12. Camela
Camela
Chapter 12
The roar of the engine drowns out the chaos in my head as I speed down the dark, winding roads. I’m hyper alert from fear. This evening's events have me questioning everything about who I am, but one thing is certain – I can’t kill Vincenzo Consolini.
Pulling into the driveway of my safe house, I waste no time in killing the engine and sprinting inside. I slam the door shut behind me, and I’m greeted by the familiar scent of gun oil and leather.
I begin to tear open drawers and cabinets in a frenzy. I’ve lost control. There is only one thing I can control now.
Run.
I’m no longer the person for this job.
I fill my two getaway bags with clothes, weapons, fake passports, cash – anything that will help me prepare for what comes next.
The only problem: I don’t know what that is. My mind is running in circles and I can’t think straight. It’s clear I can’t kill Vincenzo, and that I’m a hindrance to the mission. The Handler won’t understand, so my only option is to run.
But what then?
As I rifle through my belongings for a final check, I come across the wretched arrow, glowing with otherworldly power. I stop, staring at it, examining it. I wish I’d never taken this souvenir which has become a thing of nightmares.
And yet, I can’t abandon it. It’s the one thing that connects me to Vincenzo.
I move faster, zipping up the bag and slinging it over my shoulder. Time is running out.
The shrill tone of my phone pierces the silence, making me flinch. My heart hammers in my chest as I recognize the number…the Handler.
I could just let the call go to voicemail, I’m tempted for a moment. But it would make him suspicious and I need to buy more time to make a clear getaway.
For now, I need to pretend, get my mind in the game.
"Cameeelaaa," my name comes out as a chilling serenade. He’s trying to scare me, to remind me he can toy with me. "Why is Vincenzo still alive?"
I keep each word toneless, keeping enough space between words to sound confident. "I thought I saw someone approaching. I didn't want to risk getting caught."
“You’ve never lied to me before. Why are you lying to me now," he snaps with icy disapproval. "Perhaps it is because you are in possession of what I have been looking for?"
He knows that I have the arrow.
“I trained you, Camela. I know you: cold, calculating and never thinking twice when it comes to making a kill. I knew something was off when you came in with all your excuses, so I had you followed. The fact that you failed a second time proves my suspicions. You are in possession of the arrow and pricked yourself with it. Now you are in love with Vincenzo.”
My emotions get the better of me. Throwing caution to the wind I shout into the phone: “If you lay even one finger on Vincenzo, I will kill you.”
He is not the least bit rattled by my threat. “You have one hour to bring me the arrow and I just might consider leaving your precious Vincenzo alive.”
The line goes dead, leaving me with a sense of dread that coils like a snake around my throat.
"Damn it," I whisper, my hand gripping the edge of the table to stop myself from stumbling.
I am overwhelmed by grief. If Vincenzo dies, I’ll forget what it means to live. To know there was a man like him on this earth once, a man for me, who no longer exists would be a living death.
Memories rush back. The way his kind eyes crinkle when he laughs, how he smells like home should I ever have one, how gently he guides me down the pathway of his gardens, how soft his hand feels against mine.
His smell, oh his smell. I could lean into it forever, just breathe him in like the very air around me.
The weight of my emotions threatens to drown me as I realize the depth of my feelings for him. I don’t know what this feeling is. It’s strange, and new, but only one word comes to mind. Could it be…love?
Love was a foreign concept I had never been allowed to entertain, but now it grips me with an unyielding force, leaving me vulnerable in its wake.
It hits me like a tidal wave, overwhelming and terrifying: I am in love with Vincenzo. My chest constricts, and it feels as if the air around me is suddenly too thin to breathe. Love was never part of the plan, not for someone like me. Yet here it is, undeniable and fierce.
And what is a woman in love to do but to save the man who means everything to her? Suddenly, unbearable rage torments me. Rage aimed at myself.
“You wanted to run!” I scream at myself, falling to the ground and allowing the tears to stream down my face. ”You were going to run and leave him to rot at the Handler’s hand. You’re weak, you’re weak, Camela.”
As I lie there, my heart breaking at the thought of Vincenzo being taken from me, I realize it’s the first time I’ve shed tears from emotional turmoil.
There have been tears before - tears of agonizing training, immense pain. But those were automatic. Those were my body releasing them without me ever noticing.
These are different. These tears call to me to a woman in love, desperate to live in a world where Vincenzo stays alive.
My loyalty to my handler is strong, but my love for Vincenzo is stronger. I could never run, could never leave Vincenso in the Handler’s hands.
Such an outcome is simply incomprehensible.
I take a deep breath and stand up, wiping the tears from my face. I know better than anyone that I can't let my emotions get the best of me. The tables have turned. The plans have changed.
I'm Camela Giannelli, the Huntress, and I'll do whatever it takes to save the man I love.
I slip out of the safe house with my bags in tow. No matter what it takes, I vow to save Vincenzo and put an end to the Handler's quest for him once and for all.
The minute I sit in my car and look back at my safe house, I observe a shift in the winds. Things will never be the same again. Camela, the Huntress, raised and brought up by the Handler, knows no other life than the one in his shadows.
This new journey is unknown, wild, and unpredictable.
And yet, I can't afford to dwell on my emotions. Vincenzo's life is at stake, and I'm the only one who has a chance of saving him from the Handler. Pushing aside the fear and uncertainty, I focus on getting back to the Consolini mansion without being detected.
The imposing gates of Vincenzo's mansion come into view, and I take a deep breath.
I can’t let him know who I am, and the challenge is daunting. To protect him, I need to be by his side 24/7. But the invitation needs to come from him, and that will take time.
How in the world am I going to convince Vincenzo to let me stay by his side? It needs to come from him. He needs to ask me to stay, for that is the only way I can protect him.
I have only ever survived by protecting myself. Will I succeed in protecting someone else?