Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(28)

“He’s trying, you know?” he said in all seriousness. “I think he’s really sorry for what he did.”

I snorted. “Did he con you into saying that?”

He chuckled. “No. Well, maybe. If anything, you two need to at least work it out and be friends. It’s not easy on the team. Keep that in mind.”

“Fine. I’ll talk to him. Happy now?”

“Much. Be safe out there.”

Sighing, I got in my car and started toward the station. Maybe Wyatt had a point. Blake and I used to work well together until the accident. I guess it was time to bury the hard feelings and move on.





ON THE WAY to the station, I dialed Mason’s number. “Isn’t it kind of late out there?” he asked. He was three hours behind us east coasters.

“A little, but I was attacked in the parking garage. I wanted to tell you about it.” I explained everything from start to finish and waited on him to reply.

“I wonder if there have been any other similar robberies in that area. I guess I just find it odd something like this happened to you.”

“What are you getting at? You think I was a target?”

He sighed and I could hear the rustle of papers in the background. “I’m not sure, B. I’ll get this guy’s information and see if he has any ties to the west coast. If Scar finds out Jameson has someone important in his life, it wouldn’t surprise me if they come after you to f*ck with him. Just be careful out there.”

The station was up ahead, I pulled into the parking lot and shut off my car. Blake was waiting, leaning against his door. I didn’t want him to hear me talking to Mason so I stayed in the car. “I always am. I’m going to give my statement and go home. And just so you know, Camden and I have a date tomorrow, so I’ll be on duty. I don’t need a tail.”

He chuckled. “Why? So you can f*ck him and no one know?”

“You’re the one who wanted me to befriend him. If anything happens, it’s your fault. You put me in this position.”

“But you’re the one who fell for him. Whatever you do, don’t let your feelings cloud your judgment.” He paused and sucked on his teeth. “God, B. Have you thought about what he’ll do when he finds out we’ve been lying to him?”

“But it was all to keep him safe,” I countered. The only lie I told him was about what I did for a living. It wasn’t exactly a fib, but other than that, everything was the truth.

“I understand, but Camden’s a volatile guy. He acts first and thinks later.”

I’d seen that temper of his the night he told me about his father. But it was more sadness than anything. “Then maybe I should tell him the truth upfront. I don’t want him to hate me.”

“You can’t. If you tell Camden, he’ll go straight back to California.” He shuffled some more papers and sighed. “All right, I’m getting off here so I can get the information I need and run it.”

We said our goodbyes and I got out of my car. Blake started toward me cautiously. “Is everything okay?”

Nodding, I slid my phone into my back pocket. “Sorry about that. I was talking to Mason.”

“Did you tell him what happened?” I nodded and he put his hands in his pocket and kept his gaze on mine. “I’m sorry for tonight. I guess you can say I was a little desperate to get a night alone with you.”

“But that’s not the way to do it.”

He threw his hands in the air. “How else am I supposed to? You barely even talk to me.”

“I’m here now and I’m willing to talk. Let’s get everything out in the open.”

“I missed you,” he blurted out. Averting his gaze, he ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “You may not believe me, but I am sorry for what I did. I know you don’t want to have anything to do with me and I see that now. For both of our sakes, can you at least forgive me?”

“And what happens if I forgive you? Will you give me space?” I asked. I didn’t want to fight against him at every turn.

He stepped closer and looked down at his feet. “If that’s what you need. I just want things to get back to the way they were before I f*cked everything up.”

“That’s never going to happen. But what we can do is try our best to get along and be friends. That’s all we’ll ever be, Blake.”

Sighing, he nodded and lifted his head. “It’s better than nothing.” He forced a smile and glanced at the door. “You ready to make your statement? It’s getting late.”

We walked side by side into the station and before we went our separate ways, I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Thank you for helping me tonight. That guy probably would’ve gotten away if it wasn’t for you.”

Returning the gesture, he squeezed my hand back. “You’re welcome. I only wish I could’ve gotten there sooner.”





AFTER GIVING MY statement and talking to some of the guys at the PD, I didn’t get home until two in the morning. I was exhausted; especially, after getting woken up by a slew of text messages. All of them except one was from my brother, saying he found out what happened and that I needed to call him back. The other was from Camden.



Camden: Good morning, buttercup.