Page 99 of Hunt Me

I freeze, then clear my throat. “Don’t. Not tonight.”

Denver doesn’t hear me, but Nico does. He shoots me a confused look, and while it is unfair that Denver doesn’t know I’m speaking to the fucker watching him, right now, I’m not going to tell him. I will not burst the fragile bubble of confidence and happiness he’s managed to keep for himself tonight.

And when I tell him the truth, I will be ready to beg for forgiveness down on my knees.

Milo insists he has plans, and I’m pretty sure that means he’s going to harass or possibly kidnap the vet he’s currently obsessed with. He’s not even being subtle about it. Percy bowsout early, and my dad decides to do some research on Denver’s stalker, which leaves Denver, Nico, and me to walk down the road to Leaf’s.

The pathway is impossibly dark, but there are lights once we hit Leaf’s driveway. We’re making our way up the path when Nico suddenly jumps into the air and scuttles behind me.

“What the fuck is that!”

Denver tenses, but I hold him tight because I see exactly what scared Nico. “Michael,” I say and sign where Denver can see my hands.

Denver bursts into laughter and shakes his head. ‘Fucking groundhog.’

I like him. He’s chaotic and strange and doesn’t behave like an animal should. Letting Denver go, I approach the little garden beds where he’s been helping himself, and I see the little baby-carrying bag lying against the side.

Picking it up, I slip it over my shoulders, strap it in, then kneel down and make a come-here motion with my fingers to the shadows. Behind me, I hear Nico breathing heavily and the faint sound of Denver’s vocalizations as he signs.

A moment passes, then two. Just before I’m ready to give up, Michael appears with half a zucchini in his mouth. He approaches carefully, and I hold the opening wide, crouching low to the ground.

It takes a while, but eventually, he walks up and crawls inside and allows me to zip him close to my chest. He makes a strange little chittering sound, then begins to chew on the remaining squash as I stand up and turn toward my lover and my friend.

“Are you fucking serious?” Nico demands aloud. “What is even happening right now?”

Denver, who’s watching his mouth, bursts into laughter and waves his hand to get Nico’s attention. ‘Don’t ask.’

‘I won’t,’ Nico says and stays several steps away from me as we approach the door.

Denver hits the buzzer, and beyond the curtains, I see lights flicker a few times. It takes a moment, but eventually, Leaf opens the door, sees who I’m wearing, and gives a loud groan.

“Oh, come on! I just planted those.” His hands move with his words like a habit, and then he opens his arms and pulls Denver in for a hug. ‘How are you?’ He freezes when his eyes catch on the glitter both Denver and Nico seem to be wearing now. ‘Good night out?’

Denver smiles. ‘Better than before. But a lot has happened since we were here.’

Leaf looks intrigued. ‘Great. Come inside and tell me everything.’ Then he beckons us inside, taking a single pause to look at Nico before he closes the door behind us.

Michael eventually demands to be let out, so I take him to the door and set him free outside. It was nice having him warm against my chest as he ate Leaf’s zucchini. He’s quiet for a huge rodent, and while he might be a terror to Leaf, he’s calm with me. He lets me pet him until he’s ready to be released, and I miss him as I sit back down beside Denver, who’s sipping on wine and giggling.

I like hearing him laugh. I like seeing him smile.

It makes me want him all over again.

But I have to wait. Thorne handed me a file folder the moment I sat down, and when I opened it, I saw a stack of papers detailing Denver’s first stalker case.

While Denver was relaying all of the events since we were last here, I scanned through it, my blood pressure rising until Ifelt like putting my head through a wall. A lot of it is the same information that I found at Denver’s place, but there are more details, like where this fucking Byron guy is from, and his last known address, and all of the files they found on his computer.

It’s a lot to process, and it’s hard to keep my rage in check. Luckily, Nico notices and takes it from me, tucking it into his bag so we can give it to my father later.

He must have known I was about to have a meltdown, and I love him for knowing how to defuse it before I completely fall apart. The wine he gives me after helps, though I’m not sure I should be buzzed right now.

The masking I do on a daily basis—which isn’t much, to be honest—starts coming undone. I find myself stimming slightly, and the doily that’s on the table feels terrific under my fingers. I brushed against it when I asked Leaf for another glass and decided not to let go of it. I think I’ll take this home with me.

“You can keep it. It’s from my serial killer aunt,” Leaf says and signs when he notices me dragging it closer and closer.

‘Thanks,’ is all I sign and then cock my head, taking another gulp of wine. ‘I like serial killers.’ I don’t know how to sign that, so I just sign kill over and over, the doily flapping in my fingers until Nico reaches over and settles a hand on top of mine.

I move to apologize, but Denver shakes his head. ‘No. You’re being yourself. Don’t apologize.’