Page 91 of Hunted Innocence

I hum because I know that’s true. Where there is one piece of shit, there will always be more to replace him. “They’ll think twice about it, and you will make a difference. You already have.”

He shakes his head once, then shifts his face closer to mine. “You’re far too optimistic,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I’m happy and in love. It does that to people.”

“I love you, too,” he says without a single ounce of hesitation.

I’m not sure how this world became mine. Happenstance or divine intervention, I don’t know, but I’m holding on tightly with both hands, and I am never, not ever, letting go.

GRAYSON

THREE MONTHS LATER

Pressing my lips together,I watch the man across the bar reach out and touch the woman’s arm. She doesn’t recoil,although I can tell she wishes she could just by looking at the fake expression she wears.

This one is problematic, likely worse than the one in Miami, but he’s not the worst I’ve encountered in my surveillance. There have been a couple who I wished I could murder on the spot.

Thankfully, I’ve been assured that they will and have been taken care of. I should ask for confirmation in the form of picture proof of their demise. But maybe I don’t need that on my conscience, so it’s best if I don’t see it and just believe it’s all been handled while I gather intel.

My phone buzzes in my hand, but I ignore it as I take a few more pictures of the couple before I forward them to the office. Whoever is working there today can get started on the facial recognition program to find out just who the fuck the girl is. The man we know by name and obviously his city, but we haven’t found much else out about him.

My phone buzzes in my hand again, and I grin at the image that appears on my screen. Sliding my thumb across, I bring it to my ear. “You’re calling me while I’m at work,” I state with a smile in my voice.

“I am,” she agrees. “Will you be coming home soon?”

I smirk, shaking my head. I’ve gotten what I came here for, really. I have several women he’s been seen with, pictures of his home, his office, and his car. I could probably leave tomorrow, but something is niggling at me to stay for at least a few more days.

“How about I come home on Friday?”

“Will you have everything you need?” she asks.

“I should.”

There is a moment of silence before she clears her throat. “No,” she breathes. “You need to stay until it’s done. We do nothing but a disservice if we don’t get everything we can on each of them.”

My lips curve up to a grin, my eyes never looking away from today’s target as I listen to my beautiful woman’s words of absolute wisdom.

“Okay, baby. I’ll call you when I get back to the room.”

Ending the call, I slip the phone into my pocket and watch as the target stands and holds out his hand for the woman. She slips her palm in his and clenches her jaw as she rises to her feet. They walk out of the restaurant together.

She doesn’t want to go with him; that much is clear, but she’s also not visibly shaken or protesting. So interfering would likely be a bad idea at this point and ruin any progress Securus has made.

If I did something that sent off alarm bells, he could likely warn his partners, and that is the last thing I want.

Once they’re out of the restaurant, I follow them, staying behind. I watch as they slip into his waiting car, the driver his personal assistant. I’ve already put a tracker on the car. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I watch as the car moves on the map. It stops at a light, then moves again.

When it pulls into his driveway, I know he will not go anywhere else this evening. He is in the house with that girl for the night and well into the morning.

Instead of going to his place and watching the house, which serves no purpose because I know that he’s got more security than he needs, I decide to go back to my hotel. Every fucking inch of the target’s house has a camera pointed at it and away from it, which only solidifies to me that he is indeed doing something wrong.

Walking over to my car, I sink down in the driver’s seat and start the engine. Glancing down at my phone, I find the audiobook that Nadine suggested. She’s got me listening to celebrity biographies. I don’t know why, but they are fucking fascinating.

I’ve been listening to the actress Hayley Mills’s story, and I don’t know if it’s her melodic British accent or the story itself that I am enthralled with more. It also makes the drive to the hotel go by faster.

After dropping my car off at the valet, I make my way back to my room. I stopped getting rentals after the first one. I don’t know why, maybe because it feels like I’ll be staying too long when all I want to do is go back home to my woman.

The elevator climbs, and when it dings open, I step out into the hallway. Glancing from side to side, I ensure that I’m alone, and when I feel comfortable, I slip into my room. It’s dark, but I’m not alone.

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