Page 152 of Enthrall
“Oh baby,” he said, burying his face in my hair.
“What did he say?” asked Lotte.
“It’s what he didn’t say,” said Cameron, resting his hand on my shoulder.
“What happened?” said Lotte.
“In her own time,” said Cameron.
The sob refused to leave my body, preferring to settle in my throat and threaten to choke me should I move, talk, or dare breathe.
“Let’s get back in,” said Cameron, breaking away and opening the front passenger door.
Richard took a step forward and his stare swept the vineyard. “I’m going to talk to him.”
Cameron grabbed his arm.
Richard looked heartbroken, as though losing his father all over again in that awful New York prison, thousands of miles away and so long ago.
“In you get,” said Cameron.
Richard climbed into the backseat and Lotte sat beside him. The soft leather saved me from falling. Cameron sat in the driver’s seat, his face still and fixed on the road ahead as though he too contemplated what to do next. He started the engine, navigating the Lexus back down the pathway.
Silence screamed louder than I’d ever known. This aching, vice-like grip around my throat stole each breath, forcing a twisting in my chest. Despite the fresh air of the convertible, I couldn’t catch any air.
“We banish pain with pain.”Came the memory of Cameron’s words.
“Make it go away,” I murmured.
Cameron reached out and held my hand.
“Please,” I said.
He pulled the car off the road and brought it to a stop.
“Do that thing,” I said. “Take it away.”
“Oh Mia, right now that would be temporary,” said Cameron.
“But it will work.”
“How about we shower you with affection?” said Richard. “We’ll go get a drink.”
Cameron ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Mia, I should have thought this through better.”
“No,” I said. “There was no other way to do this.”
He stared skyward.
Caressing my chest, I feared this ache would never cease. “He doesn’t want me.” Cameron spun round and stared at Richard, his expression questioning. “We’ll get a hotel. Stay the night. Regroup.”
“Good idea.” Richard looked over at Lotte. “You okay with that?”
“Absolutely.”
I leaned forward, the pain suffocating. “Oh, God. It’s going to kill me.”
Cameron turned in his seat to face me. “Take a deep breath. We’re here. We’re right with you.”
