branded (phantoms mc #2)

thirty-two: in which she suffers the consequences of her actions

"Freedom is a curse that I don't wanna break" –Koda, curse

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Aside from all the activity outside, the house was eerily still when we arrived. Eve was napping on the couch, the TV muted, silent images of a cooking show on the screen. I threw a fleece over her sprawled body before heading for my bedroom.

"Cam?" I said, tapping lightly on the door.

I heard a key turn in the keyhole. Cam opened the door just a crack, peering out as if she expected the Devil himself. She pulled it open all the way once she confirmed that it was me.

"Where's Dana?" I asked her, glancing over her shoulder to see Leo on the bed, playing with his dinosaurs. The kid loved those things.

"She's taking a nap in her room," Cam replied. "What's going on, Catalina? There are Phantoms roaming around outside."

"It's okay, Cam. They're not going to hurt you."

Camila's eyes narrowed at me. "I know that. But why are they here? What aren't you telling me?"

I expelled a breath. Was there any way to sugarcoat this?

"I fucked up," I said plainly, my eyes flickering to Leo. I hoped he hadn't heard. "Cam, please sit down."

"I don't want to sit down. Explain."

"Cam, please."

She sat, and I could feel the anxious energy she exuded. It seemed to fill the room, permeating everything within, including us. She reminded me of who she'd been the first week in this house – the jumpy, quivering mess. I hated that I was reducing her to this again.

"I couldn't stop thinking about him," I began, and I saw my sister's shoulders sag. "About every evil thing he'd done to you. About how he...about how he was carrying on with his life as if he wasn't scum, while you still lived with his shadow over you. I couldn't let him get away with it. So...so I found him."

Her big brown eyes glittered with anger. She didn't say anything, but there was so much that her eyes were snarling at me. I persevered and told her the rest, knowing that she would hate me and I wouldn't blame her for it.

"Why must you always try to fix everything, Catalina?" Her voice shook with emotion, and she looked at me like this wasn't a rhetorical question. Like she actually wanted me to explain why I felt the stifling, intense compulsion to make things better for other people.

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.

Camila stood up, breathing loudly. "No, this is actually my fault. I knew that it would be a mistake to stick around," she said, walking to the closet and yanking the wooden doors open.

"Cam —"

"No, Cat," she cut in, pulling a suitcase out. She snapped it open. "I ignored rational thinking. I put sentimentality before my safety. Before Leo's safety. I'll never forgive myself for that."

"What are you doing?"

She swept clothes, hers and Leo's, off the shelves and into the bag. "What does it look like I'm doing? Leo and I have to go."

"You don't have to. The Phantoms will protect you. Please, Cam," I added pitifully.

She let out a bitter laugh. "You're so fucking naïve, Catalina," she muttered, pausing what she was doing. "You think this won't end badly? If I stay, and your boyfriend and his crew set up shop in front of this house – you think they can hold the Cursed off forever?"