21. CAMI

21

CAMI

T he sounds of the parade filled Silver Ridge—laughter, music, the jingling of bells. Christmas was everywhere. Kids darted around dressed like little elves, their high-pitched giggles cutting through the cold air. The smell of fresh cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate floated to me on the breeze, mixing with the deliciously crisp scent of snow.

It should have been perfect—one of those moments where everything felt magical, like something out of a Christmas movie. This was the stuff I lived for.

Instead, I tasted my heart in my throat, and my legs felt like lead.

I forced a smile as a couple passed by, their faces bright with excitement. “Great job with the parade, Cami!” the woman called out. Her cheeks were flushed with cold, but her smile was wide and warm.

“Thanks,” I replied, my voice strained as I waved, hoping she didn’t notice how stiff and forced I sounded.

Beside me, Viktor leaned down slightly, his face obscured by a ridiculous Grinch mask. To anyone else, he looked like he was just playing along with the festivities, blending into the sea of people dressed as Santas and elves. But his presence was like a lead weight on my shoulders, his voice low and dangerous when he whispered in my ear, “Keep smiling. Wouldn’t want to ruin the fun, would you?”

My stomach twisted, and I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to steady my breathing. I couldn’t afford to let him see how terrified I was. Not with all these people around. But God, it was hard to keep it together when every nerve in my body was screaming at me to run.

I kept looking around, searching for a way out, but there wasn’t one. There was no way out of this.

Wallace walked on my other side, dressed like an oversized Santa with a big fake beard. He’d been here long enough to know some of the townsfolk—long enough to wave and joke with them like he belonged. It had all been set up for a while, clearly.

And I’d missed it all.

Every time he smiled at someone, waved at them, made it seem like he was friendly and a part of the fun, I felt sick.

They had no idea who he really was and what he was capable of.

I glanced around, my eyes darting from face to face, looking for someone I could warn. Would they get it when I tried to tell them there was trouble just with my gaze?

Probably not. There wasn’t one to get me out of this mess. Viktor’s men were everywhere, blending into the crowd just like he was, their eyes sharp and focused on me.

I was trapped.

I wished Mason was here now. If I hadn’t screwed it all up, maybe he would have been at my side and none of this would have happened. But I’d made a mess of my life, and now I was alone, stuck in this nightmare with killers by my side.

I’d thought being cheated on by my fiancé and my best friend having an affair was the worst thing that could happen to me.

I was wrong.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked softly, my voice trembling even though I tried to stay calm.

Viktor chuckled, a low, sinister sound that crawled over my skin like insects. “You know why, Camille. You’re going to help me find Dylan.”

“I don’t know anything,” I said in a low voice. “I already told you that.”

“Sure you don’t,” Wallace said from the other side, his voice mocking. “And I’m Santa Claus.”

I bit my lip, forcing myself to keep smiling as a group of kids ran past, their laughter echoing through the streets.

Every fiber of my being wanted to scream for help, to grab someone—anyone—and tell them what was happening. But I couldn’t with Viktor’s men watching my every move. If I made one wrong step, someone would get hurt.

We walked past Hank’s general store, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him wave. My heart stuttered in my chest and for a split second I thought about calling out for help. But that would just put him in danger. I couldn’t stop walking, stop acting like everything was perfect.

“Hey, Cami! The parade looks amazing!” Hank called out, his voice full of cheer.

I forced a smile, nodding. “Thanks, Hank. It’s such a great day for a parade!” My voice was thin and tight. I kept moving, too scared that if I stopped to chat, something awful would happen. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up the act, either.

Viktor’s breath was hot against my ear. “You’re good at this,” he whispered. “Pretending everything’s fine… So here’s how this works—you give me what I want, and no one gets hurt. Understand?”

I swallowed hard, my hands shaking at my sides, so I pushed them into my pockets to try to hide it. “I don’t know what you want from me,” I said softly.

“I want Dylan,” Viktor growled, his tone sharp. “You remember him, don’t you? He seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth and I’m not letting that rat get away.”

My stomach twisted painfully at the mention of Dylan’s name. I hadn’t thought about him lately—not since things had been so good with Mason. I’d tried to push everything about my past life out of my mind, but now it was all rushing back, hitting me like punches. The business deals, the long nights, the excuses he’d always made—I hadn’t thought anything of it then. What had it mattered? None of it made sense. None of it explained why Viktor was after me.

“I haven’t seen him in months,” I said. “Why would I know where he is? He’s out of my life. I don’t know anything about him anymore.”

“Bullshit,” Wallace snapped, his filled with venom. “You were with him for years. You know more than you’re letting on.”

“I don’t!” I said, panicked. I’d been so blind, looking at the man with stars in my eyes. “I swear, I don’t know anything. He never talked to me about his work.”

I’d always thought he was so great, not bringing work home, so that when we were together nothing came between us.

Viktor’s grip on my arm tightened, and I winced as his nails dug into my skin. “He worked with some very important people. People who had connections. He was in deep, Cami. And you? You were right there beside him. Don’t tell me you didn’t see something.”

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “I didn’t,” I whispered. “I swear, I didn’t know.”

“Then explain this,” Viktor hissed. “He worked with a company that was tied to some very lucrative smuggling operations. You think that’s just a coincidence? That he didn’t know what was going on? And you? You expect me to believe you were just along for the ride, blind to everything?”

I stared straight ahead, my body cold, my stomach twisting with dread. Smuggling? Dylan had been involved in smuggling ? The words didn’t make sense to me. Dylan had been so straight-and-narrow, an upstanding guy. The type of guy I’d introduced to my parents, said yes to marry. I’d wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. How could I have missed something that big?

“I didn’t know,” I whispered again, my voice cracking. “Please, I didn’t know.”

Viktor let out a low growl of frustration. “You’re lying ,” he said through gritted teeth. “You had to have known. And if you didn’t, then you’re even dumber than I thought.”

I flinched at his words. But I didn’t have time to process them. We were still walking through the parade, people waving and smiling at us as if everything was normal. As if I wasn’t trapped in this nightmare.

Laken appeared in front of us, her face lit up with excitement as she caught sight of me. She wore a red Christmas hat with two blonde braids over her shoulders and a bright smile on her face. “Cami! This parade is amazing!” she gushed, clapping her hands together. “You did such a great job with everything!”

I forced another smile, feeling like my face might crack from the effort. “Thanks, Laken,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “Glad you’re enjoying it. I just love Christmas!”

She beamed at me, oblivious to the fact that Viktor and Wallace were standing right beside me, their presence looming like a dark cloud over everything. “I’ll see you later, okay? We have to drink some hot cocoa and catch up!” She waved before disappearing back into the crowd.

As soon as she was gone, Viktor’s hand tightened on my arm again. “Tell me where Dylan is,” he snarled. “Or I start hurting people. Do you really want that on your conscience?”

Terror flooded through me, and I shook my head frantically. “I don’t know where he is,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I haven’t seen him since we broke up. Please, you have to believe me.”

Viktor’s lips curled into a sneer behind his Grinch mask. “If you’re lying to me, Cami,” he said softly, “there will be consequences. For you and for everyone in this godforsaken town.”

I swallowed hard, fear clawing at my throat as we continued walking through the parade. I tried to focus on the music, the laughter, the festive atmosphere around me. But all I could feel was the icy grip of terror tightening around my chest and Viktor’s fingers digging into my skin where he would leave blue marks.

Would I be alive to notice the bruises later? Would I live that long?

I had no idea where Dylan was. I didn’t know anything about the smuggling, or the business deals, or whatever the hell Viktor was talking about. But none of that mattered. He wasn’t going to believe me I had no idea how to get out of this without someone getting hurt.

All I could do was keep walking. Keep pretending. Keep hoping that somehow, by some miracle, I’d find a way out of this nightmare before anyone got hurt.