Protect Her

Chapter Fifteen

Derek

As elated as I was when I went to bed last night, I woke up with a terrible feeling in my chest. Something felt off and when I looked at my phone, I realized why.

Robby had been released. They claimed there wasn't enough evidence to make the charges stick.

From the beginning, I knew this was a possibility. The corruption in the police department, especially with high-profile figures, was disgusting. A lot of units were just as bad as any organized crime group I'd come across, and this was just another example of that. I had backup plans, of course, but this was more irritating than I expected. I watched the peace wash over Camryn when she knew he was in custody, and I couldn't bear to break the news to her that he no longer was. We were safe here, but in her mind, every second he was still on the streets, he was a threat.

I took a quick shower and then called Will, but he didn't answer. I tried two more times but still nothing. With me being gone, I knew he was busy, and this wasn't the only thing we had happening right now. Our stolen money was still MIA, and he was doing good best to track it, and whoever was responsible, down. Eventually, I would have to go home to deal with that, and I had to be sure Riley and Cam would be okay when that happened.

When I got out into the kitchen, I could see the two of them sitting on the balcony watching the ocean. I opened the door to join them, and Cam glanced back. One look into her eyes and I was immediately transported back to last night.

Camryn was far from the first woman I'd been attracted to, and I had plenty of sex over the years, but I had experienced nothing as pure and passionate as that one simple kiss. That type of thing was usually just for physical pleasure for me, but last night was unexpectedly emotional, and that scared me a little. I was getting attached to both Camryn and Riley, and that was a difficult position to be in, no matter how slow we were taking things.

"Good morning!" Riley grinned as soon as she saw me. "We made waffles!"

"Wow! How lucky am I?" I laughed, leaning against the railing.

"Verrrry lucky." Riley beamed. "Mommy even put chocolate chips in there!"

I widened my eyes. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Riley giggled and jumped out of the chair, racing inside.

"It's a good thing you got up. You would've thought I was torturing her by making her wait." Cam smirked.

"Well, you dangled chocolate chip waffles in front of the girl. I don't blame her." Careful that Riley was distracted, I lifted Cam's chin and gave her a gently kiss. "Is that still okay?"

"Still very okay." She looked up at me through her dark lashes, eyes dancing with a calm I'd never seen in her.

"Just making sure." I took her hand, following Riley inside, and Camryn served both of us pancakes. They were heavenly. Better than any I'd ever had before, which was saying quite a bit. Breakfast food was my favorite, and I tried it everywhere I went.

"So, can we go find some more whales again today? Mommy and I found this cool website that shows you where all the whales swim and it even gives them all names! I want to find Charzard. He's named after a Pokemon."

I shifted my weight a little. "Actually, I was thinking we could hang out at the apartment today. Maybe make some popcorn and watch movies? I can make a mean pillow fort." I offered, not wanting to let on that anything was off.

Cam noticed right away, though, and her expression soured.

"Riley, why don't you go change into your clothes and I'll be in to brush your hair in a few minutes?"