Page 153 of See You Again

“Fuck off, Bloom.”

Declan tsked, his eyes glinting. “Did I hit a nerve?”

“If the two of you will shut up, we need to clean this up,” James barked.

“I’ll call my people.” Alex shrugged, but Declan shook his head.

“No.” He considered Trey’s body for a minute. “We need his death to be public.” He looked to Cami. “I’m assuming amidst his soul baring he threatened you.”

She nodded. “I should probably delete the last few minutes, though. Stop it before Madison gets here.”

Alex Kovalyov pinned her with a stare and then inclined his head. James held out his hand. “Give me your gun. I’ll say I shot him when I saw him attacking Cami.”

“Two shootings in one week.” Alex smirked at Declan. “I thought you said he was the boy scout?”

“He is.” Declan frowned. “Alex is right. You can’t have two shootings in a week. That will lead to an investigation by the bar.” He reached to take the gun held loosely in Alex’s hand.

James’s face hardened. “Cami is?—”

“Oh, for god’s sake!” Cami exploded, snatching the gun and wrapping her finger around the trigger. “It’s like watching a bunch of dogs fight over a bone.” She met James’s angry eyes. “It makes far more sense for me to have shot him.” She motioned to her arm, where the bleeding had already slowed. “He stabbed me, after all. Plus, I’m the one he’s threatening. Go. You and Madison were never here,” she said pointedly to Alex, who stared back at her, bemused.

He cut his eyes to James before sketching a curt bow. “Good luck with this one.” Then to Declan. “It’s clean, but unregistered. You’ll need to fix that.”

Declan nodded.

“Cami.” James tried to reach for the gun.

“James.” She drew his name out in the same complaining tone he had used. “It’s time for your brother to leave so I can call the police before the body keeps cooling. You,” she pointed at Declan. “Leave the computer. I need to delete the end of the recording, but need the rest for my defense. James, get a USB out of Gerry’s desk. We need to back this up before the police get here.”

Both men stared at her for a second before Declan handed the laptop to James. He turned a smile on Cami.

“She’s my favorite so far.”

He was still laughing when the door shut behind him.

“Cami.” Now that she was alone with James and she knew she was safe, the adrenaline flowed out of her at an alarming rate, making her aware of the burning pain in her arm.

“I’m assuming you’ll be my lawyer?”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

“I think your mom actually considered coming,” James said as he took the pie out of her hands.

“I know. It was weird. For a second, I thought she might actually get in the car. Even considering it is a gigantic step for her.” She worried her lip. “When she has days like the last few, it makes me hope things are improving, but the reality is, her mood swings are getting worse.”

They had stopped at Irene Messina’s house before going to his mom’s for Thanksgiving. Her mother wasn’t ready to let James into the house yet, but she’d brought out glasses of wine for a toast on the porch. The happiness on Cami’s face made his day.

He frowned down at her, pulling her to a stop. “Whatever I can do to help, you know I will. I won’t pretend to understand the extent of your mother’s condition, but you aren’t alone in this.”

“I just want to be sure you realize… any relationship with me…” Cami’s eyes went to the blue sky above them. “Her mental health is always going to part of my life… I’m not sure how that would fit with yours.” Her gaze darted to the door. “Your family’s…”

James wished he wasn’t holding the pie so that he could pull her into his arms. He settled for a kiss, her lips softening under his. “You wonder how your life will fit with mine?” He brushed the knuckles of his free hand across her cheek. “I spent all those years simply existing without you. You are my life, Tig. I have no intention of letting you go.”

He could see that she wanted to say something, but with his entire family inside waiting, it wasn’t the right time to have a serious conversation. James fully intended to make sure Cami knew how serious he was about her before the day was over.

“Are you ready for this?” James asked, scanning the driveway full of cars.

Cami lifted on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his again. “I’ve met your family before. I like them.”

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