Pandora’s POV
“Griffin is planning something,” I said, my voice tight with frustration. “We don’t know what exactly, but Rolan is certain he’s after him. And Camila… She’s in danger. She’s been feeding us information for weeks. If Griffin even suspects that, she’s done for.”
Ashley’s eyes darkened at my words, her hands clenched into fists. “So what’s the plan?” she asked.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of what I was about to ask them. “We’re going to get her out of there. I’ve already arranged a cover, last-minute shopping for the festival. We’ll make it look casual, but we need to get Camila away from him, and fast.”
Kiara, always practical, tilted her head. “And how do you plan to make it convincing?”
I smiled grimly. “We’re going to overwhelm him. The three of us showed up together, being all cheerful and festive. He won’t be able to say no without raising suspicion. And if he does…” I trailed off, my eyes meeting Ashley’s.
Ashley, who never shied away from confrontation, crossed her arms. “We go in armed. Hidden, of course. If things go south, we’ll be ready.”
“I already took care of that,” I said, nodding toward the door where a discreet box waited.
Inside were small, concealed weapons we could easily hide in our clothes. Nothing that would look out of place, but enough to protect ourselves if Griffin decided to make this difficult.
Kiara and Ashley exchanged a look before nodding. “We’re in,” Kiara said firmly.
Together, we grabbed our things and made our way to the car. The drive to Griffin’s apartment felt longer than it was. My mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last.
What if he already knew about Camila’s betrayal? What if we were too late? What if he decided we weren’t leaving with her? I couldn’t let those thoughts cloud my focus. I had to believe that we’d get her out. We had to.
When we arrived, the building loomed over us, its gray stone exterior as cold and uninviting as I imagined Griffin’s heart to be. I took a deep breath and led the way to the door, trying to exude confidence I wasn’t sure I felt.
We rang the bell, and after a few moments, Griffin opened the door. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw us, but he quickly masked it with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Luna, Kiara, Ashley,” he greeted, his voice oozing false charm. “What brings you all here?”
I forced a bright smile, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt. “We’ve come to borrow Camila for a few hours,” I said breezily. “We need help with some last-minute shopping for the festival.”
Griffin’s expression faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly. “Oh, well, I’d love to let her go, but she’s not feeling well. She just started her period and is cramping pretty badly.”
I glanced at Kiara, who immediately jumped in. “That’s not a problem,” She said smoothly. “We’re all women here, Griffin. We know how to handle cramps better than you. We’ll take good care of her.”
Ashley, ever the diplomat when she wanted to be, added, “And since she’s your mate, we thought it would be nice to make her feel more welcome with us. It’s important, right?”
Griffin’s smile tightened, and I could see the irritation in his eyes. He clearly wasn’t expecting us to press this hard. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d really prefer to take care of her myself. I don’t want to trouble you.”
His words made my skin crawl, the way he spoke about Camila as if she were some fragile possession. My patience snapped.
“Nonsense,” I said, my voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “You’ll have her for the rest of your life, Griffin. Surely you can part with her for a few hours. She’ll be back soon enough.”
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might refuse outright. But he wasn’t foolish enough to push any further. Not when all three of us were standing there, determined to take Camila with us. He knew we weren’t leaving without her.
With a resigned sigh, Griffin nodded. “Fine,” he muttered. “Give me a moment. I’ll go get her.”
As he disappeared into the apartment, I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Ashley leaned toward me, her voice barely a whisper. “Do you think he suspects anything?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my eyes fixed on the door. “But he’s stalling. That’s for sure.”
We waited for what felt like an eternity, the tension between us thick and heavy. Finally, after what must have been thirty minutes, the door opened again, and Camila stepped out.
The sight of her hit me like a punch to the gut. She was dressed in long sleeves and pants, her entire body covered despite the warm weather.
Her face was pale, and her eyes darted around nervously, avoiding direct contact with any of us. She was hiding something, possibly bruises, maybe worse.
Griffin hovered behind her, his gaze never leaving Camila as if daring her to say something. I had to fight the urge to shove him away from her. I couldn’t risk exposing our true intentions, not yet.
“Well, then,” I said brightly, offering Camila my arm. “Shall we?”
Camila hesitated, casting a glance at Griffin before taking my arm. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable. My heart ached for her, but I kept my expression light, not giving anything away.
“Take care of her,” Griffin said, his voice dripping with a possessiveness that made my skin crawl. “I’ll be expecting her back soon.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Ashley replied, her smile tight. “We’ll take very good care of her.”
With that, we made our way back to the car, Camila walking stiffly between us. I could feel the tension radiating off her in waves, and once we were safely inside, I turned to her and hugged her.