by Sara Dailey
Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long. Almost as soon as my back hit the chair, I saw her for just a moment as she rounded the corner from the back of the Wrights’ home. As I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, I was instantly assaulted with an array of emotions. I’d never been so pissed at someone, yet at the same time, so relieved that she was safe. I wanted to strangle her and then kiss every inch of her body. However, something told me she’d most likely be opposed to both.
Pushing those thoughts aside, my eyes toggled back and forth between the screen and the clock as I waited for her to re-emerge. After a few excruciatingly long minutes, she appeared on the screen once again, and I watched every step she took back to her house.
When I heard her slip back inside, I rushed out of the safe room.
She was in the kitchen getting herself a glass of water when I walked in. She read the expression on my face and said, “Just give me a second, Gavin, before you freak out on me, okay?” I leaned against the wall behind me and crossed my arms over my chest while she gulped down the cold water. I could tell she was flustered, but she wasn’t getting out of this talk. What she did was foolish and unnecessary, and frankly, it scared the shit out of me.
“Come on,” she said, knowing that I wasn’t going to give up, and she motioned for me to follow her back into the safe room. Once we were locked safely inside the soundproof apartment, her shoulders sagged. “All right, let me have it.”
I was about to lay into her when my phone began to ring, startling us both. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID before pressing ignore and shoving it back into my pocket.
“What the hell were you thinking, Cami? Do you know what would happen if they found you sneaking around out there? Do you? Do you think they wouldn’t kill you? What? Because you’re young? Because you’re female? Because you’re beautiful? They would. My father would do it without a second thought. Why do you have to play the goddamned hero here?” I went on and on as she just stood there and took it. “Please make me understand why you had to put yourself at risk tonight. Why this couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”
“I just couldn’t,” she whispered.
“You couldn’t what?” I yelled and immediately regretted raising my voice at her when she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
“I can’t sit here while the people I care about are suffering. I can’t just do nothing. I couldn’t go to sleep tonight knowing that Alli and Aiden’s parents think their kids are dead,” she yelled back at me.
Without thinking, I pulled her to me and held her tightly. I brushed her hair away from her face and tucked her head under my chin. To my surprise, she didn’t push me away. Instead, she let herself cry into my shirt as I gently rubbed her back. When her tears were gone, she pulled away. I lifted her face with my fingers until our eyes met. “Please don’t do that again. I was just so worried about you.”
“So worried,” I whispered again as I pulled her back to me. Just then my phone began to vibrate, and I felt her body tense in surprise, but I didn’t let her go. I knew who it was, and I couldn’t care less about her text message. I just needed to know that Cami was okay, that she was unharmed.
I had a sudden urge to strip her bare and worship her body as I made sure there wasn’t a mark on her silky skin. I couldn’t stand the tension between us anymore, and if I didn’t taste her soon, it was going to kill me. Letting my instincts take over, I took her face between my hands and leaned down to finally press my lips to hers when my fucking phone started up again.
“Just answer the damned thing,” Cami said as she pulled away from me before our lips connected. I yanked the phone out of my pocket, silenced it, and tossed it on the nearby table. I didn’t want to talk to Av—Kendall. Not now!
“Fine! Then, I will,” Cami said picking up the phone. I knew she wouldn’t answer it. That would be stupid and more than likely get us caught, but I didn’t expect the look on her face when she saw who was calling me.
“Oh look, it’s your girlfriend,” she teased, but her voice, oozing with jealousy, betrayed her, and I couldn’t help but smile. Cami was jealous. Over me. I liked that. I liked that a lot.
“She won’t leave me alone. Drew must have pissed her off again,” I said trying to explain away any doubt.
“Maybe you should talk to her,” she suggested.
I tried to grab Cami’s hand, but she moved out of my reach.
“No really, I mean it. Talk to her. Maybe she will tell you something that can help us. It couldn’t hurt right?” she asked, making a good point. Kendall did always talk too much.
“You sure?”
Cami nodded and started to leave, but I grabbed her hand and said, “Wait. I’ll put it on speaker.” With that, I was rewarded by the most beautiful, wicked smile I had ever seen. Cami walked passed me and sat on the loveseat with those long, delicious legs all tucked up underneath her. I fell into the seat next to her as I answered the call.
CHAPTER 15
Kendall
So, I’d officially hit an all-time low. Yes, I, Kendall Avery Stuart, was truly pathetic, and I’d like to say that I wasn’t ashamed to admit it, but I totally was. I’d called and texted Gavin entirely too many times and was quickly breaching stalker territory, but Drew never came back home, and I needed to talk to somebody. No, I needed to talk to him.
Before I’d hit send, I’d vowed it would be the last time I’d call until he called me back and then was rendered speechless when he actually answered. “Avery, what’s up? Everything okay?” His voice was smooth and even and carried just a hint of concern. “Avery? You there?”
After a few more painful seconds of silence, I finally got my head out of my ass and remembered how to speak. “Uh, yeah. It’s Kendall now, actually. I’ve decided to go back to my first name. Did you know Avery is my middle name? So, yeah…I guess you should call me Kendall now.” I had no idea where that came from or why it mattered, other than the fact that I wanted to hear him call me by my real name. I wanted him to know my real name, who I really was.
“Okay…Kendall it is then. What’s going on, Kendall?”
The playfulness in his voice made me smile, and I laid back on my bed feeling more relaxed now. There was just something about this guy…
“I just needed to talk to someone, you know? I wish you were here. Drew’s being a total jerk, and I’m just so sick of him treating me like shit.” This was by no means the first time I’d complained to Gavin about Drew, and I knew what was coming. Truthfully, it was the reason I’d called so many times. I needed to hear it.
“You know what I’m going to say, Kendall. You don’t have to put up with his shit. You deserve so much better. There are tons of guys who would stand in line just to have a chance to treat you like a queen.”
Usually, I said I know and left it at that, but tonight I was feeling bold. I couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was because he wasn’t here or because Drew really was being such a douche, but I finally got up the nerve to say what I’d always wanted to say. “Would you?”
“Would I what?”
“Treat me better?”
“Oh no, Kendall. We are not going there. Drew Barnes would probably order Clayton to chop off my balls for even thinking like that, and personally, I really like my balls. We both know you’re not going anywhere, so don’t toy with me like that, okay? It would only mean trouble for the both of us. But you know I care about you, right?”
My heart did a little fluttery thing in my chest, and I rolled over, gripping the phone like it was a lifeline to the one person in the world who might actually give a shit about me. I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I hated myself for letting him make me feel so damn vulnerable.
“Kendall? You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” My voice cracked a bit, and I had to swallow back the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry for bothering you with all of this. I just wish you were here.”
“It’s okay. You wanna tell me what’s going
on there? What Nathaniel is really planning?”
“You know Nathaniel. The man is ruthless. I think he will probably allow a few members of Red Ridge to stay. Just those who can somehow either prove their worth or their loyalty. Other than that, I’m guessing after he’s gained control of their money and business, he’ll just kill the rest of them.”
There was a long pause before Gavin spoke again. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Pretending I agreed, I said, “I know what you mean. It’s just awful. Maybe if you were here—”
“You know that wouldn’t matter, Kendall. Besides, I’m not speaking to my father until I hear from Scarlett. He says she’s there and fine. Have you seen her?”
Shit! Freaking Scarlett! That bitch has to ruin everything. “Um, yeah. She’s here. I haven’t seen much of her though. You know she mated with Luke, so she’s been uh…kinda busy, if you know what I mean.” I laughed trying to make my lie more believable.
A nervous chuckle sounded over the line, and I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived because I heard the front door slam. Drew must have finally decided to come home. Covering my mouth with one hand, I lowered my voice and said, “Hey, I gotta go. Drew’s back. Talk to you soon?”
“Sure, Kendall. Talk to you soon.”
CHAPTER 16
Cami
Last night was completely jacked up. No, this whole insane situation that has become my life is jacked up. My pack has been taken over, my parents are locked up, and we are all probably going to be executed any day now instead of going back to school, which is what we are supposed to be doing today. Yet, for reasons I couldn’t explain even if I was being held at gunpoint, my brain can’t seem to focus on anything other than the uber-hot werewolf locked in my parents’ closet.
So, instead of contemplating my next move in the CW drama that has become my life, I’d spent all of last night and most of this morning pissed off about how the events of last night had played out. First of all, yay, mission accomplished. I’d actually pulled off my plan to inform Alli and Aiden’s parents that their children were alive and well outside of Red Ridge. Unfortunately, there was no way to get to Phillip, and it was killing me to think that he believed his only son to be dead, but I could only hope he’d find out the truth soon enough.
Then, I made it back here, and Gavin was pissed off, but all sweet and worried too. And he almost kissed me. Almost! I wanted to take his damn phone and throw it across the room hard enough for it to shatter, and that was before I saw who was calling. Once I realized it was Kendall, it took every ounce of willpower in my body to not go bitchcakes on his ass right there with his phone in my hand.
Instead, in my infinite wisdom, I told him to answer it, and then I had to sit there and listen to them flirt with each other, which was bad enough, but after that, Kendall blurts out that their pack is most likely going to kill us all. Yeah, awkward, to say the least.
Once the end button was hit, it was pretty much the end of our conversation as well. I said something like, Well, I guess now we know your pack is going to kill us all. And he said, I’m sorry, Cami. To which I followed with, Yeah, that pretty much sucks. I’m going to bed. Then I stormed out of the room because…Well, that’s what I do.
Now, I had to go downstairs and face him. Mr. Can’t Listen For Shit was cooking breakfast, which both melted my heart and irritated the piss out of me. Why couldn’t he just be a moody asshole who stayed in the safe room? No, he had to be all gorgeous and sweet, and all I was so worried about you, and all let me stare at you while I undress you with my eyes and shit. It was unnerving!
Before I headed his way, I put my hair up in one of those messy buns that was supposed to appear as if you just threw it up there on top of your head when truth be told, it took like four tries to get it to look perfectly messy. Then I brushed my teeth, swiped on a tiny bit of mascara, and put on my best cleavage-producing push-up bra under my tank top. Hey, if he was going to check me out, I wanted to give him something to look at.
After I was satisfied with my just-rolled-out-of-bed look, I trotted downstairs and into the kitchen. This time, when I wandered into view, I didn’t look away when his eyes met mine, and I watched as his eyes slowly traveled down my body. His lips parted the slightest bit as his hungry eyes made their way back up. And just because I was feeling bold, I turned around and pretended to look for something on the table behind me, so I could give him a view of my backside in my very tiny sleep shorts. When I heard him suck in a short breath, I knew I’d gotten the reaction I’d wanted.
But as soon as I turned back around, he was back to busying himself with breakfast-making as if nothing had just happened. He cleared his throat and said, “There’s coffee if you want it. And bacon over there on the counter. The eggs are almost finished.”
I so didn’t get this guy. There were times when he looked ready to pounce on me, but up until last night, he hadn’t made a move. At one point last night, I’d even convinced myself that I’d imagined our almost kiss. I felt like shouting, “Good God, Gavin! Just do it already!” But then I worried that maybe I was reading him all wrong, and he’d think I was a crazy slut.
But the worst part…The worst part was the fact that I shouldn’t even give a shit. Making out with Gavin Reed was the absolute last thing I should be thinking about right now. But I bet he’s one hell of a kisser.
*****
It was finally “recreation” time, which really just meant that our pack was allowed to wander around in a designated area outside while armed guards watched our every move. We were given the “privilege” of being able to speak to one another, but the guards were listening, and if anyone spoke for too long or appeared to be trading secrets, they were quickly separated. All we needed were some orange jump suits, a basketball goal, and some free weights, and it really would be like prison rec time, minus the gangs and shit.
Nervous energy coursed through my veins, but if there was any chance of me spreading the word about Cade and the others being alive, I had to play it cool. I scoped out my surroundings and immediately noticed Lilly, Paul, and Teagan talking to Gage, Luke’s closest friend. They all looked my way at the same time, and I knew immediately that they had told Gage. He jerked his head to the side, signally me to meet him over by a nearby tree. A guard had just made his pass, which meant Gage and I had at least a minute to talk before the guard came back by.
I meandered over, trying to appear as if I was in no hurry, and met Gage there just as the guard was making his way back toward us. Keeping his head down, Gage said, “We don’t have much time, but listen. Stay away from Becca. I don’t trust her. Talk to Shari. I’ll tell Ryder and Sammy the news. We have to do something. Tell Cade we’re in. Whatever it is. We’re in. Got it.”
I glanced over in the guard’s direction. He was getting close, but we had a few more seconds. “I should hear from Cade soon. I’ll let you know what he says as soon as I can. And Gage, I think I can get off the estate. We can get out of here if we need to.”
Footsteps were upon us, but we were expecting them. “All right, you two. Move it on along. You know the rules.” The guards shooed us away from the tree, so we parted ways, but I left feeling a bit more confident knowing that Gage was all in.
My eyes searched the area for Shari and found her easily, but with Becca attached to her hip, there wasn’t much I could do. Damn Becca. That girl was going to be the death of me. I wandered over and waited around for Shari to break away from Becca, but it wasn’t happening, and my time was running short. I’d noticed that Gage had appeared to have successfully talked to Sammy and Ryder, so at least that went as planned. Finally, with just a few minutes to spare, I heard Gage’s voice. “Hey, Becca, come here for a second.”
Her face lit up like a damn Christmas tree. You’d have thought he’d just asked her to prom. Letting out a girlie giggle, she scurried over and linked her arm through his. As Gage led her away, he turned back and winked at me. Thank you, Gage! Knowing my time
was limited, I grabbed Shari’s arm and pulled her away from prying ears. “Listen and don’t freak out because people are watching. Cade and the rest of them are still alive.” Her eyes went wide, and she let out a small gasp, so I squeezed her arm, hoping it would remind her to keep her cool.
“Shari, you cannot tell Becca. I don’t trust her not to tell Kendall. I have a way to contact Cade, and I should hear from him soon, so hopefully we can figure out a way out of this mess. Can I count on you to work with us?”
“Oh my God, Cami. What are we going to do? Who all knows about this?” Her eyes were tearing up, and I knew we needed to end this conversation quickly before one of the guards noticed our path strategically avoided any contact with the CH men.
“I don’t know yet, but the Wrights know. And Teagan, Gage, Ryder, and Sammy. As soon as I talk to Cade, I’ll find you again at rec, but you have to figure out a way to get away from Becca. Got it?”
Shari nodded and was about to speak when a whistle blew, signaling our time was up. I let go of her arm, and we went our separate ways. Relief flooded my body as I headed back to my house. I could only hope that Shari could be trusted. One thing was for sure; Becca could not know about any of this.
As far as I knew, the only other person who knew about Gavin was Phillip. I hadn’t told the Wrights, which meant Gage didn’t know, and I intentionally left that part out when I spoke to Shari. If the time came that they needed to know, then I would tell them, but until then, I decided that Gavin’s presence here should remain a secret.
When I got back home, Gavin was actually tucked away in the safe room for once, and I contemplated going in there to let him know about the progress I’d made this afternoon but quickly convinced myself that I needed a nap. The truth was that I needed some space, some time to think things through, and when I was around that boy, my brain just didn’t function properly.