Page 29 of Wild Games

That knife.

My wolf wants to go to her, to protect her, but Kain’s right. She’s well able to take care of herself.

And maybe, with all the baggage I bring, it’s best for everyone if I just leave her alone.

13

CAMILLE

Iclose the door to my cabin and immediately start pacing, my mind racing through tonight’s events. This attack was reckless. They could have killed someone.

I need to catch them before that happens.

My hands move automatically, pulling out my phone to add notes while the details are fresh.

Seven missed calls and four unopened messages stop me in my tracks.

All Raven.

Giving into temptation, and full of self-loathing, I open them and immediately regret it.

Why aren’t you answering? I need to know you’re okay.

Cammy, I’m worried. You need to tell me what’s going on.

This case is too big. You need to stand down before you get hurt.

Call me back. Now.

With an aggravated groan, I type out a blunt response and toss the phone aside.

Busy.

Raven getting pissy because I’m focussing on the case, and not him for once, is not something I feel like dealing with right now.

I strip on my way to the bathroom, tossing clothes aside. I remove my opal necklace and Raven’s chain from my pocket, setting them on the sink counter as I mentally review the pattern of the attacks and all the information Callum retrieved tonight about access to the training grounds, and the water bottles.

The incidents, the victims, the timing.

There’s something here, tickling the back of my brain, something I’m not seeing yet.

The water bottles were delivered to the competitors’ rooms in the packhouse. They were in their possession all day. The CCTV at the training grounds shows nobody else near the drinks, and only immediate friends and family have access to the VIP floor. The list is small, and the list of those with anything to gain from eliminating competitors is even smaller.

Dean has promised to pull any footage he has from outside their rooms. In the meantime, I need some quiet to gather my thoughts.

The shower runs hot as I step under the spray, trying to keep my mind focused on the investigation, until unbidden thoughts of Jax intrude.

Anger rises inside me, sharp and bitter, as old wounds I thought had healed rear their ugly heads.

The water mingles with tears I let flow freely here in the safety of my tiny bathroom, and I curse myself for letting Jaxhurt me, but I suppose it was inevitable. There’s no way to escape a denied bond unscathed.

Jax can’t help being drawn to me, even if he has his reasons for not wanting to seal the bond.

Raven, on the other hand, well, he just likes having the best of both worlds. Me as his ‘work wife’ when we’re away on enforcer duties, and Jane as his doting, submissive mate when he’s home with our pack.

And I’m the idiot who lets him get away with it, who laps up the scraps of attention he tosses my way, hoping for what? Someday he'll realise his mistake?

I groan, closing my eyes and letting the water pour down over my face, hoping to wash away my stupidity. Working solo, being away from him, has been great. I need to do this more often. I feel more confident and self-assured. Distance is helping me see him for what he is: selfish, knowing how hurt I was when he chose another, but still stringing me along.