Page 77 of Hunter

Past the time Ryleigh would be in bed.

And I fucking missed her.

I barely remembered the drive home. The streets were filled with only a few cars, so it didn’t take long to get back to the apartment building. I parked in the parking spot reserved for my bike and took the elevator up to my floor.

Luckily, I didn’t run into anyone.

It might as well be a ghost town, but I knew Ryleigh was home. I had been able to check on her briefly throughout the day, and I knew she had only left her place once.

She wasn’t in any real danger.

Not like last night.

That was a one-off, and perhaps it was fate or luck because she had stumbled into a bar owned and managed by Garrett Knight, a close friend of mine who happened to recognize Ryleigh.

He didn’t know the extent of my obsession, but he recognized her as the Judge’s daughter, and he knew I had moved into this apartment building to be closer to her.

He called me last night. I was on my way to the bar when I heard her scream.

My fists clenched and unclenched, and I shook away the memory trying to darken my mood.

I walked up to her front door and looked around.

When no one entered the hallway, I unlocked her apartment and let myself in.

Like each and every time I’d been here, the place was quiet.

Her apartment smelled like her, and I was wholly addicted to the scent.

Was this what Micah smelled in my apartment the other night?

I closed the door behind me and quietly moved toward her room.

This girl was the perfect prey.

Not only was she a heavy sleeper, but she slept with a nightlight.

She slept with abandonment, so sure that she would be safe from anything and everything, so unaware of the late-night visits from her monster.

I approached the side of the bed and took in her face. It was usually relaxed in sleep, but tonight, her brows pulled together in a small frown, and her bottom lip pushed out in a slight pout.

A nightmare?

I didn’t think when I cupped her head, stroking her hair softly.

“It’s okay, Ryleigh girl,” I muttered softly.

Perhaps my words did have the power to comfort her because she soon settled down.

I took her in for a beat, feeling contentment settling inside my chest and knowing that whatever I was doing with this girl was heading in the right direction.

She muttered something else I didn’t catch but judging by the small wrinkle forming between her brows, it couldn’t be anything good.

A part of me wished I had the ability to obliterate all those bad dreams.

Yet, I knew the irony of such a wish when I was probably the man starring in those nightmares.

She didn’t recognize me.

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