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

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Hank. Not waiting on his reply, I stalked off toward Camden. He was too busy talking to some of the locals to pay attention to the wildebeests he had following him around. Once I got close enough to the busty blonde, I leaned in behind her and whispered in her ear, “I wouldn’t go home with this one if I were you. He’s got crabs. Believe me, I know from experience. The money’s not worth it.”

“Ew . . . what the hell,” she gasped, turning to face me. “Are you serious?”

Nodding, I tried desperately to keep from laughing and brought my hand down to scratch my crotch. “Dead serious. Crabs in exchange for a lousy twenty second f*ck wasn’t worth it. I didn’t even get off.”

Her mouth dropped open and she grabbed her friend’s hand, pulling her over. “What’s wrong?” the other girl asked.

“Ivan has crabs,” big tits whispered. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that shit. Let’s go find someone else.”

“Ew, neither do I. Come on, let’s get out of here before he notices.”

Once they took off, I snuck away. When Camden finally turned to acknowledge them, he was disappointed to see they weren’t following him. A smile lit my face and I snickered as he stomped out of the bar, pissed. Mission accomplished. One day, he would thank me. But now, I had a harder mission to accomplish. Going home.





CAMDEN HAD A tracker on his Jeep, so if I lost him in traffic I would always know where to find him. He was a few miles ahead of me and I wasn’t rushing to catch up. I was going to be in Charlotte soon enough. Thankfully, my phone rang, drawing me out of my despair. It happened to be my brother.

“Hello,” I answered.

“B, what’s up? I heard you’re coming back.”

I groaned. “You heard right. I’ll be there in two hours. Is the condo ready for me?”

“Yep. Right across the hall from Jameson’s. Things are going to change when you get back though. I know you haven’t talked to Mason today, but several of the guys are going to take shifts once you get into town. It has to be a pain in the ass following that tool around every day.”

“I would rather follow him around than come home,” I said. Jason sighed and the line grew silent. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was hurting too. “Jase, I’m sorry. I know you’re not over the accident either. It’s just, I still see it as if it was yesterday. Not to mention the whole Blake fiasco. I mean, who the hell cheats on their grieving partner?”

“I know, and if you would’ve let me, I’d have kicked his ass for it. But we have to live with the choices we make.”

Ready to get off the phone, I hastily added, “That we do. Okay, well, I’m trying to drive. I’ll see you when I get into town.”

Sensing my hesitation, he didn’t push, but he also wasn’t about to let me get off the phone either. “Okay. But hey listen, I told the guys we were going to kick their asses in pool when you got back. I need my partner in crime.”

I guess with some of the others taking over shifts, I’d actually have the time to live a normal life. “Sounds good, Jase. It might be just what I need.”

As long as Blake wasn’t anywhere near me, I’d be fine. I’d ignored his calls for the past four months, but once I got back to Charlotte there would be no escaping him. I only hoped I could be around him and not want to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat.

“B, you still there?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about how complicated it was going to be to be around Blake. My temper gets the best of me sometimes.”

He chuckled. “That’s for damn sure. And I wouldn’t worry too much about Blake. I think he’s sorry for what he did. We all made it hard on him after you left.”

“Good. He deserved it.” It actually made me feel better, knowing the guys were in my corner. “I’ll deal with him when I get back. Do you have the keys to the condo?”

“Yep, I’m on my way there. It’s the very top floor, second door on the right. See ya there.”

After we hung up, I checked Camden’s whereabouts on my phone and continued on my way. Hopefully, the condo had a stock pile of caffeine because I knew once I got to Charlotte, Camden wasn’t going to be a sitting duck. I followed him around like a stalker for the past four months, so it was easy to learn his habits. Downtown was an exciting place to be, much more exciting than the nightlife at Oak Island. The local bars and nightlife would surely appeal to him. I probably knew him better than he knew himself.





By the time I got to the condo, I was excited about getting to see my brother. He was the only family I had left other than our parents who moved to Charleston, South Carolina, after retiring. I’d barely spoken to them after my sister died.

Sometimes I wondered if they’d be happier if it was me who perished in the accident instead of Braylen. She was their favorite, their shining star. I was just an undercover detective who liked to fight and get her hands dirty. Braylen was Miss North Carolina, on her way to competing for the next Miss America. She was beautiful, inside and out, and wanted to change the world . . . but now she was dead. All of her hopes and dreams gone in an instant. Hopefully, one of these days her death wouldn’t be so hard on my soul. I didn’t count on it though.