Page 19 of Strength of the Mountain
By the time Cami gets the go-ahead to leave, the police have shown up and are taking statements from Heath and Sullivan. The kidnapper is secured in the backseat of a squad car, his nose bandaged but still bleeding. He deserves so much worse.
“Miss, can we get your statement?” one of the officers asks as he approaches us. I tuck Cami into my side, and she wraps her arms around my torso. “I’d like you to come to the station, but that can wait until tomorrow. For now, just go over the basics with me. Can you do that?”
She nods, and I tighten my hold on her, infusing my strength into her bones. My girl tells us how she was yanked out of the crowd of protesters and thrown into a van. I’m having a hard time keeping myself in check, but I know being here to support Cami is more important than revenge on her attacker.
“A few other cops have been down at the community center,” the officer informs us. “I can’t say for certain, but from the testimonies we’ve heard so far, we think he was acting alone to prove his loyalty to someone.”
“Cindy, the CEO,” Cami says. “He had some crazy idea that if he took out every threat standing in their way, Top Spot Realty could snatch up a bunch of properties and he’d be a hero or something.”
The officer peers over at the car holding the maniac who attacked Cami and vandalized my sister’s store. His eyes narrowin disgust. “We’ll deal with him and make sure he’s put away for a long, long time. I have a feeling the rest of the real estate company will back off after this. It’s bad press, for obvious reasons, and I’m sure they will want to distance themselves from the entire town.”
Cami breathes a sigh of relief. While I’m glad we won’t have to deal with Top Spot anymore, I hate that it took my girl being kidnapped for them to go away.
I’m half carrying, half walking my woman to my truck when we’re done, both of us exhausted yet still on edge. I bundle her up in the front seat and drive us home, where I plan to hold her all damn night. In fact, I might never let her go again.
By the time I pull into the parking lot of my apartment, Cami is half asleep. I gently unbuckle her seatbelt and scoop her up in my arms.
When we get inside, I carry her straight to my bedroom, where I set her on the bed. I leave her side just long enough to grab a shirt of mine and sweatpants for her to change into. The clothes she’s wearing are torn and dirty, which pisses me off. She should never have had to experience any of this.
I set the clothes down next to her and slowly peel her shirt off, replacing it with the clean one. My girl sighs and gives me a sleepy smile. “My prince charming,” she whispers.
“I’m not, but I’ll make it up to you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” I say softly. I pull her into a standing position and carefully remove her jeans before directing her to step into the pair of sweatpants I’m holding for her.
“Hayden, don’t do this to yourself,” she says once I have her back in bed with the covers pulled up. I crawl in next to her, my fingers lightly tracing her silhouette. “We’ve come so far.You’vecome so far. I hate seeing the guilt weigh you down.”
I close my eyes, having a hard time accepting her forgiveness. “But I’ve failed so many people. I thought I had a new start withyou. I never wanted to let you down, but I’m a screw up, Cami. I’m no good for anyone.”
“Hayden, that’s not true.” She strokes the side of my face, drawing my attention to her multi-colored eyes.
“First, I was trapped and useless after a bomb nearly blew my leg off three years ago. I listened, helplessly while my friends and fellow soldiers fought for their lives. I swear I was dead, too, until I woke up in a hospital stateside.”
“I had no idea it was that bad,” Cami whispers. I close my eyes against the shame I know I’m going to see in her gaze. “Hayden, none of that was your fault. I can’t imagine the anguish and heartache you went through during that time. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“You can’t mean that,” I murmur, emotion clogging my voice. “Especially after I failed again when my sister was being threatened. She felt like she couldn’t reach out to me, and that kills me more than anything. I was supposed to be her protector, her big brother. Instead, I turned out to be a big disappointment. And now you… Jesus. I don’t know if I can forgive myself.”
“Just breathe with me,” my girl says, her soft voice pouring over me and easing my tension ever so much. “Lily doesn’t blame you for anything, and neither do I. Please, please forgive yourself so you can finally move on and be with me fully. Leave your past behind and trust me with your future.”
“How can you still want me?” I finally open my eyes, struck with the love and understanding I see shining back at me.
“How can I not? Hayden. I love the man you are, and I love the man you’re working so hard to become. Don’t let this send you back to the lonely, angry person you were before we met.”
I press a kiss to her forehead and let her words sink in. “I don’t deserve you, but I promise to work every day to make you proud.”
“You already do.” She yawns, which is adorable, and then snuggles back down into my side.
I pull the blankets over us and rest my chin on top of her head. “Get some rest, love. I’ll be right here.” The words have barely left my lips before her breathing evens out and her soft snores reach my ears. She’s too damn pure and precious for me, but for some reason, this angel still loves me. I’ll make sure she never regrets it.
10
CAMI
“Cami. Cami, wake up, baby. It’s just a dream.”
I shoot up out of bed, and Hayden is right there to pull me into his arms. “Wh-what…? What happened?” My heart is thrashing against my ribcage painfully, and my head is throbbing. Images of my kidnapper fade into the background the more I wake up.
“You were having a nightmare,” Hayden answers. “You’re okay now. You’re safe, love. I promise he’ll never touch you again.”
I nod and curl up in his arms. Hayden tucks us back in bed, but I’m still amped up from my dream. Every few minutes, I startle myself awake, but Hayden is right there, stroking my back and whispering comforting things until I almost fall asleep again.
