I took a breath, took my hands away, and posed myself on my side. I looked him in the eyes
while tears carved a river down my cheeks. “I love you. There … I’ve admitted it. Now you can
check that one off your list of things to do. Just know that I don’t have any experience with
the next part … but I’m getting pretty good at taking orders from you.”
Cameron’s face remained impenetrable, though his glare never left my face. “Actually, you’re
not. If you were good at following my orders, we wouldn’t be here. Now please put your clothes
on so that we can talk about this … rationally.”
I shook my head in defiance and started to talk to myself. “I’ve been cooped up in this house,
slowly going crazy, trying to figure you out … but you’ve just been using me. All this time.”
The tears were coming in steadfastly. Cameron had gone to grab the blanket that was over the
couch, walked back, and placed it over me like I was a child throwing a tantrum. This only made
me more incensed. I sat straight up.
“You treat people like they’re your personal property. I don’t even think that you can tell
the difference between right and wrong anymore. Whatever makes you feel good is right.
Everything else is wrong. You had Griff killed just because you thought that he and I might be
more than just friends … or maybe because we were just friends …”
I was calming down, or I was running out of energy.
“I didn’t kill this Griffin guy. I don’t know why you would think that I did,” was all he
retorted.
“The guard, Roach, told me.”
Cameron cringed. His lips thinned until all the blood vanished from them. “You would believe an
idiot who takes his anger out on a girl, rather than believe me?”
“This idiot had no reason to lie to me. But you haven’t stopped lying since I got here. I just
didn’t know that you were still lying to me until I overheard you speak to that woman today.”
“What you overheard me say to Manny wasn’t true, Emmy. If I told the truth … I’m just trying
to protect you,” he stammered.
“Protect me? You bring me here against my will, order your guards to not talk to me or let me
go anywhere, and you even leave your dog here to make sure that I don’t run away when you’re
not looking. You’re not protecting me—you’re keeping me prisoner.”
The pain was now fully visible on his face. “Meatball sleeps here because he wants to, and I
thought you would like the company at night.”
“Don’t do me any more favors,” I spat.
Cameron stood frozen in place. I wondered if he was faltering or just scrambling to come up with
his next lie.
“You have to know that I would never hurt you …” He had almost sounded sincere, but this was
nothing new and I was prepared for it.
“I don’t believe you. You’re a liar and I’m not buying it anymore.” I was weeping now. My
whole body was aching and shaking—I was hot and cold, all at once.
I looked up through my saturated eyelashes. “Are you going to take me up on my offer?” I asked
him in final desperation, my voice a whisper.
“Em …” he started again, slowly regaining control.
My hands covered my face and I wept while he calmly stood and watched. I couldn’t stand it
anymore.
“Go away!” I ordered through my hands and turned my face away from him.
When he just stood there, I ordered him to leave again, but I sounded more convincing this time.
Cameron stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I heard the thundering whack of his fist punching a hole through the staircase wall.
Then the whole house shook as the front door slammed shut too.
The room was spinning uncontrollably. My breathing was labored, and I was foaming at the mouth.
And then my stomach lurched. I struggled out of bed as quickly as I could and sprinted to the
washroom. I made it to the toilet on time. Too bad the lid was closed.
When I woke up, I was still lying on the cold bathroom tiles. I crawled back to bed and shivered
under the blankets, squeezing my eyes shut. I slept very badly—there were nonsensical voices
talking over each other in my head.
The next time I awoke, the room was exceedingly bright, and Carly was standing over me with the
back of her hand on my face. I tried to pull her off but none of my muscles were responding to
my brain’s orders.
“She’s burning up. Go get Cameron,” I heard her command.
“I did. He told me to go get you,” Rocco moaned.
Carly cursed under her breath. “Neither one of us can carry her.” She sighed. “Go fill the
tub with cold water and I’ll go get him.”
My throat felt like it was on fire. I closed my eyes when it became too much work to keep them
open. When I forced them open again, I saw Cameron’s stretched face. I was floating, and we
were in the bathroom. He dropped me in the tub, and I cried out as my body hit icy-cold water. I
flailed my arms, trying to get out, trying to grab hold of him, but he walked to Carly.
“She doesn’t want me here,” he said to her with a low voice.
“Fine!” She waived him off. “Leave. You’re just in my way anyway.”
She spoke, or cursed, in Spanish while she poured buckets of freezing water over my head. My
body was trembling, and my jaw quaked so hard I was sure my teeth were going to shatter.