Chapter 142 142. Don't Want To Let Go
Lucien's POV
I pulled her up from the chair and into my arms. The solid feel of her body against mine broke me. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the scent that was still somehow her despite the prison's sterile air.
"I'm sorry," I whispered against her temple. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry I left you alone. I'm sorry I didn't understand."
Her hands fisted in my suit, and I felt her tremble.
"I was angry. I was hurt that you chose this over letting me protect you whereas I should have been here, supporting your decision even if I didn't agree with it."
I pulled back just enough to see her face. Those green eyes were swimming with tears, and it gutted me. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her. Soft, then deeper, pouring every ounce of apology, love and desperation into it.
"Hey, hey!" The officer's voice cut through the moment. "That's against regulations."
This might be the only chance I got to hold and taste her for months. I grabbed her neck to get more of her while my free hand tossed a wad of cash in the officer's general direction.
A sharp smack landed on my back. The officer had actually hit me hard with his baton. I finally pulled away from Camila.
"Attempting to bribe an officer of the law is a crime. I will remove you from this facility if you don't comply with the rules."
Camila chuckled lightly. That sound shouldn't even exist in a place like this. The sight of her perfect teeth, like she could find humor in this nightmare, like everything was somehow okay, sent a fresh wave of anguish through my chest.
Which was worse? Watching her pretend to be fine, or the reality that nothing about this situation was fine at all?
That's when I noticed Nadia sitting at the table. Her arms were crossed over her belly, while her face set in hard lines.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to offer my expertise to your girlfriend," her tone sharp and clipped. "But apparently she'd rather interrogate my reproductive choices than focus on her freedom."
I looked between them. Camila had that guilty expression she got when she'd blurted out something abruptly. Nadia looked ready to commit violence.
"Who do you think leaked it?" I asked her directly. "And why do you care enough to come here?"
"I don't care about her." Nadia jerked her chin toward Camila. "I care about my reputation. I sealed every digital avenue. I don't leave loose ends. If someone circumvented my security protocols, that's a professional insult. As for who did it, I assumed Ronan had a contingency plan I missed."
"Well... it wasn't Ronan." I held onto Camila's hand. "It was Rhys. Rhys Blackwood."
Camila's head whipped toward me. "Rhys? Why?"
"The entire time we were working in Unit 4D, he was in our systems. Also... he is 'my guy from Morocco' that lied to me about his location for five good years. Rhys watched us review the evidence and made his own copies."
"Your Morocco techie?" Camila's voice was hushed. "The person you trusted with your Hayes Corp's jobs was him?"
"Crazy, right? I never heard his real voice until last night when I tracked him down."
"Lucien, what did you do?" Camila's grip on my hand tightened.
"He contacted me first, actually." I brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I confronted him and got answers. The stalking, the obsession, his twisted logic for destroying your life. He wanted to tear us apart because you rejected his so-called feelings."
Nadia cleared her throat, a reminder that she was still here with us. Then she leaned forward.
"If it's tech related, I can dismantle whatever infrastructure he's built. Give me access to his systems and I'll ensure nothing else surfaces. I'll also make sure he can't operate from prison," her professional interest seemed to have overridden her earlier anger.
"We can work on that," I said. "Wait." My eyes widened. I just noticed her belly was bulging. "You're pregnant? Am I about to become an uncle?"
"No, you're about to become a father. Don't you remember that passionate night six months ago when we fucked raw in the backseat of your convertible?"
"Tch!" Camila and I both rolled our eyes in perfect synchronization, then turned back to each other. Despite everything, despite the horror of this place and the nightmare we were living, her lips curved into a small smile.
And that smile destroyed me once again.My throat closed up, making it hard to breathe.
She was standing here in this cramped room, facing years of prison, and she could still smile. Still make light of Nadia's sarcasm. Still act like the world wasn't ending around us.
I dragged her back into my arms, holding her so tight she made a small sound of surprise. If I could physically prevent them from taking her, heaven knows I would do that without thinking twice.
She chose prison over trusting me to protect her. She chose what she called justice, and I had to respect that choice even though it was killing me.
"I don't want to let go, Fiera... Please..."
"Time's up, Sterling." The officer's voice cut through our moment again. "You're being transferred now."
"No." The word left my mouth before I could stop it. "Give us five more minutes."
"Mr. Hayes, step back."
Camila's hands came up to my chest, pushing gently. "Lucien, it's okay."
"It's not okay. None of this is okay."
"Please promise me something."
"Anything baby."
"Don't destroy yourself trying to fix this. Don't do anything that'll land you in a cell next to mine." Her fingers gripped my shirt. "Promise me you'll be there when I get out. That's all I need."
"I promise." I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her lips one last time. "I'll be waiting. Every single day."
"And I promise I'll come back to you." She touched my face. "We'll have that life we planned. The villa, the marriage, the babies, all of it. This is just a detour."
The officer took her arm. I watched them lead her away, my fists clenched so hard my nails drew blood. The moment the door closed behind her, I slammed my fist onto the metal table. The sound echoed in the small room.
"That won't bring her back faster."
I'd forgotten Nadia was still there. Our enemy turned, what, acquaintance?
"Don't insult Camila's strength by falling apart. She survived Clara. She survived Victor. She'll survive this," her words were devoid of its usual edge.
"The question is, will you? Because if you fall apart, what exactly does she have to come back to? Your love for her is either going to be your strength or your weakness," she rose on her feet. "Choose which one it's going to be."
Rafael and Maya were waiting at my penthouse when Nadia and I arrived. Maya's eyes were red and puffy. Rafael had his hand on her shoulder. She must have cried for hours.
"You guys are here."
"Of course we wouldn't leave you alone on a day like this." Rafael replied coming closer. He pulled me in a hug and patted my back.
"I'm glad you're here. Both of you. For going to the prison, and for... for dragging me back to my senses."
I closed my eyes for a few seconds, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Then they opened with renewed purpose.
"You all know Camila. You know she'd fight for anyone in this room-well, almost everyone." Nadia rolled her eyes at the jab, but she didn't bite back. "Rhys took her from us, and he's going to pay for every second she spends behind those bars. That is our job from now henceforth."
Nadia stepped forward, settling onto a couch. The same couch I'd been sitting on months ago and called Camila 'Fiera' for the first time.
"I'm guessing Blackwood is smart," Nadia spoke, rubbing her belly. "We can't just waltz into his systems. I need physical proximity to his devices, his phone especially. Twenty meters, maximum. Something like hotel room to hotel room or adjacent coffee shop tables, you get my point."
"So we need his schedule," Rafael said.
"Exactly." I turned to him. "I need you to get me Rhys's movements for the next week. Hire someone to follow him. Bribe someone at Cipher. Whatever it takes."
Rafael nodded. "Done."
Later, as Nadia slept off on the couch and got busy with something in the kitchen, Rafael dragged me aside.
"Are you sure we can trust her? This has nothing to do with Ronan. Why is she helping?"
In my heart, I knew the answer. Nadia was trying to atone for everything she'd done to Camila. But I couldn't say that out loud, until Nadia wanted to... even though the Nadia I knew would rather die than admit it.
"We'll be careful," I told him instead. "But right now, she's the only chance we have."
Looking towards the balcony, I muttered more to myself than to Rafael, "Do you think she'd be extremely cold right now with no blankets to keep her warm...?"