Novel Palace
Chapter 16
MY BREATHING BECAME SHALLOW. My hand began to shake, my entire body trembling. I looked around, expecting to see someone. A monster, a shadow, a man with a mask and a gun. Something.
But there were no signs of movement in the quiet Citrus Cove neighborhood.
“Fuck,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
It had been easy to forget there was a killer out there, hunting me down.
My phone rang again.
Unknown: …
A photo came through. I refused to look at it. Not until I was home to Cam.
Not until I was safe.
I felt like I was going to vomit as I floored it, speeding as much as I could without actually getting a ticket. It took about fifteen minutes before I got to Cam’s.
I parked abruptly, throwing my door open. He was on the front porch in his rocking chair, grinning.
But then he saw me, and his grin fell.
He was up and moving. I stumbled forward, and he caught me, the weight of everything bringing me to my knees.
I let out a loose sob, holding on to him.
“What happened? What happened? Are you okay? Baby.” He held me, his arms tight.
I saw her face again. The blood. The life leaving her. The knife. The man in the mask who’d promised I was next. It replayed in my mind over and over again.
Cam lifted me, holding me tight to him. Within a few moments, he settled into his rocking chair, holding me in his lap, cradling me as it rocked back and forth.
The nausea settled, the shaking stopping.
I realized that he was singing.
Tears filled my eyes as I listened to his voice. Soft and sweet, his touch gentle and firm. I buried my face against him, breathing in his scent as his chest reverberated with his song.
And I realized he was singing “You Are My Sunshine.”
I let out a soft laugh, but it was mixed with a sob. If I could go back in time and tell my sixteen-year-old self that one day, Cameron Harlow would be rocking me on his front porch, singing me a lullaby, I would have told myself I was crazy.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I think I can talk now,” I whispered. Fuck, I was a mess. I sounded like one too.
“You don’t have to,” he said gently, nuzzling the top of my head. “Not yet. We can just sit here for a few minutes. I could hold you forever. And I’ll protect you from whoever put that look in your eyes.”
I melted against him, staring out at his yard. He owned the perfect country house, surrounded by oak trees and flowers. The only things missing were pets and kids.
I blinked, startled by that thought.
That I could grow old like this.
He kept humming and rocking until I felt a calmness I hadn’t felt in ages. I took a deep breath again and looked at him, cupping his face. He’d trimmed his beard today, keeping it nice and neat. He gave me a gentle smile, even though I could see the worry.
To think that the man who’d made me come last night while he bent me over the couch and pulled my hair was the same man holding and singing to me was a mystery and a miracle.
“You are my sunshine?” I asked.
He chuckled, still rocking us. “My grandma used to sing it all the time. It was her favorite lullaby. And it always calmed me. She passed away a few years ago.”
I softened even more. “I’m sorry.”
“She lived a long life,” he said. “She was ninety-eight and surrounded by six sons and daughters and eighteen grandchildren. Some great-grandchildren too.”
“Your family amazes me.”
“I still need to show you our family tree,” he said. “Her initials are up there next to my grandpa’s. Been there for a long, long time.”
I grinned at him.
“There she is,” he whispered, cupping my face, running his thumb over my dimple.
I leaned in and kissed him, sinking into the feeling of him until I really could talk about what happened. “I saw Sarah. I’m meeting her after work tonight, and we’re going to talk. I’m worried about her.”
He frowned, his brows drawing together. “I can come with you.”
“No,” I said. “Well, maybe.” After the text message, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be out at night alone. I was brave, but I wasn’t stupid. “After I spoke to her, I got into my car and got a text message. There’s still one I haven’t looked at yet.”
He stiffened. “Where’s your phone?”
“In the car.”
“Fuck,” he mumbled. He lifted me, deposited me back in the chair, and then went down to my car.
I pulled my legs to my chest, watching as he grabbed my phone. I knew the moment he saw the messages because his entire body stiffened, and I heard him curse.
He came back to the porch, his eyes the color of flint. “Can I call my brother? He can help.”This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.
“Hunter?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, his voice firm. “He has friends. Friends who run in different circles than me. We’re going to figure this out.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. “What was the other message?”
Cam pressed his lips in a thin line. His reluctance made my heart beat a little faster. He handed me my phone, and my stomach dropped.
The photo that the number sent was of us. Of me and Cam, together at the cafe in town. We were laughing, oblivious to the fact that someone was watching us.
I felt light-headed.
Cam leaned down in front of me, making me meet his gaze. “I’m going to handle this. Okay? No one is gonna hurt you. No one is going to touch you. I’m going to call Hunter, and we’re going to figure this out.”
“Honey” was all I could whisper.
“We’ll make sure she’s okay. I’m going to step away, but I’ll be right here. Okay?”
“Okay.” Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m sorry. This isn’t even your problem, and you don’t have to do anything.”
“Haley,” he said, his voice more serious than I’d ever heard it. “I need you to hear me when I say this. Any problem of yours is a problem of mine. And if tomorrow, you decided you didn’t want me, I’d still do everything I could to help you. You’ve been through enough. You’ve shouldered a lot alone. And you don’t need me to handle your problems, but I’m here to help because I want to.”
“Why?” I knew why. He knew why. But neither of us said it.
He just squeezed my hand, and that said more than any words possibly could. He rose and went down the porch steps, out onto the drive. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”