Into You

Chapter 24

"Simon, she's over there by the car."

She stood up and looked at the Range Rover. Stepping out of the passenger side door was Camila fucking Cabello and appearing from around the front of the car, was Simon, the employee that she had, not hours before, entrusted the safety of the Cabellos in the mansion.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" she said as calmly as she could, holding the boiling anger she was feeling in check. "Simon, you're supposed to be in the mansion. What were you thinking?"

Simon went to speak but was cut across immediately by Camila.

"Simon is here making sure I'm safe, Lauren and I'm here because I needed to know that you're safe. Don't blame him for following my orders"

"Miss Cabello, my safety is absolutely nothing compared to yours, what were you thinking putting yourself in danger like this?"

Her eyes flashed dangerously and her hand tightened on the door handle.

"I was thinking," she said her voice low and controlled, "that when someone I think is getting to be close to being a friend has been very upset and then decides to take off on her own and won't talk about it, then a friend would go after her and make sure she's ok."

Her words cut through Lauren's anger, but not through her worry.

"A friend would have done as she promised, Miss Cabello and stayed out of the way and safe, so her friend could deal with her personal business. A friend wouldn't have resorted to spying on someone. I guess it's just as well I'm simply an employee, and such proprieties as respect and privacy don't matter."

She watched her face blanch as the shot hit home and with a grim satisfaction, she turned on Simon.

"As for you," she started as calmly as she could.

"I ordered Simon to follow you, Lauren," Camila said quickly, presumably expecting the worst. She stared at him as he calmly met her gaze.

"That's not strictly true, Miss Jauregui," he said, his deep bass voice resonating as it carried across to her. "Miss Cabello was about to leave to follow you when I tried to stop her. I made the decision that I should travel with her rather than allow her to drive alone. It was my decision alone to accompany her and I only did so when I had ensured that Mrs. Cabello was safe at the house,"

She stared across at him, knowing that he'd done the right thing.

"Fine, can you drive that car?" she asked him, receiving a nod in reply. "It's my car, ma'am, I drove Miss Cabello here."

"Good, get back in it and head back,"

He nodded and walked over to the car, climbing in and driving it away. She walked over to the passenger side back door and gestured for Camila to get in.

"Lauren...."

"Not now, Miss Cabello, now is not the time. Please get back into the car so we can go back, pick up my things and I'll take you back to the city."

Camila looked at her sadly before climbing up into the back seat, struggling a little with her plaster cast as she attempted to buckle herself in. When she sat back and looked across at her, she carefully closed the door, slammed the passenger door shut and walked around and climbed in.

They drove in silence along the roads she recognized all too well. She saw parks that she'd played in and paths she had run down, the place was filled with happy memories, and far too many sad ones as well.

Camila must have noticed that they weren't heading back because she heard her clear her throat from the back seat.

"Lauren, I think it's the wrong way,"