Derek

One thing was certainly clear. Camryn did not know what she was getting herself into when she walked into my office today. I could tell she'd put little thought into the logistics of how we were going to make her disappear, and now that I was laying it all out in front of her, she was uneasy.

"I'm sorry, you want me to what?" The whiskey I gave her made her a little more brazen, and I had to admit, I appreciated her candidness. I was used to people tiptoeing around me, especially women, but Camryn wasn't holding much back. She was desperate, with nothing to lose at this point, and it was refreshing.

"I want you to let Cole take some blood from you so I can stage a crime scene and frame Robby for your kidnapping and potential murder." I said flatly.

"You never said anything about framing him for murder." She said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Camryn, you said that you were going to trust me, right? Well, this is one of those times. I told you before that I have to do things differently because of who your family is. We're going to make it look like an abduction, like you're dead. Thats the only way this is going to work."

"So you want to frame my husband for my fake murder?" She said flatly. "Robby is a cop, Derek. No one is going to believe that."

"We don't have to frame him for anything. He commits a crime every single time he lays his hands on you, and if we don't do something soon, it won't be a fake murder—it will be a real one." I said, trying not to sound as harsh as I felt. I wanted Robby to hang for what he was doing. He was the very worst kind of criminal in my book, and she was blinded to that right now.

Part of me understood where she was coming from. I'd dealt with countless battered wives before who still felt something inside for their abusers. They still saw the men they fell in love with, the potential, the good things that could be if only they got their act together. More often than not, these women didn't want to hurt their husbands, no matter the shit they had put up with.

I could see she was coming around, but wasn't entirely convinced, so I laid it on thick to make her understand. "And besides, the other night he threatened to kill both you and Riley before he'd let you leave. If you just go away like you're wanting, he'll never stop searching for you."

Honestly, Camryn's safety was my top priority, but it wasn't my only reason for doing this. I myself had been fooled by Robby Hastings, and it made this case more personal than most.

I wanted Robby to pay with every last breath he had on this earth, and if he went down for her murder, nothing would make me happier than knowing he'd spend the rest of his life in prison as someone's little bitch. I had to stay distant so that no one suspected anything, but what I wouldn't give to get my own hands on that worthless bastard and make him feel just as scared and broken as he'd made Camryn feel so many times.

Camryn sucked in a sharp breath. "You're right. I'll do whatever I have to do to make this legit."

"Okay." I nodded. "Cole will take as much blood as he can now, and then again in a few days, once it regenerates. We have a guy who can clone it, so we have enough to indicate death."

"What about Riley? Will you need her blood, too?" A concerned expression blanketed her face.

"We'll take a small sample, but nothing more than a few finger pricks. Just enough to give us a DNA profile my guy can replicate." I assured her.

She nodded in agreement.

"All you need to do is get your car to the east side of Founder's Park. My men will pick you up there and will take care of the rest. You'll stay in the apartment upstairs for a few days until things settle down enough that I can move you to a safe house outside of the state. You may have to move around for a few months, but your first place will most likely be Vancouver."

Camryn absorbed everything I was saying, taking it as best she could. I had dropped a lot on her today and, while I knew she was a strong woman, it was difficult for anyone to handle. A small tear trickled down her cheek. Damn it, I wasn't good at this emotional shit.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently, wishing I had a sensitive bone somewhere in my entire body.

"I'm fine." She wiped it away quickly. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking... I expected my life to turn out so differently than this. I don't know when I became so weak."

"I don't think anyone's life turns out exactly the way we expect it." I said. "But the important thing is that you're taking it back now. You're getting yourself and your daughter out of a terrible situation and you're going to start fresh. You'll be able to make it whatever you want it to be."

"Thank you." She smiled, as if she realized I was terrible at this kind of thing, but appreciated the gesture. "I don't know how to thank you for all that you're doing for us."

"You don't need to. Men like Robby make me sick. No one deserves to be treated that way, and I'm happy to help you get out of that situation." I hardly knew her, but hated to see her so torn up about this. This was one of the main reasons I hated these guys so much. Camryn was internalizing this, thinking it was her fault in some way, shape or form, when the only person to blame was her bastard husband. More than anything, I wish she and I had met under different circumstances.

I would have loved to have gotten to know the real Camryn. The fiery personality she had grown accustomed to hiding. Every once in a while I caught of glimpse of it and I could only imagine who she really was behind that perfect-wife facade, and I had a feeling we would get along well.

I reached into my desk and pulled out a box, handing it across the desk to Camryn. "This is a burner phone. This is what we will communicate on int he next few days. It's untraceable and my tech guy has a bug on it to make everything disappear. Don't contact anyone besides me form it."

She nodded.

"And Camryn, just so we're clear, once this happens, there is no going back. You won't be able to come back to New York, you won't be able to contact anyone from your old life. Not friends, not family, not even your parents. I know that will be difficult, but..."

"It won't be difficult. Robby cut me off from my friends and family long ago. The only friends I have are his friends." She clenched her jaw tight.

Rage filled inside of me. With each sentence she said, I was hating this guy more and more. I couldn't get her out of there and make him pay soon enough. I knew I was getting too close to this. Too close to her.

Most of the time I could remain distant, but something about Camryn's situation was different. She drew me in to her and I felt for her more deeply than I had any other woman I had ever helped before. Maybe it was the fact that I had seen the abuse with my own eyes a year ago and felt the need to redeem myself for not stepping in sooner. I felt like I owed Camryn, and I would go down myself before letting anything happen to her and her little girl.

I moved on quickly before I said something I'd regret. "We're going to take a few pictures of you and Riley so we can get your new passports and identifications and back stories sorted out. I'll have all of that waiting for you at the apartment when you guys arrive."

"Should we bring anything?"

"Like I said, nothing traceable. No phone, no computers, no jewelry. We're going to stage it like you and Riley were hiking when you were abducted, so it makes sense for you to leave that stuff in the car. You can bring a few personal items, but keep it minimal. We don't want you to have anything that anyone can identify you by, so no pictures or recognizable family heirlooms. I'll have everything you need in terms of clothing, hygiene, food... that sort of thing." I explained, watching her intently.

"Will we be traveling alone?" She asked.

I shook my head. "A member of my team will be with you at all times."

"You?" She arched her eyebrow at me.

Her question caught me a little off guard. Did she want me to? "Uh, probably not. It won't be safe for us to be seen together anywhere."

She was quiet for a second and then sighed, pouring herself another hefty glass of whiskey. I couldn't help but think my answer had disappointed her. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.

I let out a sharp laugh. She was so intriguing to me. The way she implicitly trusted us. The way she was so determined, yet so fearful at the same time. I couldn't quite figure her out and just when I thought I did, she did something completely unexpected. I felt like I could watch her for hours and she'd still be a mystery to me, and I wasn't used to that. I made a living off of being damn good at reading people, but Camryn was keeping me on my toes.

"I need you to promise me something." She said, steering the conversation in another direction.

"And what is that?"

"If things go south..."

"They won't." I cut her off sharply.

"But if they do..." She set her eyes on me. "I need you to promise me you'll make sure Riley is safe." She handed me an envelope. "I have a friend who lives in England. If anything goes wrong, and I don't..." She bit back tears. "I want you to call her and I want you to take Riley to her. And I want you to make sure that they are safe and taken care of."

Nothing was going to go wrong, but she needed me to indulge her. I took the envelope from her and put it in my desk drawer. "I promise I will make sure she's safe. And I will make sure you're safe, so that neither one of us has to worry about that. But now I want you to make me a promise as well."

"Okay..." she said.

"I want you to promise me you won't forget how strong you are. I may be the one helping you, but you're brave enough and strong enough to recognize you need it. You're willing to give up absolutely everything to make sure your daughter is safe and to give her a better life. I know we don't know each other very well, but I can already tell how lucky she is to have you."

"I'm not brave." She shook her head. "If I was brave, I would have left the first time he hit me. Or the second. Or the one hundredth." She scoffed.

"You did what you had to do to protect Riley, Camryn. And someday, when she's old enough, she'll realize everything you sacrificed to keep her safe."

Camryn wiped a tear off of her cheek. "I hope she never finds out about any of this."

"Why don't we go get her so we can do your pictures and then you two can be on your way?" I said, standing up.

She nodded.

She followed me back down the hallway and to the childcare center. Through the window we could see Riley playing with a group of kids, the center of attention and completely content. She looked exactly like her mother, a little carbon copy of her. Camryn's face lit up when she saw her. Riley meant everything to her mother, and she had no idea how lucky she was to have someone like Camryn. She may have not believed she was brave, but she certainly was.

"You must be Riley." I smiled, bending down and holding my hand out for a high five when she came out.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Whats your name?"

"My name is Derek. I am a friend of your moms."

"I know." She grinned. "She told me. She also said you like the sunshine."

I chuckled, glancing up at Camryn.

Camryn gave me a reserved smile, and I found myself wishing she would just let loose and let me see her real one. "She asked why you have so many windows."

"Ah." I nodded, turning back to Riley. "Well, she's right. I do like the sunshine. Do you?"

"Yes!" She jumped up and down, full of excitement. She reminded me so much of my own nieces.

"Riley, we're going to go take a few pictures to surprise daddy, okay?" Camryn scooped her up into her arms.

"Like for a present?"

"Uh, sort of." Camryn let out a sharp laugh.

"Okay! Do I get to dress up?" She asked, putting her little hand to Camryn's face.

"Not this time, sweetie."

I took Camryn and Riley down the hallway, and we finished up with the pictures. I gave her a bit more information and sent them their way. I was surprised at how at peace I felt watching them together. Even amid this chaos, Camryn was the most incredible mother I had ever seen. She was so in tune to Riley and they interacted with each other like they were somehow intertwined. It was sickening that a man could have something so pure and beautiful and take it for granted the way that bastard was.

"Three days?" Will asked me once they let. "Are you sure you want to wait that long?"

"Not particularly, but I need time to do this right. I gave her a key to the safe house to use if she needs to."

"Do you want me to send some guys over to watch the house? Just in case?" He offered.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks." I hated the thought of the two of them being alone with Robby for another second, but I knew we only had once chance at this.

It had to be perfect.

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***If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence of any kind, please reach out to someone in your community. In the US, that number is 1-800-799-7233**