Only Ever Yours

When the day turns to night and I’m out of places to look, I almost consider facing the facts that Isaac is gone, until I think about something. “You said James wasn’t at home, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, he wasn’t anywhere we looked either. So, where the hell is he?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ve missed him... or he’s at the country club or bar. He could be out of town.”

“I want to talk to him,” I say, well aware of how desperate I sound but not giving a shit.

Wordlessly, Noah drives back into town. He pulls into the country club, and I immediately spot James’s ostentatious vehicle valet parked. “I’m going in,” I tell him, jumping out before he can stop me.

“Cam!” he yells, following after. “Think about this...”

I ignore him, my eyes darting every which way, until they land on the man I’ve been looking for. He’s sitting at the bar with a blonde, whispering into her ear. She throws her head back with a laugh, and I know she’s faking it because James isn’t the least bit funny.

“We need to talk,” I demand, tapping him on the shoulder.

He turns around, opening his mouth like he’s about to tell whoever is interrupting him to get lost, but when he sees it’s me, he closes his mouth and stands. “Cheri, give me a moment.” The woman nods, then glares my way.

James reaches out to steer me away, but I shake him off. “We can talk right here.”

“Okay...”

“You threatened Isaac, said you would, and I quote, ‘End him,’ and now he’s gone. Where are you holding him?”

“I didn’t do shit to him,” he flat-out says.

“I don’t believe you. Tell me where he is.”

He looks around like he’s waiting for someone to do something, but everyone is now quiet, watching our exchange since my words, spoken loud enough for everybody to hear, has gotten everyone’s attention.

“It’s no secret you hated him. And you told me the last time I saw you that you were going to end him, so I want to know where he is. It’s not too late. You can let him go and I’ll make sure he doesn’t press charges or retaliate.”

“Camilla...” he says softly, sounding so unlike himself. “Listen to me.” He steps closer and the look of sympathy mixed with pity has me stepping back, tears burning my lids. “You’re right. I didn’t like Isaac. We’re rivals in business, but I didn’t do anything to him.” I expected him to scream and shout, tell me to go fuck myself, but the way he’s speaking to me, like he almost cares, is even worse. Because it has me almost believing what he’s saying, until I remember what he did to my father.

“You’re lying,” I hiss. “Just like you lied about my father. You’re lying now!” With every word I spit, my voice rises several octaves. “You took my dad from me, and now you took the father of my baby!” Liquid devastation races down my cheeks as I realize what I’ve just said. “I need him back!” I yell through my sobs. “I don’t understand what I did to you to make you do this to me. I cared about you. I was faithful to you even though you cheated on me and treated me like shit. It was bad enough you took my dad, but then you had to take the man I love. Please,” I beg, cutting the distance between us. “Please give him back to me.” My fists pound against James’s chest, taking every emotion I feel out on him.

And he just stands there, staring at me with pity, until Noah pulls me back and lifts me into his arms, hauling me away as I kick and scream and beg James to give me Isaac back. When we get to the car, I’m crying so hard, it’s difficult to catch my breath. White spots dot my vision, and I have no doubt I’m about to black out. Sure enough, seconds later, everything goes dark, and rather than being scared, I welcome it, almost wishing I’d never wake up.

When I open my eyes, I’m back in bed, the covers over me, and an older woman is sitting beside me. “Welcome back.”

I startle, confused, and find Noah sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. “This is Dr. Parker. She’s an OB/GYN. I asked her to come check on you.”

“Your blood pressure is high,” she says. “I understand you’re going through something hard, but you can’t put your body through stress like that.”

I close my eyes, remembering everything that transpired before I blacked out. The way I worked myself up yelling at James, then crying until I passed out. I wanted so badly to believe he was responsible for Isaac disappearing, but the fact is, if he’s the one who wired his truck with a bomb, he’d never admit to it. Isaac told me himself he has enemies and it could be anyone who did this. He could be alive, somewhere, but I have no idea where to look, and like Noah said, if he were able to get to me, he would’ve. It’s been almost a week since the explosion and it’s time to face the facts. Isaac is gone and more than likely never coming back.