Page 89 of Hunt Me
‘They are very… dramatic.’
We begin following after Liam as he leads the way, continuing with a dance with his step. At some point, he’d decided to add the movement of his arms to match in time, creating a whole catwalk image.
‘See,’Ruaridh arches a brow to Liam as he takes my hand in his.‘Do I need to elaborate on that?’
The action is unexpectedly intimate, and I find myself struggling to remember the last time someone held my hand. Sure, I’ve done it with the girls, but that was mostly in a supportive way—either urging them on, giving them some strength to walk just a little longer, or protecting them. Isla isn’t much of a hand-holder, and I was often left being the one people would look to for comfort and stability.
Now I’m on the receiving end of it, and despite my fleeting emotions urging me to run, I force them into a mental box, one I no longer want to open now that I feel how comforting it is to have someone looking out wholly for me.
Guilt nags at me for thinking this way.
The girls have protected me for as long as I’ve been with each of them. We work as a group to look after one another in our own ways, but this just feels different. I feel like I don’t need to take on any of Ruaridh’s worries because, from what I’ve seen, the only thing that plagues him is losing me.
‘How many of you are there?’I ask, wondering what the home he speaks about is like since he and the two other Skulls I have met each seem to have that ease about them. Like their stress is a fraction of my own.
‘Thirty-two adults and three children.’
‘Children,’I gasp.
‘Yes,’he smirks at my surprise.‘That hard to believe?’
‘Well, it’s not the first thing I would have thought if someone had asked what your group would be like. A bunch of sassy men that wear masks and babysit. Next thing you’ll be telling me you play Barbie’s and bite your tongue when you step on sharp toys scattered around the floor.’
Ruaridh hums as if he’s remembering a time that exact situation happened.‘Not far off. Little Elsa has quite a few of the guys wrapped around her finger.’
‘Elsa?’My heart warms at the thought of seeing little kids again. How full of hope I remember them to be and the light they bring in such a dark world.
‘Six years old, been at the stadium for a little over a year. Her grandmother turned up one day when it was snowing,’something dark passes across his face with the memory and my heart pinches.‘Pam’s lucky she made it to us when she did; we were surprised she survived the night with how bad of a way she was in.’
‘Is she still…’
‘Alive,’he finishes for me.‘She’s more than alive. At this rate, we’re all convinced she will outlive us all. The woman’s got one heck of a backbone, keeps us all in line.’
I smile at the thought of a little old lady giving these guys a piece of her mind whenever they do something wrong.
‘She sounds great.’It’s a lot like how I remember my Nana to be.
‘I can’t wait for her to fuss over you,’Ruaridh confesses with a loving tone.
‘Hum?’
‘I’ll probably have to compete for your attention once Pam gets a hold of you. She’s been on and on about playing match maker for us but … well it’s not like there’s many dating opportunities these days.’
‘Ha. No I’ve not really found many. Although I hear a city really opens up your chances of meeting someone,’I joke.
‘Oh really,’he glances down at me and those forest-green eyes take a hold of my heart.‘You might be right on that one, little deer.’
Chapter Thirty-six
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Ruaridh
She’s back. I have my little deer back.
I’m never letting her go ever again.
My possessiveness has been on the brink of being entirely out of control since I have had her back in my arms. So intense that I could not bear to have her out of my embrace whilst we were still inside the sewers. I would still be holding her now, as we make our way back to her people and my sister if she didn’t almost demand that she be put down.
