Page 120 of Mine To Hunt

If messages arrive within seconds of real-world events, that suggests proximity. If there is delay, that suggests distance or relay routing. Patterns reveal habits. Habits reveal location.

Control must remain absolute. As I finish configuring the system, my phone vibrates softly.‘You think he can remove everyone?’

I read the message slowly. Short sentence. Direct challenge. No attempt at poetic intimidation like before. His tone is changing.

Earlier, he used longer phrasing designed to frighten her psychologically. This message is different. It is confrontational. Emotional. Almost unstable.

He is reacting to me. That means I am inside his thoughts. Good.

I open another feed. The hidden street camera installed inside a broken streetlight casing at the corner. I placed it there weeks ago after observing unusual vehicle patterns in the neighborhood. It blends perfectly into the metal housing.

I scan the parked cars methodically. I know this block. I know which vehicles belong and which do not. A silver sedan that has not moved in three days. Normal. The blue hatchback near the corner. Consistent.

Then I see it. A dark van parked farther down the street. Slightly angled. Windows tinted beyond standard regulation.

I activate thermal overlay. Faint engine heat remains. It has been driven recently.

I zoom in carefully and capture the plate number. The image is sharp. I log it into my secured database where I track potential threats to her. I add timestamp and location markers.

I whisper to myself, almost amused by his attempt to hide while making such obvious mistakes. "You’re getting bold."

Sending the photo was not only to scare Iris. It was to prove he can reach inside the space I occupy. To challenge me. To analyze me the way I analyze others.

For years, I have studied people. Breaking down their weaknesses, predicting their behavior, staying three steps ahead. I removed people before they understood what was happening.

Now someone believes he can reverse that dynamic. He believes he can watch me.

Across the street, her bedroom light finally turns off.

The room falls into darkness. I adjust the lens slightly, not intruding further than necessary tonight. I study the outline of her body beneath the blanket. Even in rest, tension remains in her posture.

I remember the first night I watched her from this window.

She paced her living room for almost an hour. Checked the door three times. Turned the lock again and again. She sensed danger even before she knew its shape.

Back then, I told myself I was simply observing.

Now I understand. I marked her as mine long ago. And this man, whoever he is, has stepped into something that does not belong to him.

My phone remains on the desk, waiting for the next message.

I remain seated in the shadows, watching the building, analyzing the street, memorizing every detail. The game has changed. And I do not lose control of what is mine.

Chapter 37

Her

Iwake up with my heart already racing, even before I open my eyes. The stalker’s text from last night comes back to me instantly, like it has been waiting for me to be conscious again.

His words repeat in my head, slow and cruel. It feels like they are burned into my thoughts. A heavy fear settles in my chest, making it hard to breathe normally.

Now that he knows about the masked man being involved in my life, I cannot stop wondering what he might do next. Every possible outcome feels worse than the last.

I stay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The blanket feels like the only safe thing around me. I do not want to leave this room. The thought of stepping outside, of walking into the open where he could be anywhere, makes my stomach tighten.

Going to the office feels impossible. I would be surrounded by people who have no idea what is happening, while he could be watching from a distance.

The fear feels physical, like a weight pressing down on me. For a few minutes, I seriously think about not getting up at all.