Page 27

My heart hammered hard as she disappeared into the bathroom.

The police returned our phones to us, so I switched mine on. Within seconds, several texts and a couple of missed calls came in from Quinn. The sound of the shower brought my head up to look at the bathroom door. I wanted to be in there with her, comforting her. If I’d done things right between us, I would be. I’d be holding her right now.

I called her brother as I settled—my limbs heavy with mental and emotional weariness—with my back against the headboard of the bed nearest the door.

“Forde.” Quinn answered after the second ring. “Why haven’t you been picking up? Caoimhe said you were supposed to get the last ferry over.”

I let out a shaky exhale. “Aye, I didn’t make it back.”

“Are you all right? Just be honest … Cameron hasn’t answered her phone since yesterday and she’s not at her house. Mum said she’s supposed to be in Aberdeen. Is she there with you?”

“Aye. But it’s not what you think. Quinn …” My voice broke. “Fuck, I don’t even know how to say this, and we were told not to tell anyone just yet …”

“Is Cammie okay?”

The sound of quiet sobbing from inside the bathroom made my eyes sting. Somehow … somehow, I relayed everything to Quinn.

“You can’t say anything to anyone just yet,” I repeated when he didn’t speak.

“Where’s my sister?” Quinn demanded, his concern evident in the bite of his words. “Where’s Cammie? I want to talk to her.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “We’re in a hotel room. Right now, she’s crying in the shower.”

“Fuck.” Quinn exhaled the word. “How is this real? How is this possible? I hired that guy. There’s no way he … there’s no way that guy … I just …”

I let him ramble on a bit because I understood.

It was like a nightmare. This kind of thing happened to other people.

“Are they sure it’s him?” Quinn finally asked.

“No. But … I was there. I saw the evidence. And Cameron has more evidence from their text conversations that link him to the murders.”

“I can’t believe she was dealing with this on her own.”

“Aye.” I stared at the bathroom door. Her crying had quieted. That was Cameron’s problem. She’d gotten so good at projecting this sense of independent confidence, this I don’t need anyone attitude, she’d stopped letting people really in. I didn’t blame her for shutting me out, but she couldn’t seem to even let in the people closest to her. To let them see that she was vulnerable. That she had problems and worries and anxieties. That she couldn’t do everything alone.

How was I supposed to be there for her if she wouldn’t let me?

“Whatever bullshit happened between you two, I need you to put it aside and be there for her.”

Instantly angry, I snapped, “I’d be a right fucking bastard if I didn’t.”

Quinn sucked in a breath at my harsh tone. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. I just … I wish I were there.”

“Well, I’m here and I’ve got her,” I assured him with more confidence than I felt. “We’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Take care of yourself too.”

“I will.”

We hung up as the shower stopped running. I kicked off my boots, waiting tensely for Cameron to appear. She stepped out a few minutes later, steam billowing from the small room. She’d tied her hair up on top of her head to stop it getting wet, but I could see patches of it hadn’t escaped the water. Her eyes were red from crying.

I swung my legs off the bed. “I’m going to shower.”

Cameron’s lips parted as if to say something, but she didn’t speak. Still, I caught the flash of fear in her expression. I took the small chair in the corner of the room and braced it against the hotel room door.

“I’ll keep the bathroom door slightly open,” I told her. “Shout if you need me.”