Page 132 of Ruin

“Um…yeah. He’s just in the living room with Gigi.” I protectively hold the door close to me. “Why?”

“We just need a word with him, Cam,” Emilio says.

I hear footsteps behind me. Then, Zeus’s hands are pressing gently down on my shoulders but in a possessive manner.

I don’t miss Rich’s eyes going to them.

“What can I do for you, boys?” Zeus says.

At the term boys, Rich straightens up to his full height, which is still nowhere near as big as Zeus.

Testosterone. The cause of most of the world’s problems.

“There’s been a complaint of assault and malicious destruction of property made against you, and we need you to come to the station with us,” Rich tells him.

“What?” I gasp.

The paparazzi guy.

“And you’re here to take me in?” Zeus says calmly.

“No,” I say, panicked. I turn my eyes to him.

He must see the fear in them because he says, “It’s okay, Cam.”

“No, it’s not!” My voice rises in panic, and I internally chastise myself. I don’t want Gigi to come here and see what’s going on.

I step forward a little, toward Rich and Emilio, but Zeus doesn’t relinquish his hold on me.

“Isn’t there something you can do?” I plead to Rich.

Rich gives me a sad look. He shakes his head. “It’s out of my hands.” He reaches for the handcuffs from his belt.

Tears spring to my eyes.

Zeus moves around me, shielding me. And I instantly see Rich and Emilio stiffen.

Zeus holds his hands up in surrender. “Gigi’s here,” he says directly to Rich, a surprising quietness to his voice. “I’ll come quietly. I’m not gonna make a scene. I just don’t want my daughter to see me in those.” He nods at the cuffs in Rich’s hand.

Rich glances at Emilio, who nods.

Rich clips the cuffs back on his belt. “Okay,” he says. “But we have to go now.”

Zeus turns to me and takes my face in his hands. “I love you, and I’ll be home soon,” he tells me. “Tell Gigi…just tell her I’ll be back real soon.”

The ache in his eyes brings the tears back to my eyes. He firmly kisses me on the lips before I can start bawling.

I hold on to him tight, not wanting to let him go. Breathing him in, like I’m never going to see him again.

I’m going to see him again.

“I love you,” I whisper against his lips.

He pulls away from me, leaving me cold, and walks out the door, past Rich and Emilio, who immediately follow him, but I catch sight of the hurt in Rich’s eyes before he turns to leave.

Rich and I were never together properly, but he did have feelings for me, and I did for him to a certain degree even if he did let Zeus run him off so easily. But it’s hard to care about his feelings right now when he’s putting Zeus in the back of his patrol car and shutting the door.

My heart is beating like a drum against my chest.