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He moved his hand along her breast, cupping it and then massaging her shoulder. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hated him so much. She shook with fear and knew he was going to rape her. What could she do to stop him? She had never been a threat to him. He always overpowered her with violence and strength. He continued to cup her breast and then leaned closer to her mouth. She turned away. Her eyes landed on the small table by the bed. A gun. The gun that shot Cameron.
She shivered and he gripped her chin then pressed his lips to hers, forcing a kiss upon them.
She cried out. “No. Don’t touch me. Don’t,” she said and he shoved against her chest hard, making her lose her breath as he stood up.
“Goddamn it. You’re mine. Nothing has changed. This is our time to rekindle things and put the past behind us.”
“No. I don’t want that. We’re over, Cameron,” she said to him. He pulled her up by her shirt, ripping it the rest of the way and jerking her toward him. She felt pain everywhere. She didn’t even know how she was standing. He shoved her up against the window. She placed her hands palm forward to stop from hitting her face. She screamed out. He pressed up behind her. He was so big. Too big for her to fight off.
She cried. “Please, Cameron. Please stop this.”
“Look out there. Look at that scenery, that privacy. It’s all ours. It’s fucking romantic,” he screamed in her ear and turned her around and struck her across the mouth.
She gasped and fell to the rug. Blood dripped from her lip and she tried crawling away from him. She looked toward the nightstand and the gun.
“It’s because of them. Because of those three dicks you’ve been fucking. Isn’t it?” he asked, pulling her hair and making her cry out as he pulled her to her knees. She gripped his hands and shook her head.
Something came over her. Something clicked inside of her. She thought about C.J., thinking he was dead, and about York and Hunter, Martha and her husbands, and Shelby. Shelby had been right. She placed them in danger by getting involved with them. If Caroline had never let into the needs and desires to have Hunter, York, and C.J., and hadn’t allowed herself to fall in love then C.J. would be alive right now and his family wouldn’t be scared and hating her.
She couldn’t go on like this.
“I know what to do with you. You want to be a whore, I’ll treat you like a whore.” He pulled the torn shirt the
rest of the way off of her and as she tried to scramble toward the nightstand to get away from him, he ripped her skirt and kicked her thighs, striking her body repeatedly. He was going to kill her.
“No!” she screamed out and he pulled her back, turned her over, and looked down at her. He pulled the belt from his pants and then tore off his shirt. This was it. He was going to rape her. She continued to scream and he charged at her and she reacted. She shoved her arms at his midsection, surprising him and herself. He stopped short, lost his breath, and she reached for the gun. She rolled to the side and he yelled and charged at her. She pointed and pulled the trigger. One, two, three, four shots rang out as she shook and jerked with each shot.
He fell to the rug in front of her a bloody mess and she dropped the gun and cried and shook. She couldn’t breathe, and when the door burst open, she screamed out in fear but then saw Hunter and two other men, York and Max.
“Caroline,” Hunter screamed her name and he and York got to her. She saw the fear in their eyes and she couldn’t stop hyperventilating.
“He’s dead,” Sam said.
“Oh God, baby, it’s over. We’re so sorry, Caroline. So sorry he got to you when we said we would protect you.”
“C.J.?” she asked between gasps and trying to calm her breathing.
York cupped her cheek. “He’s fine, Caroline. He was shot in the shoulder and will need some physical therapy but he’s fine,” he said and she cried even harder as York held her against him.
“Here, use this to cover her up and keep her warm.” Sam handed over a jacket, and Hunter helped to wrap her in it.
“We need to get you to a hospital, baby. You done good. You fought hard and you won,” Hunter said to her.
“I could have lost C.J. You could have lost your brother because of me. Shelby was right. I never should have fallen in love with you and placed you all in danger.”
“No, Caroline. Don’t say such a thing. It was Cameron’s fault. He’s the monster. He was the bad guy, but you shot him. You saved yourself and ended it all so we could be together and move on together,” Hunter whispered to her.
She shook her head and cried. Her body was slowly weakening, and it was obvious she was coming down off of the adrenaline rush.
“We love you, baby,” Hunter whispered and kissed her forehead as the paramedics arrived.
She sniffled. “I love you, too. I’m sorry. So sorry,” she said then closed her eyes as the paramedics moved Hunter and York to the side so they could evaluate her injuries.
She was alive and Cameron was dead. Would C.J. and his family ever forgive her? Could she forgive herself for placing them in the middle of her danger? She closed her eyes and processed everything that had happened. I love them more than anything in the whole world. I can’t live without them. If C.J. hates me, then I’ll do whatever I need to in order to make it up to him. To them. Please God. Please don’t let me lose the first men I’ve ever loved and will ever love. Please.
* * * *
C.J.’s brothers told him about Caroline’s reaction to him being shot. About how badly she had been hurt but wound up killing Cameron. He felt terrible and he wished he had been more alert that day Cameron had showed up, but he was caught in having fun with his woman, and nothing else seemed to matter. He could have died that day and it wasn’t like he would have died saving his woman from harm. He failed her, and she wound up being beaten, nearly raped, and forced to shoot and kill a man. Obviously they were all going through so many emotions and it was hard to just focus on the bottom line. The four of them were alive and well. They were so in love, and they needed to lean on one another in order to move on. That was easier said than done.
