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Chapter 27: Seis de Mayo l

-- SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2006, SENIOR YEAR --

12:39 AM

"You're serious?"

"Deadly serious," Amber replied gravely. "The clock is ticking and the first opportunity is tomorrow night."

"And that's the best idea you've got?"

"It's the best I can come up with right now. If you have any better ideas, I'm all ears."

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Despite pissing out as much as I could at the Tri-Delt House, I still had a LOT of alcohol running through my bloodstream. My head was thick and whenever I moved my head it took a half-second for the world to focus, not exactly a mental state conducive to strategic inspiration. "No, I can't think of anything better right now. Not while still drunk, and not after midnight. Maybe in the morning, and if I do, I'll let you know first thing."

"But you'll do it?"

I took another deep breath and weighed the situation. As dire as Amber had made Cameron's situation out to be, I really didn't see much risk to myself. I'd been to Carter's place multiple times already without any sense of personal danger, I had a ready-made reason for going if Brooke and DJ were there, and I felt confident in my ability to figure out how to find her. Bottom line: Amber couldn't go herself, Cameron needed someone like me, and even though I didn't know her very well, she obviously meant a great deal to Amber. I'd meant it when I told Amber I would do anything she needed, and she'd made it clear that she needed this. So closing my eyes, I took another deep breath and replied, "Yeah, I'll do it."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I have an idea. But if this works then you are seriously gonna owe me."

"Anything. Anytime. You know it." And from the tone in Amber's voice, she really meant it.

"Okay. Well, I'd better call my girls."

"I know you have to, but remember the less people who know the--"

"The better it'll be for everyone involved," I finished. "I know."

"Thank you, Ben. I already love you, but I'll love you even more for this."

I smiled. "I know. Love you, too."

"See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and tapped it against my knee a couple of times. I was just sitting on the porch steps outside my own front door, but I felt a shiver run down my spine from more than the night chill in the air. After a moment's thought, I held down Adrienne's speed dial and put the handset to my ear to listen to it ring several times before going to her voicemail.

Of course.

Sighing, I hung up and re-dialed. Apparently the system hadn't reset yet because the call went straight to voicemail without ringing. Hanging up again, I waited a full thirty seconds before initiating a third call, but again after several rings I was put through to her voicemail.

Already fucked every which way in every hole by yours truly AND three gorgeous Tri-Delts, my supermodel Energizer bunny was probably still going at it. I could only hope she'd eventually check her phone before passing out.

"Hey, it's me," I said into her voicemail. "I know you planned on crashing at the Chapter House, but I need you to come home tonight. I'm sorry but it's really important and I need to talk to you. Call me when you get this."

I hung up and started tapping out a text message as well: CODE BLUE. CALL ME ASAP.

After sending the text, I called Peyton as well, but she wasn't picking up either. I left her a voicemail too and took a deep breath, hoping that Adrienne would get ONE of my messages and call me back. But after nearly two minutes of waiting, I decided to get up off my ass and go inside the house.

Only then did I remember WHY I'd stayed out on the porch: Sasha was in there with Rod.

I trusted Sasha. I'd been with her near 24/7 for too long to worry about her cheating on me at any point in the recent past. For one thing, I knew a freshly-fucked pussy when I saw one and I'd never encountered hers in such a state unless I'd done the fucking. And I didn't seriously think she'd start tonight. True, I didn't know WHY Rod had come to the house, but I honestly wasn't worried about them. Whatever Sasha had going on with her ex-boyfriend was between the two of them, and I didn't want to interrupt. But I wasn't standing outside in the cold any longer.

Fitting my key to the lock, I opened the door and went inside. Poking my head into the living room, I waved and greeted, "Hey, Sasha. Hey, Rod, long time no see."

"Ben!" Sasha exclaimed in surprise. "Back from the party already?"

"Already?" I shrugged. "It IS after midnight."

"Time flies. Adrienne? Andie?"

I shook my head. "They're both still there. Misa gave me a ride home."

"Oh. Uh, Rod and I were just talking, and, uh..."

"No worries." I held my hands up. "Do your thing. I'm just gonna go upstairs and get cleaned up alright? Had way too much to drink tonight and lying down sounds really, really good right now."

"Okay. I'll be up in a bit."

I smiled and head-nodded. "See you later, Rod."

Perplexed, the guy just sort of stared dumbly at me. But after a second's pause he managed to burp out, "Uh, bye."

I waved again and headed for the stairs.

Lying down sounded good, but a shower sounded BETTER.

1:06 AM

My bedroom was empty when I emerged from the bathroom, and I dressed in my pajamas before sitting down on an armchair, pondering my next move. Amber had given me a lot to think about, and I desperately wanted to talk things over with someone, but my options for someone to talk to were really limited right now.

Adrienne? Not answering her phone.

Sasha? Downstairs with her ex-boyfriend.

Andie? Back at the Tri-Delt house, and besides, our relationship had always been about sex and having fun and never really about the serious stuff like this. While our physical intimacy couldn't become any closer than it already had, our emotional intimacy had always been lacking, and that more than anything exemplified the limitations of our relationship.

In times like this, I often talked to my sisters, but Brandi was off living her own life and as for Brooke, well she unfortunately fell into the category of "the less people who know the better".

But just when I started to consider taking the motorcycle back to the Tri-Delt house and fetching Adrienne, even if I had to drive while intoxicated, a knock sounded at my open door.

I looked up and saw Sasha standing there, wearing her pajamas but with her makeup and hair still done from the party. "Hey, you," I greeted before adding with raised eyebrows, "Rod?"

Sasha blushed and pursed her lips. "He left."

I nodded and raised my eyebrows questioningly again.

Sasha's blush deepened, and she nervously pulled a lock of hair behind her right ear.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I said gently.

"No, no. It's nothing. Just wasn't sure how to start." She walked into the room and dropped down onto the armchair in front of me. "Rod called me a couple of hours ago while I was still at the party asking to talk. I told him I was out but he said he'd wait all night if he had to, so I came home early and asked him to meet me here. I sorta figured you'd be at the Tri-Delt house a while longer tonight."

I shrugged. "Sorry if I interrupted."

"Don't be. It was fine. We were just about done anyway."

"So what did he want to talk about?"

Sasha took a deep breath, fidgeting with her fingers for a moment before explaining, "Rod's met someone. Well, he met her a while ago, but he only found out tonight that there's mutual interest and he ... ah..."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "He wanted to ask your permission or something?"

Sasha gave me a tight smile. "Not exactly. He needed closure, I guess. He wanted to clear the air and make sure he and I were ... well that we were really done-done before he started something new. From the way he talked, I gathered that he'd been in love with me for so long – really, the majority of his adolescent life – that he couldn't move on to the future without being dead sure that I was in his past."

I blinked, thinking about how hung up on Dawn I'd been for ... well ... all YEAR really. Truth be told, one of the biggest reasons why even now I still couldn't start a seriously-committed relationship with anyone was because of the still-lingering pain from Dawn breaking up with me. "I can relate," I stated somberly.

Sasha eyebrows popped and she nodded quietly.

"So what did you tell him?" I asked.

Sasha took a deep breath and grimaced. "I told him ... well at first I tried to soft-pedal it, to not be so ... blunt about my feelings, or lack thereof. But he got a little indignant and eventually it all came out that I never really loved him and always felt obliged to be with him because of his family taking me in. Thing is, he knew all that anyway; he just needed to hear me say it out loud. To kinda drive that last nail into the coffin of our old relationship. Only then could he really move on."

I briefly thought of my own "last nail", that fateful New Year's Eve phone call where I'd told Dawn to go the fuck away. She had done so, not contacting me ever since, not even on my birthday, and I hadn't done anything to stay in touch with her, either. Oh, I knew that our lives would intersect again someday, but I still felt like I could point to that moment and say, 'THAT was when our old relationship was done and buried.'

"So anyway," Sasha continued, flicking her eyes to mine after staring a thousand yards into the distance for a little while, "we talked a bit more about our old relationship and then we sort of segued into talking about his family. He said they all miss me, especially his little brother Kit. And if there's one good thing about our conversation, it's that I feel like they don't blame me for breaking up with him. I always felt like I'd never be able to face them again, but now I think it wouldn't be so bad if I went back there and visited. For better or worse, they're the closest thing I have to family – even more than you and the girls – and it's reassuring to believe I haven't completely lost them."

I nodded. "That's great. And how about this new girl? Did Rod tell you about her? Do you know her?"

Sasha shook her head. "Heard of her, but I didn't really know her. She's only a Junior. Friend of a friend. But she's cute, and he got this dreamy look in his eyes when he talked about her. Rod lined up a job in San Ramon, so he won't be too far away. I hope they work out."

"Cool. So your ex-boyfriend has met someone. Good for him," I said a little too cheerfully.

Sasha blinked and gave me a coy smile. "Do I detect a note of jealousy in there?"

Now it was my turn to blush as I averted my eyes. Wincing in embarrassment for a moment, I replied carefully, "Let's just say that Rod moving on would be one less complication I might have to deal with down the road."

"Worried I might still have feelings and gone back to him?"

I snorted. "More worried he'd want to kick my ass for being with you."

Sasha smiled. "At first he wanted to, once he realized my relationship with you was becoming more than that of project teammates. Actually, he could tell I had feelings for you even before I did."

"And when was that exactly?" I teased with a smugly arched eyebrow.

"Well before YOU figured it out," she teased right back.

I raised my hands defensively. "I can be dense sometimes. I get it, I get it."

Sasha looked down at her fingers and smiled mysteriously. "He asked if I was your girlfriend and I told him honestly that I wasn't, but that we were more than friends. He asked if we were exclusive, and I admitted that we weren't. Rod didn't like that. He scowled, and I think for a little bit he thought about beating you up again."

"'Thought', past tense? Or currently 'thinks', present tense?"

Sasha giggled. "Past, I think. He asked if I was in love with you, and if I'd told you I was, and whether or not you loved me back. I told him that all three of those things were between you and me, but I assured him that I was comfortable with the status of our relationship and that we were working through things together."

"Just 'comfortable'?" I teased with a smile. "I thought we'd gotten past 'comfortable' and were moving forward beyond that."

Sasha hesitated for just a second, her eyes unfocused as if she were still lost in thought about something. But she quickly turned to me and put on a smile. "Right, right. We are, of course. Anyway, I had to assure him you weren't taking advantage of me and that the wild rumors swirling around about you were greatly exaggerated. I think in the end he accepted that. Really, I think I'll always have a piece of his heart, as his first true love, and even though things didn't work out between us, he'll always want what's best for me."

Of course I started thinking it, silently and to myself. But Sasha went ahead and added aloud, "Kind of like you and Dawn, I guess."

I bit my lip and took a deep breath, holding back the moisture that threatened to invade my eyeballs. "Yeah," I replied thickly.

"Anyway, that was that," Sasha finished. "I've moved on. Rod's moving on. And I think we both got a feeling of closure out of it."

Pushing aside my own thoughts of my lost first love and focusing on Sasha, I smiled and opened up my arms invitingly. She grinned and quickly got out of her chair, dropping into my lap and laying her head down on my shoulder while I pecked her forehead and rubbed her arm.

But our embrace only lasted a few seconds before Sasha squirmed and complained, "Ugh. I need to go take a shower. It's been a long day and I feel all grimey."

I chuckled and released her while she stood up. "Can I watch?"

"You're still in the mood?" Sasha gave me a sly grin and raised the hem of her pajamas up to the underside of her bra-clad breasts. "I'd have thought the Tri-Delts would have fully drained you before letting you out of that house."

I sighed and raised my eyebrows. "They did, although if you're feeling unsatisfied tonight, well I'm sure I could manage for you."

"Take my breath away why don't you?" Sasha deadpanned with a smirk. "It's alright. Unlike some people, I'm fully capable of going a day or two without an orgasm."

"It's not that I'm not interested; it's something else. Amber called me tonight and she's asked me for a pretty special favor. It doesn't involve you or anything, but you deserve to know about it. And to be honest, I would love to have someone smart and less drunk than me think it over."

Sasha frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "A favor? What did she ask you to do?"

// Where'd you go? I miss you so. Seems like it's been forever, that you've been gone...

I blinked and looked over at my dresser drawer where my cell phone was. "It's Adrienne," I announced as I got up and quickly walked over. "I need to talk about this with her, too, and I left her a couple of messages asking her to come home right away."

"Um, okay..." Sasha said. "Why don't I go take a shower, and then all three of us can talk when she gets home. Sound good?"

I nodded my agreement and answered the phone.

2:13 AM

"Hold up, hold up." Sasha raised a hand for me to stop talking for a moment, grimacing as she tried to work what I'd just said around in her head. "Isn't this like... dangerous?"

I shrugged. "It could be, I guess. But apparently Cameron's in a desperate situation. I don't think Amber would be asking for me to get involved if she could avoid it."

Sasha grimaced. "But you could like... die or something."

I shook my head. "I honestly don't think it would come to that. The absolute LAST thing Carter would want would be any police scrutiny on his house."

"You really going to risk your life on the notion that Carter might not want police scrutiny? And there are lots of bad things he could do short of killing you."

"I think you've been watching too many movies. Seriously, let's not blow this out of proportion. I've been to the place three times now already with no fear for my safety. Plus, with Amber's plan, there shouldn't be any tangible thing connecting me to Cameron."

Sasha leveled me with a look. "Except that the plan calls for her to walk out the door with you, and everyone will know it. Especially since Amber told you he's got security cameras on the perimeter."

"Not out the door. She'll do that on her own," I insisted. "Amber said that Cameron insists there aren't any cameras inside the house; too risky for exposure if that footage got into the wrong hands. Not even closed-circuit stuff; Carter is paranoid about people spying on him. Really, all I have to do is talk to Cameron, to deliver the message that Amber is waiting outside with a car. As long as we separate before she gets to the front door, nobody will be able to connect her to me."

"Ugh, okay, rewind," Adrienne complained, pinching the bridge of her nose and wincing in pain. "This is all a little too much for me to process right now."

"Too much to process after having too much to drink, I think," I commented.

"It's Cinco de Mayo," Adrienne growled as she paced around a bit before dropping onto the armchair across from me and smoothing her china poblana skirt over her legs. "I drank a fifth of tequila all on my own and I wasn't expecting to need to think this hard, especially after 2AM."

"I'm sorry. I wish it could be helped."

"So let me make sure I have this all straight," Adrienne continued. "This Carter guy that we met like two years ago seduced MY ex-best friend Elyse into crystal meth addiction and abused her for years before kicking her skeletal butt to the curb to the point where she called ME for help. Helping this depraved asshole all that time was his equally messed-up stepsister, Cameron, and we're supposed to rescue the bitch?"

Sasha scowled and explained, "According to Elyse, Cameron wasn't all that bad. Carter's got her under his thumb somehow, but she did a lot to help Elyse and the other girls. If Ben's friend Amber says she needs a rescue, well ... Look, I've never met this Carter guy, but if he's even half as evil as Elyse made him out to be, then I can totally believe that Cameron is in real danger."

Adrienne scoffed, "But she's his stepsister. Would he really hurt her? And did you even know they were related before?"

That last part she directed to me, and I shook my head. "No, I didn't. Amber said she didn't know either for the longest time – apparently they don't advertise that part of the relationship."

"Well if they're fucking, I can understand why," Adrienne sighed, before raising her eyebrows at me and darting a sideways glance at Sasha.

But Sasha was looking away and shrugged. "Stepsister or not, if Cameron is in danger..."

Adrienne grimaced. "But do we KNOW she's in real danger? All Amber got was what, a text message? C'mon, Tiger. You should know better than to put all your faith in a text."

I nodded tightly. "I know, and there's wiggle room in the plan to account for the possibility that nothing's going on. Presuming I find Cameron, I'll be asking her myself if she wants to get out of there, and if she doesn't, I simply walk away. But Amber said that the text pretty much read 'Get me out of here, please!' Now that in and of itself could be interpreted to varying degrees of urgency. But apparently she and Cameron had been in semi-regular contact for a while, with a pattern of the situation worsening. But Cameron has been completely out of contact for nearly two weeks, save for this one text message that got through, and there's been no other contact since. We have no idea if Cameron is safe or not. And if Amber believes Cameron needs a rescue tomorrow, I'm inclined to believe her."

"Then why doesn't she do the rescue?"

"She is. She'll be outside with the car. But Amber can't go back inside the mansion; she's been out of the scene for a long while and it would be too suspicious for her to suddenly return. Plus, whoever is in control of Cameron's phone must have seen the flurry of missed calls and worried texts Amber's been sending. She's on their radar."

"But you, on the other hand, have visited a few times recently," Adrienne said in understanding. "You could show up and nobody would be the wiser."

"Especially if the froshlings are there. I've made it clear that I'm looking out for them."

"Then I'm coming too."

My eyebrows popped. "Wait, what?"

"You really think you're going there alone?"

"No, no way. I HAVE to go, but there's no reason to risk anybody else getting hurt."

Sasha eyed me coldly. "Thought you said there WASN'T any real chance of getting hurt."

"There isn't. It's just..."

"C'mon, Tiger," Adrienne insisted. "Besides, what if the froshlings aren't there? You'd need some other excuse for showing up, and what better excuse than bringing a special guest? Like ... say ... a certain famous Sports Illustrated model?"

I frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be keeping a low profile? AWAY from parties like this?"

"My presence would deflect attention from you being there. You haven't shown up to watch over the froshlings every time, so your sudden arrival could raise alarm bells. But the very reason I'm supposed to be keeping a low profile is because I'm a visible party girl in the media. I have a reputation. And besides, you say Carter's this big voyeur. I suppose the chance to watch somebody famous like me get fucked would be QUITE the carrot."

I held up my hands. "Whoa, whoa. Now I might agree that your presence would give me an excuse to be there, but I am NOT letting you have sex in Carter's Showroom."

"Why not?" Adrienne raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Sasha piped up. "You DID say Amber claimed the most surefire way to get you downstairs was to be in Carter's Showroom."

"She did, and I agree," I replied with a sigh. "I have to get downstairs somehow, but I honestly thought I'd volunteer to do it with someone else. The two times I've been back Carter has asked me to do it, and according to Amber, Carter has told Cameron he really wants to see me perform again, even without bringing Adrienne along. That's why Amber came to me in the first place; Cameron told her I'd shown up there again and that Carter still had an interest in me."

"You'd do that? Use some random slut for a sick pervert's twisted pleasure as a means to an end?" Sasha winced.

I frowned. "It sounds really bad, I know. But really, it's nothing I haven't done before, albeit under very different circumstances."

Adrienne flicked her eyes over to Sasha. "Would YOU be okay with that? Ben having sex with some random crystal meth skank? I realize that you're technically not Ben's girlfriend, but let's face it: that's only a technicality."

Sasha made a face but shook her head. "Well I've never asked him for fidelity, if that's what you're getting at."

"No, she's right," I said with a tight nod. "As much as I want to do this as a favor for my ex-girlfriend, I barely know Cameron. And if the fidelity aspect of this plan bothers you, I can find another way."

"No, no..." Sasha shook her head. "I saw what happened to Elyse. I don't know Cameron from Jane Doe, but no girl deserves that. If you believe she honestly needs to get the hell out of there, I'm not going to balk at you porking a random slut or two to do it."

Adrienne grinned. "You've got a keeper there, Tiger."

I broke out a genuine smile. "I know it."

"Besides, you won't have to bang any random crystal meth skanks if it's me with you," she added.

"Back to this again," I sighed. "I still don't like the idea of you even coming with me. I DEFINITELY don't want to put you in a position like that."

Adrienne grinned. "A position like what? Exposing my body for a creepy guy on the other side of a one-way mirror so he can jack off while watching me? Tiger, that's really not so different from modeling, and now that I've got two sex tapes out there I'm not exactly shy about it. If anything, my reputation makes it MORE believable."

"I still can't believe you're trying to talk me INTO putting you on display for a sicko pervert."

"You say you gotta do this. I'm doing what I can to help. If performing in his Showroom does the trick, then why not me?"

"Well you never know how far I might get if I just wander around acting like I belong. And hey, Carter seems to like me, so I could always just ask him."

"Yeah, right," Sasha replied with her eyelids half-closed and a doubtful look on her face.

"Getting you a gig on stage ... well on BED ... is like the crux of your whole plan to get downstairs, right? And having ME in there would make the suggestion irresistable, wouldn't it?" Adrienne waggled her eyebrows.

I sighed. "Probably yes. Even so, I've kinda told him I don't do one-on-ones. Habit, really. Last time Carter set me up with a threesome, so I'm betting he'd throw in some crystal meth skank anyway."

Sasha took a deep breath and volunteered, "Then I'll do it."

I blinked before popping my eyes wide open. "Wait, WHAT?"

"I'd do it," she repeated. "For you."

I shook my head. "No. NO. Absolutely not. I don't want you going anywhere NEAR that place."

"What? You're letting Adrienne go. And don't tell me it's because of the whole 'putting my body on display for sicko perverts' thing, or did you forget what I do for a living?"

"She's a blonde. Carter's got a thing for gorgeous brunettes."

"All the more enticing to put me in the Showroom with you."

"NO! I am NOT putting you in the line of fire!"

"But Ben--"

"NO. And that's final." I wiped my face for a moment and took a deep breath. "That's the part that freaks me out the most, and makes me want NEITHER of you to participate. If I go down there alone, I don't have to worry about being separated from you. The LAST thing I want is to find out I got back upstairs with Cameron only to find that one of YOU is still stuck downstairs unable to get away. Adrienne, you've been around this kind of scene before, and you already know how to handle this. Plus, you're famous and for anything to happen to you would invite scrutiny which, again, Carter doesn't want. But you, Sasha ... Unfortunately, you're just another anonymous brunette who could disappear like Elyse. I won't have that happen."

Sasha blanched and stared at the floor, a hollow look in her eyes. I could only imagine that she was envisioning herself in Elyse's place.

"This whole idea is crazy. You know that, right?" Adrienne muttered while rubbing the bridge of her nose again.

"It's not that bad. I get in, I get downstairs, I tell Cameron that her escape vehicle is waiting outside, and she simply has to make a run for it. Amber will take it from there."

Sasha sat up straight. "Wait, if she can run outside of the house, why doesn't she just go to the neighbors and call 911?"

"Amber says it's too far. The house is isolated. Carter's goons would catch her."

Sasha frowned. "Then steal the keys to a car and drive out herself!"

"If she could have, she would have. Look, I'm not saying there isn't a better way of doing this. If anything, Amber kept cursing that Cameron didn't bolt weeks ago before whatever happened, happened. But she's convinced that Cameron is in danger and can't get away without inside help."

"Meaning YOU go in there and rescue her. Tonight."

I shrugged. "It's all I got."

"Well then maybe WE should call the cops," Sasha suggested. "They ARE the authorities. Tell 'em it's a crystal meth house and let them raid the place. Then you and Amber can go find Cameron afterwards."

"And what if Brooke and DJ are there?" I asked with a shrug. "At best they get rounded up for drug use, which would go on their permanent records. At worst, the presence of police might escalate the situation and the whole thing could turn violent. I'm not risking their safety."

Sasha shook her head. "Then warn them that you're sending police there tonight and they shouldn't be there."

"And have them tell Lexi? And Lexi tell Carter?"

Even Sasha grimaced, but a moment later she perked up and slapped herself on the forehead. "The froshlings won't be there until tonight. Send the cops in NOW. Or at least during the daytime."

"Still might not work," Adrienne spoke up, "guys like this often have connections to the local authorities. If he's operated for this long out of the same house throwing these parties, he's probably got someone who would tip him off before the heat came. At the very least, he'd have protocols in place to stash things away – which might include Cameron – to get through a cursory search. There's only so much the police could do on an anonymous tip – maybe send a single squad car to investigate – and you wouldn't get a full raid without proof."

"And presuming the cops won't find anything, their arrival during the day would only put Carter on alert tonight, making the whole thing that much riskier."

Sasha sighed, "Shit."

I sighed. "It's up to me. No police to put everyone on edge. I have a ready-made reason to be there, I have an excuse to get downstairs, and all I have to do is find her and figure out a way to walk out the front door. It's really not THAT complicated or dangerous, is it?"

Sasha pursed her lips and shook her head. "And what if everything turns out more complicated and dangerous than you think?"

"For example," Adrienne said with a sigh, "if Carter catches wind that you're involved in his stepsister's disappearance, that'll threaten not only you, but all the rest of us. Even if he doesn't immediately connect the dots, your mere presence right before Cameron makes a run for it will be suspicious enough."

"And let's be real," Sasha added. "I know you said you didn't find Elyse at Carter's place when you went looking for her, but that doesn't mean she isn't there. Plus, you know Lexi and your sister already talked to him about your concerns regarding his treatment of Elyse."

"Concerns that he brushed off as lies from a habitual liar with a drug addiction, and who then turned around and stole from me."

"Doesn't matter. The guy HAS to know you don't fully trust him, which means he's NOT going to trust you. And if Cameron gets away and he starts looking for payback, well you're not only putting yourself in the line of fire, but you're putting Brooke and DJ in danger, too."

"And me too," Adrienne mumbled, her eyes tight.

I winced. "All of a sudden you saying you don't want to do it?"

"I'm saying YOU shouldn't do it. Ever stop to think she's not worth it? This Cameron, a girl you barely know?"

"Of course. But I honestly believe the froshlings wouldn't be harmed, not then and not there. We don't even know IF they'll be at Carter's place tonight. And once Cameron's out, I'll have my smoking gun to convince Brooke and DJ and Lexi and the rest of them that Carter is NOT a guy they want to continue associating with. Really, I'm doing this as much to save THEM as anything."

Adrienne shook her head.

"This is still a really bad idea," Sasha murmured. "So many unknowns: Whether or not you can actually get downstairs. Whether or not you'll be able find Cameron even IF you get downstairs, and do so without alarming Carter or any of his goons. Whether or not you'll be able to talk to her privately. And whether or not she'll be in any position to make a run for it with or without your help."

My lips were tight. "Getting her out of there is the ideal. At worst, this is a reconnaissance mission. Except for a single text pleading for help, Cameron's been out of contact for over a week and Amber is freaking out enough to ask me to go in there and find out what the hell is going on. Even if Cameron stays behind, but I can walk out of there with something to tell Amber, it would be a success."

Sasha took a deep breath. "But is finding out Cameron's status really worth the risk to you and your loved ones? If this is what you want to do, I told you I'd do it for you, and I meant that. But I am scared for you. Both of you."

I sighed. "A girl I have history with is in trouble, and after our experience with Elyse, all three of us know what kind of serious trouble that is. Plus, Amber asked me to. I believe I can do it, so how can I not?"

Adrienne scowled. "White Knight to the bitter end."

I blinked and frowned. "I'm sorry you feel that way. If it makes you feel better, you don't have to come. I'll manage just fine on my own."

"Psht, yeah right." Adrienne shook her head again before giving me a wry grin. "Where you go, Tiger, I go."

11:12 AM

When I opened my eyes, my vision was filled with light. The curtains were fully closed, but even still the sun had risen high enough to backlight every window with enough intensity to illuminate my entire bedroom and cast it in a dreamy soft glow.

I lay flat on my back, each arm wrapped around the slumbering body of a beautiful young woman. Adrienne's head was pillowed on my left shoulder just beyond my chin so that the merest tilt of my head allowed me to rub my cheek into her golden blonde hair. Sasha was a little lower down, her head atop my chest, rising and falling gently with every breath. While Adrienne reclined alongside me, Sasha had an arm and leg draped over my body. Her right hand actually rested on Adrienne's hip, and her right leg was wrapped around mine.

I didn't want to disturb them. All three of us had been up late and sleep had come with difficulty. We didn't have sex, although Adrienne tried to go down on me, reasoning the ejaculation would be a sleep-aid for me and put her own mind at ease at the same time. But I was content to cuddle with the pair of them while we murmured reassurances and expressions of love. So it was this morning as well, as I enjoyed the weight of their bodies pressed against mine and closed my eyes to dwell in this peaceful moment for as long as it lasted.

Adrienne was the first to stir. Perhaps her internal clock told her it was pushing noontime and she woke on her own. Perhaps she felt the movement of my arm as I held her and let my fingers drift over the patch of bare skin at her lower back where her babydoll nightgown had ridden up. Whatever the reason, she took a deep breath with her eyes still closed and shifted ever so slightly in my grasp. Her right arm was trapped between us, and she rolled onto her back for a moment to relieve the pressure on her shoulder before opening her golden hazel eyes and looking up at me.

I smiled warmly down at her. "Hey..."

"Hey..." Adrienne replied with a warm smile of her own.

"Sleep alright?"

She shrugged and rolled back up to me, this time sliding her right arm beneath the pillow and pivoting onto her belly before inching up to kiss my lips. "I slept okay," she murmured. "You?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose."

Reading the tension in my eyes, she steeled herself and said, "It'll be alright. Nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm not nervous. What I need to do is concrete. I have a plan. Certainly, this is a helluva lot easier for me than going down to visit Kim."

"You still going to do that?" she asked quietly. "I mean, I know you had some kind of epiphany in Peyton's bedroom last night. But that was before this whole thing with Cameron came up."

I sighed. "I will. But not today. One thing at a time."

Adrienne nodded and smirked. "One might say you'll find any excuse you can to put her off. Another might say that Destiny is simply making you wait until the time is right."

"I don't believe in Destiny anymore."

Adrienne grinned. "Sometimes Destiny happens, whether you believe in it or not."

I blinked in surprise. I'd heard that exact same phrase before, and not from her.

But Adrienne didn't notice as she was already moving in for another kiss. And as the pressure of her mouth tilted my head while she slithered her tongue between my lips, she also slid her left hand down my torso and beneath the waistband of my pajama pants in search of morning wood.

Instead, she found that another hand had already beaten her to it. Sometime after Adrienne's comment and while she'd started kissing me, Sasha had apparently awoken and gone straight for the good stuff. I moaned into Adrienne's mouth while Sasha squeezed and stroked my stiffening rod. And I was still kissing Adrienne when Sasha moved her head down off my chest and pressed my aching erection against the entrance to her throat.

It was a feat she'd only first accomplished two weeks ago, but since then Sasha had been practicing it as often as she could. This morning was no different, and the sensation of my cockhead penetrating the warm tightness of her throat turned my moan into whimpers of pleasure as my entire lower body started trembling from hips to toes.

Sasha held me at full depth until she couldn't stand it anymore, and then she backed off and took a deep breath. Adrienne pulled away from my mouth and slithered down my body with a smirk. Wordlessly, Sasha smirked right back, and she crawled up to give me her morning kiss while it was Adrienne's turn to suck my schlong into her throat.

Sasha and I made out for a full two minutes before she giggled and pulled back, chirping a belated, "Good morning."

I grinned and replied, "Good morning to you, too."

We kissed again, and this time I brought my hands up to slide my fingers into her hair and really pull her tight against me while Adrienne continued to bob her head up and down in my lap, priming my cock with such beautiful suction.

After another minute, Sasha pulled back again and sighed almost regretfully, murmuring, "I love you."

I took a deep breath and gave her my most reassuring smile. "I know."

She blinked twice and said, "Promise me you won't get hurt tonight."

I frowned, thinking about the dangers of promising things you can't really guarantee, but at the pain on Sasha's face I steeled myself and nodded firmly. "I'll be fine. This really isn't as dangerous as you might think."

"You don't know that for sure."

"I'll be fine."

"Promise me."

"Okay, okay. I promise."

Sasha kissed me again, HARD. And then she pulled back and gave me a stern look. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

I laughed and replied, "Sure." And then I pulled her down to me for a kiss again.

We made out for a little bit before Adrienne started nibbling her way up my torso. I looked down at her while Sasha began tonguing my jawline and my ear, and I smirked while watching Adrienne slide a hand into Sasha's panties from behind and cup one of the brunette's firm butt cheeks. At the touch, Sasha turned to face Adrienne, and with coy smiles the pair of them came together and locked lips right in front of me, tilting their heads to opposite sides and deepening their kiss before retracting just enough to playfully spar their tongues in the open air.

Adrienne indicated with her eyes, and Sasha took the cue to go back to fellating me. Meanwhile, the golden-haired goddess moved up to kiss me again before reaching down to the hem of her babydoll and lift it up to expose those massive tits I loved so much. Once her nightgown was on the floor, she reached up to grip the top of the headboard. And slowly, she lowered her breasts to within reach of my face.

Taking a globe in each hand, I squished them together and rubbed my nose in her cleavage. I let my right thumb tweak her left nipple while I swirled my tongue around her right one. After suckling the teat at first, I opened my mouth and crammed as much titflesh into my mouth as I could and sucked on that before popping off and switching over to give her left breast equal treatment.

While I was doing so, Sasha removed her panties and mounted me. I moaned into Adrienne's tit while feeling my cock feed inch-by-inch into Sasha's tight snatch. And once we were fully enjoined, my beautiful "notgirlfriend" cooed as she began to ride.

Once Adrienne felt the bed begin to roll with Sasha's fucking gyrations, she pulled away and turned around to take the brunette's head in her hands and kiss her just as fervently as she'd kissed me. Both girls moaned as their mouths once again tangoed, separating only so that Adrienne could remove Sasha's sleepshirt before coming together once again. Even as powerfully as they kissed, there was a tenderness between them that couldn't be denied. Whereas I had almost roughly devoured Adrienne's tits when they were in my face, her touch on Sasha's body was much more tender, soft caressing rather than powerful seizure.

Crossing my arms behind my head, I let myself hang back and just get ridden for a while. The view before me was spectacular as Adrienne made love to Sasha even while the brunette continued undulating with her cunt stuffed full of cock. Adrienne's mouth scarcely left Sasha's body, whether it be kissing mouth, suckling earlobe, nursing nipple, or simply licking bare skin. The sounds of their erotic moans and whimpers were even more intoxicating, and I practically forgot I was even having sex myself I got so wrapped up in watching the pair of them make love.

Eventually, I WAS made extraneous when Sasha actually fell off me, leaving my naked erection wet and fallen back against my own belly as Adrienne crawled down her lover's body, kissing and sucking and working her way down between Sasha's legs until she finally slurped the brunette's clit into her mouth.

Sasha's climax came immediately, a cry of ecstatic pleasure that echoed through the empty house. Both her hands pressed down on the back of the blonde's head, holding Adrienne tight while her hips bucked and shook with the force of her orgasm.

Adrienne never stopped licking, and a moment later I realized she was also pumping a finger or two in and out of Sasha's snatch while the brunette twitched and cried out in a second cascading climax. And only when Sasha came down from that high did she finally release her and allow Sasha to roll onto her side in a fetal position.

Meanwhile, Adrienne came to me. Seizing her head behind her ears, I trapped her on top of me while I licked and kissed every bit of pussy juice I could find on her face. My lover giggled at the touch and squealed as I suddenly rolled us over and knocked her thighs apart. Before she knew it, I had buried every inch of my cock in her twat and was fucking her hard and fucking her fast. The thought of taking her slowly and gently never crossed my mind. After all, this was OUR way.

I powered Adrienne through two climaxes before getting that telltale feeling in my balls. It took her a little while to come down from that second one, for her eyes to roll back down from up in her head and her breathing to return to semi-normal. But when she was able to focus after her dizzying orgasm she recognized the tension in my breath and the fire in my eyes. And out of breath Adrienne managed to gasp, "On my face. Fuck my tits and spray my face!"

Immediately I pulled out and knee-walked up her torso. My busty blonde babe held her own boobs for me, squishing them together around my banana-bent prick once I laid it in the valley of her cleavage. "Fuck my tits! Fuck my big ole titties and hose me down with your love!" she crooned. And I humped her chest with increasing urgency as I reveled in the sensation of her warm titflesh surrounding me in a tunnel of love.

Just then Sasha returned to us, grabbing my head and sealing her lips over mine in a fierce kiss before breaking away and breathlessly moaning, "Cum on her face so I can lick it off her. I want it on her forehead and her eyes and her cheeks. I want it on those massive mammaries so I have an excuse to suck on her boobs again. Fuck those tits! Fuck those gorgeous, wonderful breasts! Fuck them and cum in them and cover that pretty face with your--"

"ARRRGGGHHH!" I cut her off with my yell, feeling myself hit the wall as my balls compressed and the first gout of spunk jetted out from my cockhead to shoot a line of creamy jism that ran from the crown of Adrienne's hair down across her right eye and all the way down off her chin, dribbling a couple of blobs into the hollow of her throat. Adrienne squeezed even harder with her boobs, pumping out my second shot with my next thrust, this one firing across her nose and a bit into her gaping mouth. And then the third fell across her opposite cheek.

After that, I pulled my cock free of Adrienne's boobs and took it in my own hand. The next several shots I pumped out myself, twisting my hips left and right to drizzle out the rest of my load all over those fabulously naked breasts. And when I was finally done painting my Jackson Pollock all over both massive globes, I groaned and sat back on my heels.

By then, Sasha and Adrienne were already swapping cum and spit between their mouths. Sasha was licking up every droplet she could find from the blonde's face and feeding it back to her tongue-to-tongue. And when she was done she smothered her face in Adrienne's cleavage, spending a full minute smearing my jizz all over her cheeks before returning to Adrienne's mouth and making Adrienne lick up everything she could get off of her face.

When they were done, Adrienne giggled and rolled into a sitting position to grab a few tissues. She handed some to Sasha and the two of them finished wiping themselves off. And with a satisfied sigh, I started to slide off the bed to start my day.

"Oh, no you don't," Sasha said, shooting a hand out and grabbing my wrist to prevent my departure. "You're going to sit up against the headboard and watch me and this gorgeous creature of femininity make love to each other until your cock comes back up again on its own, with no help from either of us. Then, it's my turn to feel you making love to me, and I want a repeat of what she got."

I arched an eyebrow as Adrienne spelled out helpfully, "Titfucking her until you shower your liquid love all over her face and bosom so that I can lick it up and snowball it back to her."

I blinked a couple of times and smiled. "Seriously, I don't know WHERE some people get the idea of me being a dominant Alpha male. I happen to LIKE it when my girls are in the driver's seat."

Adrienne giggled. "So do we."

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take me very long to get that second erection. Help or no help, a man would have to be dead to not get aroused watching the pair of them making love with such passion and intensity. If I didn't know better, I'd think that BOTH of them were lesbians from the fervor of their Sapphic coupling. Sasha ate out Adrienne like she was born to do it, and I had to stop and remind myself that when you added up all the Tri-Delts she'd been with this semester, not to mention the Nocturne strippers she said she'd been seducing, Sasha had been with a LOT more girls than guys (2) in her short lifetime.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you'd told me last year that buttoned-down Sasha Serafian would be in my bed dyking it out with my very own Adrienne Dennis like her life depended on it, I'd have committed you to a mental institution. But she had been sincere about that buttoned-down façade of hers being just that: a façade, and certainly ever since she'd moved into the house with me and the Tri-Delts she had acted much more freely and openly than I'd imagined she ever would.

Her two halves – the driven student and the wanton sexpot – were now in harmony. No more shame. No more self-doubt. I'd finally gotten to know the REAL Sasha Serafian, and I think SHE had too.

On top of that, Adrienne had come back into my life. Sure, she still had her career and sure, there were no guarantees she'd stick around much longer. But for now I had her with me. For now, I had them BOTH.

And after EVERYTHING I'd been through all year: Dawn, Lynne, Amber, DJ, Kim, Peyton, Rutledge ... For now, at least, I had Sasha and Adrienne by my side. For now, at least, I could believe in my future. True, I still had to get Kim back. True, I still had to reconcile with DJ ... and Brooke. And true, Dawn was still out there somewhere.

But for now, at least, I didn't feel so alone.

"I love you, Ben," Sasha whispered to me, holding my body tight with all four limbs, her arms around my neck and her legs crossed behind my pumping ass.

What came next felt completely natural. Sure, she'd originally asked me to fuck her tits and cum on her face so Adrienne could lick it off her. But I didn't care, and I knew she wouldn't be disappointed. Because instead of doing that, I smiled warmly, reached down into my gut, and said the words I felt with my heart, a heart that was no longer up on that shelf.

"I love you, too."

And then I came.

12:44 PM

"Hello?"

"Hey Andie, it's me."

"I know," she giggled. "What's up? It's not often you call. Do you need me to come back to the house? I'm sorry, I've just gotten caught up in ... well ... catching up with my friends and all. It's been a while since I've been in the Chapter House and I forgot how much I've missed some of them since--"

"It's okay, it's okay," I interrupted. "I just wanted to let you know that Adrienne and I are going out tonight. Just need to take care of something. Nothing for you to worry about. We'll be back at the house, but it'll probably be late."

"Oh ... uh ... okay. Just you and Adrienne?"

"Yeah. Sasha's staying at the house. If you're not too busy, maybe you can come by and keep her company tonight?"

"Yeah. That sounds good. I can do that."

I looked at Sasha a moment and added, "Maybe for dinner, huh? Until then, enjoy the time with your friends. You certainly deserve to be with them, especially this close to the end of the year."

"Thanks for understanding. Sorry I'm not there right now."

"Nothing to apologize for."

"Okay then. I'll see you tonight? I'll wait up for you. I don't remember the last time I spent a full twenty-four hours apart from you. My pussy tingles just thinking about how much I miss you."

I laughed and said, "Okay. I'll save one just for you."

"Promise?"

I grinned, thinking once again about the dangers of promises. But I figured that promising to save a load for my cutie wasn't such a difficult thing to do. I had faith in my sexual capabilities. "Sure thing. I promise."

Andie giggled musically. "I love you, Ben."

"I know, cutie. I know. I'll see you tonight."

"Can't wait. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and exhaled slowly as I looked over at Sasha and Adrienne. The nerves had come back to Sasha, and she reached out and cinched me up in a fierce hug that threatened for her to never let go.

I patted her back and rubbed her spine firmly. "I'll be fine. I'll be fine."

"You promised ME you wouldn't get hurt, remember?"

I chuckled and nodded. "I remember, I remember."

She pulled back and kissed me, hard. "I'm still gonna hold you to that."

"I know."

"I love you, Ben."

I paused to think about how I'd responded to Andie, and how I was going to respond to Sasha instead. It was unfortunate, and not for the first time I wondered if Andie and I wouldn't have been better off if I'd broken up with her Wednesday night like I thought I should. But it was just another example of how, in the end, I let the girls in my life take advantage of my accommodating nature. Even when I held all the power in the relationship, I STILL wasn't in charge.

But I didn't care. Being the Dominant wasn't important to me. Being HAPPY was. Sometimes that meant taking the lead, making decisions, and effecting change. But sometimes that meant compromising, accepting the desires of those I cared about, and doing things that made HER happy. THAT'S a relationship. THAT'S love.

And that's how I felt with Sasha. So without a moment's further hesitation, I smiled and replied again, "I love you, too."

7:10 PM

Amber exhaled wearily and gave us an apologetic look as she explained, "I know I told you that you only had to tell Cameron that I was out there as her getaway vehicle. But the fact is that she's probably the most precious thing in the world to Carter, and she's going to be watched at all times. Even if you can deliver that message, its quite likely that she won't be able to get out the front door without help."

Adrienne and I glanced at each other, nervous expressions on our faces. The three of us were seated at a diner not far from campus, waiting for our meals to arrive, and Adrienne squeezed the arm she had wrapped around my back reassuringly while I tried to figure out what to say.

There had been marked tension between all of us from the moment we met up. Although both Adrienne and Amber were very special, very important people to me, they were also Alpha females used to commanding most of the attention in a room. Like a pair of top predators, I watched both of them go instantly on their guard at the mere sight of each other, with heads cocked high, muscles slightly tense, and eyes narrowed as they scoped each other out.

But just when I was debating the merits of sticking my neck out between them and risking the very real possibility of getting slashed should their fangs come out, Amber smiled and stepped forward, wrapping up Adrienne in a hug while whispering, "Thank you so much for doing this for me, and most especially for letting HIM do this for me. I can't tell you how much this means."

A little surprised, Adrienne nevertheless recovered quickly and embraced my ex-girlfriend right back. Patting Amber's shoulders, she replied warmly, "I know that even though things didn't work out, the time you and Ben spent together is incredibly special to him. If only it wasn't for your two OTHER soulmates getting in the way, I might've been calling you my sister-in-law by now."

Amber blushed as she pulled back. "I don't know about that."

"Ben would have been a lucky, lucky man," Adrienne insisted, her eyes roving up and down Amber's body appreciatively. "You're gorgeous. Even more so than the pictures he has of you."

"Pictures? Ha! The pictures of YOU are what has the world talking. I'm not ashamed to admit my ego wanted to believe a lot of your beauty came from airbrushing and expert lighting, but live and in the flesh ... wow..." Amber gestured up and down with her hand extended palm up.

Adrienne grinned wickedly. "Speaking of beauty live and in the flesh, you're incredibly attractive. And knowing what Ben's told me about you going both ways, I'd like nothing better than to see which one of us would be the first to tear the other's clothes off with our teeth."

"Ooh, a challenge..." Now it was Amber's turn to grin wickedly, but her face fell a moment later. "I only wish we could have met under different circumstances."

Adrienne sighed. "Me, too. Just the thought of you and Ben together ... and me..." Adrienne's eyes glittered for a moment. "Shivers!"

Amber cracked a smile, her own eyes sparkling for a moment before she too sighed. "Who knows? Maybe someday..."

Unfortunately, while the interpersonal tension between the two ladies faded quickly, the situational tension rapidly rose up to fill its place. We walked into the diner, sat down and ordered our meals, and spoke quietly about the evening's coming events, Amber's knowledge of the house's layout, the development of Amber's friendship with Cameron over the years, and what she knew about Cameron's relationship with Carter.

From the beginning, it was clear that Cameron had long been uncomfortable with Carter's behavior and impulses, confiding her worries to Amber most every time they met up. Amber regularly encouraged Cameron to leave him as any friend would counsel someone to exit a bad relationship, but Cameron always insisted that she couldn't and only recently did she admit their stepsibling connection.

When Adrienne and I had first left the house, we'd been buoyed by a sense of nobility, confident that we were doing the right thing. But the longer we listened the more worried both of us became that this whole thing was a bad idea, and apparently it showed on both of our faces.

Amber noticed. "You know it's not too late to back out," she said quietly, her hands wrapped around her coffee mug.

"You already know I'm not going to bail on you," I replied evenly, taking a sip of my own soda.

Amber closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's not about bailing on me. This is a serious situation, and you don't HAVE to get involved."

"I don't know that I'd call Cameron a 'friend', but I'm already involved."

"Only because -I- brought her into our bed while we were together."

"Hold up," Adrienne said, one hand raised but her eyes fixed on the table. A moment later she glanced over at us. "Does Carter know that you two had a three-way with Cameron?"

Amber shook her head vigorously. "She insisted no way. She's had other lovers and he never stopped her from going out. He doesn't ask and she doesn't tell. As far as Carter knows, you've barely met her and you don't even KNOW me. Better that we keep it that way."

"The point still remains," I began, "that I became involved when I walked into Carter's house of my own accord and did the things I did. I met Cameron before I met you. Then Elyse showed up on my doorstep and asked for help. And now my little sister is a frequent visitor to that place. I'm involved, period."

Amber's eyes flicked to Adrienne's. "But you're not. You don't have to do this for me."

Adrienne shrugged and put her hand on top of mine. "I'm doing it for him. Into the very fires of hell and back, I'll follow him."

Amber did her space-out thing for a moment, a hint of a smile crossing her face. "Yeah. He has that effect on people, doesn't he?"

"Damn straight." Adrienne squeezed her arm around me.

Amber smiled. "Still, thank you very much. I never imagined I'd ever meet a world famous supermodel face-to-face, and certainly not under these conditions."

Adrienne waved her off. "Don't get hung up on the 'fame' thing; it's fleeting. As for the conditions, I don't mind. It's always a pleasure to meet someone special to Ben. He's talked a lot this past year about how much you meant to him and the things you did for each other in coming to terms with your feelings for your respective exes."

"Well, I know he did wonders for me. I don't know how useful I was for him."

"You don't have to be modest," I interrupted. "Everything worked out in the end. You ARE still going back, aren't you?"

Amber took a deep breath and nodded. "Paperwork's all done. I'm transferred to the school back home. All that's left is for me to finish classes and finals and then I fly back."

"When's that?"

"Early June."

I nodded. "So a month from now you'll be gone?"

Amber wrung her hands for a bit and grabbed onto her coffee mug again, seemingly just to have something to hold onto. "Yeah. Whether he'll take me back or not."

"Nervous?"

"Terrified. But I'm not gonna half-ass this. 100% dedication, and even if he doesn't take me back, I'll be there, nearby, hoping for any opportunity."

"Dedicated girl," Adrienne commented while nudging me in the side. "Dawn could learn a lesson from her."

"Don't go there," I said harshly.

Adrienne pouted and looked away.

We fell into an awkward silence then, but after a moment I cleared my throat and asked, "So what are you going to do with Cameron? I assume she can never go back to Carter. Does she have other family she can go to?"

Amber shook her head. "I invited her to come with me, actually. Move back to my hometown. Get a fresh start."

I smiled. "That's good, that's good."

But Amber's expression turned to fear. "That is, if she's even still alive."

I frowned. "You honestly think she isn't?"

"I don't know. Carter is ... he wasn't a violent person, okay? I've never seen him lose it in front of me, but at the same time, there was always capacity for serious anger underneath the surface – in his eyes, you know? A fire, dangerous fire. But I haven't seen him in more than a year, and Cameron says he's a different person now. Shorter-tempered. More prone to outbursts. And while she claimed he'd never hurt her, she also didn't know he'd completely cut her off from outside contact. For the years that I knew her, Cameron always had the freedom to go out and visit me and do her own thing. But it was always clear that she was at his beck and call, that he considered her 'his property'. So then when she stopped answering my phone calls and texts, I feared the worst. Even now, I have no way of knowing whether or not it was actually HER calling for help, and that's the worst part: the unknown."

Adrienne and I both nodded. I took a deep breath and replied, "I'll find out. I promise."

Holding back tears, Amber squeezed her coffee mug and nodded.

Reaching across the table, I slipped the coffee mug away and squeezed her hands instead. "I'll find out," I repeated. "Count on that."

Her lower lip quivering, Amber took a deep breath and managed to not lose it right there in the diner. She squeezed my hands back for a few seconds, at least until she got her shudders under control. And with a grateful smile she nodded and let go. "I believe you," she said sincerely, her eyes moist but her expression much more reassured. "I have faith in you."

I wouldn't let her down.

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