Page 50 of Run Little Fawn

Somehow, I doubt it. At first, before I got to know him, I thought he was capable of breaking the rules, but why would he go to all the trouble to help me if he wasn't interested in playing the game?

It's still not fair. Not by a long shot. It can't be when the premise is so wholly sadistic and twisted, but…

I think Lucian means what he says. He'll play by the rules—at least, the ones the Order has set up for us.

As I step out of the shop, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I glance at the screen, my heart skipping a beat as I realize I still have a few hours before the Hunt begins anew.

I can still taste you, little fawn.

Only a few hours before we begin again, and I won't be so easily satisfied next time.

A shudder runs down my spine for all the wrong reasons.

For once, I decide to text back, even though I'm not even sure the phone works both ways.

You'll have to catch me first.

The reply is almost immediate.

Oh, I will. But you'd better make it a challenge this time.

I roll my eyes, but the implication is clear. This time, Lucian himself has taught me the skills I need to play this fucked up game. And I'd better make it worth his while.

And I know just how to do it.

I pull up a travel app as I walk down the street, my fingers flying over the screen as I search for flights leaving within the next hour.

There are a few options, but one in particular catches my eye—a non-stop to Las Vegas, departing in just 45 minutes.

It's a risk, booking a flight on Lucian's dime. But it's a risk I'm willing to take.

He promised to give me a fighting chance. And I'm going to hold him to that promise.

I book the flight with a few taps, my heart pounding with a mixture of exhilaration and fear.

This is it.

The ultimate test of his word, of the strange trust that's begun to grow between us.

And time to figure out if I can put to use what I've learned.

Chapter Twenty

THE FAWN

I stare out the small oval window of the chartered jet as it soars through wispy clouds, my mind racing with the implications of what I've just done.

My stomach churns with both exhilaration and dread. If he's true to his promise, if he really has given me a fighting chance, this bold move will buy me precious time and distance.

I can't just run around the same general area if I want to evade him during the final round. I have to think big, spread my wings a little.

This will be a good test run.

But if he's been playing me all along, if the card is just another way to track my every move...

I need to know that, too.

I think I'd be disappointed, though. How fucked up is it that out of all the things he's done, that would be what gets to me? What makes me feel… betrayed?

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