Chapter 37 37. Bait Set
I heard her approach.
The soft pad of bare feet on tile. The hesitation before she rounded the corner. The way she stopped feet away instead of coming closer.
I kept my eyes closed, whiskey glass balanced on my stomach, listening to her breathe.
She was looking at me - I could feel it. That sharp gaze tracing the bruises across my chest, down my arms, probably wondering if they hurt as much as they looked.
They did, and it was worth it.
The silence stretched until she finally spoke.
"When are we leaving?"
I opened my eyes, turning my head just enough to see her. Arms crossed, staring at my forehead, not my eyes.
"Soon," I said.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting right now."
Her lips pressed together. "I'm tired of being stuck here. Tired of wearing oversized t-shirts while you get to raid Rafael's wardrobe."
"You could always wear nothing."
Her face flushed. "You're disgusting."
"You keep saying that." I sat up slowly, letting her see the way my ribs protested. "But you're still here."
"Because I don't have a choice."
"You always have a choice, Camila. You just don't like the consequences."
She shifted, still not looking at me. "I want to leave tomorrow."
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"It's not safe yet."
"Not safe for who? You or me?"
"Both."
My shoulder blade hit the lounger wrong. I couldn't quite hide the grimace. Her eyes flicked to the movement, then away.
Perfect.
"You should get that looked at," she muttered.
"I've been waiting for you."
"I'm not a doctor."
"No. But you have hands." I tilted my head. "Unless you're scared to touch me."
"I'm not scared of anything."
"Then prove it."
She hesitated, as if trying to find a way out that didn't involve admitting I was right, then turned on her heel. "I'll get the first aid kit."
I smiled at the pool.
She came back a few minutes later, dropped the white box beside me with more force than necessary.
"Sit up," she said.
She knelt behind me, the kit open beside her. Her fingers paused just before they touched my shoulder.
"Tell me if it hurts."
"It will."
Her touch was clinical and too careful, like she was trying not to think about what she was doing.
I let the silence hang between us. Then-
"Remember when you asked how I bounced back from bankruptcy three years ago?"
Her hands stilled.
"So you were awake that day," she said.
"I never sleep deeply when someone else is in the room."
"Paranoid."
"Careful. There's a difference."
She went back to dabbing ointment. "Why tell me this now?"
"Because you asked. And because you deserve to know why people are trying to kill me."
"I already know. You're involved with criminals."
"Kassim and Valente aren't just criminals. They're rival families. Old ones. They don't forget debts or betrayals."
Her fingers moved lower. "What did you do for them?"
"Three years ago, when Hayes Corp was drowning, they offered me a deal. They needed someone to transport goods across borders without customs getting involved. Someone legitimate. Someone with a shipping subsidiary."
"AS Logistics."
"Yes." I felt her pause. "That subsidiary saved the company."
"By smuggling."
"By providing a service."
"That's the same thing."
"Not legally."
She pressed harder than necessary and I hissed at the pain.
"Sorry," but she didn't sound sorry.
"The contract was simple," I continued. "I transport. They pay. Everyone stays quiet."
"So what went wrong?"
"I worked for both. The contract specified I couldn't work with both families. Kassim and Valente have hated each other for generations. Working for both was a death sentence.
Except, I've been careful. Have been for years, until someone leaked it to both heads two days ago."
I felt her go rigid behind me.
"Valente retaliated first. He burned down my agarwood farm. Forty acres worth thirty-two million. Then they sent a letter demanding five hundred million for breach of contract. Kassim... he wants my blood for the betrayal."
She drew back. "Why tell me this?"
"Because whoever leaked it did it to get me killed. And I need you to understand what we're dealing with."
"We?" She stood, anger cutting through her voice. "There's no we. This is your mess."
"It became yours when they shot at my car with you inside."
Her face paled.
"You're a target now," I said quietly. "Anyone who wants to hurt me will use you."
"Then let me leave."
"They'll find you. Use you as leverage. You're safer with me."
"With you?" She laughed bitterly. "You just admitted you're smuggling for crime families. That you've been lying to everyone for three years. How am I safer with you?"
"Because I'll kill anyone who touches you."
The words hung there.
She stared at me. "What were you even transporting for them?"
"Weapons. Military grade and unregistered."
Her eyes widened. "You're arming murderers."
"I'm keeping my company alive."
"By putting guns in the hands of people who use them to kill innocent people!" Her voice rose. "How many people died because of what you did? How many families lost someone because you needed money?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know or you don't care?"
"Both."
She slapped me. The sound cracked through the evening. My head turned with the force. When I looked back at her, her hand was still raised, trembling.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
"I know."
"You don't love anyone but yourself. What if they come after Mama Cortez? Burn this house down with her in it just to hurt you?"
"They won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'd get to them first." I caught her wrist. "If they touch anyone I care about, there won't be a hole deep enough for them to hide in."
She tried to pull away, but I held firm. "Including you."
"I'm not yours to protect."
"Aren't you?" My thumb brushed her pulse. "You're with me. Running from the same people I am. That makes you mine, Fiera."
"Stop calling me that."
"No."
She jerked her wrist free. "I'm done listening."
I let her walk a few steps.
"Kassim's demanding ten percent of Hayes Corp for my life," I said.
She stopped.
"If I give it, he gets a foothold in my company. If I don't, he kills me."
"Then don't give it to him."
"I have to. It buys time."
She turned around slowly. "Time for what?"
"To take it back. That's where you come in."
Her expression shifted. "No."
"You'll get close to Kassim. Find leverage I can use."
"You're insane."
"You wanted to be useful - this is how. You help me get my company back, and I'll make sure no one touches you. Not Kassim. Not Valente. Not whoever left those marks on your neck."
"You want to use me as bait."
"I want to use you as an asset."
"Same thing!"
"Not to me. Bait's expendable. An asset's protected."
"I don't want your money."
"Then what do you want?"
For the first time all evening, she met my eyes directly. "To go home."
"Can't do that. You are already in too deep, Camila. If I let you walk away now, I'd be signing your death warrant."
"You don't know that."
"I know they'll find you." My thumb brushed her cheek. "And I know you'd die trying to run."
Her breath trembled. "This is insane."
"Welcome to my world."
She shoved me away and stormed toward the villa. I watched her disappear, then drained the warm whiskey.
Bait set.
Now I'd see who she was really working for.