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I looked around my prison cell, really taking in my surroundings for the first time since I arrived. It was furnished and relatively comfortable. In the bathroom, there were luxury products and what seemed to be a never-ending supply of hot water, which was impressive for an island. In the dresser, I found plain but wearable clothes to swap my gown for.
But I was trapped behind a locked door and shatterproof glass. It was just me and these four walls. Could I survive a week locked up like this? I wasn’t sure. At my father’s house, I was never alone. Even if I looked like I was alone, there was a guard somewhere keeping an eye on me. I couldn’t be spoiled, after all; I was my father’s best bargaining chip. I thought living in a panopticon was suffocating.
But being stuck with my own thoughts was far,farworse. I clambered onto the bed and wrapped myself in the goose-down comforter, taking solace in the soft blanket. While I contemplated what exactly I could do for the next seven days, another thought took root in the center of my brain. If I could somehow get off this island without killing myself, maybe I could run and keep running. I could find somewhere to go where no one had ever heard of the Castillo or Rojas families, and I could settle there, far away from this kind of life. I wouldn’t have to marry Felix or bend to my father’s whims. I would be free. I stood, wrapped in the comforter, and stared out across the seemingly unending ocean, watching the waves break upon the shoreline.
What a stupid idea, I berated myself. Even if I wasn’t stuck on this godforsaken island, there was still nowhere to run from here.
Stay sane; that’sallyou have to do.
CHAPTER8
Omar
The phone on the nightstand was ringing. And ringing. And ringing. I groaned and grabbed it, pressed the green “answer” button, and held it to my face. “What?” I snapped.
“What do you meanwhat?” It was Lili, and she waspissed.
My body jerked like a live wire. “What’s the matter? Is it Angel?”
“He’s the same,” she said. Her words were soft now. “He’s not worse…but he’s not getting much better either.”
I rubbed a hand through my hair, wincing as my fingers found the snarls formed by the pillow. Even though it had been more than twenty-four hours since we got here, I still ached all over and my shoulder was burning beneath the bandage. I was going to need Helena to check for infection. “So, beyond the obvious, what’s happening?” I wanted to go back to sleep, but that wasn’t likely to happen. Now that I was conscious, my body hurt too much to relax.
“Ademir called this morning for Angel.”
Fuck. Ademir was one of Angel’s business associates from South America, and part of the Corazón Syndicate. “What did he want?”
“He’s got a shipment of guns coming in, but the boat is experiencing some kind of issue. It’s close to the island, and he was hoping to get some assistance in fixing it…and maybe storing some of the product.”
“What did you say?”
Lili went quiet, and I knew exactly what she’d told him. “Now who’s the stupid one?” I demanded. “Why the hell would you tell him yes?”
“He’s Angel’s biggest business connection! What was I supposed to say? It’s not like I can say no to them and expect us all to live.”
She was right, of course, but it didn’t do a thing to calm the jagged way my heart was beating against my ribs. “How far out are they?”
“Ademir wasn’t sure — just that their coordinates put them near the island. When they get there, do what you can to help anddon’tlet them know about Angel.”
I scoffed. “I’m not a total moron, you know.”
“You are,” she argued. “We’ve had this discussion already.”
“I know how to protect Angel.” My voice was harsher than I had intended, but keeping Angel safe had been my job for most of my life. It was one of the only things that I did well, and Lili was not going to take it away from me with a few flippant words. “Okay?”
Lili sensed the shift in my tone, and while she didn’t comment on it, she did drop the attitude. “Let me know how it goes,” she said. “Ademir wasn’t all that happy withyoubeing who his people were going to deal with. He kept asking why Angel couldn’t meet them at the island to coordinate.”
“How’d you cover? So I know?”
“I told him that Emma was far enough along that she didn’t want him so far away.”
It was a good excuse, a plausible one. “Okay, that’s good. It’ll keep it simple, then.”
We ended the call, and I ditched the burner after cracking it in half. I probably didn’t have much time, but I jumped in the shower long enough to work out some of the stiffness from my body. I did my best to keep my stitches out of the water—it was too soon to get them wet—but didn’t bother applying a new bandage, leaving it for Helena. By the time I got downstairs, Helena had breakfast ready for me. “I’ve already taken food to your guest,” she said as I sat down.
“Don’t call her a guest.” I tucked into my eggs and immediately burned my tongue…then everything tasted like nothing.Fucking perfect.
“Fine,” Helena hissed. “I fed your hostage.”
