Chapter Fourteen
Another ten minutes passed, and the fight was still going on.
Camila had herself back under control, but Samuel had reached his breaking point. Camila could only watch as he stood up and paced around angrily. He’d started dialing the minute he was on his feet and now his phone was pressed to his ear. She didn’t know who he was talking to, his friend, Officer Jacobs, or the people he’d intended to call before the police had derailed that plan.
Even if she had wanted to get up to go and stand at his side, she didn’t think she could. Her legs were still wobbly, after all, and she feared that if she tried to stand, she would only fall.
At the moment, she didn’t have the strength to carry herself, let alone another person.
Her phone vibrated where it sat in her pocket, startling her. Terrified it might be Adrien, she pulled it out of her back pocket, surprised it had stayed put after her romp with Samuel earlier. She had forgotten she still had it with her. Hesitantly, she opened the screen and clicked the message icon. When she saw it was a message from work, she let out the breath she’d been holding. She clicked the message and read.
Cami, have you finished that project yet? We are holding a spot for it, need it ASAP.
“Crap,” she muttered. With everything going on, Camila had forgotten she had work to do. Well, of course in the current situation, she couldn’t think of anything besides her safety. What was she supposed to do about work? Yesterday, because everything was still right with the world, she’d been relaxed and she’d wasted time. She’d thought she would have the time to finish it, but she never did get to it.
She didn’t know when she could work again.
She sent a text back, I’m so sorry, I am in the middle of an emergency and will have to take a break from work. She hesitated to give details, before mentioning the police were involved, so she simply continued with, I will explain more fully later.
No way was she going to tell her boss, via text, that not only was she seeing Samuel Kane and currently in his house while they were under siege thanks to his brother. The people at work would flip.
After sending the message, Camila turned her phone off. It would be bad if someone else tried to contact her, though it would really only be work. She might not be doing a thing at the moment, but it would probably be bad regardless if she let herself be distracted.
“Camila?”
At the call of her name, she looked up at Samuel. He was watching her with barely concealed worry, his expression gentle as he walked back over to her.
“Are you hungry?”
Camila winced at just the thought of food. “Um, actually, no. I don’t think I can stomach anything right now.”
With how nauseous she felt, she might just make herself sick trying to eat.
“Do you think you can try, sweetheart? Please? You haven’t had anything to eat all day, it’s really not healthy.”
“You haven’t eaten all day, either,” she said in complaint.
Samuel tightened his jaw stubbornly and just watched her.
She tried to be stubborn, but she didn’t think she could be strong right then. After a minute, she sighed in reluctance. “Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll eat something.”
His expression relaxed minutely, and he reached for her hand. “If your stomach doesn’t feel well, then don’t force yourself. Have something light, but try to get some energy into you, okay, love? Brianna and your mom are having sandwiches. I’ll eat after you do, all right?”
Camila looked over at them, seeing them both eating what appeared to be turkey and Swiss on rye.
“I offered to make you one too, Camila, but you didn’t answer.” Her mother frowned at her.
Camila sighed again, but she nodded. “I didn’t really hear you, I think.” She looked back to Samuel and saw the look of worry he wore. “I’ll have a sandwich.”
He helped her up, and she was almost surprised when she could stand on her legs. They trembled a little as she walked toward the kitchen, but she realized after a minute that it might not just be fear making her tremble.
Since Samuel had gotten that call in the middle of dinner yesterday, she hadn’t finish her meal, and she hadn’t eaten anything for the whole day, either. It was already moving well into the evening. No wonder my body has no energy at all. She shook her head, reprimanding herself. I need to take better care of myself.
What if something happened and she needed to run? She couldn’t do that on no energy.
She went to the kitchen. She hadn’t seen any of the servants today, but she hadn't thought it was strange. A lot of them seemed to be hiding in the kitchen, though, looking worried. When they saw her walk in, one of them stood up, Maria she thought her name was.
“I just wanted something to eat,” she said softly.