Welcome to the Family

43

CAMERON'S POV

We were back at the house, reeling from the events at the warehouse. Charlotte had taken the bullet lodged in Jaime's shoulder, stitching and bandaging his wound before looking over Evie.

We hadn't meant to burn the entire place to the ground or you know, commit mass murder, but we did what we had to do in order to survive. It became a kill or be killed situation.

Maisie and Ashton were asleep on the bed, Noel on the chair, all of them snoring. I closed the door, keeping it open an inch, before turning - and almost colliding with Sebastian.

He smiled, reaching for my hand, jerking his chin towards the bedroom. "Kids alright?"

I scoffed. "The kids are definitely not alright,"
I whispered, "but they're sound asleep."

"You put sleeping pills in their drinks. They'll be out all day," he said, raising an eyebrow. All day. We'd been up all night, robbing a jewelry shop, killing Madeline, and then rescuing Evie. I checked my watch, 11:30 a.m. It felt like days had passed.

"I'm a horrible person ... in my defence though, Maisie asked for one - yeah, a surprise for me too, I know - and Ashton wouldn't have slept otherwise. He's anxious," I said and Sebastian squeezed my hand. "He'd stay up to watch over them both."

"I know. Evie fell asleep awhile ago, Isobel won't leave her side," he said, his eyes flashing with concern. Things were chaotic right now, everyone on edge. Isobel eased up on her anger once we found Evie. "Jaime said to get a few hours rest, then we'll deal with Colin."

"I'm gonna go, to make sure Jaime doesn't ... lose control," I said, "can you stay with Maisie and Ashton?"

"Yeah. I'll make them pack  ... uh, back at the fire, Maisie ..." he trailed off and I nodded. Something happened inside the fire with Maisie.

"We need to keep a closer eye on her. I think she had a flashback, something triggered it ... she, she could've -" I blinked and shook my head, not able to say the words aloud.

"I agree. Look, right now, all we can do is be there for her. She'll talk when she wants to." If, I wanted to correct him, if she wants to. Sebastian studied me, his eyes hardening. "Someday, maybe not today or tomorrow and probably not next week either, but Maisie will need you. She'll need someone to listen, someone that will help her and be there, no matter what."

"I'm scared," I whispered, taking a deep breathe. "What if she runs? What if someone else threatens her? People know about the price tag on her head. Others will come for her."

"We've made it clear we won't let anyone touch her or anyone else in our family," he said, raising his hand to kiss my hand, trying to comfort me. "She won't run."

"What if someone threatens Ashton? What if someone takes him like those bastards took Evie? You think she won't give in to them to save him?" I asked, searching his face. "They're twins, Sebastian. They'll do anything for each other. Maisie won't let anyone hurt Ashton."

"Cameron, stop," my boyfriend hissed, his fingers moving to wrap around my wrist. "They will protect each other, yeah, but we'll be there to protect them, okay?"

"Yes, of course," I said, "but what if-"

"Enough, Cameron. Thinking about what could happen won't help you or anyone else. You have to focus on the things you can control, in the moment."

I closed my eyes, nodding. "Okay, okay."

"We should sleep too," he said, pulling me down the hall and into to our bedroom. I tore off my shirt and pants, finding a pair of sweatpants. "It's gonna be a long few days."