Page 83 of His Other Half

Chapter 31

Josie

Whip waited outsideher apartment while she used her key to unlock the door. Her hand shook, and it took her several tries before she gained access.

"Is there anything you need?" asked Whip.

She shook her head. Whip nor the whole club could bring Paco to her.

Barely holding it together, she half turned and changed her mind. She reached over and knocked on Cami's door. Right now, she needed someone who was a female and didn't wear a leather vest.

She cleared the emotions clogging her throat, and said, "Cami? It's me. Can you come over?"

The door opened. Cami took one look at her and came to her, pushing Josie inside. Once they were alone inside the apartment, she sank to the floor, hugging her middle. Rocking back and forth, she spilled the news about Paco.

Cami joined her on the floor, holding her. "Sh. He'll be okay."

Josie kept her eyes closed, unable to face the world without Paco. "This is all my fault."

"No." Cami smoothed Josie's hair away from her face. "How could it be? Paco is his own man. You know he's been busy doing things for Tarkio."

"It wasn't for the club." She sat up and sniffed. "He's on the reservation because of me."

"What are you talking about?" Cami held her stomach and pulled her legs under her, pushing off the floor and standing. "I was the one kidnapped. If it wasn't for me—and I'm not taking the blame, that's all on the creeps that took me—you wouldn't have come to help me, and Paco wouldn't have rescued us both. Or fallen in love with you."

She looked at Cami, having never told her the truth. It was something she wanted to bury in the ground and keep secret.

"I'm from the reservation," she said.

Cami frowned, nodding. "I know, but you don't talk about it much, so I never asked you more."

"My father had done bad things and owed As—Robert Shaw, the man who kidnapped you, money. Because he couldn't pay his debt, he sold me to Robert. Then, Robert killed my father in front of me. I escaped the reservation and moved to Missoula. I...I think he kidnapped you because of your friendship with me, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I kept that from you. I'm sorry that it happened. If something would've happened to you or the baby—"

"Oh, my God, stop." Cam pulled Josie to her feet and held her in front of her. "None of that was your fault. If anyone needs to be sorry, it's me."

She pulled away. "No."

"Yes, because I've been wrapped up in being pregnant, not having a father for the baby, and dragging you to doctor's appointments with me. I never realized something else was going on." Cami softened her voice. "I even told Chrischris not long ago that something was wrong with me, because I'm secretly glad Paco killed one of the men when he rescued me, and I had no problem not going to the police because I want nothing to do with them ever again. I have a baby I need to raise, and I don't want to be scared. I'm the only one he's going to have."

"Nothing is wrong with you. I wanted them dead. I still want Robert Shaw out of my life."

Cami's brow wrinkled. "I even assumed Chrischris had his MC brothers watching out for us because I had confided in him how scared I was that one of us would be taken again."

"It was Paco." She squeezed her eyes closed, absorbing the guilt, and looked at Cami again. "Paco spotted men hanging around our area, and he wanted to make sure we were protected."

Cami frowned. "Do you really think Paco went to the reservation?"

"I know he did," she whispered. "He would do anything to make my life safer. He talked about going there and getting rid of Askook...Robert Shaw so many times, and I never stopped him from talking about it. Part of me thought it was impossible. He was mad and frustrated. Part of me dreamed of being free from them, and I understood why Paco wanted him dead. I wanted him dead, too, for what he'd done. I never discouraged Paco from going after him. I should've stopped him."

"What can we do?"

"I need to get to him. Tarkio can't go to the reservation. Nobody there will let a motorcycle club rider onto Blackfoot land, especially Robert Shaw. He controls the council, which makes the laws." She inhaled deeply. "I can go, though. Nobody will stop me."

"That creep will see you, and what if he takes you and holds you captive like he did before?"

"It doesn't matter." She lifted her chin. "Paco needs me. This all started because of me. Paco doesn't deserve this."

"You could get hurt."