Chairs squeaked against the hardwood as figures rose, and I caught a glimpse of Tim Hall barreling toward us, no doubt looking for the first excuse to arrest Cam.

I stood, but Xander got there first.

“Hey, he didn’t even throw the punch.” Xander blocked Tim’s path.

“Oh yeah?” Oscar asked, and I moved to see what was happening. He swung at Cam again, but even as the crowd gasped, Cam grabbed Oscar’s fist, stopping the punch before it connected.

Holy moly, Cam was fast.

While Oscar still gawked, I grabbed Cam’s free hand. “Come with me.”

He looked down at me with an amused smirk.

“Now.” I let my glare speak volumes.

His smirk faded, and he followed as I dragged him past the bar and into the back room of Mother Lode, noting Charity’s nod toward the floor above us and giving her one of my own. At this moment, Cam needed to be out of sight and out of Tim Hall’s mind.

I waved to Marie, the cook, but didn’t stop, pulling Cam through the kitchen and storage rooms until we reached the stairs to Charity’s place. After climbing them, I unlocked her door with my four-digit code and led Cam into the apartment, shutting the door behind us.

“Rose is asleep upstairs, so don’t make a ruckus,” I warned him.

“Who the hell still says ruckus?”

I shot him another glare and yanked him through her living room, dining room, and into the kitchen, turning on lights as I went. “Sit,” I ordered, pointing to the kitchen table.

He sat.

Okay, that was enough to stun me for a good second or two. I couldn’t remember the last time Camden had done anything I’d asked…probably because it had never happened.

“Now what?” he questioned, mocking me with those dark eyes.

I spun, then opened Charity’s freezer and pulled out Rose’s ice pack. It was a slim unicorn with thin fabric and a glittery mane, sporting an ice pack in the belly. Shutting the freezer door, I turned back to Cam, wincing at the angry red mark blooming on his cheek.

To his credit, Cam didn’t complain as I placed the unicorn on the side of his face. “Hold that there.”

He complied. “It’s not that bad. I turned, so most of the force glanced right off. His ring didn’t even cut me.”

“How would you know?” I asked, lifting a corner of the unicorn to make sure Oscar hadn’t broken Cam’s skin with his class ring. “It’s not like you paused to look in the mirror.”

“I’ve been in hand-to-hand enough to know when my skin splits,” he answered in utter boredom.