Protect Her

Chapter Seven

Derek

One thing was certainly clear. Camryn did not know what she was getting herself into when she walked into my office today. I could tell she'd put little thought into the logistics of how we were going to make her disappear, and now that I was laying it all out in front of her, she was uneasy.

"I'm sorry, you want me to what?" The whiskey I gave her made her a little more brazen, and I had to admit, I appreciated her candidness. I was used to people tiptoeing around me, especially women, but Camryn wasn't holding much back. She was desperate, with nothing to lose at this point, and it was refreshing.

"I want you to let Cole take some blood from you so I can stage a crime scene and frame Robby for your kidnapping and potential murder." I said flatly.

"You never said anything about framing him for murder." She said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Camryn, you said that you were going to trust me, right? Well, this is one of those times. I told you before that I have to do things differently because of who your family is. We're going to make it look like an abduction, like you're dead. Thats the only way this is going to work."

"So you want to frame my husband for my fake murder?" She said flatly. "Robby is a cop, Derek. No one is going to believe that."

"We don't have to frame him for anything. He commits a crime every single time he lays his hands on you, and if we don't do something soon, it won't be a fake murder—it will be a real one." I said, trying not to sound as harsh as I felt. I wanted Robby to hang for what he was doing. He was the very worst kind of criminal in my book, and she was blinded to that right now.

Part of me understood where she was coming from. I'd dealt with countless battered wives before who still felt something inside for their abusers. They still saw the men they fell in love with, the potential, the good things that could be if only they got their act together. More often than not, these women didn't want to hurt their husbands, no matter the shit they had put up with.

I could see she was coming around, but wasn't entirely convinced, so I laid it on thick to make her understand. "And besides, the other night he threatened to kill both you and Riley before he'd let you leave. If you just go away like you're wanting, he'll never stop searching for you."

Honestly, Camryn's safety was my top priority, but it wasn't my only reason for doing this. I myself had been fooled by Robby Hastings, and it made this case more personal than most.

I wanted Robby to pay with every last breath he had on this earth, and if he went down for her murder, nothing would make me happier than knowing he'd spend the rest of his life in prison as someone's little bitch. I had to stay distant so that no one suspected anything, but what I wouldn't give to get my own hands on that worthless bastard and make him feel just as scared and broken as he'd made Camryn feel so many times.

Camryn sucked in a sharp breath. "You're right. I'll do whatever I have to do to make this legit."

"Okay." I nodded. "Cole will take as much blood as he can now, and then again in a few days, once it regenerates. We have a guy who can clone it, so we have enough to indicate death."

"What about Riley? Will you need her blood, too?" A concerned expression blanketed her face.

"We'll take a small sample, but nothing more than a few finger pricks. Just enough to give us a DNA profile my guy can replicate." I assured her.

She nodded in agreement.

"All you need to do is get your car to the east side of Founder's Park. My men will pick you up there and will take care of the rest. You'll stay in the apartment upstairs for a few days until things settle down enough that I can move you to a safe house outside of the state. You may have to move around for a few months, but your first place will most likely be Vancouver."