As Zach led Camille back to her room, the hallways felt even colder, the shadows more imposing. She was quiet, her mind racing with everything she’d learned tonight. But as she passed by one of the large windows, catching her own faint reflection, something clicked—a memory from earlier that night. The party. The laughter. Her friends. Noah’s face as he laughed on the couch. And then… darkness.
She stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing as she turned to face Zach, her voice laced with accusation. “You took me from the party.”
Zach’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. He let out a low chuckle, crossing his arms as he looked down at her. “Caught on, did you?” he replied, almost as if he were amused by her realization. “Yes, we took you from the party. But don’t get too sentimental about it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Camille’s voice was sharp, anger flickering in her eyes. “They’ll be worried about me! They care about me!”
Zach tilted his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Oh, Camille,” he said, his tone soft but with a hint of something that made her skin prickle. “They don’t give a damn about you.”
His words hit her like a slap. She felt her fists clench, her chest tightening as she glared up at him. “You’re lying,” she whispered, refusing to believe him.
Zach sighed, as if this was all a tedious task for him, as if he were explaining something simple to a stubborn child. “I’m not lying, Camille. You’ve been… misled about those people. They aren’t who you think they are. Those ‘brothers’ you’re so convinced care about you? They never have. They were only ever interested in your father.”
Camille shook her head, her voice filled with disbelief. “That’s not true. They were there for me—always! They’re my family, Zach. They wouldn’t just use me like that.”
Zach’s gaze softened, but his voice remained firm, almost cold. “I know it’s hard to believe, but your loyalty was always one-sided. Those so-called brothers of yours—they’ve always wanted something from your father. You… you were just a pawn to get closer to him.”
She bit her lip, feeling a hollow ache in her chest. “You don’t know them,” she shot back. “You’re just trying to manipulate me.”
“I don’t have to manipulate you, Camille. I’m telling you the truth.” He sighed, his gaze steady as he looked at her, and for once, he didn’t seem mocking or smug. Just… resigned. “Do you remember all those late-night meetings your father used to have? The way he’d disappear for days, leaving you with those ‘brothers’? Do you think it was a coincidence that they showed up every time he had something valuable or dangerous to handle?”
Camille’s mind flashed back to times she’d dismissed as harmless, times when her father would vanish without warning, leaving her under the care of his associates. She’d asked questions, but her father had always brushed them off, insisting she was safe, that the brothers were just close friends. She’d believed him. She’d trusted them all.
“They were using me to get to him,” she whispered, almost to herself, as realization started to seep in. The thought left her feeling hollow, betrayed. She remembered all those moments, the times they’d laughed with her, the times they’d comforted her, times that now felt tainted. “But… why? Why would they do that?”
Zach’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. “They wanted his knowledge, his influence, the connections he had that could benefit them. He was a powerful man, Camille, a man with information and skills they couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Camille looked down, her hands trembling as she tried to process it all. She’d always felt something was off but had ignored it, brushing it aside as paranoia. She’d trusted her father, and by extension, she’d trusted the brothers too. But now, all those memories felt twisted, wrong.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Why didn’t he warn me?”
Zach sighed, shaking his head slightly. “Your father was… protective. He thought he was doing the right thing by keeping you in the dark. He thought it would keep you safe.”
“Safe?” Camille laughed bitterly, her voice breaking. “If I was in danger all this time, how was I supposed to be safe if I didn’t even know?”
“He underestimated them,” Zach admitted, his gaze dropping slightly. “He thought he could handle it alone. He never expected them to turn on him… or on you.”
She looked up, her eyes searching his face. “What did they do to him?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her hands were cold, trembling, but she needed to know. “If they wanted something from him… if they turned on him, what happened to him?”
Zach’s face tightened, and for a moment, he looked almost… regretful. “He didn’t give them what they wanted. He resisted, fought to protect you, and that… that’s why he’s no longer here.”
His words hung heavy in the air, the reality sinking in like a weight pressing on her chest. She’d always believed her father would come back, that he’d find her, save her from whatever was happening now. But if he’d fought to protect her and lost… did that mean he was truly gone?
Camille’s breath hitched as the question bubbled up inside her, clawing its way out despite the fear that gripped her. She looked at Zach, her voice trembling as she finally voiced the question that had haunted her since she’d been taken.
“Where’s my father?”
Zach looked at her, his blue eyes clouded with something unreadable. He didn’t answer right away, just held her gaze, his silence stretching out and filling the room with a terrible dread.
Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “He’s somewhere they won’t find him. Somewhere… I can’t take you. Not yet.”
Her heart raced, anger and confusion mingling as she clenched her fists. “What do you mean ‘not yet’? Is he alive? Is he out there?”
Zach’s eyes flickered, and he took a step back. “He is, but his safety depends on you staying here, on trusting me. If you go looking for him, Camille, you’ll be walking right into their hands. Do you understand?”
She glared at him, her mind racing with questions and fears she couldn’t voice. “So you’re telling me I have to trust you… just because you say so?”
Zach’s jaw tightened. “No, Camille. I’m telling you to trust me because your father would have wanted you to. And if you’re willing to take that risk… maybe I can help you find him.”
The tension between them was thick, heavy with unsaid words, and Camille felt her pulse quicken. He was offering her something, but at what cost? Could she trust him?