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Not if I get to you first.
UNKNOWN: Hope you enjoyed my pet rat paying you a visit slut. Did u fuck?
Pet rat? He can either be talking about Aidan or Jayden. My bets are on both. If Aidan knows Jayden was working for Luke, then Aidan was also connected somehow.
My pulse pounds in my ears as I read through the text messages. The muscles in my arms tremble with how hard I’m clenching around the phone.
Every single one of the messages is threatening and degrading. But Camila hasn’t replied to a single one of them.
I scroll up to earlier messages—not really wanting to read any more but also needing to.
UNKNOWN: Happy birthday bitch. How many guys did you fuck today?
The shaking stops, and a ringing silence fills my ears.
It was her birthday, and I didn’t know.
Tightness spreads in my chest. Not just at the fact that I missed her birthday, but also at what she must’ve felt on that day. Text messages from that cunt… Alone…
“It was your birthday last week?” I blurt out.
Camila sighs, flopping backwards on the bed and covering her eyes with her arm. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Angel?”
“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” she mumbles, turning her back to me.
I toss the phone aside and curl up behind her, my hand gently stroking her arm. “You don’t have to tell me. But I’m here for you if you want to talk about it.”
She sniffles quietly, and that’s all it takes for the rage, the vicious need to protect her, to return. I grab my phone out of my discarded trouser pocket on the floor and immediately shoot a text to Ezra.
Me: Have Robert prepare me a burner phone ASAP.
“Stay here. I’m going to have someone go and collect your things from your apartment and take them to my house—”
“No,” she snaps and sits up. “I’ve agreed to move in with you, but you can’t keep me bubble wrapped. I want to get my own things.”
My jaw ticks, and bile settles low in my stomach. My body is vibrating from keeping myself put. “After what happened—”
“It’s not safe. I know. It’s been two years since I escaped Luke. I’ve been doing it this long, and this doesn’t change anything.”
“Let me at least have Ezra go with you. He will stay out of sight, but he’ll be there if anything goes wrong.” I have to keep myself from literally begging her.
She cocks a sceptical eyebrow at me.
“I swear. You won’t even see him.”
She contemplates for a few seconds before she resigns and nods her head.
The door swings open, hitting the wall, revealing a less-than-impressed-looking Jac when he takes in the sight of me and Camila. Sitting in front of each other, with Camila only in my boxers and t-shirt and me only in my boxers.
My eyes narrow on him in warning.
Camila stiffens as she fixes her gaze on Jacques.
“Fuck, I’m gonna lose my job,” she whispers, putting her head in her hands.
“Hey, no.” I peel her hands away from her face.
