Camille
The previous night had been a rollercoaster of emotions, but business had never been better. Camille was behind the desk, and a queue had already formed right to the front door of the comic bookstore with people excited to get their own copies of Country Crowns.
The media coverage, the vandalism and all the photos and reviews had played their part. People wanted to know about the secret authors and wanted to get their hands on their own copies of the comic book.
Shayna was showing customers around the store while Camille was manning the till. It was only midday, but they had made more money in three hours than they did in an entire month. She didn’t have time to think about anything else. The exhibition was a huge success, and they were going to be famous.
Shayna and Camille had both received calls from agents, including from the person who had called some days ago. Agents wanted to represent them as artists, and publishers were sending emails about buying the copyrights. Camille had all but forgotten the fact that she still hadn’t heard from Devin. She had no idea where he was, even though he was the one who had made all of this possible in the first place.
Camille smiled at a customer at the desk, and when she looked up, she saw Shayna reading an excerpt from the book. She smiled to herself, happy that things were finally coming around for them after so many months and years of hard work.
But Camille couldn’t get that nagging feeling out of her system; that Devin wasn’t there by her side.
He had completely changed her world. Initially, he had seemed like a bad idea. Like a man who could be nothing other than trouble. But she had been unable to resist him - his charm, good looks, and how absolutely hot he was in bed. And then she had begun to realize that he meant more to her than just a sexy man. She needed his company; she yearned to hear his voice. He had pushed her and encouraged her to do all this. He had gone out of his way to make sure that she made a name for herself.
But then he had disappeared. She knew his business - the one that he insisted was completely clean and yet she knew it wasn’t everything that he pretended it was. She knew he was involved in things that he was keeping hidden from her. But was it actually more dangerous than he was willing to admit? Than she was willing to admit?
But maybe it was as simple an explanation as that he went away with Evangeline - that they had rekindled their romance and he had gone away to spend the night with her. After all, she and Devin weren’t exactly in a marriage or even a committed relationship. He was free to do what he wanted.
Then she thought about the previous day at the boutique, how he had hinted at buying her an engagement ring. Maybe she had looked too deeply into that. Maybe he was just joking. Maybe he told all the girls that.
Camille smiled at the next customer, even though her brain was swimming with thoughts of Devin again. Just when she thought that she had forgotten about him.
Maybe he had done all this out of charity. Maybe he saw talent in her and just felt sorry for her being unrecognized, and did all this because he was a good person. Thus, there were no feelings involved. Camille breathed in deeply. She couldn’t think of him as anything else other than the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She knew she was in love with him, even if she didn’t know everything about him. Whatever she did know, she loved. She had never felt this way about someone else before.
But now the truth was revealed. He had vanished without a trace. He was like one of those superheroes from the comic books she read. He had done his good deed and gone. He didn’t have anything else to give her. The only problem was that she had given him her heart.
“Hey, those kids over there want to take a picture with us.” Shayna had appeared at her side, with a huge smile on her face. Camille snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her friend.
“You okay?” Shayna asked, apparently noticing the sullen expression that had overtaken Camille’s face. It had been a long rough night; neither of them had gotten much sleep.
“I’m fine. Let’s go,” Camille said, smoothing out her denim skirt with the palms of her hands. She welcomed the distraction - anything to keep her from thinking about Devin. The sooner she accepted it, the better her life would be: she had meant nothing more to him than a charity case. He had a life of his own that he didn’t want her involved in, and he probably had several other women to worry about. She wasn’t the only one.
Shayna and Camille walked over to the group of teenagers who were waiting with their camera phones poised to take pictures.
Camille accepted their handshakes and greeting hugs with a cold smile and then posed with them for the cameras. She tried to smile as she looked directly into the lens. She hoped that the cameras wouldn’t capture the sorrow in her soul; the deep pinching pain she could feel in her heart, of loss and misery. She might have become a successful cartoonist, artist, and storyteller, but she had also lost the one person who had made her feel true happiness. The one person who had given her the hope and confidence to achieve all that surrounded her right now.
“Smile, Ms. Griffin, you’re on camera,” a boy said as he flashed his camera at her, and she did what she was told because there was nothing else to do.
***
“Chin up, sweetie,” Shayna said as she finished counting the money from the till.
Camille looked up at her friend and smiled. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She folded her arms over her chest.
Shayna bundled the cash into a bag, stapled it, and then sighed. “You look exhausted. It’s been a long day. Last night was long too. We both need some rest,” Shayna added and came around to Camille who was standing in the center of the bookstore.
It was six in the evening now, and they had to finally close the door on more customers. They needed to restock, count their cash, and prepare for the next day. Their new agent predicted that there would be long queues at the store for the next few weeks until all the media uproar about the vandalized artwork died down.
“Yes, definitely need some sleep,” Camille said, accepting Shayna’s hug.
“We should start working on some new art like that agent suggested. He said he’ll be getting in touch with galleries all over Florida in the coming weeks,” Shayna said. Camille nodded. Somehow working on new art didn’t thrill her as much as she would have liked. She was still reeling from the ordeal from the previous night. Talks of new work were too soon. But Shayna didn’t seem to think so; she was rightly looking ahead.
“Camille, you need to snap out of it, sweetie. He’s gone, or gone missing.”
Camille wriggled free from her friend’s grip. “I just need some time to heal. Is that all right? Can I just get a few moments to breathe in peace?” Camille hadn’t realized that she had raised her voice to Shayna.
Her friend stared back at her with wide eyes. Then she held her hands up and started backing away. “I was only trying to help. Suit yourself,” Shayna said.
“Good. Just leave me alone then!” Camille snapped and waited in silence while Shayna collected her things and walked to the front door.
Before she left, she suddenly whipped around to look at Camille. “You know, Camille, I warned you about him. I didn’t have a good feeling about him or Evangeline. We’ve made the best out of a shitty situation. But he’s left, disappeared. You should accept that and just move on,” she said, a silent bitterness creeping into her voice.
Camille rolled her eyes, amazed by Shayna’s tone. All their success had been possible by Devin. But clearly, Shayna didn’t see it that way.
“Just go, Shayna. You’ll never understand,” Camille threw back, making sure that her face did most of the talking. She wanted Shayna to leave. She didn’t need her backlash.
“All he has done is tried to pull you and me apart. When are you going to wake up and see that?” Shayna accused, and then rattled the door open and slammed it as she left.
Camille clenched her fists and jaw and turned around. She just needed a few moments of peace and quiet, just a few moments to think.
After a few seconds, she realized that she was finally alone. The store was silent, she was by herself, and she could finally clear her head and figure out her next steps. If Devin was really gone, out of her life… then she needed to move on. She needed to figure out a way to survive.
“Hello, darling!” Evangeline’s cold, smooth voice took her by surprise, and Camille’s hand flew to her heart as she whipped around to find the other woman at the door. She was standing with one hand holding the door open. Then she stepped in and shut the door, locking it just like Devin had done that first time he had come into her store.
Camille’s heart was beating fast. She didn’t understand what was going on. She didn’t greet Evangeline, she couldn’t. All she could do was stand there in silence, staring at her angrily.
“What are you doing here? Please leave,” Camille told her, realizing that her voice was shaky. She wasn’t exactly the picture of confidence and Evangeline could see that.
While Camille was in a pair of baggy jeans and an oversized t-shirt, with her spray of tight blond curls around her face, Evangeline was as impeccably dressed as usual. She was in a sleek black jumpsuit with a gold belt around her waist. Her hair was shiny black and straight, and she had gold earrings and bangles. Her high-heeled shoes were also gold and clicked against the floor with every step she took.
“I came to see if you were doing alright. Charlene mentioned that we had an epic night.” Evangeline had a cold stare in her eyes but a smile on her face that Camille couldn’t trust anymore.
“You did it to my art, didn’t you? I know you did that!” Camille couldn’t keep her voice down; especially not now that Evangeline had locked the door. She was beginning to feel afraid. Even though Evangeline didn’t look particularly strong, Camille was beginning to feel dizzy with weakness. It was like her body was shutting down, and she was losing all control of her muscles. She was going to have a panic attack, and Evangeline would be able to overpower her if she wanted to.
Evangeline laughed and walked towards Camille while she took a few steps away from her. She couldn’t think straight or decide what to do; just the sight of Evangeline approaching her was enough to make her want to make a run for it. But she knew she didn’t have the strength to do that.
“I told you last night, darling, it wasn’t me. Why would I do something like that to a woman who was thankfully keeping Devin away from me?” Evangeline said, and her smile grew.
“You wanted me to keep him away from you?” Camille asked, her mouth dropping open from horror. Evangeline’s face changed from a smile to a surprise.
“What did you think was happening?” she asked, walking closer to Camille now.
“I thought you were jealous of us. Why would you want him to stay away from you?” Camille’s heart was pounding. None of this was making any sense. How could any of this actually be true? From the first time she had met Evangeline, all that Evangeline seemed to want was to be close to Devin. Were all her instincts wrong from the start?
Evangeline hurried over to Camille and clutched her hands. Camille couldn’t shake her hands free and instead met Evangeline’s gaze. She didn’t care anymore that the other woman could see the tears in her eyes.
“Oh, my poor girl! Why would I be jealous of you both? I was happy that he had finally found someone else to horrify.” She laughed a little. When she saw that Camille wasn’t laughing, she took a deep breath and carried on talking.
“You see, Devin is a dangerous man. Has he told you any of the things he’s involved in?”
Camille shook her head. “He hasn’t said anything, but I can guess that something is up,” Camille replied, relaxing a little. She felt like she was out of immediate danger around Evangeline, as the woman didn’t seem to want her life with Devin. She must have just overreacted.
“You guessed right. He’s involved in some things that I shouldn’t be discussing. I know things about him and his club of thugs that could get me killed. And that’s what I thought he wanted. You know, to kill me off,” Evangeline said, and Camille gulped. Devin didn’t seem like a killer. He was kind, appreciative, and encouraging.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Evangeline interrupted her thoughts. “That he seems like a good guy. But he has a dark layer underneath, my sweet girl, that you don’t want to see. And I was glad that I was rid of him.”
Camille bit down on her lip. “He’s gone now,” she said flatly, and Evangeline’s face changed to look surprised.
“Gone? Gone where?” she asked, and Camille shrugged her shoulders, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to hold them back any longer. Life as she knew it had come to an end. Her dream man, the man who had saved her, wasn’t a superhero after all. He was a thug, a criminal, and someone who manipulated and scared the women he slept with.
“I don’t know. He disappeared last night, and I don’t know where he is. I thought he was with you,” Camille said, and Evangeline smiled again. She was still holding onto Camille’s hands pulled her in closer.
“With me? I ran home because I saw the rage in his eyes. I was afraid of what he was capable of doing. I didn’t want to be around him,” Evangeline said and shivered a little.
Camille looked at the woman in fright. “You’re that scared of him?”
Evangeline nodded and bowed her head. “Devin Rock was the single worst decision of my life. He had me terrorized since the first time we slept together,” Evangeline said, and Camille shook her head, still unable to process all this information.
“But all those photographs you took of him… How comfortable you both were in each other’s presence… I thought you were happy together,” Camille insisted, but Evangeline insisted more. She pressed Camille’s hands to her chest and pouted her lips like she was about to cry.
“I had to do those things. I had no other choice. If I didn’t pretend like I was happy to be with him, I wasn’t sure what he was capable of doing,” Evangeline said, and there was a tear in her voice. Camille looked at her in shock. None of these things about Devin made sense. He had done nothing to make her afraid. But where was he now and what good would all this do to Evangeline? Why would Evangeline lie to her about Devin?
“How did you manage to leave him?” Camille asked, and Evangeline took a deep breath.
“I got lucky. Just before we were supposed to get married, he disappeared, and a few weeks later he appeared out of nowhere with you by his side.”
Camille gasped again. She couldn’t believe that she had been a part of all this!
“But you’re lucky too. He’s bored of you. He’s disappeared. Maybe, if you’re really lucky, he’ll find someone new in a few weeks, and he’ll leave you alone. Then you’ll finally be safe,” Evangeline said and pulled Camille even closer.
Camille wriggled free from her hug, but her hands remained tightly in Evangeline’s grasp.
“I can’t believe any of this. I can’t believe these things that you’re telling me about him!” she screamed, and Evangeline nodded in silence, tightening her lips like she was disappointed with Camille.
“I understand. He’s a good actor. A good model. He did the same with me. He charmed me into thinking he was just a normal handsome man. But once I got involved in his life, and found stuff out about him, he changed. He couldn’t trust me. He wanted to control me. He wanted to make sure that I never told on him to anyone,” Evangeline said and placed a cold hand on Camille’s slight shoulder.
Camille tried to jerk it off; she was still unsure of why Evangeline was in her store. She looked back at the woman’s face. Evangeline’s eyes were reddened like she had been crying too. She wanted to believe what Evangeline was telling her - the perfect explanation for Devin’s disappearance - but then she remembered his face, his hands on her skin, the way he kissed her, the words he had whispered to her in her ears, and how he had encouraged her to come out of her shell. She thought she knew him. Things just weren’t adding up.
***
Camille found herself in Evangeline’s arms again. She had been crying, and Evangeline was trying to console her. She was stroking Camille’s blonde curls while Camille cried on her shoulders, her body shaking, unable to control the sudden surge of emotions. She was in love with a man who wasn’t who he said he was. She was in love with a man who she should have been afraid of. And now he was gone. She should be, was supposed to be, relieved, but all she could do was cry and wish that he were there so that she could confront him. How could she have been that stupid?
“There there, sweetheart. I know how you feel. A few more months with him and you would have been in the same state that I am in now, hoping that he disappeared from your life,” Evangeline was cooing. Her voice was a whisper, and she was managing, strangely enough, to calm Camille down.
Camille blubbered and pulled away from her, wiping her cheeks with her knuckles.
“I’m so sorry, Evangeline. I’m so sorry for doubting you and thinking that you were the villain in this story. I fell for him hard. I was so stupid.” Camille’s tears were uncontrollable, but Evangeline shushed them away. She wiped them from Camille’s cheeks and pulled her close to her again.
“You can’t blame yourself, dear girl. This isn’t your fault. We both fell for his charms. At least you have me to tell you the truth and warn you before things got really bad,” Evangeline replied, and Camille shut her eyes tightly. All of this was too overwhelming. She had slept with Devin; she had given him her body and her soul. She had trusted him when all her instincts, and her best friend, had warned her against him. Camille felt stupid and naive. She had fallen for a man’s good looks and tattoos.
“What does he do? What are the dangerous things that he’s involved in?” she asked, with her head still on Evangeline’s shoulders.
Evangeline shushed her again. “Forget it, Camille. You don’t need to know. With any luck, he’s gone, and he’ll never bother you again. I can help with your art. We can work together.” Evangeline stroked her hair, but Camille pulled her head away. They were both hugging each other tightly, with Camille’s back against the counter.
“I want to know what he does. I want to know exactly how foolish I’ve been. Has he killed people?” Her lips were quivering, and Evangeline laughed. Her laughter was loud pitched and cold, and Camille suddenly felt very afraid of her again.
“You think that killing people is the worst thing that someone can do? You truly are a little girl aren’t you?” She placed a finger under Camille’s chin.
Camille furrowed her brows in irritation. She was having a tough enough time; she didn’t also want to be laughed at.
“Just tell me, Evangeline!” she demanded, and the other woman wrapped an arm around her and looked her straight in the eye.
That’s when she felt it, a cold metallic restraint being slipped onto her wrists that had been wedged at her back. She tried to turn around, but she heard a metallic click, like handcuffs being locked.
It was handcuffs. Evangeline had managed to handcuff her to the leg of the counter, and then she felt Evangeline’s hands. Camille was forced to slide down the leg of the desk so that she was now sitting on the floor. She tried to struggle free and screamed, but there was nothing she could do. Evangeline had duped her. She had been fooled. She had allowed Evangeline to get close to her.
“What the hell is going on? Let me go, now!” Camille shouted, and Evangeline stepped away from her, appearing to study Camille.
“You are a silly little girl, aren’t you?” Evangeline commented, sticking one hand into the pocket of her jumpsuit.
“Why did you do this? What do you want?” Camille was crying again. She hadn’t asked for any of this. She had followed Devin’s lead, and now she seemed to be in real big trouble.
“What I want?” Evangeline threw back, and Camille watched in horror as she extracted a thick hypodermic needle from her pocket. “I want Devin, obviously.”
Camille screamed again. “You lied! You lied about him!”
Evangeline laughed.
How could somebody be this evil? Camille had been right about this woman all along.
“Of course I lied. Devin is a gentle giant. He’s a gem, and you should have kept him closer. And now you’ll overdose on heroine.” She took a few steps towards Camille, who tried to thrash her away with her free arm.
“What are you doing? Get away from me!” Camille yelled, none of Evangeline’s words were sinking in. All she could do was stare at the syringe in Evangeline’s hands and how it was full of a milky liquid that she couldn’t identify.
“There’s no use struggling, darling. You’re going to overdose on heroine, and when Devin finds you here, I’ll be there to console him in his hour of need.” Evangeline pouted her lips and smiled at the same time. Camille shrieked again, but she knew nobody was coming for her. She was alone, and this mad woman was going to kill her.