Chapter 14
ISABELLA
T he wind was warm as it rolled off the Caribbean, brushing softly over my bare shoulders, and pulling at the hem of my sundress.
I wandered further along the beach than I normally did, needing the distance.
The resort lights were long behind me now, replaced by shadows and the low hum of the ocean as the sky faded into streaks of burnt orange and purple.
It was our last day in Cartagena. Tomorrow, we’d return to the world that waited for us—a world filled with blood and shadows and secrets I still didn’t fully understand.
I needed the space to breathe.
My sandals dangled from my fingertips, the sand still warm beneath my feet, soft and giving. The sea breeze tasted like salt and dusk. I hadn’t told anyone where I was going. Not Kellan. Not Ash. Not Rafael. Especially not Rafael.
I wasn’t ready to face him again. Not yet.
Not after that night—not after stitching his wound and sitting beside him until I drifted off to sleep with the weight of his presence pressing on every nerve.
Not after hearing the way he spoke to me, like he could see parts of me I didn’t want anyone to find.
I exhaled and kept walking.
Just as I stepped past a thicket of sea-grape trees and palms, I paused. There was a sound, low and hurried—not waves, not birds. Voices. Male. Close.
I ducked behind a tangle of wide green leaves, heart hammering.
“He shouldn’t have gotten away,” one of them said. The voice was high-strung, filled with nerves.
“Shut the fuck up,” the second one snapped, deeper and calmer. “It wasn’t our fault. The distraction worked. We did our job.
“Barely. You saw what he did to Marco. We shouldn’t be messing with a man like that.”
“Demyan gave the orders. You want to go back to him and say you chickened out?”
Demyan.
I sucked in a breath and held it, leaning closer without making a sound.
“What if she finds out?” the first one whispered, almost too low to hear. “The girl. The one with him.”
My jaw clenched.
“Then she dies too,” the calm one said simply.
The nervous one cursed under his breath. “I’m telling you, this is going to get out of hand.”
“Then we finish the job clean. Tonight. 11PM. The cliffs behind the old chapel. That’s where Demyan wants the meeting.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Now let’s go.”
Their voices trailed off, footsteps crunching faintly against the sand and dried leaves. I stayed frozen behind the brush, barely daring to breathe. Cliffs. Chapel. Demyan.
This wasn’t just business. This was betrayal.
The air was heavier now. Still warm, still thick with the last breath of sunset, but somehow it clung to my skin differently.
The moment I heard the voices, the moment Damyen’s name slipped from their mouths, something in me shifted.
And even though they were long gone, their words etched themselves into the sand beneath my feet, refusing to fade.
I stayed hidden for another few minutes, crouched low behind the jagged edge of a palm trunk, waiting until I was sure no one else was lingering. My heart was still racing, but not with fear. It was something else now—sharper. Cold. Focused.
I knew something was wrong with him.
I pressed my palm to the tree, using it for balance as I stood up again, eyes scanning the stretch of trees and shadows for any hint of movement. Nothing. Just the rhythmic lull of the tide brushing against the sand, as if nothing in the world had changed. But it had.
I moved slowly at first, brushing grains of sand off my knees, ears still tuned to the silence.
Every few steps I turned around, checking behind me, instinct alive and buzzing under my skin.
It didn’t feel right to walk too fast, like that might draw attention—or worse, alert someone that I knew something I wasn’t supposed to.
The colors in the sky had deepened, the gold fading into burnt orange and streaks of violet, and the soft shadows of night began to eat away at the light. The trees whispered around me as I walked, branches swaying gently overhead, like they knew too much and weren’t telling.
If they’re meeting up with Damyen later… that means he’s still close.
That thought alone made my stomach coil. I had no proof. Not yet. But if Rafael knew… if he knew and hadn’t done anything, or if he didn’t know and I kept this to myself—I didn’t know which version was worse. My fingers curled into fists at my sides.
I picked up my pace. As the last sliver of sun dipped below the horizon, I finally saw the lights of the resort flickering in the distance, like fireflies strung across the edges of the property.
The familiar path curved in front of me, and the white stone buildings shimmered under the weight of the growing moonlight.
Warm yellow glows spilled from the windows, casting long shadows across the perfectly kept lawn. The soft sound of music floated faintly through the air—probably Yuri playing something on the speaker system, something too loud and too obnoxious, like always.
I paused there for a moment at the edge of the trees, half hidden, staring at the resort.
You’re going to have to make a choice, a voice whispered in the back of my mind. Tell him. Or go alone.
And for a second, I didn’t move. I just stood there, staring at the light in the distance like it might hold all the answers.
But I already knew… it didn’t.
The wind shifted just enough to send a few strands of hair across my face as I stood at the edge of the resort grounds, fingers tightening around my phone like it might anchor me. My mind was spiraling, looping over everything I heard in the dark—the panic in the first guy’s
voice, the calm control of the other, and the name that tied it all together like a match over gasoline: Damyen.
I unlocked my phone with a flick, thumb hovering over the screen before I tapped Kellan’s name. It rang twice before his voice came through, low and casual.
“What’s up, I?—”
“Meet me in my room,” I cut him off, my voice sharper than I intended. “You and Ash. Now.”
I didn’t wait for his answer. Just hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket, already walking toward the resort again.
My sandals tapped against the stone pathway, heart still kicking against my ribs. I hadn’t come to Cartagena for this—I hadn’t come to play detective in paradise. But some things didn’t let you go. They hunted you down until there was no peace left.
The lobby was quieter than usual, a few shadows flickering across the sleek tile floors as I slipped past the front desk. I didn’t see anyone. The warmth of the evening clung to my skin, and the air inside felt too still, like it was holding its breath for what came next.
When I rounded the corner toward the hall of our suites, I spotted them immediately—Kellan leaning against the wall like he owned it, arms crossed, and Ash crouched down beside him, twirling a keycard between his fingers like it was a blade.
Both of them looked up the second they saw me.
“There she is,” Kellan muttered, straightening. “What the hell was that call about? You okay?”
I didn’t answer. I just brushed past them, pulling my key out and unlocking the door. “We will talk inside.”
Ash arched a brow but said nothing, following me in without another word. Kellan hesitated a second longer before stepping in behind us.
The second the door shut, I locked it. The click echoed louder than it should have, sealing the silence around us like a vacuum. My fingers lingered on the lock a second longer, just breathing.
This is real now.
I turned slowly, facing them both. Ash had already made himself at home on the edge of the couch, legs spread and hands resting on his thighs, gaze sharp. Kellan stood closer, eyes pinned to my face, reading it like a map he’d studied too long.
Neither of them said a word.
But they didn’t have to. They knew something was wrong. And now… they were going to hear it all.
I leaned against the closed door, the cool wood pressing into my back as I tried to organize the storm in my head. Kellan and Ash were both watching me—waiting.
But the moment I opened my mouth, the words tumbled out like something I’d been holding back for years instead of minutes.
“I was walking along the edge of the beach,” I began, voice low.
“Past the trees. Not too far from the cliffs. I heard voices—two men. One of them sounded nervous, panicked even, and the other was trying to calm him down. They were speaking in hushed tones, but I got close enough.” I paused, locking eyes with Kellan. “They were talking about Damyen.”
Ash’s brows pinched together. Kellan’s eyes darkened.
“They mentioned the night Rafael was ambushed. They said it wasn’t supposed to go like that.
That the cartel was only supposed to send a message, not start a war.
One of them said Damyen made promises, and they have no choice but to show up at some location tonight to ‘clear the smoke.’ That was the phrase. ”
I could still hear it—etched into the back of my mind like the echo of a gunshot.
Ash straightened on the couch, his voice quieter than usual. “You’re sure?”
I nodded once. “Positive.”
Kellan ran a hand through his hair, starting to pace.
Then he stopped abruptly and turned to face me.
“But why are you paying attention to all of this, Isa?” His tone wasn’t cruel—just sharp.
Just real. “Why do you even care what happens to Rafael? Isn’t he supposed to be your enemy?
That’s what this was. You were supposed to be watching, not… giving a damn.”
His words stung, not because they were wrong, but because they weren’t. Still, I met his gaze, jaw tight. “You think I’m doing this for him?”
His silence was answer enough.