CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE – ROSE

Lightning cascaded through my veins the moment Camillo said, “our family.” All of the daydreaming and the luscious escapades at night had all amounted to those two powerful words flowing from his lips. I closed my eyes, memorizing the way those words sounded in his rugged, beautiful accent while his hands traveled up and down my back.

For a moment, I was able to allow those words to block out the truth of everything that was going on.

I clung to him tightly as we sat there on his bed. I could hear the boys stirring downstairs, the morning sun finally peeling their eyes open. I sighed into his shoulder. I didn’t want Camillo to go. I wanted him to stay here with us. I wanted someone else to deal with the violence if there had to be some. I didn’t want him to taint himself further with the one tactic that brought him to where he was sitting in the first place.

But when I raised my head from his neck and looked into his eyes, I knew he hadn’t changed his mind.

“You’re still going, aren’t you?” I asked.

“I have to, my beautiful songbird. I have no other choice.”

My spine shivered with his nickname for me. His fingers tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. I looked deep into his eyes, pinning him with my gaze.

“Then you have to make me a promise,” I said.

“Anything.”

“You have to promise to come back to us.”

He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, staring into my eyes. A look of profound sadness crossed his handsome face and I felt my insides go cold.

“Rose, I cannot promise that,” he said. “I promised you I would keep you safe, no matter what that means for me.”

“Promise me,” I said again.

“I can’t.”

Tears rose to my eyes as Camillo pulled me into his body. I cried into the crook of his neck, taking in the scent of his cologne as my fingernails dug into his strong back. This man who took my virginity and gave me my daughter and showed me a world I could’ve never dreamt, had to come back to me. Because I loved him. Because I needed him. Because he was my family.

“I can promise you that I will try with everything that I am to make it back to you,” he finally said. “Will that do?”

He leaned toward me, his lips pressing lightly against mine. It was different from all the other times he’d kissed me. This one was soft and delicate, like lace. His lips slowly pressed into mine, and my arms threaded around his neck. Soon, I was being lifted off the bed while his hands rounded the globe of my ass.

I felt him sit me down onto the edge of his desk in the corner of his room. My tongue slowly explored the mouth I’d come to associate with sweetness.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, and his fingertips slowly pushed my robe off my shoulders. My bare body was glowing for him, and his eyes roamed my curves before he dipped down and took one of my nipples between his lips. I could feel his cock growing against my thigh, and wetness started to gather between my legs, but a knock at the door interrupted us.

“Camillo?”

Camillo groaned into my breast, pulling a moan from me that was tinged with a bit of laughter. He slid my robe back up onto my shoulders as Kevin knocked on the door again, trying to find his new best friend.

“He probably wants to play on the beach,” I said, grinning.

He kissed the tip of my nose before he helped me off the edge of his desk.

“To be continued,” he said, smirking.

“Anyone in there?” Kevin called out.

“Yeah, buddy,” Camillo said. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to play on the beach,” Kevin said.

“Is Junior up yet?” he asked.

“He’s getting his bathing suit on, but Cassie’s still drinking coffee.”

“Shocker,” I said, murmuring.

I went over to answer the door, and I could see the slight shock on Kevin’s face. His eyes bounced between us for a second as Camillo walked over to his closet, and I didn’t have to look back to see what he was doing.

He was pulling out his suitcase and getting ready to pack it.

“Camillo has to go tend to some business for a few days,” I said. “Is it okay if I take you guys to the beach?”

“Will he be back soon?” Kevin asked.

I looked back at Camillo, who was beginning to pack some of his clothes into the suitcase he’d sat on the bed.

“I’ll be back before you know it, and we’re gonna have a wonderful Christmas,” Camillo said.

“Awesome,” Kevin said, smiling. “Can we go to the beach now?”

“Have you eaten breakfast?” I asked.

“Do we need to?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Go downstairs and find something to eat for breakfast.”

“The chef should be in the kitchen, Kevin,” Camillo said. “Just tell him what you want, and he’ll whip it up.”

“Awesome. Thanks!”

I drew a deep breath through my nose before I turned to look back at Camillo. Then I stepped out and headed for Ana’s room. She was awake and playing in her bed, occupied with a toy I didn’t recognize. I shook my head as I plucked her from her crib, listening to her wonderful sounds as I carried her downstairs.

I didn’t even get Ana into her highchair at the table before Camillo came downstairs with his suitcase in hand.

“All right, you guys,” Camillo said. “Something’s come up at work. But don’t worry, I’ll be back in time for Christmas. You all can help yourselves to anything, but there’s one rule you have to obey.”

“What’s that?” Junior asked as he came around the corner.

“You all have to stay on the island,” he said.

“Oh, that’s easy,” Kevin said. “This place is dope.”

“Dope?” I asked.

“It was a phrase in one of our videogames,” Kevin said. “The main character called a car ‘dope.’ I think it means something’s awesome.”

“You’d be correct,” Cassie said.

I didn’t have to look around the house to tell Camillo had beefed up security. There were men walking along the beach out back, which told me they were probably scattered all along the island. The chef put a small plate of eggs and buttered toast in front of Ana as the boys sat down at the table, and I took the opportunity to escort Camillo to the front door.

I grabbed his lapels and looked up into his light blue eyes.

“Remember your promise,” I said.

“Always.”

He kissed me sweetly, like he had upstairs. His body stepped into me while his free arm wrapped around my back, and suddenly, I wanted all of him. His lips undulated against mine in a slow dance, and all I wanted him to do was press me against the wall and connect his body with mine.

But all I could do was pull away, smoothing my hands over his broad chest while I memorized every last bit of him I could.

“Please come back,” I said, whispering.

He dipped his lips to the shell of my ear, causing my eyes to flutter closed as I bit back a moan.

“I promise.”

And just like that, he was gone. I went back to the breakfast table and felt Cassie’s eyes on me the entire time, but I was determined to distract the boys. We ran around on the island and they didn’t seem to care about the men with guns strapped to their hips. Cassie stuck close to me, and I could tell her eyes were constantly scanning the tree lines. Over the next couple of days, I didn’t really sleep much. I tossed and turned, and eventually, I started sleeping in Camillo’s room just to breathe in his scent.

I tried calling him a few times, but he never answered, and he never called back.

I had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to communicate with me, but it didn’t stop me from being upset with him. The worry was eating me alive, and I cursed him for being reckless and for putting our family in this position. I was upset, frightened, and sick with anxiety. I could hardly eat, and I slept even less. Eventually, Cassie tried to intervene with sleeping pills she found who-knows-where.

But I waved her off. I needed to keep my wits about me, for the kids, for Cassie, and for Camillo, if he ever came back.

The boys continued to make memories, and Ana continued to enjoy running around in the surf . Every once in a while, Cassie would take the kids, and it would give me a chance to venture around the island. I stood in Camillo’s secret dungeon and fingered the chains he had once harnessed me in. I walked back and found the hidden waterfall, allowing myself to soak in the hot spring as tears fell down my face.

All I wanted was for Camillo to be back. All I wanted was to be a family again.

“Please come back to me,” I said through my sobs. “Please come home.”