Page 64 of Camera Stays On

I shook my head. “No, of course not. I—I was just looking for something. Why are you so dirty?”

“Looking for what? You told me you lost everything in the fire.” He stepped forward, coming to stand beside me. He reached around, ripped the bag from my hands, and turned it upside down, emptying the contents.

“I-I-I did. I-” My mind went blank. What could I say right now? He’d caught me red-handed. I dropped my shoulders and sighed. “What do you want from me, Sawyer?”

“Tell me the truth, Purdy. Were you going to leave? Were you going to try to turn me in for your leg?”

I hung my head. “Yes.” The word came out hoarse. He dropped the empty bag on the bed and raised his hand toward me. I flinched, but instead of a slap, his pointer and middle finger stroked my cheek lightly, running along my jaw.

“Why would you do that?” He leaned in, his breath warm on my ear. “I personally invited you here. You know I didn’t shoot you on purpose.”

My chin trembled, and a single tear slid down my face. I closed my eyes and tried to stop my body from shaking. The fear coursing through my veins at Sawyer’s closeness was putting my body into shock.

“I’m sorry,” I whimpered. “I shouldn’t have tried to leave.” Defeat fell heavy over me as my head dropped to my chest.

He smiled and seemed to relax.

“Good girl.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I let him hug me until he let go. It felt like an eternity. Bea’s words echoed in my head with each second I was stuck in his embrace.

Run.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll figure out what happened with Lux. I’m not going to let that happen again. You’re safe, Purdy Doll.” Letting me go, Sawyer reached for the bag at my feet and took it. He crossed the room and reached for my old wedding dress, still on the hanger from when I took it off after trying it on. He brought it to me and held it in front of my face until I took it from him.

“Good girl. Get dressed, I’ll be back for the rest of this,” he said, scooping a pile of the clothes Asher had bought for me and tucking them under his arm.

“What? Why are you taking those?”

Sawyer went to the door, my bag and the other clothes in his arms. He paused, and turned, snickering.

“Because you don’t need them anymore. The cameras have already started rolling.”

Chapter 27

Asher

A SHARP, PIERCING scream from the woods woke me from the chair I’d fallen asleep in near the fire pit. I bolted up and blinked, trying to get my bearings. The scream rang out again, and I took off toward the woods.

“Oh my God, help me!” A choked sob came from the trees. I ran, following the screams. Almost a mile in, I found the source.

“Bea!”

I dropped to my knees and crawled toward her. She thrust her bloodied hands in my face.

“Get this off!” she screamed. Pushing her arms back, I looked down at her. My gaze ran down her legs, falling onto the bloodied mess at her foot. A tangle of metal and bone, she’d got caught in a bear trap. Her skin was completely severed all around, and muscles and tendons cut with it. I stared in horror at the bone completely torn from her flesh, trapped between the jagged metal teeth.

Tears stained her red face as she pawed at her ankle.

“Please, help me! Please, Asher—get this off,” she sobbed.

“Hold on, it’s okay. Just breathe, Bea. It’s going to be okay,” I said. I swallowed and reached for her leg to get a better view of the wound. Biting down on my lip, I forced myself not to react. The bones in the actual foot were crushed and mangled. Skin and muscles were torn from her ankle in such a way, I wasn’t sure she’d ever walk again.

“What’s going on?” Sawyer stepped into the small clearing, calm and collected, hands in his pockets, as if he were simply going for a stroll. Where had he come from, and why was he covered in dirt?

“She’s in a fucking trap, you ass!” I snarled. “How the fuck did this even get here?”

“What a good question.” Sawyer nodded, then turned his attention to Bea, his tone cold. “How did this get here?”

“Oh fuck you, Sawyer!” She seethed. They shared a look, but she didn’t continue. Instead, she threw her head back and screamed again. “Please, get it off!”