Chapter 344

I couldn’t believe my ears. Would John Cameron ever get out of my life and leave us alone?

His quest for wealth and power was ruining many more lives than just mine.

“He must be stopped,” I said to myself, but Victor and Jayden nodded in agreement.

“Jayden, try to narrow down the location of the faction’s headquarters,” Victor requested. “I like to know where my enemy is at all times.”

“I’m on it,” he replied. “I planted a man within the faction. He’s being trusted more each day. I’ll contact you as soon as I know more.”

We thanked him, and Jayden left. Numbly, we went inside and sat silently in the living room.

“Every time we think the situation is under control, we find out the opposite is true,” I grumbled. “It’s too much. I’m tired of constantly fighting a foe.”

Victor pulled me close to his side. “We need to take a little break from it. Maybe we need to stay here by ourselves and not watch TV or read the newspapers.”

“Just for the weekend,” I agreed. “It may recharge our energy.” A weekend trip would be nice, but I didn’t know where we could go that would be private and safe.

We both cringed when Victor’s phone rang. Was it another problem or bad news?

But Victor smiled when he glanced at his caller ID before answering.

“Hello, William,” he said into the phone. “How are you?”

“Uh huh,” Victor said. “Sure, that sounds great. Daisy and I will meet you there in a few hours. Thanks for calling.”

Victor disconnected the call and laughed. “Let’s pack for a long weekend. William and Penny invited us to a kayaking trip at the lake.”

“That’s wonderful!” I said. “I love it at Lake Pocono, and it would be a great place to escape our problems for a few days.”

“Then let’s get packed.” Victor stood and pulled me to my feet. “We’ll take your truck.”

The trip to the lake was fun. Victor and I were in lighter moods as we took turns driving the new Hummer. We even sang along with the satellite radio.

“I need to get one of these trucks,” Victor said as he adjusted the driver’s seat when it was his turn to drive. “You have great taste, my love.”

“Get a different color so we don’t mix them up,” I laughed.

Victor was driving when we pulled up to the front of the cabin. William and Penny hurried from the porch to welcome us.

“It’s good to see you two,” William said as he hugged me and fist-bumped Victor.

Penny hugged me too. “I’m glad you could come. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”

The guys took our luggage upstairs while Penny and I got cold drinks from the kitchen. Then we all walked down to the dock with folding chairs and watched the lake.

It was like visiting an old friend. The sight and sounds of the water soothed my soul. It was one of my happy places. I could sit here and watch the water every day.

For a long time, I sat quietly, drinking my tea and drinking in my surroundings. I felt much better already.

“Thanks for the invitation,” Victor said to the others. “We needed a break from everything, and Daisy loves it here.”

“I remember,” William agreed. “But not so much during the big storm, right, Daisy.”

I nodded, remembering that horrible storm and how Victor drove through the aftermath of downed trees and power lines to find me.

My stomach suddenly growled, and the others laughed along with me.

“Let’s go start the grill,” Penny stood and tossed her pretty strawberry blond ponytail over her shoulder. “I brought steaks for our dinner.”

While Victor and William got the charcoal grill going, Penny and I wrapped potatoes in foil to bake in the coals and made a salad with lots of veggies.

An hour later, we were at the kitchen table eating a delicious meal. Our companions were just as pleasant as the food.

William and Penny were happy and blissfully in love. Their happiness infected everyone around them. It was good to see him this content with his life.

Yet, when William made an announcement, I felt a stab of jealousy.

“I asked Penny to marry me before you got here, and she said yes,” William said. He and Penny kissed as Victor, and I congratulated the happy couple.

When Penny showed me her diamond ring, I felt that tinge of jealousy again. But I smiled and admired her ring without exposing the negative emotion.

I wasn’t jealous of William and Penny’s successful relationship. I loved Victor with my whole heart and soul, and I was glad William found someone to love who loved him.

What made me feel envious was his ability to attain his dreams without complications or interference from anyone.

William and Penny’s life was calm and easy. Nobody was trying to ruin their reputations, and they didn’t have to keep bad guys from taking over the world.

William wasn’t responsible for the governing of our people, and Penny never had to carry a bomb out of a building before it exploded and killed her and many others.

Neither of them had lies about them reported on TV news channels, and they did whatever they pleased without people talking about them.

They had peace and peace of mind for their future. It was what I craved.

Penny’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“We want a small wedding, but we would like you and Victor to be there,” she said.

“We would love to be there,” I assured her and tried to pay attention to the conversation around the table.

“Yes, thank you for the invitation,” Victor added. “We would enjoy attending.”

“I’m happy for you both,” I said sincerely. My previous thoughts seemed selfish when I saw the happiness shining in William and Penny’s eyes.

I pushed those thoughts aside and smiled.

“So, William, how are things going on the football team?” Victor asked.

William beamed. “Fantastic, Coach says he will play me a lot this season. It’s great to get paid for doing what I love.”

I saw a look in Victor’s eyes that told me he was having similar feelings as mine. A simpler life than ours looked good to us right now.

Penny pulled an ice cream cake from the freezer, and we enjoyed large slices of it for dessert. The cold sweetness melted slowly on my tongue, raising my spirits.

Victor and I were together with good friends, and it was going to be a lovely weekend at Lake Pocono.

After a game of cards, we began yawning.

“The fresh air worked its magic on us,” William said. “I always sleep well here.”

Looking forward to a good night's sleep, we said goodnight to our host and hostess and went upstairs to our bedroom.

But after a quick shower, I climbed into bed next to Victor, with thoughts of a simple life running through my mind.

Victor sensed my mood. “You aren’t happy, are you? You were thinking your life would have been better and easier if you had chosen William.”

“Maybe it would have been easier, but it wouldn’t have been better.” I rolled on my side to face him. “I love you, not William.”

“But you would have been happier to have a life like Penny’s,” Victor said. “Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t you be happier without having to fight bad guys all the time?” I countered. “Aren’t you tired of men like John Cameron threatening our lives?”

I sat up. “Victor, I don’t regret one second of the time I’ve spent with you,” I assured him. “But I’m tired of fighting the world. I can’t go anywhere without being recognized and often ridiculed.”

He ran a finger over my cheek. “Did something happen today, sweetheart? I thought Shane’s article would help.”

“It did help,” I replied. “But there are still Alphas being very vocal about the new laws.”

I told him about the incident at Gisele’s.

“We aren’t going to be able to change things overnight, my love,” Victor reminded me. “Don’t you want to try anymore?”

I shrugged.

“Do you want me to quit the leadership position and live a normal life?”

I shrugged again. “When William said he and Penny were getting married, I was jealous of their nice, normal, quiet life. But I would never ask you to quit the job you wanted all your life.”

“Maybe I just need more quiet and calm in ours,” I said and laid on my back next to him.

“I understand, sweetheart,” Victor said and closed his eyes. “Goodnight.”

I listened to his breathing until I knew he was asleep before I drifted off to sleep.