Chapter Nine
She felt secure in their arms, like nothing could ever happen to her, and there was no way she could be taken from them.
“It’s my turn,” Aiden yelled across the room.
Malik snorted.
“What’s his turn?” she asked.
“You. He wants to snuggle.”
She grinned. “I better go then.”
Malik chuckled. “Yes, you should before he comes and gets you.”
She walked behind the sofa and screamed when Aiden lifted her and placed her on his lap, and her chest against his.
“You scared me,” she accused.
“You weren’t moving fast enough,” Aiden told her.
“Next time, I’ll be sure to run,” she said sarcastically.
He kissed the top of her head. “You do that, baby.”
“You guys want a movie?” Malik said.
“But the electricity is out.”
“Yeah, but we have a generator. We could last here for months. We can’t get reception up here, so we have to depend on the DVR,” Aiden told her. “Put one in.”
Malik started going through their DVD collection. “Any preference?”
She shook her head. “No. Just nothing gory.”
Both men laughed.
Malik cuddled in on the other end of the sofa and set her feet on his lap. The movie was good, and they all laughed several times.
She hadn’t realized how much she missed things like this. Vegging on the sofa and watching TV. She had always enjoyed it before her mother remarried.
At first, her stepfather had been nice to her but mostly dismissive until she turned seventeen, and then his attitude toward her changed radically. Instead of ignoring her, all his attention seemed to center on her. She hated it and hurt for her mother, who was practically being ignored.
Edward, her stepfather, had turned into a tyrant to both, forbidding them just about everything.
Her mother had been put on a diet when she married him and hadn’t yet come off.
He started making her follow the diet and other restrictions.
It was like living in prison. Except in prison, you still got fed even if you misbehaved.
In Edward's house, she’d gone days without eating and with only the water from her bathroom tap to drink.
She had fought him in the beginning, but he’d done things she would never forget to put her in her place. She had begged her mother for help, but her mother had always turned her away.
The turning point where she’d started making plans was when she overheard him talking to one of his creepy friends. The things he had planned for her made bile climb up her throat. She’d swallowed several times because she hadn’t wanted to miss anything.
From that day, she’d stolen whatever money she could find around the mansion.
Thankfully, Edward had so much that he never missed a few hundred out of his wallet, and he also kept an envelope in his desk drawer filled with money she’d taken on the day she left.
She’d also taken food at night for when he locked her in her room and when she escaped.
Camila knew the sooner she could go, the better, but she also had to be ready.
When she thought she’d had enough, she took off.
She snuck out a side door of Edward’s house and walked to the nearest bus station, then took the first bus out of town.
When she arrived at her destination, she bought a used car and drove out of town.
The first few days had been blissful. The freedom had almost made her giddy.
That hadn’t lasted. They’d caught up with her within a week.
She couldn’t believe it had been so easy for them because she only used cash and bought a cheap car.
When they found her, she’d been in a café eating.
She’d seen the dark car pull up beside the one she drove, and a few men got out.
Her heart about burst from her chest when she recognized one of them as being her stepfather's man. She’d escaped out the back of the building and left everything behind.
She didn’t have a choice. She just knew she couldn’t go back to that monster.
She ran into the forest behind the building and kept going until her sides burned and she couldn’t catch her breath. Her thoughts were so chaotic that she couldn't think clearly. When she thought she’d heard men’s voices in the distance a few times, she took off again.
Camila had been dumbfounded by how quickly they caught up to her. She had to keep telling herself she’d never done that type of thing before, and she had to console herself that she’d gone at least a week without them finding her.
A shiver coursed down her spine when she thought about her run up the mountain. If the men hadn’t found her, she’d be dead. But then again, she would rather be dead than live in her stepfather's house.
“Are you cold, baby?” Aiden asked, pulling her tighter against his chest.
She shook her head. “No.”
Malik squeezed her foot. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not right now.”
Both men nodded and didn’t push.
She looked up at Aiden as the movie credits rolled. “I’d like to shower. I have to get the knots out of my hair before it’s too late and I’ll have to cut it.”
He lifted her off his lap. “Go, just don’t take too long. The water heater is hooked up to the generator. I’ll bring you other clothes, and then Malik will help you get a comb through your hair.”
She grinned at Aiden. “Why not you?”
“Baby, you don’t want that. I’m an impatient bastard, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
She chuckled. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Camila used the shampoo-and-conditioner mix that the men used and tried to run her fingers through her hair. It got better, but still had knots. She dressed after she dried off and walked out to see Malik in the chair with an ottoman in front.
“Come here, baby. I’ve already got a comb.”
Within a minute, she was holding back moans. She’d always loved having her hair brushed, but it was something else her mother stopped doing when they went to live with Edward.
Malik chuckled. “I see you like this.”
“I love it.”
“Good to know. I love doing it, so you’ll always have someone.”
She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “Thank you.”
“You're very welcome.”
He worked on her hair until it was about dry and lying silky down her back, and she knew its length stopped right at her hips.
“It’s beautiful, baby.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. She did love her hair, but she found it uncomfortable when people commented on it for some reason.
“What’s for dinner?” Aiden asked.
She turned to see Aiden and grinned. “Is that all you think about?”
“Yup,” Malik said at the same time Aiden shook his head, making her laugh.
She stood. “I’d like to help.”
“Sure.”
Standing next to them always made her feel incredibly small and fragile, and she wasn’t sure if she liked that yet.
“Tell me what you need,” she said, waiting for directions.
The three worked well together, and she couldn’t believe how much fun it was. She could absolutely see them doing this for years, and her never getting tired of it.