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‘May as well help yourself to a sandwich, too. Don’t need you passing out before we get back.’
‘Thanks,’ I said before taking a drink of water. It was gloriously cool and very much needed.
We ate in silence as we looked out over the calm below. He handed me a bottle of sunscreen and we topped up after wiping the crumbs from our laps.
I stared over the edge of the summit and sighed. ‘Do you think there is a way we can get out of this without either of us ending up miserable or dead?’
Cameron met my eyes for a moment before shaking his head. ‘No.’
‘Maybe I should just throw myself over the edge now. Save us all some heartache.’
‘It would certainly solve my problems.’ He tossed some crusts to the side where some birds flitted.
‘My brothers would think you’d pushed me.’
‘Maybe I should.’ I tensed, but when I looked at him, he gave me a soft shrug. ‘I won’t, though. Father would be furious.’
‘It wouldn’t fix it. My brothers would come after you.’
Cameron scoffed. ‘I can handle your brothers.’
‘You can when they are playing to the rules. But if all bets are off, I wouldn’t be so sure.’ I handed back the tub of sunscreen and leaned back in the sun.
‘Why can’t you all just fall in line?’
‘I’m sure you’d love for me to be a good little syndicate wife, but you’ve picked the wrong woman.’
‘If your father had just conceded to my father’s victory, then none of this would have happened. But no, he was always so jealous of our success.’
‘He wasn’t jealous.’ The dirt clung to my fingers where the cream had made them sticky and I wiped them against my shorts. ‘He believed your dad was going beyond the drugs and the fraud to things that would have him killed if anyone found out.’
‘Being better at crime doesn’t make him worse than your own father.’
‘Do you truly believe he wouldn’t go to any lows to gain things like this?’ I asked, gesturing to the island view.
Cameron’s jaw twitched before he pushed himself up from the ground and set back off down the path. I scrambled to my feet and followed him. Fuck, I’d pushed him too far. I clearly couldn’t trust him to give up his father.
The descent was less taxing but far slippier than the ascent had been. Cameron stomped off ahead, and I hurried to keep up. The last thing I needed was to get lost amongst the ferns without a way back.
The toe of my foot caught on a root and I went tumbling down, cracking my knee and twisting my ankle. I screamed as I fell, turning over through the plants until I came to a halt.
‘Shit,’ I groaned as shooting pains sent fire up my leg. Cameron was nowhere to be seen. I pushed myself upwards but couldn’t get to my feet, the pain bringing tears to my eyes. Panic bubbled up in my chest as I looked desperately around me. He could just leave me here and no-one would find me.
I rolled onto my stomach and dragged myself slowly back to the path.
To my relief, I heard Cameron shouting my name. Never had I been more glad to see him than when his stupid, handsome, angry face popped out from behind a fern.
He stiffened when he saw me. Frozen to his spot, and it was almost like I could hear his brain whirring. I’d handed him the perfect opportunity for a get out of jail free card.
‘Please call for help.’ My voice was a pathetic whimper that I hated. ‘Please don’t leave me here.’
‘I’m not going to leave you.’
Before I knew what was happening, he walked over and reached down, scooping me up in his arms.
‘I can wait until help get’s here. You don’t have to carry me.’
‘Shut up.’
