Page 97 of Theirs to Rule

What I did had nothing to do with making money; it was all about keeping the kids at CU safe. The problem was ensuring my product was clean cost a hell of a lot more than simply buying the cheapest shit out there, which I was pretty sure was what this ‘new’ supplier would be offering.

“Let me see if I can pivot. Keep quality at a cheaper cost.”

Razor shrugged. “Fine, but you’ve only got a week, then we go forward with someone else.”

I left the clubhouse feeling conflicted.

Maybe this was a way out, a way to stop what I was doing. I've hated lying to Camille. I've hated that she'd feel utterly betrayed if she found out. If Razor moved forward with a new seller, then it was over. But if I let that happen, there would be no way to ensure the safety of the kids using the drugs on campus. There had been a handful of drug-related deaths since I started supplying the motorcycle club, but every indication was that those kids had bought their drugs outside of the Devil's Outcasts supply. How many kids would die if I gave up on making things safe for them, all because it was easier?

All because I wanted Camille more than anything else.

Any hope I'd been feeling vanished.

As I reached my bike, I checked my phone and saw a text from Camille.

Camille:Jane is at your house. What should I do?

Fuck. This day just kept getting worse. I tried calling Camille, but there was no answer. My heart thumped as I hopped on my bike.

The first thing I saw when I entered my house was Jane, slumped on the couch, her face streaked with tears. I didn’t even need to look at her glazed eyes to know she was high.

A half-prepared vegetarian lasagna sat on the kitchen countertop, but there was no sign of Camille. I felt sick, imagining her here, cooking for me only for Jane to show up.

I turned my attention back to Jane, trying my hardest to keep my voice even. “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on is I’ve been waiting for you to get home, silly.” Jane smiled at me, then went to pull off her shirt. “I figured it was time I repaid you for everything you’ve done for me,” she purred. I grabbed her hands, stopping here.

"You know that’s never going to happen between us again.”

Her expression instantly changed to anger. She pushed me away and grabbed the TV remote and threw it.

“What have you taken, Jane?”

“Why do you care?” Jane screamed as she shoved to her feet and grabbed a book from the bookshelf. I dodged when she threw it. “No need for me now that you have your sweet little blond bitch to keep you happy. I told her everything. You should have seen the crushed look on her face when she found out that you’re a drug dealer.” Jane cackled like…well, like she was high on something. “She’s never going to want you near her again.”

Fuck. Anything but that. Was she lying? I stared back at her, trying to parse out how serious she was. She didn’t break my gaze, her pupils pinned but her gaze steady.

“If you loved her so much, you should’ve told her the truth a long time ago,” Jane snarled.

She was right.

This was my own fault for not being honest in the first place.

Ignoring Jane’s rambling, I grabbed my phone and tried calling Camille. No answer. I tried a few more times. Still no answer. I opened the app to track her phone, the one I'd replaced after she'd gotten her new phone. The one I'd given Kage and Ty access to after the debacle at Silas's dad's house. I stared at the little blue dot, confused. She was still in the house—or at least, her phone was. I raced into my bedroom. I found her phone on the ground, the screen cracked.

“Fuck,” I yelled, slamming my fist against the wall. It broke through the sheeting, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. I ignored the stinging pain surging through my hand and paced the room, warm blood dripping from my knuckles. Shit, this was bad. This was the worst possible outcome. There was no way in hell Camille was going to forgive me.

Ty

“Have you heard from Camille?”

Dante’s voice sounded desperate. Putting the phone on speaker, I tossed it on the table and glanced at Kage, who sat across from me. We'd already tracked her phone and thought she was still there, giving Dante hell.

"What do you mean? Her phone says she’s at your place.”

"Her phone’s here but she’s not.”

"Motherfucker," Kage said, slapping the table.

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