Chapter 9: The Last Move
For three hours after Rebecca gave us the news, nobody spoke.
The old King property felt frozen.
The same place where my father built his first dreams had become the place where I realized the final battle wasn’t going to happen in a courtroom.
It was happening in the hearts of the people who had chosen what side they were on.
“Marcus wouldn’t run with her,” I said.
I said it more for myself than anyone else.
Rebecca looked at me carefully.
“Damon.””
“No.””
I stood up.
“I know my uncle.””
Marcus had spent his life protecting my family.
He had carried my father’s secrets.
He had kept the promise he made the night my father died.
But the truth was still sitting there in front of me.
He had left.
With Camille.
And after everything I learned, trust wasn’t something I could give away blindly anymore.
“We need to find out where they went,” I said.
Rebecca nodded.
“We already started.””
The next few hours were a blur of phone calls, records, and investigations.
Camille had not disappeared randomly.
She planned everything.
That was what scared me most.
She wasn’t someone who reacted.
She prepared.
She had spent years building relationships, collecting information, and positioning herself close to my family.
She wasn’t just a woman who wanted a wealthy husband.
She wanted control.
By evening, Rebecca had the answer.
“They’re in South Carolina.””
I looked up.
“Doing what?””
“Meeting someone.””
“Who?””
She hesitated.
“Someone connected to the explosion.””
My jaw tightened.
“Then we go.””
Rebecca shook her head.
“Damon, this isn’t a movie. You don’t walk into a situation like that without preparation.””
“I’m not asking permission.””
“I know.””
She looked at me.
“That’s exactly why I’m worried.””
Those words stopped me.
Because she sounded like my father.
Like Marcus.
Like everyone who loved me enough to tell me when I was walking toward danger.
I took a breath.
“You’re right.””
Everyone looked surprised.
Even Jasmine.
I smiled slightly.
“Don’t look so shocked.””
Jasmine crossed her arms.
“I’m just enjoying the moment.””
I ignored her.
“We do this correctly.””
And that was the difference between me and the man I was becoming.
My father fought alone.
I wouldn’t.
The next morning, law enforcement moved forward with the evidence Rebecca provided.
The files from my father’s safe.
The recordings.
The financial records.
Everything.
But we still needed one final piece.
A confession.
Or something that connected Camille and Victor directly to the bombing.
That was why Marcus mattered.
If he was truly helping Camille, we needed to know.
If he was undercover, we needed to know.
Either way, the truth had to come out.
We found them at an old private property outside Charleston.
Camille was standing near a black SUV.
Marcus was beside her.
When they saw us, both of them froze.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Camille smiled.
Not nervously.
Not sadly.
Confidently.
“You came.””
I stared at her.
“You sound like you expected me.””
“I knew you would.””
That angered me more than anything.
“You don’t know me.””
Her smile faded.
“I knew you better than you think.””
The words hit harder than she intended.
Because that was the tragedy.
She had spent years learning about me.
My habits.
My weaknesses.
My family.
Everything.
While I thought I was falling in love.
I was being studied.
“Why, Camille?””
She looked at me.
“Why what?””
“Why my family?””
For the first time, her expression changed.
Not guilt.
Something closer to resentment.
“You really don’t know.””
“Know what?””
She laughed quietly.
“Your father destroyed my family.””
The accusation hung in the air.
I looked at Marcus.
Then back at her.
“What are you talking about?””
“My father lost everything because of Malcolm King.””
“That’s a lie.””
“No.””
Her voice sharpened.
“That’s the story your father wanted you to believe.””
I stepped closer.
“My father was murdered.””
Her eyes flickered.
A small reaction.
But I saw it.
“You knew.””
Silence.
“You knew what happened.””
Camille looked away.
That was enough.
I felt something inside me break.
Not because I was surprised.
Because part of me still hoped she would deny it.
Still hoped there was some explanation.
There wasn’t.
“You locked Major away because you knew about the collar.””
Her face hardened.
“That dog had something that belonged to my father.””
I stared.
“What?””
She stopped.
Realizing she had said too much.
Marcus looked at her.
“Camille.””
But it was too late.
The truth was already out.
The collar wasn’t about the dog.
It was about what my father hid.
“What did your father do?””
Camille didn’t answer.
Then Marcus stepped forward.
“Enough.””
Everyone looked at him.
His face was full of pain.
Not anger.
Pain.
“Damon, you need to hear the truth from me.””
My heart sank.
“Go ahead.””
Marcus looked at Camille.
Then at me.
“I didn’t run away with her.””
“Then why did you come?””
“Because I was trying to stop her.””
The silence was overwhelming.
Marcus continued.
“Your father knew Victor was involved. But he also knew Camille was involved.””
My chest tightened.
“Then why didn’t he tell me?””
“Because she was close to you.””
I closed my eyes.
My father knew.
He knew the woman I loved was dangerous.
“And you?””
Marcus looked down.
“I helped your father investigate.””
“Why hide it?””
“Because we needed someone to believe we trusted them.””
I understood.
They had been playing a dangerous game.
But someone had lost control.
“Who caused the explosion?””
Marcus looked at Camille.
Then said the words I had been waiting for.
“Victor Laurent.””
The world became quiet.
“He ordered it.””
Camille looked at him.
“You promised.””
Marcus shook his head.
“I promised your father I would protect Damon.””
Then sirens filled the distance.
Rebecca had made sure we weren’t walking into this alone.
Camille’s confidence disappeared.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
And as she was taken away, I realized something.
The truth didn’t feel like victory.
It felt like grief.
May you like
Because sometimes the hardest thing to accept wasn’t that someone betrayed you.
It was realizing they were never the person you thought they were.
