by Xio Axelrod
She smiled, and Yara seemed to exhale some of her nervous energy.
"We're going to make history here tonight. You're going to get out of this just fine, and we'll make sure the others do too."
She patted Yara's hands and stood. "Where can I set it up?"
"Bookcase." Cam pointed in that direction. "We only have about ten minutes before Kaine gets here."
"I only need two." Tessa walked over to the bookcase and reached into her leather messenger bag. She pulled out a small, black box and set it on the shelf, masking it behind a picture frame.
Turning back to Yara, Tessa smiled again. "I need you to keep him in this room, can you do that?"
Yara nodded. "I'm sure I can manage. He's only interested in one thing tonight."
Cam grit his teeth. It must have been audible because Yara looked over at him. She blinked slowly, and he tried to pour as much support as he could into his eyes. She looked away.
She seemed so small.
"I think you two should take a minute," Pierce muttered behind him.
"We don't have a minute."
"We have just that," Pierce countered. "Yara?"
She rose and walked over to them, the soft fabric molding to her curves like spilled ink.
When she reached them, Pierce stepped away.
Cam scratched the back of his neck. "Try not to be nervous, we'll be just on the other side of that door."
She nodded. "I know. I'm fine I just...I don't want to screw up again. I could kick myself for getting skittish back at his office." Her gaze met his and what he saw there caught him off-guard.
Fear. Disappointment in herself.
He couldn't have that.
"Hey," Cam hesitated before taking her hand and leading her away from the others.
The apartment's parquet floors had seen better days. In fact, the entire place seemed just this side of rundown, despite its prestigious address. Cam led her into the foyer where Yara leaned against the wall.
"Say the word, and I'll scrap all this." He touched his finger under her chin, lifting gently. Those amazing, gemstone eyes of her threatened to knock him flat before she blinked, smiling softly.
"And what would I do then?"
"We'd figure something else out." He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. Her hair had always been a source of fascination for him, so thick and long. The color of sable. "Fuck," he breathed.
Yara searched his eyes. "What?"
He squeezed them shut. "Nothing."
Cam backed up a few inches. "Everything will be alright, lass. You have my word, Pierce's word. Rory's too, I suspect. Tessa's good at what she does."
"And what does she do?"
"She catches flies."
After all of the anticipation and build up, tripping Kaine up in his own ego hadn't taken more than five minutes.
He'd arrived minutes after the team had gotten in place, storming into the apartment and bellowing for "his girl."
"Time for you to pay the piper," he'd said, like a villain from a bad, seventies film. Behind the closed bedroom door, the three Skinner boys rolled their eyes and shook their heads.
Yara's voice had been too soft for Cam to hear, only Kaine's boisterous, over-excited responses made it through the thick door.
It wasn't until he started yelling, and a second female voice joined the the ruckus, that Rory opened the door and the boys made their presence known.
Kaine was understandably surprised.
Belt undone and foaming at the mouth about having them all arrested, he shut up right fucking quick when Tessa pulled out the recording device.
"Get on your knees, baby, it's time for some payback."
That's all Cam had heard before his fist flew. The crunch was satisfying, but he'd wanted more.
"Not helping, brother." Pierce held his arm fast.
"It's bloody well helping me," Cam retorted, shaking his aching digits. He smiled at the sight of the blood trickling from Kaine's nose.
"I'll fucking ruin you, all of you!”
"Tsk Tsk," Tessa said, waving the black box. "Between the papers from your former client, Ariel Wyatt, Ms. Bujold's testimony, and what we have on tape, you really don't have any room left to be making threats, Mr. Kaine."
"None of that will stand up in any court."
Tessa smiled. It was the cold, icy smile of an apex predator.
Cam thought he saw a shiver pass over Kaine's frame.
"I have the Times on speed-dial, Mr. Kaine. There's no court like the court of public opinion. Surely, you already know that."
Kaine opened his mouth to speak, but Cam had heard enough.
"You're done," he pronounced. "Whatever operation you've had going on these past three decades, the girls the drugs, the parties, the theft of their intellectual property, it's done."
"You don't have enough to take me down."
"Mr. Kaine, are you familiar with child labor laws?”
He spun on her. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Tessa met him toe-to-toe. Formidable woman. Even Pierce seemed impressed, though Cam didn't think he'd ever admit it.
"Lanie. I believe she's your next breakout star? She's sixteen years old."
"Oh my God," Yara gasped, her hand to her mouth.
"I...what? No, she's nineteen." Kaine took a step back.
"She lied," Tessa continued as she produced what looked like a birth certificate from her bag. “Lanie Lynnette Labelle, catchy name, isn't it? Born sixteen years, three months, and five days ago. You two seem awfully cozy in the photos that Skin provided.“
"I never touched her."
Cam's fist curled again. "I saw you. You were all over her."
Kaine blanched.
"You're going down for that, and for countless other things. Whatever we can prove, I'll hand over to the D.A." Tessa walked to the front door, opening it. In strolled two members of the NYPD's finest.
Kaine was cuffed and out the door before Cam could process it.
"What just happened?" Yara turned to him.
"It's over." He said, exhaling. Suddenly tired, every little ache and pain made itself known as the adrenaline wore off.
"Okay." She seemed dubious. Understandably.
"Really, it's done." He frowned, looking at Tessa. "He's finished, thanks to her."
"Way to bury the lead, Tessa," Rory said.
"We were already dark when I got the text with the info on young Lanie. My office is already reaching out to her parents. She's in a studio across town as we speak." She smiled. "We'll take care of her."
Yara exhaled. "Thank you."
"And I'll take care of you," Cam said to her.
"I believe you."
Cam's eyes narrowed. "Yeah?"
Yara's smile was weary but warmed him from the inside.
"Yeah."
Twenty
They sat outside her parents’ house for a good ten minutes before Cam broke the silence.
"It really is best if you do this before we go to the police. It'll be a media circus after that, you know it will. We won't be able to control it."
"Amnesia? Really? Does anyone get that anymore?"
Cam arched his eyebrow. "Of course they do, some legitimately. Look, Pierce already has a doctor in the Miami area that'll say you've been in his care since the accident. All you have to do is stick to the story. We already know Kaine isn't going to contradict, not unless he wants to end up in prison for even longer than he already will."
Yara toyed with the phone in her hand. "I think I need reinforcements."
Cam nodded. "Call her."
Yara dialed.
"Yar? What's going on? I saw something on the news about Kaine getting arrested. Are you alright?"
"I'm all right, Siv. I'm...I'm actually sitting outside the house."
"What?"
Yara heard her shuffling. She could see Siv's front window between the branches of the swaying birch tree in her yard.
"Black Escalade."
"Oh my God!"
Yara watched Siv run out of her house across the street and straight for the SUV, wisps of blond hair streaming behind her.
Cam got out and opened the back door, and Siv stepped in without breaking stride. When her gaze landed on Yara, she burst into tears.
"Oh, hey," Yara soothed her, gathering her close. "It's okay."
Siv practically pulled her into the back seat. "Jesus, Yara. I know we've spoken a bit since you...you know, but...Jesus. Seeing you..."
"I know."
They held each other for long minutes as Yara relished the feel of someone so familiar. She swiped at her tears, annoyed until she pulled back and found Siv wiping at her own.
“I’m sorry, I'm just so glad you're back. That you're...you."
Siv's watery smile cracked open the shell around Yara's carefully guarded heart.
She met Cam's eyes in the mirror, stunned by his expression. Part awe and part sorrow. She held his gaze while Siv squeezed her arms, her hands, laced their fingers together.
"Are you ready to face your parents?"
The question snapped Yara back to the moment. She blinked away from Cam's gaze and met Siv's, nodding.
"Yeah. I need you with me." She squeezed her hands.
"Of course I'll go with you."
"And you too," Yara said, catching Camden in the mirror again.
He looked as surprised to hear that as she was to have said it.
"Uh," he frowned, swallowed, then nodded. "Sure. Wherever you need me to go, I go."
What the fuck was he doing, standing at the front door of the Bujold household?
This was nuts.
This wasn't any of his business, it was a family matter. But Yara had asked him to do this, and his first - his only - response has been yes. Yes, of course, he would. Because she'd asked and he would give her the fucking moon.
Christ, he was in trouble with her.
He rang the bell and waited, his nerves shot and his throat suddenly dry.
The door opened, and a small woman of about fifty-five peered up at him from behind tortoise-shell glasses. She was so much like Yara, Yara in about thirty years, that he was at a loss for words. Her skin was a little darker, her eyes not quite as bright, but there was no mistaking the familial relation.
"May I help you?"
"Mrs. Bujold?"
She squinted, wary. "Yes?"
Cam fished out a business card, handing it to her. "I'm Camden Skinner. I have some news for you. Is your husband at home?"
She took the card and looked from it to him and back. "What's this about?"
"Please, ma'am. It would be..." He swallowed. Shit, there was no easy way to go about this. "It would be better if you both were present for this."
Yara's mother frowned, sizing him up before she nodded. "Alright."
She turned her head, keeping her body in the doorway, and called for her husband. He appeared within seconds.
Mr. Bujold was an olive-skinned man. Tall and thin, he was in his mid-to-late fifties with sandy, brown hair and cornflower blue eyes. His wife handed him the card as he joined them.
"What's going on?"
"This young man has news." She lowered her voice. "I think it's about Yara."
Husband and wife clasped hands, the fear in their eyes almost overwhelming to witness when they trained their gazes on him.
Shit.
Camden realized only just then, they probably thought he'd come with confirmation of her death.
"Where was she when they found her?" It was her mother that spoke, both hands clinging to her husband's arm. She sounded small, defeated. And Cam was going to end that. Now.
"Mr. And Mrs. Bujold, there's someone with me."
He stepped aside and let Yara come out of the shadows, where she'd been hiding. Siv walked up with her.
Yara moved hesitantly toward her parents, hood up and sunglasses on. It was evening. The reporters had stopped camping out at the residence weeks ago, but they'd decided not to take the chance.
She'd remain in disguise until she'd spoken to the police, given her statement. In Miami.
Mrs. Bujold paled, her eyes going impossibly wide. She took a step back into the house.
Mr. Bujold froze.
"Hi."
It was only one word, but the floodgates opened.
Perhaps understanding the need for secrecy, Yara's father quickly pulled her into the house. Siv followed, and Camden closed the door behind him when he followed too.
"Is it really you?" Yara's mother clutched the railing next to the stairs. She was trembling so hard, her voice shook.
"It's me, mom."
Yara removed the sunglasses first, then slipped off the hood.
Her father gasped, and then a sob escaped his throat as he moved toward her, gathering her in his arms. He pulled his wife in as well, and the family was finally reunited.
Siv stood close by, rubbing her hands on their backs.
But Camden, he didn't know what the hell to do. He felt like an intruder, so he stepped away from the foyer and into the living room.
It was spacious but cozy, decorated in muted earth tones. Family portraits lined the mantel, some of which he'd seen in his research. Yara in high school, going to prom, playing on stage at a young age.
This was the life she deserved, the life she likely wanted. Not the arena crowds and the expectations that came along with them.
"So..." Siv stepped up next to him. "We weren't properly introduced."
She straightened a photo on the mantel, a move she'd probably done many times before. She seemed at home in the Bujold household.
"Camden Skinner," he said, extending his hand.
The blond took it, shaking. Her grip was firm. Ice blue eyes assessed him without fear. Cam liked her.
"I know." She gave him a small smile. "Siv Bergdahl. I've heard a lot about you."
Cam nodded. "Not much of it good, I suspect."
Siv shrugged, turning back to the framed photos. "Not all bad. She likes you."
"I like her."
"A lot," she amended, turning back to him.
Her hair was Nordic blond, so fair it was almost white, and there was a Scandinavian lilt to her speech that caught his ear. He placed her birth in that part of the world, his thoughts touching on his young waitstaff, Kristoffer. Maybe it was a new Viking invasion.
"It's mutual," Cam assured her. Because it was. Yara Bujold had gotten under his skin, and it had nothing to do with guilt or revenge, or some sense of duty or atonement.
When had that changed?
Probably the first time she'd kissed him.
Cam had never believed in salvation. Had never known one touch could redeem him. Never hoped for the peace he had found in that kiss. Or in the many moments he'd spent with her since.
Was he supposed to walk away now? Would she?
A soft laugh drew his attention back to the hall, where Yara stood with her parents. They'd loosened their grip on her, but all four hands still traveled across her shoulders. Down her back. Over her hair.
"Brown eyes?"
"Oh," Yara laughed, blushing. "That was, uh, part of my disguise."
"My child. Hiding all this time." Her mother covered her mouth with her hand. "I knew, in my heart, you were not gone."
Yara pulled her mother into an embrace, soothing her with quiet words. Over the smaller woman's shoulder, she caught Camden's gaze.
"Thank you," she mouthed. He gave her a curt nod, swallowing past the regret in his throat.
He'd have to let her go. They were from two, entirely different worlds.
It could never go anywhere.
Right?
Twenty-One
Pop Sensation Yara Found Alive and Well in Florida
The entertainment industry is still reeling from the news that pop sensation Yara, missing and presumed dead nearly two months ago, was found alive and well in a hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Details abo
ut the singer's disappearance are murky, but unnamed sources say the twenty-six-year-old suffered a severe blow to the head which led to temporary amnesia.
Like a scene out of a summer B-movie, Ms. Bujold only recently regained the knowledge of who she was, shocking the hospital's staff. The police were contacted shortly thereafter.
In a press conference this morning, reporters questioned the validity of the account. Some went so far as to speculate that it was an elaborate stunt to drive up sales of the singer's sophomore album, which has been at the top of the charts since her disappearance.
When asked how his staff hadn't recognized the highly-recognizable pop star, hospital spokesperson Dr. Benjamin Frantz dismissed accusations of a cover-up.
"We saw a patient, severely injured and in need of medical care, not a world-famous performer. She wasn't in sequins and glitter, wore no make-up. There was nothing to indicate she was who she is," he said. "As soon as she started to regain her memories, we tried to check out her information. Verified the details that she'd given us. Once we did that, we contacted the police."
In related news, Yara's manager, Marcus Kaine, has been indicted on criminal charges related to some of the other performers signed to his roster, including violations of child labor laws. Ms. Bujold had been publicly outspoken in her desire to sever ties with her manager. It remains to be seen whether that partnership will continue, in light of this turn of events.
Sources close to Ms. Bujold say she will stay with family while she recovers from, what is sure to have been, quite the ordeal. No word yet whether she will tour to support her multi-platinum album. As of this printing, sales continue to skyrocket.
Twenty-Two
The woman that walked into Skinner's two weeks later wasn't the one Camden had met almost a month before.
Yara wasn't scared, angry, or alone. She wasn't even the global superstar that he'd spent countless hours researching, looking for clues as to who this woman really was. What had happened to her.
He knew now.
He knew her now.
And he wanted to know more. Wanted to know everything.
Cam couldn't shake the idea that he was tethered to Yara somehow, and didn't understand when it had happened. Or how. There was no one moment he could point to and say 'there. That's the second I fell.'