities in formal wear with their arm thrown around her. I want to kill every one of them for touching her.

When I hear her swipe and unlock the front door, I slip beneath her bed, watching her through the app on my phone. Mandy follows her inside.

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