Page 25 of They Will Burn

Without a word, he guides me out, checking the street before he leads me around the corner where I see Kaos’s matte black SUV idling on the curb. The man himself leans against the hood, his thick arms crossed over his chest as he watches us approach with a passive look on his face.

Asshole.

Why the hell is he the one who had to come get me?

His dark eyes move up and down my body, looking for injuries, I’m assuming, and when they finally move up to meet mine, I don’t miss the relief that flashes through them.

Was he worried about me?

I mean, he did throw himself onto the stage tonight like something out of those old karate movies, so I guess that proves he cares for me at least a little. But if that’s the case, why did he hand me over to Charles in the first place?

Kaos finally looks away from me and to Knox, who is quietly surveying the street beside me. “Thank you for helping me.”

“When it comes time for me to overthrow Charles, I’ll have the support of the Syndicate?” Knox grunts.

“Of course.” Kaos nods as he moves around to the passenger side and opens the door for me.

I shoot him a glare before climbing into the car. “Thank you, Knox.” I give him a kind smile, but he gives me little more than a curt nod. A man of few words, indeed.

By the time Kaos slips into the driver’s seat, Knox is out of sight, and my hands are bundled in my lap as I let out a small breath of relief.

“Planning on taking me to someone else that thinks they have a claim over me?” I snipe as he pulls away from the curb.

He glances over at me with annoyance. “No, I’m taking you home.”

“Home?”

“To the compound. Where you belong.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

BISHOP

Ipace up and down the garage, my shoes hitting the ground in rhythmic steps that bounce off the concrete walls. It’s been an hour since Kaos left to pick up Camilla, and every second of that time has felt like an eternity.

It should have been me to get her. It was my fault she was ever handed over in the first place, even if it was Kaos who physically did it. But Crew insisted that it be Kaos to collect her, because he was the one that she needed to see bring her home.

Despite my obvious annoyance about the situation, I kind of understood it. She knew he was the one who gave her up, who took her to Charles like nothing more than a bargaining chip, so she needed to know he was also the one who brokered the deal to bring her back.

How he swung that with Knox, I have no idea, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Kovu passes me as he paces in the opposite direction to me, while Crew is leaning against the wall, watching the garage door like it holds all the world’s secrets. Not for the first time, I realize how fucking whipped we are and how little I care.

Camilla completes us.

She’s the missing piece none of us realized we needed, and now that she’s coming home, I doubt any of us are going to risk losing her again.

The garage door grinds open, and I pause in place, watching with bated breath as Kaos pulls his car into its spot and Camilla darts out of the car. Her dark hair is pulled into a messy knot on the top of her head, her body is covered by an oversized coat that falls to her knees, and her legs and feet are bare.

Before I realize I’m moving, I run toward her, and when she flings herself into my arms, I swear my entire world snaps back into place. The feel of her against me only makes me hold her tighter as I breathe her in. She doesn’t smell right. Not like the strawberries and vanilla of her shampoo or the lavender body wash she seems to reach for.

Kovu covers her back, wrapping his huge arms around us both and burying his face in her neck on the other side, and for long minutes, we just hold her between us, thanking the universe for bringing her back to us.

Someone clears their throat beside us, and when I look up, I find my dad standing there, his hands in his pockets, as he peeks between our huge bodies to where Camilla is wedged. She wiggles out of our hold, and then she’s clinging to Crew like he’s the only thing holding her together. And tonight, he was.

While we all watched in horror as Charles forced her to perform for him, she kept her eyes on Crew for every single second so she wouldn’t fall apart.

A soft sob fills the space, and my heart aches for her, for whatever Charles put her through in the days since she was handed over.

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