by L. P. Dover
I squeezed his hand and leaned into him. “But at least you’d be happy doing what you love. Fighting is in your blood. I’m sure you can find another coach.”
“And would you come to my fights?” he questioned.
“I’m sure I would come to some. It would all depend on my job and where Mason needs me. If I’m still guarding you, I guess I’d have no choice.” I nudged him in the side and laughed, thinking he’d find the humor in it. Unfortunately, he didn’t. “What’s wrong?”
“I guess I never thought about your job and what it would mean for us. We seriously need to talk about what we’re going to do when I go back home. That is, if you want to continue seeing me.” He stopped in place and turned me to face him, waiting on a response. I knew what was in my heart, but I didn’t know if he was ready to hear it.
“Camden, I . . .” Something triggered my sixth sense. It was eerily quiet and the feeling in my gut screamed nothing but warnings. Even the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. We weren’t alone.
“We need to get out of here, now.” Thankfully, he didn’t ask questions; he listened and grabbed my hand. We both took off through the woods and all I could hear was the pounding of my heart. Please God, don’t let anything happen to him. I chanted my prayer over and over as tree limb after tree limb scraped across my skin. I should’ve known he wouldn’t be safe at my house, or anywhere for that matter. Whoever was after him had a lot of balls to trespass on my land.
Camden quickly glanced back at me. “Do you have your gun?”
“Yes, but just keep running. I have no idea where they are and we’re almost home.”
Unfortunately, one of us wasn’t going to make it back unscathed. Not even the pounding in my ears could mask the sound of the shot, muted by a suppressor. It wasn’t silent like you would think, almost like a deep puff of air with massive force behind it. The second I heard it, I reacted and pushed Camden. He collided into a tree and fell to the ground at the same moment I felt a piercing blow rip through my skin. A scream echoed in my ear and I didn’t know if it was from my own mouth or if it was Camden. My legs gave out and I toppled to the ground.
Camden quickly rushed to help me up and froze when he saw the blood seeping through my fingers. Falling to his knees, he moved my hand away and inspected the wound on my waist. His eyes were blazing with fury. “What the fuck were you thinking?” he shouted. “Don’t ever try to protect me again.” The look on his face made me shiver.
The pain was excruciating, but my main focus was to get him out safe. “Get out of here,” I ordered, pushing him away. “Get to Mason and have him call it in.” As far as gunshot wounds, it wasn’t fatal. The bullet clipped my side and it hurt like a bitch, but it wasn’t life threatening as long as I didn’t bleed out. I needed him to get out of there before he was next.
“Are you out of your fucking mind? I’m not going to leave you here.” Grabbing my arm, I hissed with the pain but then he stopped and looked down at my gun.
Something flashed in his eyes as his hand hovered over my gun. “I could take him out,” he whispered. “I could end this.”
I placed my bloody hand over his. “Camden, no. If you don’t get back to Mason, I’ll bleed out. Please,” I begged, hissing in pain, “choose differently.” He didn’t waste time; he chose me.
As fast as he could, he picked me up and raced us through the trees, his heart pounding relentlessly hard against my cheek.
Hot tears streamed down my face. I was so afraid that any minute I was going to lose him. With my free hand, I held on tight and breathed him in. “I just wanted to protect you.”
“I would rather be dead than have someone hurt you,” he growled back. The tree line was up ahead and my house was just on the other side. I waited for the next shot to fly through the air, but it never came. The blood ran warm through my fingers and I started to get lightheaded, Camden’s face blurring from sight. The darkness started to creep in. Thankfully, Mason was on the front porch, reading the newspaper when Camden rushed me up the steps.
“What the fuck happened?” I could hear him yelling. He pulled the hand away from my side and swore. “Get her to the hospital, now. I’ll be right there.” He rushed off inside and came back out with a towel and Camden’s keys. Placing the towel on my wound, he pressed down and I hissed in pain. “You’ll be okay, B.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Camden shook with rage and Mason and I both knew he was on the verge of losing it. “It wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t push me out of the way.”
Mason grabbed his arm and pulled us down to the Jeep. “And you’d probably be dead if she didn’t, while she’ll be fine as long as you get her some medical attention quickly. Now shut the fuck up and get her to the hospital. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Mason opened the car door and helped Camden set me in. There were no words spoken as he started us out of the driveway. I could feel him slipping away from me and there was nothing I could do about it. Not only was the physical pain too much, but my heart hurt as well. Seeing the despair on Camden’s face only made it worse. I wanted to comfort him and tell him it would be okay, but it was too late. He blamed himself.
In the side mirror, I caught a glimpse of Mason rushing out of my house with his gun. I only wished I could join him and shoot the fucker myself. If this person was a part of my team, they were going to pay for what they’d done. And it would be a lot worse than a bullet through the side. If Camden got to them before me, they would pray for death.
WAITING. THAT WAS all I’d done for the past three hours. They said Brooklyn’s wound wasn’t critical, but she could have bled out if I didn’t get her to the hospital in time. The thought of never seeing her again put everything in perspective. I had been selfish through this whole ordeal. I knew getting close to her would put her in danger, but I wanted her so fucking bad it hadn’t really registered.
Through the waiting room glass windows, I watched Jason rush up to the desk. When he saw me, he ignored the nurse and ran straight into the room.
“What’s going on? Mason just called and said I needed to come up here. What the fuck happened?”
“Brooklyn was shot,” I thundered. Taking a deep breath, I clenched my hands into tight fists. Just saying the words out loud made me want to fucking kill something. I wanted to hit things, to feel the pain. She was hurt because of me; it was my karma. The only thing I feared was that it wasn’t going to be enough. I hadn’t yet paid for all of my sins.
Jason collapsed into one of the chairs and covered his face with his hands. “I can’t believe this. Please tell me she’s okay.”
He looked up for my answer but then the nurse I had spoken to earlier walked into the room. “Ms. Avery can have visitors now, if you’d like to see her. She’s awake and doing well, maybe a little loopy from the pain meds. I don’t think she’s going to be awake much longer.”
Jason jumped up and we followed the nurse down the hall to her room. He rushed in first and went straight to her bedside. I filed in behind him and went to the other side.
She smiled up at me and grabbed my hand as I sat down in the chair. “I’m okay. It’s just a scratch. I’ll be out of here in no time.”
Jason grabbed her other hand, pulling her attention away from me. “What happened, B? Mason didn’t tell me shit.”
Licking her dry lips, Brooklyn glanced hesitantly over at me and then back to her brother. “We were walking in the woods when I started to feel weird, like someone was watching us. I just knew we needed to run, and in our retreat, the shot came.”
Jason’s brow furrowed. “I see. So you stepped in the way.”
Brooklyn kept her gaze on his and nodded. “And I would do it again.”
I wasn’t going to ever let that happen.
“Knock, knock,” Mason greeted, standing in the doorway.
Before he could get settled in the room, I let go of Brooklyn’s hand and looked at him, nodding back toward the door. “We need t
o talk.” I started for the door and kept going even when Brooklyn called out my name. At the end of the hall there was a corner with no one around so I stopped and turned. Mason approached me cautiously. “What did you find?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.
He sighed. “I didn’t find whoever it was if that’s what you’re asking. I did, however, find a deer stand up in one of the trees. I called Luke, B’s neighbor, to see if it was his or if it was recently put there. Whoever it was made the shot from there.”
“And they missed,” I snapped. “Do you have any idea how bad this has fucked me up? To see her lying on the ground after taking a shot meant for me. I’ll never fucking forgive myself.”
Mason closed his eyes and hung his head. “I know you’re angry and blame yourself, but she was prepared for this. She knew the risks.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to let her take those risks again. I care too much about her.”
He lifted his head. “So what are you going to do?”
I looked at the door to Brooklyn’s room and felt the distance already. I had no choice. If I wanted to keep her safe, I needed to get as far away as possible. “Do you remember what you said to me out in California? The time when you said that my leaving would keep my family safe?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, now I need to keep her safe. I can’t do that here if she’s going to jump in the line of fire at every turn.”
“You’re leaving?” he asked angrily.
“I am. I’m done running. This has to end. I refuse to sacrifice those I love.”
“You can’t leave like this, Jameson. We’re getting so close to figuring this out.”
I shrugged. “Not close enough. But if I do leave, whoever it is will follow. You can figure it out from there. I can’t risk Brooklyn getting hurt again. She needs to stay away from me.” The thought of being away from her when she was in pain killed me, but if I didn’t leave and something else happened to her I’d never forgive myself.
Mason threw his hands in the air and groaned, “She loves you, jackass. I know this girl. She won’t agree to this.”
“That’s why you’re going to give me a head start.”
I started for her room, but Mason grabbed my arm. “Don’t push her away to keep her safe, Camden. I did that to Claire and it nearly ruined us.”
“I don’t want to push her away,” I said, pulling out of his hold. “She’s the only woman I ever gave a damn about and I don’t want to lose that. When this is over, I’m coming back to her. Until then, I’ll keep my distance.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, he joined me at the door. “Just do me a favor and do this delicately. If you tell her you’re leaving, she’ll get right up and chase after you. Make her think everything’s okay.”
“How long do you think that’ll last? When I don’t come back, she’ll know something’s up.” She was probably going to figure it out before I could even get to the airport.
“That’s true, but she’s not going to be able to fly for a while with that wound. For your sake, I’ll make sure everything about you is untraceable so she can’t find you. You’re going to owe me though. I’ll be the first one she confronts.”
“Can you handle that?” I asked.
He chuckled lightly. “Yes, but it won’t be easy. I’ll get on a plane and join you out there once I wrap everything up. Until then, lay low and don’t do anything stupid.”
Standing in the doorway, I watched Mason walk inside and say a few words to Brooklyn before whispering something in Jason’s ear. He nodded and kissed Brooklyn on the head before they both retreated from the room. I sat down beside her and took her hand, bringing it to my lips. She hissed in pain when she tried to sit up and all the anger came rushing back.
“Please don’t look like that,” she scolded.
“How can I not? Your job is not to take a bullet for me. Your life is worth so much more than mine. It kills me to know that you’re in pain.”
She squeezed my hand. “I’ve been hurt way worse than this, Cam.”
I kissed her hand and held it to my cheek. “Promise me you won’t ever do anything this reckless ever again?”
She shook her head lazily, her eyes growing teary. I could tell the pain meds were taking their toll. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I would do it again in a heartbeat if I knew it would save your life.” She broke down in tears and the pain in my chest ripped me in two. No one had ever loved me like her and I came so close to losing it.
Closing my eyes, they burned like fire. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt since my father died. I had trained my body not to feel, but it all came crashing down. “I love you, Brooklyn. So help me God, I love you so much it fucking hurts.”
More tears fell down her cheeks, and she smiled. “So all it took was getting shot?”
“I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn’t know how.”
“You don’t have to explain,” she murmured. “I felt it even though you hadn’t exactly said it.”
“I’m just glad I got a chance to tell you. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if I lost you. When I find out who did this I’m going to break every bone in their goddamn body and enjoy hearing them scream.”
“Not if I get to them first,” she teased.
Setting her hand down, I released a heavy sigh. “That’s not going to happen, buttercup.”
Her body tensed and she gripped the bedding. “Camden, please don’t do anything stupid. I know you’re angry, but you can’t blame yourself. It was my choice.”
I brushed my thumb across her lips and leaned over to kiss her. “I know, and I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me.” When I pulled back, her eyes grew heavier. “But I have choices too,” I murmured softly.
“You promise you’ll be here when I wake up?”
“I’ll always be with you. Now go to sleep.” I kissed her again and watched her drift off. The longer I sat there, the more I didn’t want to leave. Gathering my strength, I backed away to the door where Mason waited for me.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
I looked at Brooklyn one last time and nodded. “It’s better this way.”
Mason clapped me on the shoulder and we started down the hall. “While you were with B, I went and got your things. You’re all ready to go.”
When we got to his car, he handed me my bags. Once I left, I couldn’t turn back. “Let’s just hope she forgives me for this. You know where I’ll be.”
We shook hands and he nodded. “Stay safe, Jameson.”
Two Days Later
I COULD HEAR voices all around me, murmuring. I wanted to wake up so I could see him, but every time I tried, the darkness would take me. It was as if I was in my body, but not making the calls. Pain medications sucked. I would rather be awake and in pain instead of asleep and lost.
“B,” a voice called out. The hand that grabbed mine didn’t feel like Camden’s and the voice wasn’t like his at all. Besides, he never called me B. Where was he? For two days now, every time I awoke, I was told he would be right back. But he never showed. It was always one excuse after another. “B, open your eyes. I know you’re awake.”
“Ah, she’s just being stubborn. Maybe we should just leave her here.” I recognized that voice. It was Jason.
I slowly opened my eyes to find Gabe, Mason, and my brother standing around the bed. “What’s up, guys?”
Gabe let go of my hand and cleared his throat. “We’re just waiting on word from the doctor. They’re letting you go home today.”
“Thank God,” I cried. “I can’t stand being pumped with pain meds anymore.” The room fell silent and they all shared the same distraught look on their faces. It felt like I had a brick in my throat. “What’s going on? Why do you all look like that?”
Jason drew my attention to his side and sat down. “Why don’t we get you home and we can talk about it there. You just woke up.”
Gabe a
verted his gaze while Mason paid attention to the floor. What the fuck was going on? “I think you should tell me now,” I said, glaring at each one of them.
Gabe was the one who reluctantly spoke up first. “Blake is in custody.”
“In custody? For what?”
Jason squeezed my hand. “For attempted murder.”
“What?” I gasped. My heart stopped and the bile rose up my throat, burning like acid. “Where’s Camden?” I demanded. “And don’t give me some bullshit excuse that he’ll be right back. I haven’t seen him in days.”
“He’s fine,” Mason spoke up. “We can get to that later. Right now, Blake is under investigation. He denies everything, but the rifle used to shoot you was in the trunk of his car, along with a pair of muddy boots. They matched the footprints in the woods.”
Tears sprung to my eyes. “You can’t be serious. Blake would never hurt me.”
Gabe squeezed my hand. “We’re pretty sure he was trying to get Camden, not you. But it’s still all the same. If convicted, he’ll be charged with attempted murder. We’ve all seen how volatile he’s been with Jameson. It doesn’t help his case.”
I knew Blake didn’t like Camden, but I couldn’t see him being the one working with Scar. Or was the past we shared together clouding my judgment?
“All right, you two, I need to talk to B alone,” Mason demanded. Jason and Gabe cleared out of the room and he shut the door behind them.
“Talk to me, Mason. Do you think Blake is the one?”
He sat down beside me and sighed. “Fuck if I know. It’s hard to imagine anyone on our team being on the wrong side. I’ve known you all for years. Granted, I haven’t worked with everyone in a while, but it still doesn’t change the fact that someone close betrayed us.”
“Tell me about it. I’m the one who slept with him.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he nodded. “Something doesn’t feel right. I was there when Blake was taken away. He was hysterical. Either he’s a good actor or he’s innocent.”
“What are you going to do?”