Camilo's Virgin

“No. I am,” Chassie says, holding her hand out for a gun. The guard closest to her hands her his.

“Chassie. Don’t. You don’t have to do this,” I tell her, but she quickly releases the safety on the gun and raises her arm, aiming it at his forehead. I taught her the basics years ago, just in case. I never thought she’d do something like this.

“She doesn’t have it in her,” my father shouts.

“I didn’t. Before, I definitely didn’t. Then you had me kidnapped and changed the course of my life. Don’t get me wrong, it was for the better. I met a man who changed me.”

“Then thank me, don’t kill me,” he pleads.

“Nah. I’m gonna do it so you can’t do that again. It worked out for me only because of Milo. Who knows what would have happened had he not been here, or had he been indifferent? No. You brought this on yourself.” She cocks the gun and fires. His head snaps back and then falls forward. The guard closer to him reaches out and checks for a pulse.

“He’s gone.”

I look back to Chassie who is calmly putting the safety back on the gun and then she hands it back to the guard.

“Chassie, I don’t know what to say. Why did you do that?” I ask, my voice harsh and concerned.

“We’re even now. They are gone and we are free. Freer than free. We’re even now,” she says, shrugging.

I pull her into my arms and kiss her. I forget everything and everyone because I had no idea just how strong she was. She was my perfect delicate flower that I had to protect at all costs, but this throws me for a loop. She’s strong and that turns me on. A lot more than I thought it would.

“We’ll take care of his body, sir.” The guard with the gun says bringing me back to the present.

“Thank you,” I say, taking her hand and leading her out of that basement. Outside, the moon is bright, and the path is lit by lights, but all I can see is her. For the first time, I am seeing her clearly and I fall in love with her even more. I didn’t know that was possible.

“Don’t think differently of me, Milo. I had to do it. I had to be the one to do it.” She squeezes my hand and I stop, turning to look at her.

“I do think differently of you, Chassie.”

“Oh,” she says, looking down at the ground.

“Not in a bad way, baby. You’re right. We are even now.”

After kissing her again, I drag her back to bed where I make love to her all night.

Freedom is great, but to gain it with the woman you love, and your family intact is even greater.

Epilogue

Chassie

Ten Months Later

Crap. “Junior, did you grab the baby bag?” He holds it out, showing me he is as wonderful as ever. I rub his head before picking up the baby and walking down the stairs. We are packing for an eight month trip to Bleak and it is exhausting.

The last ten months have been...interesting, to say the least. After I killed Milo’s father, I worried for a second that things would be strained between us, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. He ravished me that night. He took me not like his wife, but like his partner, his equal. Like the woman in his life who is not fragile and in jeopardy of breaking. I love him.

I had our son, Edoardo, two and a half months later. He is the light of my life. His smile is infectious and as the first one of our children to have my blue eyes, his daddy has deemed him trouble. I smile down at him as he kicks his legs and smiles back at me. “Hey handsome.” I say kissing his chunky cheeks. Just as I turn to put him in his carrier, I feel the arms that have protected me for seven years wrap around the both of us.

“Hey baby. Are you and trouble and ready to go?” Milo asks, rubbing Ed’s cheeks.

“Yes. We are. Isn’t that right baby boy.” He reaches for his daddy, and I hand him off. I smile looking at them, giving thanks for everything we have.

“And how is my baby girl?” His hand goes to my still hidden belly where yes, you guessed it, I am four months pregnant. This one is a girl.

“She is still not as active yet. Just little flutters but she is tucked in safely.” I kiss him and grab the diaper bag. The other four are in the car with the nanny Milo hired that is going to travel with us.

Shortly after his father died, we sat down and discussed what it was I really wanted. I told him the truth. I don't want this forever distance between me and my brother and their families. Ever again. He listened. He discussed it with his cousins and uncles, and they all understood. The compromise was simple. We will spend the school year in Bleak and the summers in Jersey. In the time we have been here with his family, he has worked his way to being one of the ‘accountants’, if you will and thus, his role is less...hands on. So, he can do it from anywhere really.