Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(11)

“Is your family out in California, or do you have some around here?” I was curious to see what he would say, but he stiffened and averted his gaze.

“I don’t have a family, not anymore.”

And just like that, I lost him. Camden wasn’t the most likable guy around, and adding his damaged past to the mix didn’t help. He had triggers and I just confirmed his family was one of them. Maybe Mason was right; we did have something in common.





CAMDEN ENDED UP paying for breakfast even though I offered. He was making it impossible to pay him back for helping me last night. Before going to the store, we took a tour of the Bank of America stadium and drove around so he could sightsee. We spent all afternoon together. Since Mason wanted me to befriend him, I offered to cook him dinner this week. The stuff he was putting in his grocery cart had me worried. There was nothing but macaroni and cheese and frozen pizzas. I felt like I had no choice.

Now that we were back at our building, we separated so he could put his groceries away and I could do mine. A knock came moments later. He must have put his bags in the refrigerator and called it good.

“Come in,” I hollered. When he walked in, I continued, “That was fast. I’m not even done putting mine away.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, but okay.”

Gasping, I turned around as Jason sat down on one of the bar stools. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting you.” I could tell something was wrong and I didn’t like it. “Why do you look like that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact Mason’s putting you in the line of fire by getting you more involved with Jameson? It’s dangerous, B. We all know what the guy’s like. Not to mention someone’s trying to f*cking kill him.”

I turned back to my groceries and huffed. “I’ll be fine, Jase. Seriously, I know what I’m doing. He’s not going to hurt me.”

“Either you’re delusional or completely blind. I’ve read his file. He’s violent, short-tempered, and narcissistic.”

The thought made me laugh. “He sounds just like me. Well, minus the narcissism.”

“It’s not funny, Brooklyn.”

“Look,” I snapped, placing my hands down on the counter. “He may have been like that in the past, but I’m the one who’s been watching him for four months. He’s changing. I see it every day.”

Frustrated, he ran his hands over his face. “Just don’t fall for the guy. All he wants is a piece of ass.”

“And he’s not going to get it.” I smiled and ruffled his hair. “Now cheer up. Is that the only reason you stopped by?”

“I wish,” he said. “Have you by any chance gotten a phone call from our mother?”

Eyes wide, I felt my stomach clench. “Why?”

“Well,” he said, getting up from the stool, “they called me when you didn’t answer. They’re in town and they want to see you tonight.”

The only reason they wanted to see me was because I looked like Braylen. “I can’t, I have plans. Besides, all they’re going to do is talk shit about you. I’d rather go out with Blake than deal with them.”

Averting his gaze, he nodded and walked toward the living room. “Do you think they’ll ever stop blaming me? I keep thinking with time they’ll understand why I did what I did.”

I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “I don’t know, Jase. It’s not like we came out of this unscathed.” With my cheek against his back, I could feel the uneven skin where it’d melted. His scars were worse than mine because he’d shielded me from the fire.

I squeezed him one more time and let go. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to see them. I have a job to do.”

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell them that if they call back. And just so you know, I’m going to be the one on watch tomorrow morning.”

“Who all is taking shifts?”

“Hmm, let’s see. It’s between you, me, Blake, Wyatt, and Gabe. So what are you and Jameson doing tonight?”

“We’re going to the Carolina Tavern. Mason told him about it and he wants to go. I’m paying him back.”

“For what?”

Camden knocked on the door. “It’s a long story, but it involves rescuing me from Blake.”

“I see. Speaking of which, you’re all he’s been talking about. When he finds out about you and fighter boy I think you’re going to have some problems.”

“Fuck me,” I growled. “Why can’t he leave me alone?”

“It’s not just him. Some of the other guys are talking about how you’ve changed since you’ve been gone. It’s like you left and miraculously came back with tits or something. It’s pissing me off.”

I laughed and started for the door. “First of all, I’ve always had tits. Second, I told you people can change. Things were different at the beach. I had a lot of time to myself, to think and separate from everyone. I needed it.”

“I know you did, sis. Now answer the door. I think it’s time I met the infamous Camden ‘The Bone Crusher’ Jameson.”

When I opened the door, my mouth dropped to the floor. Camden had only been gone about thirty minutes and he did a complete transformation. Holy f*ck, he was hot. His blond hair was gelled in messy spikes and he was dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a blue button down shirt that matched his eyes.