“Not yet. I need to check all the rooms,” I said, still scanning the apartment warily.
“Oh my God,” she groaned, but didn’t move to stop me.
I looked behind the couch, then in the small bathroom, making sure to move aside the shower curtain. After that, I went through all three bedrooms and closets, kneeling down to inspect under each bed as I went. The other, somewhat larger bathroom and linen closet were clear as well. All good.
“No one here,” I said as I returned.
Cameron was standing right where I’d left her, her hands clasped together, wringing her fingers and chewing her lower lip. Maybe she was more shaken than she’d let on. If I had to guess, she wasn’t used to showing weakness and was doing her best to put a show on for me.
“Go relax,” I said lamely, unsure what else to say. “Do you want me to get you a glass of water or something?”
“Sure. Uh, my mom made some watermelonagua fresca. It’s in the fridge,” she said as she shuffled over to the couch.
The fact that she was now letting me cater to her after she’d been so standoffish since meeting me told me the shock of everything was finally setting in. She didnotneed to be alone right now.
The big jug of light red liquid was easy to find. I poured her a large glass and put a couple of ice cubes in it before taking it to her. She gulped down half the glass, never once looking at me.
Cameron was obviously not in the mood to discuss what had happened. Not in detail, anyway. Better to let her relax and sinkinto the comforts of home. Not that I knew much about that, but I assumed others found it soothing.
I strolled around the apartment, stopping at a bookshelf that contained a myriad of pictures. Multiple pictures of an older woman with Cameron and a young boy. Her mother and brother. A thought occurred to me, and I scanned the other frames, trying to find an image of a father. Nothing. Cameron would only be turned into a shifter if it was in her father’s lineage. From what I saw here, it appeared that the father was either dead or out of the picture in some way. I leaned toward the latter since a beloved father would probably havesomepictures up in memoriam.
How the hell would I ask about her dad without things getting weird or raising her suspicions?
“Nice-looking family,” I remarked, keeping my voice nonchalant.
“Yeah, thanks.” She looked up at the photo and smiled, more to herself than me. “They’re pretty great.”
“You guys aren’t Canadian natives, I take it? Where are you originally from?”
Cameron chuckled, but her face showed no humor. “Yeah. Definitely not from here. I was born in Zamora. It’s a city in Mexico. That’s where my mom’s from.”
“What about your dad? He from Mexico, too?”
She shook her head. “No. Pretty sure he was American or Canadian. Mom doesn’t really talk about him much. He vanished a month or two after I was born. I’ve never met him.”
Damn. One lead gone. It would be nice to know for sure what this poor woman was in for.
“So, if your dad has been gone since you were born?—”
“Who’s Gael’s father?” Cameron asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, yeah.” I shrugged awkwardly. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“His dad was a real piece of work.”
“Drama,” I said. “Sounds like family.”
She snorted. “Mom doesn’t have a great track record with men. From what I gather, my dad was the one man whotrulyloved her.” She shook her head feasibly. “Of course, he vanished. On second thought, maybe he wasn’t that great, either.” She frowned for a moment. “Anyway, Gael’s dad is a guy named Barry. He was all right, but a bit of a deadbeat. He acted like he loved my mother, and I was sort of warming up to him. When I was a teenager, I got a job at a fast-food place to bring in a little extra cash for the family. I came home one day after getting my first paycheck, and Mom’s sobbing her eyes out. Like, crying hard enough, she’s dry-heaving. Awful shit.”
“Doesn’t sound like good news,” I said, sitting down across from her.
“You could say that again. Barry walked out on us. Grabbed his shit and left the moment Mom told him she was pregnant with Gael.” She downed the rest of her drink and set the glass down. “That was when I learned about thehappynews. Not only had Barry left us in a financial lurch with rent almost due, but we’d have medical billsandanother mouth to feed.”
Her gaze slid up to the framed pictures. The bitter look on her face faded, and she smiled.
“I love that little kid, though. I wouldn’t change a thing. Not one damn thing.” She looked at me, frowned, then shook her head. “Why the fuck am I telling you my life story? Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m here to listen. And to keep you safe.”
