Chapter 16 Jack
JACK
The sound Camile makes is one I won’t forget in a long time and one I’ve heard before. It’s the sound of a human being getting terrible news.
She stumbles like a newborn foal, her legs unable to hold her up as the onslaught of the shock hits her. Whatever that message said, it was really bad.
I’m off the bike immediately, grabbing her as she sways, helping her gently toward the ground. There’s a raised curb area, and I sit her there, hunkering down in front of her. She’s shaking all over, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
I tip her face up, and she’s worryingly pale. Fuck, I don’t even have any water on me. I stare up at the guards.
“Don’t just stand there,” I bark. “One of you fetch the lady some water. Now!”
One of the guards springs into action and runs off.
“Camile,” I say gently. “Can I look at your phone?”
She hands it to me as if on autopilot, her arm kind of limp as if she’s hurt.
I take the phone and read the message, twice. Holy fuck.
My heart hammers at double speed in my chest. Camile has just learned that her father is dead. No wonder she’s in such a state. Her home is under attack, and her mother and brother aren’t secure and are fleeing for their safe house.
As the guard comes back, I glance up at the college building and a rush of genuine fear skitters down my spine, unfamiliar and unwelcome.
I don’t know if I can trust these men. I don’t know if the college administration can keep Camile safe now because her entire world has just been turned entirely upside down.
Ghost’s words come back to me. When we had talked about Camile, he’d hinted, hadn’t he, that he didn’t think Ledger had shot her purely because she wouldn’t put out for him.
My mind worries over it all as I consider everything, all the possibilities flashing through it like a computer running a program.
There are people after Camile and her family, and it doesn't take too much of a leap to figure out that Ledger is most likely one of those people.
We haven't found him yet, and Ghost’s theory that he could be hiding out in the college can't be discounted.
As the guard kneels by Camile and offers her a cool, condensation covered bottle of water, I stare up at the huge gothic building.
Vani is staying with her three men at the mansion on the grounds, and they are armed to the teeth, and more than capable of defending her.
Nearby are the so-called Preachers in their tower, and they protect Camile’s other friend, Ophelia.
If needed, the men could work together, and the Preachers have drones and other security on the campus grounds which isn't controlled by the dean.
Then there are the Devils, and their woman, Mackenzie. One of them is the dean’s son, Domenic, and they live in the college itself, but again, they're protected by high levels of security.
None of these things would apply to Camile if she were to return to this place.
She would either need to stay confined to her dorm and only benefit from the same level of security as everyone else, or she could do as she'd suggested and stay at the water tower.
Except, the only fly in that ointment is that she isn't anyone special to the Preachers.
I don't know those men well, but I must assume they are very fucking capable.
It still doesn't mean they would protect Camile with their life, particularly not if Ophelia was in danger at the same time.
There's no way I can let her go back to the college.
The realization hits me hard and heavy, like a stone sinking in my gut. She's a complication I really don't need, yet at every turn it's as if the universe is throwing us into each other's path.
Tipping her face up, I brush her hair away from her forehead and look into her eyes. “I know you must be scared right now, Camile, but I’m here for you.”
She nods, as if she’s not really taking in what I’m saying, and her big eyes turn watery.
“Oh, no, Baby-girl, don’t cry.” What the fuck am I saying? As soon as the words are out, I regret it. She’s lost her father; of course, she’s going to cry.
While my instinct is to order her back onto the bike and drive to the compound as fast as I can, because I'm not sure how safe we are out here like sitting ducks, I know that won't work. She's in a state of complete shock right now and will be feeling as vulnerable as any human being can.
My only job in this moment is to make her feel safe enough with me that she'll return voluntarily to the compound.
Christ, I'm going to have to talk to my daughter, too, and that's going to be a difficult conversation. I know she will want the best for Camile and want her to be safe, but she's going to have feelings about Camile staying with us at the club. When I was on the college grounds a while back, I got the feeling my daughter noticed some tension between me and her friend. I did my best to hide it and not let anyone else know of the interaction we’d had that night when Camile came on to me, but Vani isn’t stupid. I’m already finding it nearly impossible not to touch this girl in ways I know I shouldn’t, and all it takes is one wrong look or move, and Vani will know.
Unless… maybe I could persuade her to believe Camile and Ace are a thing? I hate lying to my daughter, but I need to make Camile as comfortable as she can be while staying with us in the coming days, or even weeks.
I have no idea where her family’s safe house is located, but it can't be somewhere that's easy to reach.
For Camile, being on a plane right now is an absolute no.
I imagine if someone's got the firepower to hit a cartel hard enough to do that kind of damage to the leader, they will be looking for Camile's name on all the flight manifests out of America.
They’ll also be checking the college for sure. Instinctively, I turn and glance behind me, scanning the trees for movement. There isn't any, of course. But my paranoia is heightened.
Unless Ledger knows where Camile went after he attacked her, the one place they probably won't look for her right now is a biker compound.
It means she can't tell her family where she is, though, and I know that's going to be difficult for her.
If they were captured, they could give up her location.
I need to speak to the dean, Nataniele, and find out what I can about Ledger and where he’s come from.
Nataniele’s clearly got some holes in his onboarding system that he’ll need to think about plugging.
This is of particular importance to me, not only because of what’s going on with Camile, but because my daughter attends this college.
If he can’t keep a tight ship, I might have to think again about her continued stay here.
I drag my hand through my hair. Though how the fuck I’ll ever get her to leave when she’s now got three men here, I have no idea.
Trying to reach deep for as much of my emotional depth as I can, which isn't a lot because it's not something I've ever had much use for, I take hold of her hands.
“Camile, I’m so fucking sorry. You must be devastated. You’ve lost your father, and that’s huge.”
Her face snaps up, her gaze meeting mine. “I’m more worried about my mother and my brothers. I loved my father, of course, but… he’s a hard man, and he wanted to marry me off. I was like a possession to him, not a beloved child.”
Her father wanted to marry her off? Fuck. I’m glad I hadn’t known about that, or I’m not sure what I would have done.
I understand hard men, though. Perhaps there have been times in my life where I’ve been one, though I’ve always tried to be more connected to my daughter, especially after we lost her mother. I understand grief; God knows we went through enough of it during those terrible months.
“We need to get you somewhere safe. You have a few options, but—and I know you’re not going to like this—my compound will be the safest place for you.”
“No.” She shakes her head, and my heart sinks. “I can’t. Those rooms aren’t nice and there are bikers in and out, and people fighting. The noise from the clubhouse is too loud, I’ll never be able to rest.”
She stares at me, her beautiful eyes so full of pain. “I need to be able to think, Jack. To grieve, I need privacy.”
The words are out before I can stop them. “You won’t be staying in the dorms; you can come and stay with me. My house is quieter, and I have room.”
Fuck, this is getting so complicated. My feelings toward her are anything but honorable, but more pressing than my worries over that is my need to ensure her safety.
“Your house?” Her eyes widen. “You’d do that?”
“Of course.” I search for words that will reassure her right now. “You’re my daughter’s friend, and I just want you to be safe.”
“Oh, God, this is a nightmare.” She shakes her head, and then she breaks.
Her sobs are loud and ugly as she falls into my arms, and I do all I can in that moment. I wrap my arms around her slight frame, shielding her from the world.
If only I could shield her from the pain itself.
I should worry about just how much her heartbreak causes me to hurt, but I can’t because all I can do is hold her as she cries and cries.
We can’t stay here, but I don’t think she’s going to be safe to ride on the back of a bike like this. It’s as though all the strength has been drained from her body, and she’s shaking so hard, there’s no way she’ll be able to hold on. I need help.
Despite knowing that I’m going to get shit from my daughter, I don’t call her. Instead, I lift my phone, keeping one arm around Camile.
“What’s up, Jack?” The voice on the other end is deep and serious.
Roman is one of the Preachers, and he owes me and my men. Now’s the time for me to call it in.
“You owe me a favor.”
“Go on,” he says.
And I tell him what I need.