45. Camille

Chapter 45

Camille

I went home the next day, moped around the house while Kage kept an eye on me, then forced myself to start attending school again. In between classes, I walked over to the café to grab a coffee. Nobody knew about the attack, which I was grateful for. The last thing I needed was another reason to be the focal point of everyone’s gossip, especially when I had no idea what had been going on, or who that man was. Or what he had been planning to do with me...

Just as I was about to push through the doors of the coffee shop, I spotted Dante. He looked tired. Worn out. And when he met my gaze, I saw the pain he was carrying. My first instinct was to go to him, but after everything he’d told me and the way we had left things, I couldn’t deal with him right now, so I backed away from the door and walked off. I needed to get out of here. Pulling out my phone, which Kage had retrieved from Dante's house, I called Kage.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I just need to clear my head.”

“Tell me where you are."

“No, I’m okay. I just wanted to check in. And ask if I could borrow your car."

Kage hadn't bought a replacement for the Bugatti, but he still had the SUV.

He hesitated, and I knew it was because he didn't like the idea of me going somewhere by myself.

"I'm not going to be caged in. You guys are already tracking my phone. That's all I'm willing to compromise."

Kage sighed. "Alright. But are you carrying the gun?"

"Yeah." After what had happened, Kage insisted I bring the gun with me wherever I went. I didn't bother arguing with him because I felt safer with it now, too.

"Good girl. Don't hesitate to use it if you need to, Rebel. I'll check in with you soon.”

Back at home, I grabbed Kage’s spare keys then climbed behind the wheel of the SUV. As I left, I wasn’t even sure where I was going. I just needed to get away from everything and clear my head. I drove through the residential area near campus, taking in the huge houses and sprawling green lawns. I glanced in the side mirror and noticed a car behind me. Out of nowhere, panic set in. Paralyzed with fear, my mind drifted back to the night when Officer Davis shot Kage and chased us.

Frantically, I pulled over and turned off the car. I felt sick, and I couldn’t breathe. I was pretty sure I was having a panic attack. Getting out of the car, I sat down on the curb and tucked my knees up to my chest, focusing on my breathing.

In and out.

I was fine.

Everything was fine.

Only it wasn’t.

Dante had lied to me, kids were going missing, I'd been drugged and almost kidnapped, and now it seemed I couldn’t even drive without having a mental breakdown. My life was falling apart around me.

I forced myself to breathe in and out for two minutes before I dragged myself upright, putting one foot in front of the other. Slowly, my body began to relax. I couldn’t control what was happening with Dante, or how he chose to move forward with his dealing, but what I could do was figure out who came after me and if it had anything to do with the missing kids and the symbols.

There had to be a connection, and I was determined to figure it out.

I was about to get into the SUV when I glanced across the street. There was a gorgeous mansion behind metal gates. The gates had intricate designs on the steel. Designs that looked familiar.

Was my mind playing tricks on me or...

I pulled out my phone and snapped a few photos. I was so focused on what I was doing that I didn’t even notice the man approaching me. I jumped when he appeared in front of me, my heart racing.

“Why are you taking photos of my house?” he demanded, his voice laced with irritation.

“I’m so sorry, I was just admiring the design,” I mumbled, shoving my phone back into my pocket. “My father is in the middle of redesigning his garden, and this felt like exactly his style. Do you mind me asking... was the design inspired by anything in particular?”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “They’re trees. We back onto a forest. You piece it together.”

“Right,” I replied with a tight smile. “Of course.”

He looked at me closely. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t,” I said.

“Do you go to CU?” he asked. "Because if you do, I’m president of the college. Your winter ball will be held here."

"Oh. Uh, wow. Yes, I go to Crimsonvale."

"Will you be attending the ball?"

I thought about Kage, Ty, and Dante. It was foolish, but I couldn’t help thinking it would be amazing to attend with all three of them, just like it would be amazing to fuck all of them. Well, the latter would be much more enjoyable, of course.

But even as a flush swept over my body, I felt a pang of loss. Tears threatened to well up when I remembered that Dante probably wouldn’t be mine ever again.

The president peered at me, and I realized I hadn’t answered his question.

“I’m not sure yet,” I managed to get out.

“Would you like to come inside? I can show you exactly where it’s going to be.”

No way in hell was I following him inside. "No, thanks. I really have to be going."

Swiftly, I got back into the SUV and sped off a few blocks before pulling over. I doubled over, feeling sick as I struggled to catch my breath again. I could still feel the prick of that needle in my neck before the world faded to blackness, the terror of everything shutting down around me. I was pretty sure I was having another panic attack. Maybe I had overreacted, but there was something about that man—the president of CU, if he was who he claimed to be—that made me not trust him.

My hands were still shaking when I pulled up in front of my place. Kage looked up as I walked inside. I tossed him his keys and thanked him, then busied myself by fixing a glass of juice, mainly to try and hide the fact that I was still so shaken.

"What happened?"

I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell Kage about the president and the trees on his gates, just in case he took matters into his own hands and went back there to get some answers. I had visions of him holding a knife to the CU president's throat. Still, even if I was speculating, we didn’t have much to go on. So, I told him.

“We need to tell Ty, Bianca, and Dante.”

I felt my expression close off at the mention of Dante.

Kage sighed. He sat down on the couch and motioned for me to join him. I did, curling up in his arms. Kage leaned down and kissed me then lifted my chin so I was looking at him. “We can’t keep Dante out of the loop. He has connections to the administration, but even if he didn’t, he cares about the students.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

“You think you can work past this?” he asked, linking his fingers around mine and giving my hand a squeeze.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just not sure I can live with his choices.”

“Let’s talk this through, then. How do you feel about drug legalization?”

“No way,” I said. “How can making drugs more accessible possibly help the problem?”

“Because people will get it anyway,” Kage responded. “At least if it were legal, people would know what they’re getting. Do you know the leading cause of drug-related deaths is what the drug has been cut with? Fentanyl. Xylazine. Plus, a whole bunch of other shit that should not be ingested by the human body.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered. “Clean drugs. Dirty drugs. None of it fucking matters. It’s still addictive as hell and ruins people’s lives. My mom...”

I trailed off. I couldn’t bear to finish that sentence. Sometimes, even thinking about her felt like a stab to the gut.

“I’m not minimizing what happened to your mom, Rebel. Or what happened to Ty, for that matter. I’m just saying maybe look at this from Dante’s point of view. I believe him when he says he’s trying to fix the same problem you are. You disagree with him, but maybe instead of bailing on him, you can help him figure out a better way to help."

"I don't know if I can do that. I'm sorry."

Kage sighed. "Don't be sorry."

I nodded, then realized it was Friday night. Kage's birthday was tomorrow, and we were heading into the city for our weekend away. "I need to pack.”

“I mean, if you want to. You’re going to be naked most of the time, though,” he teased.

“In front of your friends?” I fired back.

“No fucking way,” Kage murmured. He cupped my chin and kissed me passionately. “I share you enough as it is. This weekend, you’re all mine.”