Chapter 32
Camila
Xander fetched my bag from the dressing room before rushing off to sort business with Jac, leaving me with Ezra.
I agreed—albeit reluctantly—to have him take me back to Xander’s mansion.
As much as I’d like independence, I know that the situation I’m in is too dangerous.
Compromises need to be made, and the unmissable way Xander looked at me just a couple of hours ago while he filled me up deliciously might have played some part in swaying my decision.
I pull up outside of the apartments. Glancing in my rearview mirror, I see Ezra’s SUV parked just outside the car park but still visible. I can’t deny that him being here gives me a sense of safety. Though, I’d prefer if it was Xander.
Wiping my sweaty hands on my leggings, I exit the car and walk towards the front entrance. I do everything with hurried movements. I’m not here to come back home; I’m here to leave.
Luke is after me. He knows where I am. Or, at least, where I work.
Diamond Lounge is closing until further notice.
I don’t have another job that will pay for my rent, meaning I have to start dipping into the money I saved for my studio.
The one thing that’s kept me going these past couple of years, and it faded right in front of my eyes last night.
My sole focus now is just to make it out alive from this fuckery.
I stick the key in the door and waste no time in bee-lining towards my room, Obsidian following closely behind.
Yanking open the doors to my wardrobe, I pull out a small, white suitcase and shove anything I can inside it.
Underwear, tops, leggings, jumpers. Heading to the bathroom, I grab a small plastic bag, and using one arm, I guide the contents off the counter and into the bag before thrusting it inside the suitcase.
I find a spare gym bag and shove all of Obsidian’s belongings inside it: his food bowls, kibble, and bed.
Unfortunately, his scratch tower is too big to fit in there, and I don’t have time to disassemble it.
“Sorry, Sid. We might have to buy you another one.” I give him a sympathetic smile as he tilts his head at me from his perch on the kitchen island.
Zipping up both bags, I scan the room to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone or if I’ll even return here. My eye snags on the white box Xander gifted me in the corner of my room.
The charity gala.
So much has happened that I forgot I’d agreed to accompany him.
I guess it’ll be more difficult to say no since we’ll be living in the same house.
My stomach is a swirl of nerves, those butterflies doing rounds in my belly.
Nerves because moving in with a man and trusting him is still a foreign concept.
But after the night Xander and I shared, I’m beginning to… trust him.
I grab the box and place it on top of the suitcase, pulling out the handle and carefully wheeling it towards the front door.
This was once my fresh start. My chance at actually doing something with my life. I should’ve known it was too good to be true.
Perching the gym bag over my shoulder and scooping Sid up in my arms, I wheel the case out of the door and lock it behind me.
Ezra waits for me by the exit, his suited-up, broad back taking up most of the window space in the door. I gently knock on the window, and he turns, moving to the side when he spots me. His eyes snag on Sid, but unlike Xander, he doesn’t seem afraid of a furry little thing.
The cold October air whips at my face, and I wish I’d put on a jumper.
“Are you ready, Miss Wilder?” he asks, and I nod back at him.
I agreed to have Ezra take me to Xander’s house. Everyone agreed that it would be better for me to leave the Audi parked at the apartment so that, just in case, I can’t be tracked.
I follow Ezra to his SUV; the entire time my head can’t stay still. I’m looking in every direction from the fear of Luke jumping out at me at any moment. And I’m so accustomed to Xander carrying a gun that I search Ezra’s frame but come up empty.
He takes my bag along with the box, and when we reach the car, he shoves them in the boot like that’s not my entire life in those bags. I round the car to open the door, but Ezra is there in a flash, grabbing the handle and opening it for me.
I smile gently at him. “A gentleman.”
“Just doing my job, Miss.” He eyes Sid as I slide into the back of the car. He jumps out of my arms and curls himself up on the seat next to me. The leather seats are warm; Ezra must’ve kept them heated for us.
Ezra hangs his arm on the car door, a small smile on his full lips as he watches Obsidian. “What’s their name?”
I stroke his fur; he purrs. “This is Obsidian—but I call him Sid.”
“Very fitting,” he compliments.
I flash him a small smile before he shuts the door and climbs in the driver’s seat.
The entire car is blacked out. I don’t think there’s a tinge of colour anywhere.
The engine roars to life, and Ezra pulls out of the car park, heading towards the mansion.
The roads we take remind me of the time I took Xander home after he dropped off my car.
But that sweet reminiscent feeling is quickly replaced by bitterness.
Penelope.
I know Xander said she was just their assistant, but I can’t help that jealous feeling in my chest.
Especially not after last night.
Something changed between us, and I can’t ignore it.
I tried. I’ve been trying this whole time.
But what scares me the most is knowing that there is so much standing in our way, and I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to get past that.
I clear my throat. “Ezra?”
“Yes, Miss?” His deep voice fills the silent car.
“The charity gala. Is this a thing that happens every year?”
He stays quiet for a moment, as if he’s gathering his thoughts.
“Yes,” he pauses. “I assume you already know about… what Mr Warren does?”
I make a humming noise in my throat in response.
“Well… it’s a way for them to keep up appearances, to make their money seem more legitimate aside from Diamond Lounge.
But it’s also something Xander insisted on doing.
He likes to help people. He might seem cold on the outside, but he’s actually a massive softie”—his eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror—“but I didn’t tell you that. ”
I chuckle. “Aye, aye, Captain. What about you? How did you start working for the Warrens?”
His lips curl into a smile, as if he’s remembering a memory.
“Xander found me on the streets, is the honest truth. I had nothing. I was kicked out of my house at nineteen. But I was in a bad way. Years of drug use will do that to you. He saw me and took me in. Offered me a job but under the condition that I go to rehab. It was brutal, but I needed that wake-up call. Now I’m here—his trusted bodyguard and friend.
I have a wife and a little girl.” You can feel the warmth radiating off him as he talks about his family, a permanent smile on his face.
I massage the area where my heart is. Hearing what Xander did for Ezra warms something inside of me, something I didn’t think I’d ever be capable of feeling again.
Shit, this is bad.
We finally pull into the winding gravel path and up to the tall iron gates. Cherry blossom petals rain down around the car, small bits of setting sunshine poking through the branches. For once, this doesn’t seem like a bad omen.
But my stomach twists all the same. Is Xander here? Is he dealing with whatever?
Ezra presses a button on the front console, and the gates slowly part.
“Impressive.”
“Convenient,” he retorts.
I grin at the back of his head. “Something tells me you and I are going to get along.”
“I hope so. I have a feeling my orders are going to be to not let you out of my sight.”
I don’t doubt that. “Then we shall do our best to get along.”
He huffs a deep laugh, driving through and parking next to the fountain.
Ezra is charming, soft. The only thing that gives away that hardness of being a bodyguard is his physique.
Seeing the mansion from far away was impressive; seeing it up close…
totally different. The completely white building is accented with grey brick around the door, window frames, and the corners.
Small outside lights shine down onto the render from the overhanging roof, giving the building a gentle white glow.
Black, intricate balconies stick out from most windows on the second floor.
And there are more cherry blossoms. It’s magical.
My door swings open, and Ezra’s hand reaches out.
Out of courtesy, I take it. I feel a little suffocated with being coddled.
I’m not used to this. I’ve been on my own for years.
But I also don’t want to be rude to the people that are now supposed to be protecting me from my fucked-up ex.
I still marvel at the building as he helps me out of the car, but I keep my ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ to myself.
I signal Sid to jump into my arms, and he does. It’s the most natural thing for him.
“Ezra! There you are. Robert wanted me to give you this.” A high-pitched voice rings out from beside us, and my hackles immediately rise. “Oh—” Penelope halts, her eyes assessing me carefully. She’s wearing a long, red ballgown. I can tell she’s forgotten my name already.
Rude.
“Camila,” I smile wide, extending my hand out towards her. If I’m going to tolerate her for the time I’m here, I might as well try and be ‘friends’.
She clears her throat and straightens her back, her brown eyes still scanning me from head to toe. She begrudgingly shakes my hand, then pulls away as if I’ve just passed some deadly disease onto her.
There goes my ‘being civil’ plan.
“Penelope.”
“Oh, that’s right! I knew you looked familiar,” I reply in an equally high-pitched tone. Ezra lightly snorts behind me.
Her face twists into disgust. “What is she doing here?” she asks, pointing her eyes at the guard behind me.
“Miss Wilder is here to stay for the foreseeable, Penelope. You could be a little nicer.” His smooth voice carries right into her soul because her scowl drops.
If ever there was a personification of ‘humbled’ in the dictionary, Penelope’s picture would be the first.
“I didn’t know it was her as our guest,” she scoffs.
“Penelope,” Ezra warns.
Sid hisses in the crook of my elbow, and I can’t help the twitch in my lip.
“Well,” she starts, smoothing the material of her gown. “I assume you’ll be staying in your assigned room tonight?” She couldn’t hide her apparent jealousy if she tried.
“Miss Wilder will be joining me tonight.” A deep, smooth-like-velvet voice interrupts us.
Xander emerges from the front door, half-dressed in black, tailored trousers and completely shirtless, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face.
The outside lights highlight every hard edge of his muscles as he hops down the stairs, straight towards me, not sparing Penelope a single glance.
I flash my gaze to her. Or at least I think it’s her; her complexion has completely blended with her dress.
That shit-eating grin on Xander’s face disappears the moment his eyes find Sid.
Ezra slinks up beside me, stroking under Sid’s chin—who purrs in response. “Look, Xander. This is Obsidian,” he coos.
Xander looks like he’s seen a ghost. His throat bobs with a swallow as Ezra continues to make kissing noises at Sid. His paw unravels itself from my arm, and he gently prods Ezra’s finger.
Xander stops short in front of us. “Make yourself useful, Penelope,” he says, his fresh amber scent overwhelming my senses as he approaches. “You too, Ezra,” he instructs through gritted teeth, giving him a pointed look.
Ezra chuckles and steps away. “I can take him to your room, if you’d like,” he offers.
“My room, meaning…”
“Ours,” Xander confirms.
Deep, calming breath, Camila.
“Okay,” I nod, passing Sid to Ezra, who immediately snuggles into his arms.
“Marley is going to love you…” Ezra’s voice trails off as he heads inside the mansion.
Xander crowds me. I can feel the heat of his skin out here in the gentle frigid wind. One of his hands tangles in the hair at the nape of my neck as he pulls me in for a kiss. It’s not full-on, but it’s a long, hard one.
A welcome kiss.
My cheeks heat at his show of affection in front of his employees, and I’m convinced I’ve also just turned the colour of Penelope’s dress.
Heels click rigidly on the paved ground and fade out.
“Bitch,” I mutter and immediately freeze.
Did I really just say that?
Somehow, her being within Xander’s proximity pisses me off. And if those aren’t the telltale signs of jealousy…
Xander pulls back, pulling out a brand-new phone box and extending it in my direction. “This is yours.”
“What?” I hesitantly pull the box from his hands and open it. “Xander, this is too fancy.” I shake my head.
“Fully security protected and untraceable.”
“This is a lot.”
“I know it can feel overwhelming. Just take some deep breaths, okay? I’m here. Jac is here. Ezra and Daniel are here. You’re safe. I promise.”
He entwines his fingers at the back of my neck and kisses my forehead. This feels natural. Maybe more for him than it does for me. The affection, the mini welcome party, the bodyguards. It’s kindness I’m unaccustomed to.
“Are you ready?” he murmurs against me.
I pull in a deep breath and nod. I let him guide me up the marble steps, my less-than-new white trainers not fitting the pristine atmosphere.