Watching Livy like this isn’t enough for me, but it’s my only option. Tapping into the St. Killian camera system was embarrassingly easy. Whoever set up the security network here must’ve assumed no one would bother trying, or maybe they didn’t think anyone would have a reason. Two hours in the research library and a little patience with their firewall was all it took.
I’d rather be close enough to put a tracker on her, or in her for that matter. A little poke of a needle in her neck, and I’d have her exact location at all times. It would be so small she’d never notice, but that requires her to be in a deep sleep or for her to agree to let me do it.
As high alert, and rightfully so, as my girl is, I don't anticipate either of those things happening any time soon.
I push off the archway and start to turn, already planning the fastest route across campus. Kalen and Jeremy are taking too long, and I don’t want to miss a minute of being in the same room as my girl.
But today is annoying, so I immediately run straight into someone who isn’t watching where the fuck they’re going.
A girl with long black hair tied into two braids hanging over her shoulders crashes into my chest like she hit a brick wall. She bounces off me and stumbles backward, landing hard on the cobblestones with a startled grunt.
My instinct should be to rush forward to help her up.
And clearly she anticipates that, because she snaps out the words, “Don’t touch me.”
She doesn’t know I’m fucked up and have no emotion or care in this world if it doesn’t involve Livy.
My brows pull together as I look down at her like she’s the rude one. I guess we both are, so I’ll call it even.
“I wasn’t going to,” I say flatly. “You bumped into me.”
She rolls her eyes like I’ve just personally offended her entire family and pushes herself up without any help from me. Her bag has spilled half its contents onto the ground. It’s a ragged looking canvas thing that’s seen better days. The girl scoops everything up quickly, shoving books and loose papers back inside with quick irritated movements.
Then she huffs under her breath as she slings the strap over her shoulder.
I’m already turning away when I hear her mutter it.
“It’s always a fucking rugby player.”
I shake my head.
I don’t have time to be annoyed with whoever this bitch is. I don’t know if she’s heard the buzz about the Americans showing up out of nowhere and hopping on the rugby team. She might have just guessed correctly because I have a Knights hoodie on that is specific to the rugby team. The hockey team has green ones, we have the navy blue.
The walk across campus to the pub will take less than ten minutes because in all my free time while I sit up watching Livy sleep via the cameras I made Jeremy help me install while Kalen distracted the girls with a dog he adopted for Juniper.
All that eye contact during the game and after with Livy during the match has my head spinning. I feel like I could walk to Mars, I’m that hyped up. When she caught me staring earlier, I expected her to look away like she does with everyone else.
Instead she held my gaze. It was like she didn’t even realize she was doing it. The memory makes heat spread slowly through my chest. She tries so hard to blend into the background everywhere she goes, to disappear into whatever group she’s standing with.
But she couldn’t look away from me, and made herself vulnerable because she didn’t want to break our connection. And that tells me something very important. My girl, on some level, already knows she’s my girl.
That realization hits harder than anything else today. Because if I’m being honest with myself, it also means something else. All that shit I told myself about being careful… about keeping my distance… about staying hidden while I figure out who’s looking for her information.
It’s bullshit.
I don’t want to watch her from a distance.
I want her in my arms permanently.
I still haven’t seen Kalen or Jeremy, and before I leave them I decide to check in with Caiden before I head over to the busy pub.
Caiden’s name sits at the top of the thread because I’m not a super social guy. I don’t have much to say to anyone unless it’s business related. And the one person I want to pour my heart and soul out to isn’t within my grasp just yet.
I type quickly.
Did some digging last night. Found the IP address of the person searching for Livy’s information.
I copy the string of numbers from my notes app and paste it beneath the message.
