Chapter 58: Chapter 7

CAMI

Yesterday was a day that felt like a tornado, so intense that I can’t imagine anything surpassing it. I don’t recall waking up, but somehow, I find myself at school, navigating through my classes. When the final bell rings, I step outside and there’s Jace.

I approach him, wrapping him in a hug and a kiss, and we begin our slow, hand-in-hand walk to the front where Frankie and Tank are waiting for us.

We’re so absorbed in each other that we’re taken aback when we hear screams and see people scattering. As the crowd parts, we see my parents holding a gun to my grandma’s head. My heart sinks. Not Grandma Peggy. I take a tentative step forward, but Jace pulls me back.

“Cami, come with us or we’ll kill her,” my father threatens.

“Please, Dad, she hasn’t done anything wrong!” I plead.

“She kept reporting us, trying to meet with you,” he retorts.

“Cami, it’s a trap! They’re going to kill her regardless, and then you too. Please don’t do this!” Jace warns.

But I can’t tear my gaze away from my grandma. I wrench my hand from Jace’s and sprint toward Peggy. I can hear Jace yelling for me to stop. I’m just a few feet away when a gunshot echoes through the air and Peggy crumples to the ground.

“NO! You monster, how could you! Don’t you have any humanity left?” I scream.

“None at all,” he replies coldly.

In a heartbeat, the gun is aimed at my head and another shot rings out. I scream, bolting upright in bed, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I hear a thud and turn toward the noise. Jace scrambles up and rushes over as I leap into his arms, sobbing.

“Cami, sweetheart, it’s okay. Just breathe. I’ve got you. They’ll never hurt you again, I promise,” he soothes.

I cling to him as he carries me to the couch and sits down. We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity before I finally lean back to look at him.

“Cami, do you want to talk about it?” he asks.

I barely register his words, too distracted by his bare chest and boxers. I trace the contours of his chest and abs with my fingers, shifting slightly to get comfortable. Suddenly, he grips my hips.

“Cami, you can’t do that. You’ll stir something up and I’ll have to take a freezing shower, which probably won’t help. Let’s just talk, please. Tell me what happened,” he pleads.

“They took my grandma and killed her, then pointed the gun at me. Jace, what if they go after Peggy?” I ask.

“We’ll move her here. We’ll find a room for her. We’ll get her first, then have guards pack up her things and bring them here,” he assures me.

“Are you sure? Why me, Jace? Out of all the girls at school, why did you choose me? You didn’t know anything about me,” I question.

“Cami, for days, weeks even, I had the same dream of how I would find my goddess. I never saw you, but I saw how I would find you. Days before you arrived, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t focus on work or school.

“Then the day you showed up, I turned the corner of the building and there you were, just like in my dream. That’s when I knew it was you. When I held you in my arms and felt this overwhelming need to protect you, to never let you go. I had to let you make the decision, and it killed me to walk away,” he confesses.

“That’s why you were staring at me in the first class,” I realize.

“Yes. I was going crazy, didn’t want anyone near you who could potentially hurt you. Cami, you’re the only one for me. My queen, my goddess. You’ll never want for anything again. Anything you want is yours.

“There will never be another, and I’ll spend the rest of my life spoiling you. Please, Cami, I know this is a lot to take in. I’m sure when you woke up yesterday, you didn’t think you’d be swept off your feet by a member of a mafia family.

“Please, will you do me the honor of being with me? Being my queen, my goddess, forever? I don’t have a ring, but that can be arranged. I know it’s sudden, so take your time to think about it,” he proposes.

I look into his eyes, seeing all the love and passion he has for me, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Besides, I’m with my sister, my blood sister, so how could I refuse? What kind of fool would I be to say no?

“Yes, Jace, I’ll be your goddess,” I agree.

I feel his arm wrap around my waist and his other hand in my hair, pulling me toward him as he kisses me passionately. He pulls back, checking if I’m okay, and I lean forward, gently kissing his lips. He pulls me into a tight embrace, burying his head in my neck. I can feel his body shaking and I start to panic, pushing him back.

“Jace, what’s wrong?” I ask.

I see tears slowly falling down his face. He just looks at me before burying his face again.

“Cami, you’ve just made me the happiest man in the world. I promise, baby, I’ll take care of you forever,” he vows.

“Jace, we should head back to bed. We’ve got school tomorrow,” I suggest.

He agrees with a nod. I gently slide off his lap, taking his hand and guiding him toward the bed. He hesitates, but relaxes when I assure him it’s okay. We both settle under the covers and I quickly drift back to sleep.

***

The alarm blares, jolting us awake. We scramble to get ready. Jace mentions his habit of punctuality, a trait he picked up from his Uncle Frankie. I rush through my shower and dart to the closet while Jace takes his turn in the bathroom. I’m overwhelmed by the array of clothes in front of me. Everything is brand new, tags still attached. The boots alone are a sight—fuzzy ones, tennis shoes, regular boots. How am I supposed to choose?

Jace bursts into the closet, catching me in my indecision. He quickly selects a pair of ripped skinny jeans, a pink shirt, a fuzzy jacket, and a pair of fuzzy boots. I grab some underwear and a bra and retreat to the bathroom. Jace chuckles, dropping his towel and hastily dressing. He could’ve waited until I left, but I can’t complain about the view.

I dress quickly in the bathroom. When I emerge, Jace looks incredible. He’s wearing dark jeans, a black shirt that accentuates his muscles, a jacket, and combat boots. He scoops me up, spinning me around.

“You look amazing, Cami!”

“You’re not too bad yourself!”

***

JACE

Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it. She looks phenomenal. If we didn’t have school, I’d be dragging her back to bed like a caveman. But we have to go. I take her hand as we navigate the morning chaos downstairs.

“Jace, Cami, is everything okay? We didn’t scare you too much, did we?”

“It’s fine. I just had a nightmare about my grandma.”

“Dad, can we move her here? With Mandy and Cami’s parents still out there, I don’t want their grandma to get hurt.”

“Sure, son. Give me her number and I’ll call her this morning. I’ll go with some guards and get her moved. We can even move her into the unit in the back.”

“That’s perfect! Cami, grab some breakfast so we can get going.”

“Not before I get some swabs. Here, Cami, rub this inside your cheek. I’ll drop these off today and we’ll have the results later.”

“They can do it that quickly?”

“For us, yes. We own the company.”

“Oh, okay. Awesome!”

We both grab a breakfast bar and dash toward the front door. As we approach, Frankie swings it open and grins. We pass him and jump into the car. The drive feels short with Cami snuggled next to me. I can’t help but stare at her. It’s probably a bit creepy, but I can’t believe she’s finally mine.

As we pull up to the school, I notice a crowd already gathered out front. I get out of the car first, turning to help Cami. She stands behind me, trying to hide.

“Cami, don’t be scared. Hold your head high. You’ve been through hell to get here, but that life is over now.”

She smiles up at me and nods. I take her hand as we head toward our lockers. Tamara and her minions step out in front of us.

“Seriously, Jace? I’m not good enough, but you go for her?”

“Listen carefully. There was never an “us.” I’d choose Cami over you any day. If you or your friends even breathe the same air as her, your families will pay. Understand? Don’t bother my girlfriend. If you do, there will be hell to pay.”

Her friends scatter, clearly not wanting to get involved. They’re smart—they know our family runs this town and their parents likely work for one of our companies. Seeing she’s lost her support, Tamara huffs and walks away.

“Cami, if anyone gives you trouble, tell me. I won’t stand for it. Okay?”

She nods just as my phone rings. It’s my dad. He tells me they’re picking up Peggy within the hour. They’ll move her out of her home today. I relay the information to Cami. She starts crying and hugs me. Today is going to be a good day for everyone.