Page 105 of Hunt for You

I needed to know that she was okay, and watching her run was a great way to make sure she wasn’t lying about… who the fuck was I kidding. I wanted to hunt her, chase her, take her down because she was a fuckingprize.

I smiled.

It wasn’t the first time I’d had to hunt in a new area. This would be fun.

I made myself stay to the speed limit until I reached the little park and could roll past just to see where she was.

Her car was parked alongside the road, right where the suburban homes opened up to a park that was probably about an acre, and hedged in trees. There was a playground for little kids at the front, some picnic tables and benches, and a big grassy area behind it all that stretched to the trees hiding residential fences lining the back.

And a lone figure sitting on the top of a picnic table just behind the playground area, with her back to the streets.

My heart panged as I drove past because she looked so small, hunched over like that, watching the sunset fade over the trees, drowning in baggy clothes which made me frown.

What was going on? Had the Priest gotten to her? Or was she just bored?

She was out of sight in moments and I was reminded that I needed to formulate a plan.

Take her now?

Or leave her alone?

Making her wait would show her she didn’t have control. But if she had too much time to think, she might send me the safe word.

Fuck.

~ BRIDGET ~

The minute I got home that itching in my skin got worse. And it definitely wasn’t because of Ronald this time.

I’d barely made it to my bedroom before I changed my mind, grabbed a couple things, then turned right back around and stormed out to the car again.

I wasn’t prepared forVigorí, and frankly, wasn’t sure I wanted to try that again. I’d pissed Cain off with wanting to change the rules, so he wasn’t going to show. Sam would try and convince me not to let Cain hunt me anymore… there was really only one choice. Because I needed to sleep tonight and get rid of this tension.

So I drove to the little convenience store a few miles away, bought a bottle of cheap, sweet wine, and took it to the playground.

I’d said after last time I got drunk I wasn’t going to do it again. It always made me feel like crap, and my heart banged around too much for the crappy hangover to be worth it. Especially when hangovers included Art putting me in front of psychos like Ronald.

But it was also true that last time I got drunk I put that post on the forum where Cain found me.

So it wasn’tallbad.

I would be good tonight. I wouldn’t drink all night. I wouldn’t even drink that much.

Just to make sure, I only took enough cash with me to buy the one bottle, then I drove to the little park that wasn’t too far away because if I sat with my back to the road, it was just grassand trees and the sunset, and I could kind of pretend I wasn’t so lonely. Just choosing to be alone.

The effect was kind of ruined by the rumble of cars passing behind me, but at least they were never there for long. Suburban dads coming home from work, soccer moms driving their kids back from sports. As the darkness descended, warm lights would pop up here and there from the houses where people were together and eating and talking and fighting and…

God, I sounded like such a wilting flower. EvenIdidn’t want to listen to me. Was it any wonder no one else did either?

Which was when I remembered Gerald, and how I’d hung up on his office earlier today and I knew he’d be freaking out. I hadn’t even looked at my phone since then, so, as I climbed up onto the picnic table and plonked my ass down on its top, I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at my notifications.

Then I winced.

Two missed calls from Gerald’s office, one from his personal cellphone. Three voicemails. And who knew how many texts, because the notification icon was multiplied.

Yeesh.

I cleared all the notifications, didn’t read any of them, just pulled up Gerald’s cellphone contact and tapped the message icon.

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