Chapter 16 #2
“Ace, shut the fuck up.” I turn on him, and for once he does as he’s told and clamps his lips together. “Camile can talk when, and if, she wants to. Do not fucking push her.” I glare at him, and he swallows and nods.
“Thank you.” She whispers the words at me, and her legs buckle.
“I’ve got you.” I pick her up and hold her, bridal-style, wrapped in the blanket.
Jack watches but ducks his chin once as if he’s satisfied with this outcome.
I guess in some ways, I’m the perfect one to do this.
Ace will be all over her, fretting and freaking out, and that won’t help.
Rook can barely look at her, and Jack… well, Jack looks like he’s hanging on by the finest of threads.
“I’ll bring her, Jack, if you can drive us back?”
“Yep. Ace, ride with Big Mike and Ledger.” Jack pauses. “Do not hit Ledger any more, understood? I’ll let you have your fun once we’ve got him at the compound.”
Ace stares at Camile. He shocks the shit out of me when I see a sheen of tears form over his eyes.
“Rook, you come with us,” Camile says.
“No.” Ace shakes his head. “Why is he fucking naked? What did he do?” He strides over to a pile of clothes and picks up what must be Rook’s discarded jeans. “Put these the fuck on, man, before I do something I regret.”
Rook takes the jeans and pulls them up, fastening them hastily.
“Ace.” Jack walks up to the younger man, takes his face in both his hands, and looks deep into his eyes.
“I need you to get yourself together. Rook is not going to hurt her. She wants him with her. Right now, your energy is kind of chaotic. Go with Mike, keep an eye on Ledger for me. And you can see Camile back at the compound. Okay?”
Ace blows out a long breath. “Okay.”
Myself, Rook, and Jack climb into the truck, Camile tucked up on my lap. Her arms wind around my neck, and I tense at the trust that shows. Something deep inside me cracks a little. A ravine opening in the ice that is my heart.
Rook stares out of the window as we drive, his body language that of a man about to shatter.
When we arrive back at our compound, Jack parks by the clubhouse. We all climb out of the vehicle, each of us a little unsteady, either emotionally or physically.
“Who do you want to take first watch?” he asks Camile.
He’s gruff, no nonsense, but I know the man, and that tone is hiding the fact that he’s feeling far too much in this moment, not too little.
I wonder how Camile is taking it, though.
Had she expected him to be the one to pull her into his arms, and instead he’s still keeping her at a deliberate distance, even after she’s been through so much?
I understand why he’s this way. He blamed himself for what happened to his wife, and I bet he feels like he’s failed Camile, but he hasn’t.
He will if he keeps being like this, though.
For the first time, I experience a surge of anger toward our President.
This isn’t what she needs right now. She needs compassion and comfort, not military-style precision.
I expect her to ask for Jack or Ace, maybe even Rook, so I’m shocked when she says in almost a whisper, “Ghost.”
Jack jerks his chin. “If that’s what you want.”
“Camile—” Rook begins, his voice breaking.
She runs up to him, pulls him into a big hug and fiercely says, “Don’t you dare blame yourself, Rook. You saved my life, and you saved me from getting raped by those men.”
I stare at Rook as the words sink in. Jack’s jaw is hard as granite.
“Rook, get cleaned up and get your head together, then come for a debrief. My office,” he orders.
Camile looks like she’s going to argue, but Rook manages a smile. “It’s fine, Camile. Take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon.”
The other truck pulls up, and Mike clambers out, dragging Ledger behind him. The man stumbles and falls, landing on his knees. Phoenix is behind them, and he kicks him, hard.
“Get the fuck up.”
Ledger groans and manages to push himself up to his feet.
Camile speaks up, her voice steadier. “His real name is Sanchez. It’s the name of the cartel who murdered my father.”
I exchange a glance with Jack. How big is this going to get?
They’ve tied Ledger’s legs, so he can only take tiny steps, but Big Mike gives him no chance to keep up, so he falls again, and once more, Phoenix kicks him.
I expect Ace to go with them and join in torturing Ledger, but he disembarks from the truck and runs at Rook with a roar.
“What the fuck did you do to her, you sick fuck?”
It seems his promise to get his shit together only went so far. He lands against Rook, taking them both down to the ground and starts to punch his ribs and face. Rook doesn’t do anything to defend himself, just lets Ace beat on him.
“Jack!” Camile screams at the Prez. “Stop him.”
Jack waits a beat longer than needed before he hauls Ace off Rook.
I wonder if Rook’s place in the club will even be tenable after this.
Will Jack want him gone? After all, we don’t yet know what Rook’s story is, but we know he was listening in on one of our meetings and then he vanished and somehow ended up with Camile.
He went against club rules and acted on his own.
No wonder everyone is pissed at him. Everyone except Camile.
“Listen to me.” Camile’s voice is hoarse, and it wavers a little, but her words are firm. “You, listen to me, Ace.” She walks up to him and pokes him in the chest. “And you.” She does the same to Jack. “And most of all, Rook, you listen.”
When they’re all looking at her, with varying levels of sheepishness on their faces, she puts her hands on her hips.
“Rook saved me. I have no doubt that if he hadn’t done what he did, then those men would have raped me.
He saved me from that, and he saved me from being killed.
Rook did nothing wrong. In fact… what happened to him was, in my opinion, way worse than what happened to me.
That’s not my story to tell, but it was horrific.
So, Ace, if you beat him up, you’ll never touch me again, do you hear?
And Jack, make your debrief quick because I want Rook to come and spend some time with me. We’ve just been through hell together.”
Then she runs her fingers through her hair and grimaces. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’ve got to go and wash off the remains of the men who actually did want to hurt me.”
She turns and, head high, walks toward the house she’s staying in. I follow her, glancing back at the men and mouthing, knock it off.
Camile reaches the house, with me hot on her heels, and I follow her inside.
I kick the door shut behind me. The strength of her soul that she’s just demonstrated has taken everything out of her, and she collapses forward onto her hands and knees.
Her shoulders heave as she retches bile and water onto the floor.
Crouching beside her, I stroke her back and hold her hair as she lets it all out.
After she’s caught her breath, I pick her up in my arms, carry her through the house to the bathroom, and turn the shower on.
“You’ll want a shower first,” I tell her. “To wash it all off, then soak in the bath.”
“You sound as if you know what I’ve been through,” she says bitterly.
I hold her gaze. “I do.”
“What?”
“I was held, for over two weeks, by the enemy, and their torture methods weren’t restricted to beatings and psychological ploys.”
Her mouth opens slightly in shock as realization dawns. “God, Ghost, I’m sorry.”
“And I’m sorry that you’ve had to experience this now, too. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a person.” She starts to cry. “You don’t understand.” Her sobs increase. “I’m fucked up, broken. I didn’t react normally. Even with all those men watching, I still…”
She doesn’t need to say the words. I understand.
I gently take hold of her chin, tipping it up.
“There is no right or wrong way to react. Did you know that sometimes, when we’re in great danger, our bodies respond with arousal?
Sometimes, when we’re attacked, assaulted, well, our bodies can respond as if we’re enjoying it.
It’s a protective mechanism. There’s no proper way to respond. ”
“I don’t think it was as bad for me,” she says quietly. “I did have agency. I told Rook to do it, and I let myself give in to the moment. But I hate that I let them see.”
“Why?” I ask her sincerely. “You showed them they didn’t win. Like I said, there’s no right or wrong in those situations, Camile. Only survival.”
“The worst bit was after me and Rook, when they…” Big fat tears roll down her cheeks. “They made me feel like nothing. As if I wasn’t even human.”
Not caring that she’s covered in cum, dirt, and has been sick, I pull her into me and hold her tight as she sobs so hard my shirt grows wet.
And as she cries in my arms, that hole in the ice that I’ve built around my heart widens a little more.