after this night (camren)

4. Camila

If Austin didn't know where Shawn was, the IRS sure as hell wasn't going to find him.

......

Later that night, the hot water from the shower rained down on my head and my mind returned to Shawn. When we'd met he seemed like the easy-going sweet photographer, the funny guy with a quick wit, and a sweet word.

But he was so much more. He was insidious in ways I never imagined he could be, because he'd figured out how to leave town with $100.000 scot-free, and no strings attached. Tra la fucking la. I could still recall the moment when my world came crashing down. Shawn and I had already split, and I wasn't keeping tabs on him so I didn't know he'd fled the country. I'd been mixing a pitcher of margaritas for a bachelorette party when Austin strolled into the bar, parking himself on a sleek, steel stool. He steepled his hands in front of him, and cocked his head to the side, "How is the expansion going?"

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. I knew Austin, had met him once before through Shawn, but we'd never broken bread or toasted together.

"I understand you needed some money for your bar. Shawn asked me for a loan on your behalf, and since he's been good and loyal to me, and was willing to pay fifteen percent, I happily said yes. And seeing as Shawn has left the country, it seemed the right time for you and me to get acquainted"

The saying you could hear a pin drop took on a new meaning as the sound in the bar vacuumed up. I could hear everything, from the chatter of nearby patrons, to the waiters placing drinks on low tables, to the frantic beat of my heart and the blood roaring in my ears.

"What do you mean?" I carefully set down the pitcher I was holding. If I held it a second longer I'd drop it, and it would shatter and break. It would be my tell, and if there's one thing I knew from the mobster movies I'd seen, you don't let them smell your fear. When they do, they pounce.

He drummed his fingers against the counter, "What I mean is we need to talk, Brown"

"About what?" I'd asked, feeling like an animal crouching in a corner.

"About what you can do to repay me"

My eyes widened, "But the money wasn't for me. I didn't know he got a loan from you" I had said, my voice rising in fear, my skin turning pale.

Austin arched an eyebrow, "That's very funny"

"But it's true. This is the first time I've heard of this, I swear. I never got that money. I never saw a dime. I had no idea" I said, trying so hard to prove my innocence, as my stomach twisted and my hands turned clammy.

This couldn't be happening.

Austin cackled, "That's what they all say. I had no idea. But now it's time to have an idea about how you're going to pay me. I hear you like poker. Make a gin and tonic and I will tell you how you will be playing for me. Because what this means, Brown, is that you are mine"

I still was his, and I had no idea how much longer I would have to pay for that son-of-a-bitch's twisted act of deception.

---

I couldn't sleep, which bugged the crap out of me. I'd never suffered from insomnia, not even in the darkest days with Shawn. Not in those early weeks of Austin's indentured servitude when I was still dazed and shocked that this had become my life. But now I lay wide awake in my king-size bed, the window open, the late-night sounds of Miami drifting in; the occasional car horn, the faint hum of the bus that ran on electricity, the crash of a garbage can, likely knocked over by a vagrant.

Lauren had seemed a bit wary of my neighbourhood, and while my section of Little Havana wasn't bad per se, it hadn't yet come into it's own. I didn't mind the seedier elements; I knew real danger didn't lie with the guy panhandling on the street corner. But I liked that Lauren had a protective side, and a helpful side too. She tried so hard to get me to open up the other day and tell her all my troubles. I'd been tempted. I could see myself laying them at her feet and serving them up for her to solve.

But then my problems would become her problems, and I couldn't abide by that. Shawn had sloughed off his garbage onto me, and I wasn't going to hot potato it on to someone else, especially someone I cared so deeply for. Because I did care for her. So much more than I'd planned to when I said yes to that one weekend in California. I'd thought I could jet across the country and have a fantastic getaway. Instead, I'd gone all in.

I had nothing to show for it though.

All the anger that fuelled me during the game had faded, and I simply felt weary, and lonely too, as I flashed back to the pained look on her face, to the tortured gaze in her eyes, to the way she'd reacted when I'd pleaded.

Then I cast my mind further back to the night before when she'd tried so hard to find her way into my heart. My chest tightened at the memory, and I longed so deeply to let her in the way she wanted, and the way I wanted too.

The very least I could do was say I was sorry. I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and began tapping out a message to the woman I missed more than I had ever expected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

yall please dont bash me for anything i said about the neighbourhood with the sounds and what not... i have no idea what happens in any neighbourhood in miami, or anywhere in the usa for that matter. i am just taking simple guesses that fit the story line.

side note: i wont be uploading for a while because i have exams and i havent revised once so i need to start. I will start writing/uploading again from July.

i'm updating now because i know if i wait till tmo i will convince myself not to revise for exams 😂😂 enjoy