by DJ Jamison
“I don’t fucking believe it.”
Miguel’s sharp voice had my eyes cutting to him. He scowled at Jeremy, his lip pulled up in a sneer. He threw out a hand in my direction. “This is why you’re so jealous about Camden?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Jeremy said.
His gaze strayed toward me, skating over my body, and I hurried to open the closet door and grab my duffel.
“You gave me shit for months. You never trusted that Cam and I were just friends, and the whole time — the WHOLE fucking time — you wanted to fuck him yourself? Un-fucking-believable!”
Oh, Jesus, I didn’t need this shit right now. When Miguel got his back up, his tirades could set world records. I had absolutely no interest in Jeremy, which I’m pretty sure Miguel understood. And frankly, I didn’t have the energy to play the apologetic third party.
I interrupted the cutting words flying back and forth between them.
“Just stop!”
Miguel’s jaw dropped. Jeremy’s eyes widened. I had their attention.
“Look at yourselves,” I said. “You’re not happy. Do you even remember when you were last happy? Don’t make me the thing you fight over, okay? I’ll be here one last night, only because I’m too fucking exhausted to go anywhere else, and then I’ll be out of your hair. I have no interest in fucking either of you, so there’s really no need for all this. Jeremy, you know I think of Miguel as a brother. I told you the night he got drunk and we had to pour him into bed together.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jeremy said gruffly.
“And Miguel, you know I have no interest in Jeremy. I’m hung up on another man.”
“Yeah, I know you’ve got a thing for Reid. I’m not stupid. I’m just pissed that Jeremy gives me shit about you when he’s the one—”
I held up a hand. “Stop! Just … please. I can’t take it tonight.”
Miguel’s expression softened, and he got up and hugged me. “Okay, Cam. Go get dressed. We’ll behave.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Won’t we, Jer?”
“Yeah,” he said, his eyes on the floor. “Sorry.”
When I’d dressed in the sweats and T-shirt I planned to sleep in, Miguel had my bed made up on the sofa and Jeremy had disappeared into another room.
“You want anything to eat?” Mig asked.
I hadn’t had dinner, but I wasn’t hungry. I shook my head as I dropped onto my makeshift bed. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he said. “And you don’t have to stop staying here because of our fighting. We’re not in a good place, but it’s not your fault.”
“Nah, it’s time for me to go,” I said. “I won’t be homeless on the streets or anything. You’ve done more than enough.”
“But where will you go?”
I flopped down on my back, staring at the ceiling. I was aware of Miguel hovering nearby, watching me.
“I’ve got a place to go. Don’t worry about it.”
“Where?” I glanced over to see his eyes narrowed on my face. His arms were crossed and he was radiating tension. “Tell me it’s not Austin’s place.”
The thought had entered my mind, but I knew after becoming intimate with Reid, I could never do that. The last time we were together, especially, showed me how much of the emotional connection I’d been missing with Austin. I’d feel like nothing more than a prostitute if I used my ass to regain a home with my ex.
I shuddered. “God, no.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not messing around with Reid, are you?”
I looked away, but I couldn’t prevent the blush in my cheeks. “No.”
“Camden! You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”
Miguel always was good at reading me, but I was a crap liar on a good day. Today wasn’t particularly good.
I closed my eyes, blocking out his suspicious face. “You know I’m not a cheater,” I said carefully.
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “But there’s something you’re not telling me.”
I didn’t want to get into it tonight if I could avoid it, but I could tell Miguel was going to keep grilling. I opened my eyes and sat up to face him.
“I’m going to see if my mom can front me a ticket to Arizona. She has a spare room.”
“No! You can’t.”
I laughed bitterly. “Face it, Mig. The real estate experiment went up in flames. Quite literally.”
“Damn it! You just need a fucking break. One fucking thing to go right, Cam! I wish you wouldn’t give up.”
I knew Miguel would pull this crap. “I’ve tried. My apartment was broken into. I got evicted. I got fired as a goddamned hot dog. Ivy Lane burned half to the ground, and through it all, fucking Sherrilyn—”
I stopped short. “Huh.”
“What?”
I’d remembered suddenly Sherrilyn’s presence at Ivy Lane. Dressed in ratty clothes, acting strange and driving a car that wasn’t hers. Right before the fire. Right fucking before the fire. Why hadn’t I made that connection sooner? Surely, she didn’t set the fire. I mean, who did that? There was probably another explanation for her presence. Maybe she’d seen who did it and was so shocked she didn’t register my presence. Or maybe she was there to do something else … like … like dig holes in the backyard? Break in? What?
“I don’t know. I’m too tired to think straight.”
Miguel dropped a hand to the back of my neck, rubbing and squeezing. I closed my eyes and dropped my head forward, enjoying the massage of tense muscles. “It must have been emotionally draining,” Miguel said. “Sleep on it, okay? Things will seem better in the morning.”
I decided not to fight it. “M’kay.”
Sherrilyn had come around from the back of the house. The back. She must have set the fire.
But maybe it wasn’t arson. Maybe it was just an accident.
Miguel used his hand on my neck to guide me down on the sofa. I laid down, my head spinning with questions and doubts. Should I call someone now? Should I pose the question to Reid or the fire marshal?
Miguel moved his hands from my neck to my shoulders, massaging me into unconsciousness. While he rubbed, he spoke quietly near my ear.
“You’re gonna be okay, Camden. I’ll make sure of it. You can count on me.”
It reminded me of Reid’s words just before I’d left the scene of the fire. I was lucky to have people in my life who wanted to help me. But I couldn’t lean on them forever.
Miguel stroked my hair, and I fell asleep.
Chapter 22
Camden
My heart skipped a beat when my phone rang early that morning, and I scrambled to find it — tucked in between the couch cushions — before it stopped ringing. It was halfway to my ear before my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. There was no reason to leap for my phone. Not now that I’d decided to cash it all in and crawl home to Mom.
She’d be a safe haven. She wouldn’t judge my failures. Mom was always great about that. But I’d judge them. I had to live with them, after all.
“’Lo,” I answered, my voice still groggy. I hadn’t registered the name on the screen before answering, and a deep voice sounded in my ear. Deep, but not smooth like Reid’s. This voice had more rasp to it, as if it had been scraped over nails a few times.
“Camden!” He boomed loudly enough to make me jump a bit. “We want Elm.”
“You what?”
I struggled to catch up. Ted and Martha had dropped me after the hot dog firing incident. I didn’t know if it was because I worked as a hot dog (nothing screams desperation like working as a wiener) or the firing (okay, nothing screams desperation like being unable to hold down a job as a hot dog). Either way, they’d stopped answering calls and messages, which was exactly as I’d expected.
“We want to buy a house!” Ted boomed. “We’re picky and we take our time thinking over the options. We’d like to make an offer on that bungalow on Elm, though.”
My brain caught up with the conversation.
“Right! Now, I know Martha didn’t like the counters, but heck, we can just remodel. We can’t very well build a large shop in the city.”
“Yes, that’s true.” I’d told them that when I showed them Elm in the first week they began looking at homes. “It has good bones.”
“You’re right. Can’t beat the price, either.”
“You really can’t,” I agreed. I still couldn’t believe he’d called me. I should just be happy he did, but instead I let my curiosity get to me.
“I thought you guys moved on to another agent? You didn’t answer my calls.”
Ted exhaled loudly enough it echoed through the line. “I’m sorry about that, son. We did have some reservations. But then I got to thinking: You’ve shown us damn near thirty houses by now.”
Thirty-three, but who was counting?
“And working as a hot dog is no one’s dream, but it does show you work damn hard.”
“I have to start somewhere.”
“Yes,” he said. “We’d love to help you get your first sale together. You’ve certainly earned it. Everything you told us ended up being right on the money.”
“Wow. That’s great.” So, it was really happening. I was getting my first sale ... the morning after I’d decided to quit real estate.
I opened my mouth to explain I’d changed directions and refer him to Miguel, but I reconsidered. If I could hold on long enough to close this sale, I might have a chance to make this work. But I was so tired of hoping in one hand and watching shit pile up in the other.
“Let's talk numbers and I’ll send over some paperwork. You’re still planning to pay with cash?”
“Yep. I’ve already got the proof of funds letter. I’ll email it over.”
Holy shit. If this offer was accepted and Ted and Martha paid cash, this sale could close in a matter of days instead of weeks that a loan took to process. I could be getting paid more money than I’d ever earned in a single paycheck. And it could happen this week.
“I’ll get to work on a contract,” I said before hanging up.
If nothing else, maybe I could go out on a high note. But already, with just this small silver lining, I knew I’d keep trying. I wasn’t ready to admit failure if there was the slimmest chance I could climb out of this hole.
By the time Miguel wandered out of his bedroom, I'd worked out a verbal offer and got a “yes” from the listing agent. Now, it was a matter of filling out the paperwork and getting signatures to seal the deal officially.
I’d borrowed Mig’s laptop to get electronic signatures. I wanted this deal done ASAP. Then I planned to go check out Ivy Lane and see how bad the damage was. Now that I’d come out of my cloud of shock, I realized the fire could be a good thing. Reid could make an insurance claim and possibly get some updates without a big investment, assuming the home was in proper condition.
I also needed to mention my Sherrilyn sighting to the fire department, but in the light of a new day it seemed far-fetched that a successful Realtor would set fire to a house. If anything, she’d seemed emotionally attached to the house. You didn’t burn down something of sentimental value to you.
“What has you up so early?” Miguel rasped as he came into the living room.
I grinned at his early-morning state: tousled hair, bleary eyes and a stumbling gait that would be more suitable for a zombie. My best friend had never been much of a morning person. “And why do you look happy?” he added.
I popped out of the chair and hugged him. “I’m not a total failure!”
“You’re not?” He sounded puzzled a moment before his eyes widened and he shook his head. “I mean, of course you’re not! I’ve told you. But what brought on this change of heart?”
I tapped the computer screen. “Just writing up my first offer is all.”
“Really? That’s awesome!” He stumbled over and peered at the screen. “Ooh, the perfectionist couple.”
“Yep!”
“Oh, don’t forget to fill in that inspection line.”
“Thanks. Actually, would you take a look before I send this for signatures? I don’t want to look like an idiot on my first deal.”
“You’re not an idiot,” he said with a scowl, but he nudged me aside and sat down to skim over the contract I’d just written up.
***
Reid
The phone rang, and I snatched it up when I saw Camden's name. Just the man I wanted to hear from.
I’d texted him twice last night, but he hadn’t responded. He’d been exhausted and heartbroken when he left, so I hoped he didn’t answer because he was sleeping and not because he’d written me off.
After the fire, I’d taken Lee to a motel for the night. Then I’d settled in to make the calls necessary to perform a welfare check on Lee’s mother. He was still worried about her well-being. Although we’d had a false alarm the day before, it was enough to remind Lee of the very real danger that remained.
Fortunately, his mother was alive and unharmed. Unfortunately, marshals had discovered a bug on her phone. It was government issue, Dunn said, which meant that they still hadn’t dealt with the turncoat somewhere in their agency.
I’d called to make arrangements with Dunn to relocate Lee, only to find out that the trial date was in three days. I’d be driving him back to California, and then my work would be done. I’d be free to return to my post with Moore Security in good graces. Or, I could come back to Fields until the Ivy Lane house was sold. I didn’t know. I had a feeling my decision would depend largely on what Camden wanted.
I didn’t even get the word “hello” out before Camden started talking excitedly.
“Reid, you’re not going to believe it! I sold a house!”
Relief swept through me. Camden needed this. I’d seen how discouraged he’d been growing the past couple of weeks. I felt guilty, knowing how much he needed Ivy Lane to sell and knowing I had to delay that sale to prolong my stay here with Lee.
“That's great, Cam!”
“Yeah, now I don’t have to move in with my mother! I hope. Knock on wood because it’s mostly a done deal but things can go wrong, and for me they usually do.”
“Don’t think like that. Think happy thoughts.”
“Oh, I am,” he said with a laugh. “I’m on such a high, I decided to run by Ivy Lane and check out the damage. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I thought, right?”
My heart lurched. “Camden, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I know it’ll suck. I’m prepared. I need to see what we need to do to get back on track. I’ll catch you later, okay?”
“Cam, wait!” I said. “The house isn’t safe right now.”
“I’ll be careful, Reid. I’m already here, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“Camden, you don’t—” The phone went dead. “Camden!”
Shit! He didn’t understand. He thought I was telling him the house wasn’t safe because of the fire. While that was true, there was also the fact that Lee called his mother. His mother’s bugged phone. Lee said he didn’t tell her where he was staying, and Lee wasn’t dumb. But there was any number of ways he could have unintentionally given away something about the location. Even if he hadn’t, my cell phone could have possibly been traced back to Fields. He’d called from another city, while we were out dancing, but once they had the phone number … Technology was great when it was on the side of the law. Not so great when it was in the hands of deadly men looking to track down a witness.
I threw down my phone in frustration, and Lee grunted from his bed. He was still a lump under the covers, fast asleep. We were due to leave in an hour, but I had to go check on Camden first.
“Hey, Lee.”
I nudged the sleeping lump and got an answering snort.
"Lee!" I grabbed a hank of hair and tugged.
He shot up into a sitting position. “Fuck off!”
His eyes were
wide and glazed, rolling around as he looked at all corners of the room. I hadn’t noticed him this jumpy before, but yesterday’s events had gotten to him.
I placed a hand on his bicep, feeling hard muscle coiled and ready to release. Lee was deceptively strong with his lean build. He’d insisted on maintaining a weight lifting routine in Fields, so I'd set up a makeshift gym in one of the spare rooms.
“Relax,” I said in a low, calm voice. “We're in a hotel.”
“More like a roach motel,” he mumbled, but his muscles relaxed.
“Oh, is this not up to your four-star standards? Maybe you'd prefer prison.”
He flipped me off. “I'd definitely prefer the cell mate to you.”
"As much as I'd like to go down the rabbit hole of trading insults with you, I need to run by Ivy Lane. Camden went over there, and it’s really not safe.”
He groaned. “Fuck, do we have to? I slept like shit."
“Sleep some more. I'll go alone.”
"You're going to leave me here like a big boy?” he said in surprise. "You never do that."
He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and sat up, looking sharper. “Wait. You said Camden went over to the house? Do you think someone’s there?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Better safe than sorry. It’s been a few days since you made the call. Just enough time for someone to make a cross-country trip.”
“I really fucked up,” he said.
“Yep.” I picked up my wallet and room key. Then, on second thought, I put the key back down. If something did go wrong, I didn’t want to give anyone an invitation to let themselves into Lee’s room.
“Stay here,” I ordered. “Don’t call anyone. Sleep or watch TV. Don’t go out until I get back. Don’t open the door for anyone unless you verify it’s me.”
“Got it.”
“I’m trusting you,” I added.
He nodded, eyes wide. “I'll be a good boy. Now go keep me safe, you hero.”
The sarcasm was expected, but there was a thread of respect in it. I smiled on my way out.
Odds were, Cam would be fine. Lee was in a different city when he made that call. Maybe they couldn’t trace the phone to Fields. Maybe nothing he said gave them any clues. Maybe, maybe, maybe.