Page 64 of Freeing Camila

He moved off of Cammie and rose to his feet, bending to help her up. Valeria was on her stomach in the middle of the bakery, struggling as Hoot and Voodoo zip tied her hands behind her. He was surprised to see her still alive, but a crimson stain spread across her shoulder. Alive but wounded. And in custody.

Jeeves watched while Sparks, who served as their team medic, found the bakery’s first aid kid and started to tend none too gently to Valeria’s wound. She cursed a blue streak at them in English and Spanish. They ignored her as sirens screamed in the distance.

It was over.

But he was torn.

On one hand, he’d wanted her dead for three years. For Liam. For Sutton. For Tin Man’s sister, Bethany, and all the other girls whose lives she’d stolen. For himself. But since she lived, she would spend the rest of her days behind bars. He envisioned a place similar to Cammie’s confinement: cold stone walls, the musty smell of mold, and the chilling silence. Starvation and pain would be her only acquaintances. Jeeves made a note to contact Baker to see what he and his contacts could arrange for the evil bitch.

A small hand gently touched his arm, and turning, he saw the woman who held his heart, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You killed him?” she asked.

He didn’t have to ask who she was referring to. He’d heard part of their conversation. “Yes.”

“Okay.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “Okay?”

“Yes. He was a monster. He hurt people. He hurt you.” He was surprised she’d think of him despite the pain she suffered, but then, with her voice barely above a whisper, she said, “He hurt me,” the words raw and laced with anguish.

He pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin where she fit so perfectly. “They won’t hurt anyone ever again.”

“Okay,” she whispered as he felt the first tears soak through his T-shirt.

He waited a few minutes, listening to her muffled cries, then cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face upward until their eyes met. “No more tears,” he said as he swiped the last few drops off her cheeks with his thumbs. “Time for food and dancing.”

Her smile, a sudden, bright flash, hit him like a projectile to the heart. She was radiant, even with her eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying.

“Hooch and Harmony?” she asked, indicating the bar where they’d shared their first dance.

“You know it.”

“I’m in,” Eggs called. “It’s been a while since I busted Melli’s chops.”

It took a few more hours while Valeria was taken away and reports had been made before the entire team, Haley included, made it to Hooch and Harmony. He couldn’t erase the smile from his face as he watched his love interact with his teammates. She was happy. Laughing. Smiling. Free.

And as he held her close during a dance, a certainty washed over him; she was his, and would forever remain so, his beloved.

EPILOGUE

Little Victories Bucket List No.50: Live

It was official.Cammie now lived full time with Wade. They’d moved her stuff in the weekend after the incident at the bakery. Word had spread about what had happened that day, and Flour Power had been busier than ever. People and their macabre curiosity.

When Cammie learned that Kaia and Kali had something to do with her rescue, she promised free cupcakes and coffee to the mother and daughter pair for life. She’d been surprised to discover that Kali was the sister of one of Wade’s teammates, thinking that it was a small world after all.

Elodie and the others had called to offer their support in the aftermath, but she assured her friends that she was unharmed, both physically and mentally. With Wade by her side, both conditions would remain true.

Baker was doing his Baker thing and insuring that Daniella/Valeria spent the rest of her miserable days behind bars. He was currently researching the worst prisons in Colombia, searching for the facility with the most deplorable conditions. She didn’t know how she felt about that at first, not wanting another to suffer like she had. But upon hearing what she’d done to the kids at the foster house where the sister of Wade’s friend, Tin Man, had stayed, she got over her hesitation quickly.

And then, she expelled all those thoughts of them from her mind, pushing them to the furthest recesses of her consciousness. Her father. El Sombra. Valeria. None of them mattered anymore.

The only thing that mattered was her life. Her friends. And Wade.

She’d finally shared the full bucket list she’d written down on her phone with Wade. Some of her items had made him laugh, like her ‘Ride ’em Cowgirl’ one. But others, he saw the raw, heartfelt emotion poured into their creation, and recognized their true worth. Her ‘Give Yourself the Gift of Love’ one struck him as especially poignant. She even noticed him get choked up when he read it.

He was determined to check off the rest of the items on the list, no matter how long it took them. Which was why they were currently in line at a local fair waiting for her first rollercoaster ride.

The scent of fried dough and kettle corn hung thick in the air, laughter rising over the chatter of the crowd and the low rumble of carnival rides in motion. Bright lights twinkled like stars in every direction, casting a surreal, golden glow over everything. But it was him she kept looking at—not the spinning lights, not the endless line ahead.

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