Shattered Obsession: Book 3 of the Obsession Trilogy

by Sinclaire, Roxy

  Now all she had to do was wait for the police to do their jobs and then she could be completely and utterly happy.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  A month had passed and Camila was getting impatient for the police to find Adrien. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying her time there with her little family, but she seriously was ready to move on, to start the next chapter of their lives. Right now she felt as though she was in a holding pattern. Waiting. Always waiting.

  Staying cooped up inside as difficult. She had always been an outdoor kind of girl and she missed it. Especially since she’d had to live that way with Adrien at the farmhouse for so long. She wanted to be able to walk outside without it being dangerous for her and her family, and she was starting to get a bit grumpy without being able to go out in the sun and enjoy the cold snowy weather.

  No one clashed with anyone in the house, so it wasn’t that they were all going stir crazy and getting on each other’s nerves, but they all agreed they were ready to go home. The walls of the safe house were all well insulated, so everyone had their own privacy, but she also really wanted to be alone with Samuel the way it had been when they first arrived.

  She didn’t voice these thoughts out loud to anyone, though, and just waited for the ordeal to be over. After all, it would be totally selfish of her to complain, considering they were doing all this mainly for her. Adrien might attack any one of them, but she was his primary target. She was sure she wasn’t the only one who felt like complaining, everyone was just biding their time.

  Then, finally, one morning about five weeks in while they were all just finishing breakfast and cleaning up, Samuel’s phone rang.

  The sound was so loud, even coming from his pocket, that it was impossible not to hear it, especially since everyone went still and silent on hearing it. Even Samuel looked surprised at the sudden phone call as he pulled out his phone.

  “Hello?” he said, phone to his ear, his expression tense.

  Camila watched as his expression slowly darkened and she moved toward him.

  He murmured, “All right, I’ll make the call.” And then he cut the call off.

  He turned and kissed Camila’s head and said, “Give me a few minutes,” and then walked out of the kitchen, dialing some other number.

  Camila watched him go, and then turned back to her mom and they slowly resumed cleaning up.

  Her heart was beating fast in her chest. She could tell by Samuel’s expression that Adrien hadn’t been caught yet, but she thought they must at least have had news about him, otherwise, why call, right?

  The sudden call had caught all of them off guard, but after they were finished cleaning up in the kitchen, the three women moved to the living room to wait on Samuel’s return. Usually, they all went their separate ways after eating, unless they had something they wanted to do together, and now they all sat tense and silent in the living room.

  Could they really be onto him? After more than a month?

  Camila had to hand it to Adrien. He’d managed to evade the police for so long not once, but twice, and even while he was really sick the second time around. But she was more than ready for him to get caught so she could go back to living a normal life.

  It took a while for Samuel to come back. He didn’t acknowledge them, sitting on the edge of their seats as he stood staring off into space for a long while.

  Camila got impatient and stood up, going to him. “Samuel, what’s going on? Did they find him?”

  He sighed, and then glanced at her. He put his arm around her and led her back to the couch, and then he sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. He’d been doing that a lot, and she wondered if it was because he was uneasy she would disappear if he didn’t keep her close at all times. She felt the same about him, so she wasn’t exactly complaining.

  “They don’t have him, yet, but they did catch word of him.”

  “Where is he?” Morganna asked, her brow furrowed.

  “A man fitting Adrien’s description was admitted into a hospital just over the border in Canada. He was suffering from dehydration, had severe blood poisoning and a bullet lodged in his shoulder,” he stated. “He was delirious and had to be restrained. He tried to strangle a nurse while he was there.”

  “While he was there?” Morganna questioned, suspiciously.

  “But they didn’t arrest him?” Camila said. “Even after the trouble he caused the nurses, he wasn’t under arrest?”

  Samuel shook his head. He looked weary and tired. “No, they didn’t. The Canadian police nor the hospital were aware he was a criminal on the run, though apparently the fact that he had a bullet in his shoulder raised quite a few alarms. Also, since he did cause some trouble at the hospital, to the point they had to call security to keep him down, you would think that they would have held him, but no. A nurse tried to interfere and that was when he tried to strangle her. She’s fine. Security got him to stay down, but they were more worried about treating him than calling in the police. The doctors assumed he was acting that way because he was ill, not because he was a criminal.”

  Camila bit her lip, feeling anxiety beating like a drum in her chest.

  How did Adrien manage to get all the way up in Canada? Or did he just collapse somewhere, and some nice person took him to the hospital?

  Either way, he was far away, and out of the cops’ reach. It wouldn’t be that hard for him to make his way back across the border, either. Their best bet was that he was alone in a foreign country, and he hadn't had time to pick up his stuff from the farmhouse before he escaped, so he shouldn’t have anything on him. No phone, no wallet, no identification…

  Still, he was likely willing to do a lot to get what he wanted, so what if he just decided to hurt someone?

  When is he going to stop?

  This whole thing really was going to drive her crazy. Already, too many people had died, so she doubted Adrien would have a problem with adding to the body count.

  “The police are doing their best right now,” Samuel said. “They’re also coordinating with the Canadian police up north to take care of it, but they haven’t been able to establish where Adrien went after the hospital released him. I only got the bare details, though. One of the Canadian officers will be coming by with Jacobs later to give us a more in-depth report. You all are free to listen in if you’d like.”

  It was a good thing that he was giving them a choice, because Camila really didn’t want to hear more on it. But, she knew that she needed to. She’d be restless regardless, but not knowing was a lot worse.

  They hung around for a while, waiting. The rest of them moved around, but Camila felt frozen on the couch. She felt like she couldn’t move. She sat still on the couch, looking outwardly calm, but feeling like she was suffocating on the inside.

  It wasn’t long before someone knocked on the door. It was an officer she had seen before, and she assumed it was Jacobs, and the Canadian officer. Samuel opened the door for them and led them both into the living room. Morganna and Brianna joined them shortly after, like they’d been waiting on him as well.

  “Good afternoon. I’m Officer Tremblay. As we’ve gathered, you’ve had a bit of a nuisance with this one, ah?”

  They nodded.

  Officer Tremblay said, “Ah, well, here’s what we’ve got…” He went through the report. Telling them everything Samuel had told them earlier, only with a few details added here and there. There wasn’t much new information, until they got to the end.

  “Why wasn’t Adrien arrested at the hospital?” Samuel asked. “That’s the one thing I still don’t get. If they were giving him treatment, then he shouldn’t have been able to just walk out on his own, no?”

  Officer Jacobs cleared his throat and gave the Canadian a glare.

  Officer Tremblay looked apologetic. “Well, eh, according to the doctors, he recovered pretty quickly, eh, and once they had the delirium controlled, they didn’t think to notify us. Even though he’
d acted really crazy before, eh, they figured it was just as a result of the illness, and they left him alone. No one was keeping an eye on him, eh, so no one expected he leave before getting discharged, eh. His doctor called us in to get his statement about the bullet wound, but when we finally arrived, eh, they discovered he’d left.” Officer Tremblay rubbed the back of his neck. “As you know, eh, it’s pretty standard to get the police involved when patients involving bullet wounds are checked into a hospital.”

  “And is there no way to track where he is now?” Samuel asked.

  Jacobs stepped in. “The security cameras in and around the hospital caught him on camera, so we’re sure that it’s Adrien, but where he went isn’t all too clear. He moved too fast, so he was able to evade the rest of the cameras on the property. For the moment, we’re keeping an eye on both sides of the border, but as you know, Kane, if he’s on foot it’s not impossible for him to find a way to cross back over into the states, so we’ve got eyes out for him all over the place.”

  A few more words were spoken, but Camila was no longer listening. The officers stayed for a while longer, until they had no more info to give, and they stood to leave. Samuel followed them to the door.

  “Thank you for coming all the way here to let us know, I know it was probably a longer trip that you intended, Officer Tremblay,” he said, shaking the officer’s hand. “Please have me informed of anything else that may come up.”

  “Of course, Mr. Kane. Eh, we’re only sorry that we haven’t been able to catch this guy for you.” Tremblay nodded and stepped through the door.

  “We feel like we’re closing in on him, Kane, we’ll get him. Hopefully you’ll be getting some good news soon.” Jacobs shook his hand. “I’ll keep in touch.”

  Samuel waited for Jacobs to get through the door and then closed and locked it. As he started walking back into the room, he pulled out his phone and began to dial. Camila only heard a little of what he was saying, but he was relaying the information to someone and asking them to keep a look out as well.

  Camilla assumed it was the ex-military guys who were also working on the case.

  Her mom moved to sit beside her, and Camila vaguely heard her say something comforting. She took the comfort, but said nothing. Even Bri moved to sit by her other side. And after he was done with his business, Samuel led her back to their room, where they just lay silently on the bed with him holding her tightly in his arms.

  Camila had trouble sleeping again that night, her mind racing through every scenario.

  What if he somehow manages to find me? was her final thought before drifting into fitful sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Camila continued to be listless for the next couple days. Again, it was Samuel who broke her out of it.

  She woke up and he was there, sitting beside her, with a tray of food on his lap. She glanced at his face, and he was looking right at her. They both ate silently, then he went away with the tray and came back empty handed. She hadn't moved.

  “Camila, sweetheart, get up.” The words were a command, but his voice was gentle.

  Still, she didn’t get out from under the covers. “Are Mom and Bri okay?” she asked.

  He sighed. “They’re fine, love. You’re the one who isn’t doing well, sweetheart. You had a nightmare last night. Do you remember? You were tossing around so much that it woke me up, and it took a while to get you to calm down.”

  She did vaguely remember something terrifying happening, but she didn’t have memories of it, thankfully. She felt his hand in her hair, gently stroking through the tangled strands.

  “Come on, let’s not lie in bed all day, it’s not good for you. We can go work out, or swim. The sun is warm out, too and the snow has melted. If you’d like, we can go sit out on the patio.”

  “…okay.”

  He spent the whole day with her. Even when her mom and Brianna showed up to join in on the fun, he hung around, unless they insisted on it just being the girls. Still, he kept an eye on her to make sure she was okay the whole day.

  Little by little, she was coming out of her anxiety-filled thoughts. She knew they were all worried as well, about the situation and about her. Closing in on herself didn’t help anything, so she shouldn’t do it. But, she couldn’t help herself.

  At night, they all separated and went back to their rooms after dinner. Camila fell asleep in Samuel’s arms like usual, only to wake up in the dark some-time later. She was breathing hard, and she felt sweaty. There was an arm circled around her shoulders from behind, and she was holding onto it. For a moment, she didn’t know what was going on, and nearly screamed.

  “Camila, sweetheart?”

  The voice that called out to her was hushed, and definitely Samuel’s. The scream caught in her throat, and she turned around to look at him. It was dark in the room, and even as her eyes adjusted, all she could see was shadows.

  “Samuel?” she asked, tentative, voice croaking a little.

  He sighed and hugged her close, his hold loosening a little, as if giving her space if she wanted to move away.

  “Thank God, you’re finally awake. How do you feel? Okay?”

  Her throat felt dry. She licked her lips, asked, “What happened?”

  “You were having another nightmare. Luckily, I woke up before you could injure yourself or something. I won’t ask you what it was about, so try to relax, okay?”

  She nodded, and felt her body melt into his. Even if he asked, she really didn’t remember. The last thought in her mind was falling asleep in Samuel’s arms, and that was it.

  It didn’t take long for her to calm down. She could feel Samuel’s steady heartbeat against her back, and unconsciously she tried to get her own to match it, her breathing slowing down as well. When she could think, she wrinkled her nose, feeling her clothes clinging to her.

  “Ugh… sweaty,” she grumbled.

  “We can go have a shower right now, if you want, sweetheart,” he offered.

  Before she could reply, he’d released her and slipped out of the bed. Seconds later, the light came on. She squinted her eyes at the sudden brightness. Samuel moved back to the bed, and then picked her up.

  “Oh!”

  She made a quiet sound of surprise, then wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. When they got to the bathroom door, she reached out to pull it open, and they went inside. Samuel sat her down on the edge of the tub.

  “You didn’t have to carry me,” she murmured, belatedly.

  Samuel shot her a smile. “It’s okay, I wanted to. I think a shower should be fine, right?”

  She nodded shyly.

  They were both wearing sleep clothes. Samuel reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it off, then walked over to the shower to turn it on. Camila, watching him, suddenly felt her mouth go dry for a totally different reason.

  They hadn't made love since her mother and his sister showed up at the safe-house. The bedrooms were all right next to each other, after all, and what if they made any noise? She knew the walls were well insulated, but still. It would be too embarrassing with her mom and Brianna only a few doors away if they tried anything, so they had exercised constraint. When she thought about it, she cursed at herself for being so lost in her mind that they only got to have one night of love making in their month here.

  However, with the water going…

  “Samuel?”

  He hummed, but didn’t turn around. She didn’t need him to. She got up on her own and went to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She sighed, closing her eyes as she pressed her cheek to his warm back. Samuel had gone completely still. Then, he gently pulled her hands away and turned around so he could hold her back.

  “Are you okay, sweetness?” he asked tenderly, running one hand up and down her back.

  “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “But… kiss me?”

  He watched her a moment longer, before ducking his head down to do just that. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as sh
e kissed him passionately back. Soon, they’d shed off the rest of their clothes and moved to the shower.

  Samuel pushed her back against the tiles, and then got down on his knees. He looked up at her as, with his hands on the insides of her thighs, he spread her legs open for him. Their eyes held as he leaned closer. She felt his mouth on her sex, and her body shivered in pleasure as her eyes closed reflexively.

  He kissed her there, just as he’d kissed her mouth, nipping with his lips, sucking on her, scraping his teeth on her clit, then licking her all over. She completely lost the feeling in her legs when his tongue slid in and out of her, as if mimicking what he was going to be doing to her soon.

  If he hadn’t been holding onto her hips, and she didn’t have her hands balanced on his shoulders, she might have slid down.

  Just when she was right on the edge, Samuel stopped.

  She groaned, and gave him a look of desire, as she said, “Noooo, don’t stop…”

  He chuckled. “The floor’s a little hard on my knees, sweetness, so forgive me, please.”

  So he said, but he was still smiling, so she knew he did it on purpose. “Hard on your knees, hmmm? Right…” She giggled.

  He let out a grunt as he got up, but he quickly pressed her body back against the tiles with his, and she could feel his erection poking her in the stomach. He caught her hands and brought them around his neck. She held on tightly. Then, he picked up both her legs and lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He shifted slightly, and she felt the head of him at her entrance. A thrust of his hips, and he entered her.

  “Samuel,” she moaned, clutching tightly to him.

  He moved, rocking gently against her, moving in and out of her body. Their loud breathing bounced against the tiles, echoing in the room. The noise was just barely muffled by the falling water. Her hands scrambled for something to hold onto, scratching at his back as her body shook against his. Her head tilted back as she let out moans and sighs, shivering as she felt Samuel mouth at her neck, before making his way down to her chest. He kissed around the swell of her breast, then took her nipple in his mouth and sucked, nudging it with his tongue, scraping it with his teeth.