The Bet

35) For Her

  Camila started the explanation I demanded with her plans to keep Mikey and I safe. They were detailed and thorough, but somehow only made me more nervous. Hearing all her intentions of twenty four hour surveillance and secure locations is making dread flood deep into my stomach.

  I was so preoccupied being angry at Camila's lies, I forgot to be afraid.

  Afraid of the very real threat towards Mickey and me.

  If we need twenty-four-hour surveillance, Adam must be relentless, and judging by the intense furrow in Camila's brow, he is capable of things I would even be afraid to imagine.

  Camila must have seen the panic building behind my eyes, because once she finished outlining her gameplan to stop Adam, she took on a sympathetic frown. She offered to take a break, already walking towards her mug cabinet to prepare a warm drink, but I know if I let her make me tea, tea will turn into cookies, and cookies will turn into dinner, and dinner will turn into a movie, and a movie will turn into snuggling, and snuggling will turn into spending the night and waking up in a world of butterflies and rainbows.

  But the world isn't butterflies and rainbows, it's lies and gang wars. Gang wars I brought my brother into.

  I shook my head, both to refuse her offer and to clear it.

  I meant to ask more, I really did. Who Adam is and why he wants to hurt Camila through me is still a mystery, but the sound of my blood rushing in my ears combined with the tightness in my chest is enough to know everything she says is either going to fan the flames of my anxiety or get burned into nothing upon entry into my war zone of a mind.

  We'll need to continue this another day. Preferably a day when it doesn't feel like I'm four hundred meters underwater. "I think I need some air." I croaked out, the lack of oxygen in my lungs catching me by surprise.

  I hadn't realized the panic had wrapped around me so tightly. At this point, there's likely no way to stop it from smothering me, so I might as well go somewhere quiet to sit with it. "Actually, I don't feel so well, so I'm gonna head home," I forced out before stringing together what will probably be my last coherent sentence. "Next time you're free to talk, please call me."

After that, I used all my remaining energy to dash out the door. I glanced back to find Camila blinking the confused look off her face and striding after me, but by then, I was already halfway down the driveway.

  My shaky hands didn't make it easy to unlock my car and start it, but the sight of Camila's concerned face as she ran out her front door was enough to startle my hands into the right position. The engine started with a gurgle, and I sped down the street, only to stop about two blocks away.

  There's no way I can drive home like this, so I parked the car, threw off my seatbelt, and let the panic have its way with me as I cried into the steering wheel.

Camila's POV

  I ran after her.

  I had to. She seemed so upset, I couldn't just let her leave. Not like that.

  And yet, I did. She's gone. She's gone who knows where, filled to the brim with fear, and I'm standing here like an idiot.

  My fists balled tightly. "Damn it!" I screamed and ripped my phone from my pocket. "Roy! I need you to --"

  "She's down the street, Ma'am," his calm voice came through the speaker.

  I paused at his words. "What?"

  The world doesn't usually outpace me like this, but it's been a really long week, and nothing is making sense anymore.

  "Samira. She's on the corner of Brook's Street and Brill, crying in her car."

  I felt a mixture of guilt over what I'd done and rage at my asshole of a goon for his tone.

Utilizing Box Breathing to avoid wasting valuable time yelling at him, I moved to hang up the phone and make my way to Brook's Street and Brill.

  "Can I give you some advice, Ma'am?" Roy added right in time to make my finger pause over the hang up button.

  I only stayed on the line to tell him to fuck off, but he managed to slip in his advice before I could.

  "Don't go after her."

  My feet scraped to a stop on my walk to Samira's car. I narrowed my eyes in skepticism. "Why?" I questioned before continuing on my mission to comfort Sam. Roy fucked up a million times with his wife before he managed to put a ring on it, so he's shit at relationships, but well versed in damage control.

  I don't know if it would be totally enlightened or ridiculously stupid to listen to him.

  Either way, he's talking. "She literally ran away and parked across the street from all the streetlights. She obviously wants to be alone, or, at the very least, away from you."

  Ouch.

  "I'm keeping an eye on her, and she doesn't seem to have any interest in driving like this, so she's safe. You should just go home."

  "Roy, what the hell do you think it would say if i didn't go after her?" I yelled into the phone as I debated running or driving to her.

  "I think it would say you heard her when she said she needed space, ma'am"

  That made me pause, eyes narrowed. "How did you know she asked for space?"

  "Well, I don't know, Ma'am. It might have been something about the way she literally ran away and drove off."

  Oh, that does it. "Fuck off Roy. Next time I see your face I'm rearranging it with my fists!" The "call ended" screen flashed after I slammed my finger onto the button.

  Deciding to drive, I slid into my jeep, brainstorming more ways to apologize for upsetting her like this. When my phone buzzed, I had hope it was her, so I previewed the message that read, "If you go after her, you'll be doing it for yourself, not Sam," from Roy.

  "Fuck!" I hollered, throwing my phone onto the dash.

  Of course, I racked my brain for reasons that she does, in fact, need my help. I tried to think of why going after Sam would be for her, and not just be about me soothing my own guilt.

  I came up empty.

  "God fucking damn it!" Slamming my door shut, opening it to retrieve my forgotten phone, then slamming it shut again, I trudged back to my house, resisting the urge to seek out my Angel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note

  Listen y'all, it's been a rough few weeks. I'm really tired, lol.

  Sorry there isn't a ton of spice going on right now, I don't have enough room in my brain for it at the moment. Things will hopefully pick back up soon when I find an entertaining way to get these characters to the next checkpoint in the story. I will find a way, it just might take a while.

  With that said, thank you guys so much for reading<3

  Now, to talk about the elephant in the room.

  'The Debt' was sadly taken down by Wattpad at 2M reads. Now, the way I see it, I have a decision to make. I can make a new account on a site like Inkit or Radish and y'all can read 'The Debt' unedited and free, OR I can use this as a way to transition to a site like Patreon, so you all can read a more tailored version of 'The debt' for cheap (because your girl is a broke college student with a broke college student job that would like a side hustle).

  SO, let me know what y'all think in the comments. You're the reason I gained confidence in my writing, so I want to hear you out before I make any decisions.

  Thanks again for reading. Love y'all.

~ Pepper