Page 52 of Theirs to Hunt
Not surrender. Admission. Quiet, but heavy.
I don’t need her full trust yet. What matters is this. She’s not fighting. Not fleeing. And for the first time in years, I breathe.
She softens against me. Her breathing evens.
I don’t want to move, but I know I must.
Carefully, I lift her into my arms. She stirs but doesn’t resist. That is enough.
I carry her through the quiet house. The tenderness in it surprises me, but I let it rise.
When I lay her in my bed, she curls under the covers.
I sit a moment, watching her breathe. Watching her let go.
I brush a strand of hair from her face.
“Rest,” I whisper. “I’m here.”
And this time, it feels like only the beginning.
Chapter forty-three
The Boys, Saturday 02:55 a.m.
Grayson answered first. “Devon.”
Devon’s voice came cool and even. “Bobbie is safe. Took a sleeping pill. How about Reagan, is she asleep?”
Grayson glanced toward the hallway. “She is. Brooks?”
“On,” Brooks said, voice gritty from adrenaline and no sleep.
Silence. The line wasn’t empty, just loaded with unspoken anticipation.
Brooks broke it. “Tell me again what he did. Every detail. I want to picture it.”
Grayson didn’t hesitate.“Grabbed her from behind. Hand down her dress. Exposed himself. Grinding into her.”
Devon’s voice was flat. “She froze. Reagan didn’t. Taser. Boot to the face. Left him seeing stars. Could’ve left him brain-damaged.”
“Shame she didn’t,” Brooks said, low.
“I assume you had eyes on?”Grayson asked.
“Three angles. Facial ID hit thirty seconds after. He’s local. Contract security downtown. I could get him fired, but that’s not enough.”
“You want him disappeared?” Brooks asked.
“No. Not yet.”
Grayson understood. “You want to make it a message.”
A slow smile crept into Devon’s tone. “Exactly. Gator farm’s got a new intake policy. Swamp levels are low. Owner’s a fan of favors.”
Brooks didn’t miss a beat. “You feeding him to gators?”
“No,” Devon said. “Not the whole thing. That’s mercy. I want him to think it’s coming. Make him sweat. Make him beg. Let him see the gators first.”
