AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They had planned for this day for too long.
“They’ll believe you if you do as I told you to,” Jaci told her firmly. “We’re not going to balk now, Moriah. If we’re going to stop their threats and lies, then we’re going to stop them here, or it will never be over. Is that what you want?”
“I’ll go insane if it doesn’t stop,” she whispered tearfully. “They’re evil, Jaci. ”
“Just remember that while you’re talking to them. Tell them I can only meet them at three and only in a safe location. You’ll suggest your apartment, and tonight you’ll set up the video camera. ”
“Okay. ” Moriah breathed out roughly. “Okay, I can do that. You’ll take care of the rest, right?”
“I’ll take care of the rest, Moriah. Everything will work out. You’ll see. Call me back and let me know what they say. ”
She disconnected moments later. It had taken a few more very firm reminders to Moriah to breathe and stop panicking. Jaci stared at the phone as she lowered it back to the table.
Moriah had rarely shown Jaci this side of her. Confidence normally oozed from the girl’s pores—until Annalee had demanded her help.
But Moriah had been damaged by the Robertses, while Jaci hadn’t been. Jaci had been terrified, her reputation damaged for a while, but other than pissing her off and shadowing the relationships Jaci had tried to make, they hadn’t really scarred her mentally.
Just physically.
She rubbed that scar at her hip and sighed heavily at the memory of that night. Annalee dressed in leather, a strap-on penis waving in front of her body while her secretary and Roberts knelt at her feet.
It would be amusing if it hadn’t been so damned terrifying.
One thing was for certain, she couldn’t live here in Alexandria, she co
uldn’t protect Cam, if she didn’t do something about the Robertses. And the time was now.
24
She was curled up on her end of the couch, a frown on her face as she watched the news channel. Only Jaci would watch the news to go to sleep, Cam thought with a silent laugh.
Then he saw her lower lip trembling. He saw the shimmer of tears on her lashes. Then, he noticed other things: The tip of her nose was red, her face pale. He had seen her cry only once, long ago. If he remembered, Charlie Mack had tried to run Chase down on the street. Cam had beat the hell out of him but Charlie had laid in some hard punches. When Jaci saw the blood on Cam’s face, she had cried. And her dad had dragged her away, scowling, furious.
“Jaci. ” He knelt beside the couch and touched her face as she tried to duck away.
The shimmer of tears were tracks on her face and he felt his heart stutter to a stop within his chest.
Jaci couldn’t cry. God help him, he couldn’t stand this.
“Sweetheart?” He fought to keep his voice low, comforting, when all he wanted to do was howl in rage at the pain on her face. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I’m okay. ” Her voice was more angry than hurt. “I’m just a foolish woman. PMS. Moodiness. Whatever. ”
She wiped at her face and stared at his chest as he stared down at her, trying to figure this one out. Jaci didn’t just cry. And he had a feeling that if the effects of PMS were going to show themselves, then he would be in no doubt when they hit or exactly what they were.
“I don’t like it when you lie to me,” he told her gently, pushing her hair back from her face to reveal her profile. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re crying?”
He couldn’t stand this. He would fix it. No matter what it took, he would take the pain away and make it better if he could. If he couldn’t, well, he’d just have to kill anyone who had done this to her.
“You don’t have to be honest with me. Why do I have to be honest with you?” Her words seemed to echo through his head. He knew what she was talking about, and he couldn’t face it. Not yet. Not right now.
“I haven’t lied to you. ” He watched her carefully. “Come on, baby, this isn’t over us. You’d just kick my ass and have it done with, if it was. Tell me why you’re crying. ”
She was crying because the longer she had lain there without him the more she had realized how strong her lover was. He didn’t make excuses for mistakes, hell, he never admitted to any mistakes, that she knew of. He had been so strong. Somehow he had managed to stop Davinda from destroying him, and he had kept his honor and his strength. As much as he wanted to share her with Chase, as much as he needed to, he still held back, he still gave her the room she needed to make the decision herself.
He was a good man, though his childhood must have been a nightmare.
“I need to make you stop hurting, Cam. ” She straightened until she could rest against the back of the couch, until she could stare into his shadowed green eyes.
