34. Camilla
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CAMILLA
O ut of the twelve girls we brought back to the estate, we’re down to six. We were able to get the others home to the families after doing an extensive background check to confirm they weren’t the ones responsible for them ending up on that ship.
Emerson sits on one side of me while Snow sits on the other, but none of us speak as we wait for Sophia to get ahold of her emotions. Every tear that falls against her cheeks reminds me of just how human I am and how much my own emotions impact my ability to do this job.
“I’m sorry,” she chokes. “It’s just hard to accept that my boyfriend would do this to me.”
I press my eyes closed to contain my own tears. She didn’t know it was him. She thought it was a random home invasion that put her on that ship. But it wasn’t. Her asshole boyfriend had gambling debts he couldn’t pay, so he used the only thing of value he had. The fact that she’s a human being seemed to slip his mind.
“I can’t go back to Detroit. Not while he’s there. What if he finds me? What if he sends me back?” Panic fills her hazel eyes as she runs her fingers through her mousy brown hair absentmindedly.
“You don’t have to go back,” I tell her calmly. “You can go anywhere in the world. You can stay here in New York or go back to Chicago with Emerson and Snow. Or we can put you on a plane to Italy if that’s what you want. You just say the word, and we can make it happen.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asks, no longer bothering to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
We’ve been asked this question over and over again the last few days, but each time we respond the same way. “Because we would want someone to help us if we were in your position,” I tell her.
The others are in the kitchen with Chloe having something to eat, but we’ve been struggling to get Sophie to eat or drink, her fear of being hurt again is too great.
Emerson leans forward as far as her pregnant belly will allow and takes her hand, and the tension bleeds from her shoulders when Sophie doesn’t flinch at the contact. “You have no reason to trust us, but I hope you will come to do exactly that. We want what’s best for you, and if that means getting you as far away from your ex as possible, that’s what we’re going to do. Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll make it happen.”
Sophie looks between us with hesitation but gives a small nod. “I’ll think about it, if that’s okay?”
“Of course it is.” Emerson smiles. “Now, why don’t you head in and have some of that shepherd’s pie Chloe made? It smells heavenly.”
She nods once before she pushes herself off the couch and moves toward the kitchen, allowing the three of us to lean back in our seats.
“I don’t know how the hell you do this every day, Em.” Snow runs her hand down her face.
She half laughs. “I don’t know either some days.”
“When do you need to head back to Chicago?” I ask.
“Probably tomorrow. I need to get back to the youth center before my dad has to do any of the paperwork, and it’s making Rayne nervous having me out of the city when I’m so far along,” Emerson says.
“Storm is overseeing the Russo businesses, and it’s making Elijah antsy. He thinks he’s going to change everything in the span of a week while also running our own businesses.”
Emerson scoffs, and I can’t help but smile. Their family is really fucking unconventional, but watching them together has shown me that unconventional can work.
“Now, speaking of overbearing men, can we talk about the fact you’re handling those four scary as fuck men like a champ?” Snow giggles, and I follow suit.
“I wouldn’t say I’m handling them.” I rub my hand down my face. “I just won’t let them walk all over me.”
“I remember when Wynter met them for the first time, and she was telling me about them. Her literal words were, ‘God help the women that end up with them,’ and here you are doing it all by yourself.”
Emerson snickers, her smile growing as she rubs her belly absentmindedly. Every time she does it, I can’t help but stare at how loving the gesture is, and then I try to ignore the part of me that longs for that same love.
“I gotta ask, how does that whole thing work in the bedroom?”
“Snow!” Emerson reprimands as a deep blush spreads across my face. I must be red as fucking tomato right now.
“What? I’m just curious.” Snow shrugs.
“It’s fine.” I half laugh. “It’s…a lot sometimes.”
“I mean, that’s four alpha male cocks, of course it’s a lot.”
Emerson covers her face as she dissolves into a fit of laughter, and my own giggle escapes my throat.
“I mean, you’re not wrong. They each have their own…tastes, shall we say, and when there’s more than one of them, it can be as overwhelming as it is earth shattering.”
“You’re so lucky,” Snow says wistfully, earning her another laugh from her sister-in-law.
“Don’t let Elijah hear you say that. He’ll be reminding you real quick you wouldn’t survive more than one of him.” Emerson giggles.
“Oh, I should definitely say it louder in that case.”
A laugh bursts from my throat, and for the first time in days, I allow myself to relax. I’ve never had many girlfriends, but I have a feeling this is what it feels like, and I hope once this is all over, that I can keep these two because they’re too good to let go.