Chapter Ten
CAMILLE
I wake to the feeling of Bronco’s lips on my neck, his hands exploring my body. The heat of his chest presses against my back, and as I shift closer, I feel his hard length.
My pulse spikes as a shiver of awareness rolls through me.
“Morning, princess,” he murmurs against my skin.
I arch against him, lifting my hands behind me to run them through his hair. I love the feel of it. Of the slight scratch of his beard against my skin. “Good morning, handsome.”
I feel his smile. He kisses my jaw, turning me onto my back so he can cover me with his brawny frame.
Our eyes meet, and I’m lost in the tenderness I find there.
His smoky cognac eyes darken to whisky as he lowers his head to claim a kiss. It’s full of heat and promise. Need.
Whatever this is between us, he feels it too. A thought that gives me hope for whatever comes next.
He trails his lips down my neck, parting the edge of the flannel shirt as he works his way down my body.
Just as his mouth closes over my nipple, his phone rings.
Bronco growls, pressing his forehead against my chest. “It has to be Gray. His family has the worst timing.”
I bite my lip, a smile tugging the corners. “Go answer. I’ll be here.”
He smacks my ass as he crawls from the bed. “Better be.” Then he strides through the door, giving me a delightful view of his tight ass and powerful legs.
I didn’t think it possible, but he looks as good from the back as he does the front. I hum in contentment and snuggle back into the covers, soaking in the warmth and his spicy scent.
As I drift, I hear him talking to whoever is on the phone. He sounds frustrated.
Suddenly, the house goes silent, like it’s holding its breath for a heartbeat.
Then two.
When he speaks again, his tone is low and angry. “No, it’s too easy. I don’t like it...”
I hear him pacing. “Gray,” he says in warning. “You know me. If her safety is in jeopardy, I will do anything and everything to keep her safe. No rules. No limits. I do this my way. It’s the only way I can guarantee...” He trails off as I pick up a different thread in his tone. His voice is tight.
I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, hurrying to button the flannel shirt.
“The last time almost broke me. Don’t ask me for what I can’t give...”
The dark pain in his voice tears at me. What happened that would make such a strong man sound so wrecked? I rush to the doorway. “Bronco?”
He turns, finding me, and sags back against the counter. “If it comes to that, I’ll have no regrets,” he says to Gray. Then he hangs up, tosses his phone on the counter, and stalks toward me.
Bronco pulls me into his arms, holding me close. He buries his head in my hair and takes an audible breath.
“What is it? My father?”
A shudder goes through him. After a long moment, he releases me and turns toward the coffee pot. His movements are almost robotic as he preps the machine. “Yesterday, your father demanded your immediate return. Gray pushed back. Your father... agreed. As if granting a few more days was no issue.”
I stiffen. My father is as ruthless a businessman as they come. Floyd Whitaker doesn’t give in unless it’s to his advantage. “He backed down without countering?”
Bronco removes mugs from the cabinet and sets them on the counter. “He did.”
“Something’s wrong.”
He nods. “Get dressed, princess. I need to make another call. After that, we’ll make a new plan. I think it’s time to move.”
He’s including me, I realize. He said, “we’ll make a new plan”. It makes me feel both powerful and scared, the feelings warring in my stomach until I feel ill. “I’ll hurry.”
The clothes Mae brought me fit surprisingly well.
I tug on another pair of jeans and a sports bra, then add a camisole and navy sweater.
The locket is cool against my skin. The weight of it settles some of my fear.
I’m reminded that the tracker is my choice.
A way for me to protect myself if Aiden or my father find me.
My hands still on the zipper of my left boot.
They’re coming for me. I don’t know how they’ll find me, but they will.
Aiden will use technology to his advantage, and my father will follow along.
I zip the boot and reach for the other. Perhaps that’s how he snared my father to begin with.
Maybe he overheard some shady business deal and used it to his advantage.
I wouldn’t put either scenario past them.
I swipe my hair back into a loose ponytail and stare at myself in the mirror. My cheeks have a touch of color, and somehow, I look better than I have in months. I don’t know if it’s the fresh air or being with Bronco. There’s a budding confidence I’ve never felt before.
“You escaped him once, Cam,” I tell my reflection. “If the worst happens, you can do it again.”
The words sound hollow. I cling to them anyway and go find Bronco.
He’s still in the kitchen wearing only black boxer briefs. Sunlight streams through the window, highlighting his tanned skin and all the scars and tattoos I wanted to explore today.
He hands me a mug, and I’m surprised to find he’s already fixed it for me. I take a sip, savoring the sweetness. He added sugar too, because I like it.
I don’t know what to do with that level of acceptance. Only that I can’t give it up.
Bronco sets his mug aside, takes mine too, then draws me into his arms for a lingering kiss.
When we break apart, my eyes sting. It feels like we’re on the precipice of disaster, and he feels it too.
I cling to him for a long minute.
He drops a kiss to the top of my head. “Let me get dressed. My buddy, Derek, at Citadel Securities is running down more information on Frost. His wife is good at finding things others don’t.”
“What then?”
He cups my cheek. “Pack your things. There’s a duffel bag in my closet you can use. We’ll make decisions as we go.”
I nod.
“He has to go through me if he wants you, princess, and I’m not letting that happen.”
But how far will Bronco go to protect me? And what would Aiden or my father do to get me back?
He takes my hand and leads me back to the bedroom. I step into the closet to find the duffel while Bronco dresses. He’s holstering the gun he had the first day we met.
Was that just two days ago?
It feels like a lifetime.
He adds a second clip to his belt and pulls on his boots while I put the few clothes I have into the bag.
“When you’re done, pack some food. Just enough to get us through the day. I’ll grab my phone and some other things we’ll need.”
My heart is hammering, threatening to break free of my ribs, and my hands are shaking. I swallow. “Okay.”
A minute later, I follow him out to the kitchen and open the cabinets.
Bronco grabs his phone.
And freezes.
His eyes meet mine.
They widen, and he reaches for his gun.
Then the world explodes around us.
I scream as glass rains on me, the windows all around us breaking. Movement blurs as bodies come through, one after another. The door is kicked in and more stream through.
“Run, princess!” Bronco shouts over the noise.
Gunshots ring out.
I duck and scramble forward, blindly heading through the chaos.
Something heavy hits the ground several feet away.
Bronco’s gun.
Acting on instinct, I go for it.
Flesh hitting flesh, grunts and thuds threaten to halt my progress, because they’re coming from Bronco. I push through, making it half a dozen steps before a hand snags in my hair, yanking me to a stop.
“Uh uh,” a familiar voice snarls.
It’s one of the men who took me from my room. One of the two that chased me in the streets. I spin around as far as I can, held in place by his firm grip, and fight for my life.
He grabs one of my wrists, and before I can strike with the other, he releases my hair and grabs me by the throat, squeezing. “You’re lucky the boss wants you alive. I’ve had enough of your kitten claws.”
I gasp and choke, fighting for air.
He pins me against the wall by my throat, eyes flaring with excitement as I struggle to breathe.
I claw at anything I can reach. His face, his eyes, his hands.
He curses and strikes me so hard my head bounces against the wall.
“Camille!” Bronco roars.
My eyes blur. I blink them clear and see him fighting five men. Blood streams from his lip and nose, but he’s knocking them down as fast as they come, looking like a gladiator in his ferocity.
Boot steps crunch on glass.
Suddenly the air in the room shifts.
“Enough,” Aiden says, strolling into the carnage.
Ice grips my heart when his eyes find mine.
He scans me, fury washing over him when he spots the hand around my throat. “Let her go,” he bites out.
The thug’s hand tightens for half a beat. He releases me but doesn’t step back.
I suck in a sharp breath and double over in a coughing fit, throat raw.
Aiden is beside me in an instant, wrapping an arm around my waist to hold me upright.
“I’m here to take you home, darling,” he murmurs. “You’re safe now.”
He pulls me closer.
“Your father and I were very worried. He made yet another mistake in hiring these… bodyguards.” His mouth twists. “But don’t concern yourself with that. I’ll handle it.”
“No.” I push at his chest trying to break free, but only manage to cough harder. Spots dance in my vision.
“Easy, love.” His hand tightens on my waist.
I feel him shift and reel back when I see the gun in his hand. It’s pointed at the man who choked me. “I was clear. She was not to be harmed.”
The man holds up his hands. “Yes, boss. She was trying to—”
His body crumples as the shot echoes in the room.
I jerk, covering my eyes. He just shot his own man! For hurting me.
Panic squeezes my chest, and I search out Bronco.
Three men have him pinned.
Rage and fear contort his handsome features.
When our eyes meet, pain sears my heart. This is all my fault. If I’d just accepted my fate...
Aiden turns his gun on Bronco.
“No!” I struggle to grab the weapon.
He tsks like I’m a disobedient child and pushes me toward another man. “Take her outside.”
“Don’t hurt him!” I fight with all I have, but this new thug drags me toward the door.
Aiden ignores my protests and approaches Bronco. He stops a few feet away, studying him. “You thought you could steal from me? Take what’s mine?”
Bronco spits blood at his feet. “You think she’s yours?”
“Camille Whitaker belongs to me. Nothing you or your little group can do but accept it.”
“Don’t count on it, Frost.”
Aiden shrugs. “As we speak, your services are formally being terminated. If you come within a mile of her or me, it’ll be the last thing you do. Call it a restraining order without the paperwork. Do we understand one another?”
Bronco licks his lips. “See you soon.”
My gut clenches and I grab the doorframe, hanging on with all my strength. “Bronco!”
Something flits over Aiden’s face that looks a lot like a mix of annoyance and fear. He nods to the men holding Bronco. “Finish it.” Then he turns and strides toward me, blocking my view.
I hear a pained grunt and snarl, then something heavy hit the floor.
The space behind Aiden opens and the last thing I see as I’m carted away is Bronco sprawled on the ground. Bloody and unmoving.
My world closes in on itself as my heart breaks.
I should never have run from Aiden.