by Chloe Lang
“I’m sure you’re right.” She looked at her two friends. “I almost called you both after the prank call until I realized it was three in the morning. So I decided to wait.”
“Cami, you shouldn’t have waited,” Toni said flatly. “You know we’re here for each other no matter what. Or no matter what time it is. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re staying at my place until we can figure out who is harassing you. The most important thing is that you’re safe.”
“Okay, but how are we going to determine who my prank caller is? That could be a difficult task.” She leaned back in her chair, fear welling up inside her once again. “And what if it’s Hank that’s calling me? I’m sure he’s out of prison by now. He was only sentenced to five years.”
“He should’ve been sent away for the rest of his miserable life, in my humble opinion.” Toni had never fully trusted Hank, but then again, she never fully trusted any man. No wonder, since her husband had cheated on her.
“Cami, it may be difficult but not impossible for my guys to find out who your caller is,” Izzy said. “They have the resources necessary, and the first thing I’m going to have them do is locate Hank.”
“If he’s Cami’s caller, I swear I’ll cut off his balls with a rusty knife.” Toni slammed her cup down on the table. “Fucking asshole.”
Izzy’s cell buzzed. “It’s a text from Miguel and Roberto.”
Cami felt her heart skip several beats. “What does it say?”
“‘Concerned about Camille. Date was great until the very end. We’re worried about her. We’d like to come over to try to figure this out.’” Izzy looked her in the eyes. “Don’t you think they deserve to know what is going on? I think we should all go back to my place and ask them to meet us there.”
“I know you’re right, Izzy, but it’s hard. I can’t imagine what they will think of me when they hear the truth.” I’m damaged goods.
“That’s on them, sister,” Toni said, “not you.”
Izzy nodded. “The Sanchez brothers will respond perfectly with concern and compassion, Cami. They are good men. That’s why I wanted you to go out with them in the first place.” She held up her cell. “How do you want me to respond?”
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’ll go back to your place to meet them. Let them know I’m going to be with you so they can expect me.”
Telling Miguel and Roberto about what had happened was going to be difficult. She wasn’t sure how they would respond, but Izzy was right. They deserved the truth, no matter how ugly.
Chapter Eleven
Miguel rode the elevator up to the Gibbs’s penthouse with his brother. Neither of them had slept since their date ended with Cami. When the doors opened, she was standing on the other side, as gorgeous as ever, but with troubled eyes. She was clearly still upset, but he was grateful she’d agreed to meet them.
“Hi,” she whispered softly.
“Hey,” he and Roberto said in unison. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay, but how could he? He still didn’t know what had upset her last night. What if it was me? Or Roberto? Or both of us? Whatever it was, he wanted to fix it so that they could pick up where they’d left off.
Izzy and Toni were standing on either side of Cami.
“Come on in, guys,” Izzy said. “Let’s all have a seat in the living room.”
Izzy and Toni led Cami into the other room, guiding her to the center of the sofa. The two women each sat on opposite sides of her, obviously wanting to give her support.
“May I get you something to drink?” Izzy asked him and Roberto. “Coffee, tea, water?”
“No thanks,” he answered.
“We just want to know what happened last night,” Roberto said flatly. “Camille, everything was going so great, and then—”
“And then I ran off and ruined a perfectly wonderful evening.”
“Sweetheart, whatever we did, I’m sorry.” He pointed at Roberto. “We’re both sorry. Just tell us and we’ll make it right.”
“You didn’t do anything. I’m the one who owes you an apology, not the other way around. I hope you will forgive me. I really did have an amazing time with you.”
“Something did happen, though, right?” Roberto needed answers.
So do I. How else are we going to get past this so that we can start fresh with Cami?
“Yes, but I really feel ridiculous.”
“You couldn’t possibly be ridiculous, Camille,” he said. “Just tell us. Please.”
“Like most people, I have a past, and it’s so horrible to me I don’t like to think about it.”
Izzy put her arm around her and Toni grabbed her hand. Noticing how comforting Cami’s friends were being with her, Miguel realized how serious this must be.
Cami took a deep breath. “When I saw your driver’s nametag, it awakened a memory inside of me.” She closed her eyes. “I’m such an idiot. Oh, how can you possibly understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Sweetheart, you’re not an idiot,” he said. “It’s obvious that something terrible happened to you in the past. Take your time. There’s no rush. We’re here for you.”
“Whatever you need, honey,” Roberto added, “we will do. Now…what about Hank’s nametag upset you?”
“Hank is such a nice man, but when I learned he had the same name as my ex-fiancé, it sent me over the edge.” Her lip began to quiver. “My ex abused me.”
As she continued telling the story of her past, rage boiled through every fiber of Miguel’s being. He glanced at Roberto and saw his hands were curled into fists. They both wanted to kill the fucker who had hurt her. God, she was so strong and brave. Most would have crumbled under half of what she had suffered from that fucker.
“So can you guys understand why I ran off the way I did?”
“We totally understand, mi amor.” He stood, anxious to pound the bastard’s head into the ground. “Just tell us where we can find your ex.”
Roberto jumped to his feet, like a gladiator ready to battle. “Yes. Where is the son of a bitch? We’ll make sure he never hurts you again.”
“I don’t know,” Cami said softly.
Izzy motioned for him and Roberto to sit back down. “There’s more, guys. Cami has been receiving prank calls.”
“From him?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“We don’t know. Maybe. Hank got five years for what he did to Cami.”
Toni jumped in. “Only five lousy years, but knowing Hank…he likely got sent right back to the pen for some other crime.”
“We all sure hope so,” Izzy said. “I’m going to ask Jay and Clay to use whatever resources necessary to locate Hank and find out if he’s been harassing Cami or if it’s some other person.”
“How many times has this caller contacted you, sweetheart?” he asked Cami. “When did the calls start?”
“Just a few times. The first came after Izzy, Toni, and I had lunch at your restaurant. Then he called a few times while we were on our date, but I didn’t answer. At least I think it was him, since my phone couldn’t pick up the number on the caller ID. And then he called me early this morning around three.”
“Did his voice sound familiar?” Roberto asked.
“No. It was some kind of cover up, maybe computerized.”
That worried him. Whoever was calling her was making sure she remained in the dark about their identity. “Did he say anything that might give us a clue?”
“No. He called me nasty names and told me to mind my own business.” Cami wrung her hands together, a clear sign that she was worried. “The last time I answered ‘Izzy? Toni?’ But it wasn’t them. It was him. He told me not to play games with him and said I knew who he was. I told him to leave me alone and then turned my phone off.”
“You know what I’m thinking?” Miguel asked his brother.
“I do, and I completely agree.”
“Then it’s settled.”
“What’s settl
ed?” Cami asked.
“We’re leaving for Spain in the morning for a few days to look at property for a new restaurant.”
Roberto nodded. “And you are coming with us, mi amor.”
“What? I can’t.”
“Of course you can,” Izzy said with a smile. “That’s a terrific idea.”
“I agree,” Toni said. “Get her out of the country until we can track down Hank or whoever is calling her.”
“Wait a second, I have appointments.”
“I’m sure your assistant can handle all of that until you get back,” Izzy said. “You’ve always said how much you trust her.”
“I do trust her, but—”
“So trust her, Cami, and just go. Toni and I will work with my guys to get to the bottom of this.” Izzy turned to him and Roberto. “Why don’t I have the Kavanaghs fly you to Spain on our jet tonight? That way you won’t have to wait.”
“That would be terrific,” Roberto said.
“Then it’s all settled.” Izzy stood.
“Roberto, we’ll need to call Alessandra and let her know.” He was glad to get Cami somewhere safe. Somewhere he could protect her. “If Alessandra can’t make it tonight, she can join us tomorrow in Madrid. She is coordinating the entire trip.”
Cami smiled, the worry fading from her face.
God, she is beautiful. To have survived all she went through just amazes me. And it made him want to win her heart even more.
Izzy handed her cell to Toni. “Would you mind calling the Kavanaghs and setting everything up? There number is in my directory. I need to call Jay and Clay from the landline and let them know what’s happening.”
Toni sighed. “I can see past your little ruse, Izzy, but yes, I’ll call them.”
It was obvious Izzy was trying to play matchmaker for the Kavanaghs and Toni, but Toni didn’t seem interested in them, or any man, for that matter.
“Cami, Toni and I will be right back to take you to your place to pack.”
“I really appreciate all you’re doing for me, Izzy.”
“We’re all doing it for you, honey.” Izzy left the living room with Toni, who was already on the phone with the two pilots.
Cami’s blue eyes were questioning. “Are you sure about this?”
Miguel and Roberto walked over to her, each taking one of her hands and bringing them to their lips.
“Yes, we are certain, sweetheart,” Roberto said. “Very certain.”
“Don’t think of it as us trying to get you out of the country until your prank caller is found.” He smiled. “Just think of it as a do-over date, mi amor.”
“This time, I’ll make sure the ending is better.” She wrapped her arms around him and Roberto. “Thank you for understanding. You can’t imagine what allowing me to go to Spain with you means to me.”
Chapter Twelve
“I can’t believe I’m going to Spain tonight.” Cami walked up to her front door with her two friends. “This is all so surreal and exciting.”
“We just want to keep you safe until we get to the bottom of this prank call situation,” Toni said.
“It’s more than that, Toni. She gets to spend quality time with the Sanchez brothers in Madrid, a very romantic city, from what I’ve heard,” Izzy added. “Cami, they were very understanding and concerned for you when you told them about what happened.”
“Yes, they were.” They were wonderful. She reached in her purse and pulled out her keys. But when she put the key in the deadbolt, she realized it wasn’t locked. “That’s strange. I know I was upset, but to forget to lock my door is very unusual for me.”
“Wait a second before you open the door, Cami.” Toni brought out pepper spray from her purse. “Just to be sure.”
She opened the door and saw the living room was just as she’d left it this morning. Peanut came running. She lifted him into her arms, and felt him trembling. “It’s okay, boy. I’m home.” She turned to her friends. “See. Everything is fine. I guess it was just my nerves.”
Izzy put her arm around her. “I know what will take away your nervousness. Let’s start packing.”
She nodded and led them to her bedroom.
What they discovered made them all gasp.
The dress she’d worn on the date with Miguel and Roberto was ripped to shreds and spread across her bed. “Oh my God, your beautiful dress, Izzy.”
“Forget the dress. I’m just glad you weren’t here.”
She looked at Peanut. “Are you okay, boy?”
“Shh,” Toni said. “We better look around and make sure the asshole who did this is gone.”
“No way, Toni. We’re not heroes.” Izzy brought out her cell. “I’m calling the police. We will get out and wait in my car until they arrive.”
“You’re right,” Toni said. “Let’s go.”
Trembling, Cami walked out of her house with them. Who had broken into her home? And why had they destroyed the black dress? Was it Hank?
The police arrived and found the glass in one of her back door’s panes broken.
After they gave their statements to one of the officers, he asked her to make sure no valuables were missing.
She checked her drawer where she kept her jewelry and money in the bedroom. “It’s all here, officer.”
“Usually, in this kind of case, the perpetrator is someone known by the victim. Ms. Anderson, is there anyone you know who might be angry with you, someone who might want revenge for some reason?”
“There’s one person for sure,” Toni answered for her. “Her son-of-a-bitch ex, Hank Schmidt. We believe he has been calling her and disguising his voice.”
The officer asked more questions about Hank and jotted down the information into his report. “I’ll call this in and see if we can find out Mr. Schmidt’s location.”
“I’m supposed to go to Spain this evening, sir.” She watched as one of the other policemen took photos of the shredded black dress. She knew Hank was capable of so much more destruction than just that. Or was he just trying to scare her?
“Should I cancel my trip?”
“No. I think it is wise that you leave for the time being until we can figure out who did this. Just leave us your contact information in case we need to get ahold of you.”
Izzy handed him her card. “You may also call me, officer, in case you can’t reach her. I’ll be in contact with Cami and can pass on any information you need.”
Another officer entered the bedroom. “It appears the intruder entered from the back but exited out your front door.”
“That explains why it wasn’t locked.” She lifted Peanut back into her arms, wishing he could talk so that he could tell her who had done this.
“While you’re gone, I’m going to get an alarm system set up for you,” Izzy said.
“Thank you so much. I’ve been meaning to do that, but I’ve just been so busy.”
“That Sanchez brothers project has kept you hopping, hasn’t it?” Toni grinned, clearly trying to lighten the mood of the situation.
She laughed, feeling a little better.
Izzy said, “Toni, you and I both know she deserves this trip.”
After the police left, she packed her suitcase quickly. She felt strange in her home, violated on some deep level, knowing an intruder had been here. She was glad she was leaving town. She wasn’t running away, she was going to Spain on a do-over date. She grinned, thinking about Miguel and Roberto. The police and Izzy would get all this sorted out while she was away. If Hank were responsible for this, his ass would end up right back in prison. If someone else?
I’ll deal with all of it, whoever it turns out to be, when I return.
Izzy’s earlier words came back to her. “Cami, they were very understanding and concerned for you when you told them about what happened.”
They were wonderful.
She wanted to speak with Miguel and Roberto. In her heart, she knew just talking with them would somehow make her feel better.
&nbs
p; * * * *
Just as Roberto closed his suitcase, his cell buzzed. He looked at the caller ID and saw Cami’s name. “Everything okay, sweetheart?”
“Yes and no. I’m fine, but someone broke into my house.”
A protective anger rolled through him.
Miguel walked into his bedroom. “The driver is waiting. My suitcase is already in—”
“Hold on, hermano. Camille is on the phone. Something happened at her house.” He put his phone on speaker. “Miguel and I are listening, mi amor.”
She told them about the ripped dress. “The police are going to check on Hank’s whereabouts for me.”
Miguel’s blood began to burn hot. If that bastard got within a mile of her, he would rip his heart out and serve it to him on a platter. “Camille, are the police still there?”
“No. They just left.”
“You’re not alone, are you?” Miguel asked.
“No. Toni and Izzy are here with me. I was wondering if I could have Izzy drop me off at your place. That way we could go to the airport together.”
“Honey, hang tight.” He grabbed his suitcase. “I would rather Miguel and I pick you up. We will be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Sweetheart, try to relax,” Miguel said, as they ran down the stairs to the garage. “We’re going to take care of you.”
“You can count on us,” he added. “We won’t let you down.”
Chapter Thirteen
Looking out her window, Cami sipped the wine that Izzy had poured for her while Toni was getting Peanut’s things put into a bag. Her own bags were packed and ready to go. Her mind wasn’t on the trip ahead but on the shredded black dress still on her bed.
“What about this toy, Cami?” Toni held up the stuffed elephant.
She grinned. “It’s one of his favorites, but you’ve already packed a bunch he likes.”
Toni bent down and patted Peanut on the head. “Auntie Toni wants this little guy to enjoy his sleepover with her cousin Tasha.”
“Thank you so much for this.”