Chapter 16

Descent to the Rosario Islands

POV: Karol Kensington

A loud gunshot cut through the noise of the plane.

Before I could even scream, a big hand grabbed my sweater. Mateo pulled me down to the floor. His huge body covered mine completely. He hid me from the open door to keep me safe.

"Go! Go! Go!" He yelled.

Outside, I heard two more loud pops. Mateo was shooting back. A second later, everyone was inside the plane, and the pilot hit a big red button on the wall. The metal stairs folded up, and the heavy door slammed shut.

The plane did not wait for us to sit. It shot down the runway and flew straight up into the sky.

I lay flat on the floor. My heart was beating so fast I could not breathe. My hands shook badly. Someone had just tried to shoot me.

"Karol." Ciro’s deep voice was right next to my ear. His hands moved all over my arms and back, checking me. "Are you hurt? Did the bullet hit you?"

"No," I gasped. I looked up into his wild, hot eyes. "I am okay."

Ciro let out a heavy breath. He slowly pulled me up from the floor and gently guided me with the help of Mateo to a wide, white leather seat and sat me down. He sat right next to me. Our legs touched. He kept his large hand on my knee, rubbing my skin gently.

"Who was that?" Ciro asked Mateo.

Mateo put his gun back into his belt. "A big bald guy in a dirty jacket. He missed by two inches..."

"I know him," I whispered. My voice shook, but I forced the words out. Both men stopped and looked at me. "I saw him at my family clinic last week. He was looking for my sister. Valeria sent him."

Ciro’s eyes narrowed. He stared at me for a long time. The quiet in the plane felt heavy and scary.

"Your sister went too far," Ciro said softly. His quiet voice was scarier than if he had yelled. "She tried to kill you so you could never tell the truth. That man just ruined his own life."

For the rest of the trip, Ciro did not let go of me.

He kept his hand on my leg. He had a worker bring me hot tea. Every time the plane bumped in the air, he pulled me a little closer to him.

It was very confusing. I was supposed to be his prisoner. I was supposed to hate him. But sitting in this plane, feeling the heat of his big hand, I knew a scary truth. Ciro Restrepo was the only person keeping me alive. He was my enemy, but he was also protecting me. Just being near him made me feel safe.

An hour later, the plane started to go down lower

I leaned over and looked down and gasped

Below us was the Caribbean Sea. The water was bright blue. But there was no city. There were no roads. There were just deep green islands floating in the middle of a huge ocean.

The plane flew in a circle around the island. It was a wild jungle. On the edge of a high, sharp cliff, a huge house was built into the rocks. It was made of dark glass and steel.

It was Villa Altamira.

It was beautiful, but I was scared. We were in the middle of nowhere. There were no bridges to land. It was a giant, lonely castle. I finally understood how trapped I was. If Valeria’s bad men found me here, my own is finished.

The jet landed smoothly on a small runway in the jungle. As we slowed down, the radio clicked on.

"Mr. Restrepo, we have landed," the pilot said. He sounded very worried. "But we have a big problem."

Ciro frowned. "What is it?"

"The weather radar just changed," the pilot said. "A huge storm changed direction. It is coming right for us."

I looked out the window. The blue sky was turning an ugly, dark purple. Thick black clouds rolled over the ocean. The wind was already bending the tall trees.

"How bad is it?" Ciro asked sharply.

"Very bad, sir," the pilot replied. "It will hit in a few hours. The waves will be too big for boats. The wind will be too strong to fly. The island is completely cut off. No one can get in, and no one can get out."

"For how long?" Mateo asked.

"At least four or five days," the pilot said.

The radio clicked off.

I felt a cold chill, for five days; I was going to be locked in that giant glass house with Ciro, all alone, during a violent storm.

But then, Mateo’s cell phone buzzed. It was the only phone that still had a signal before the storm started.

Mateo read the text message. He looked at Ciro with wide, scared eyes.

"Ciro," Mateo whispered. His voice was very tight. "The guards just sent a message from the docks. Ten minutes ago, right before the water got too rough... a small speed boat sneaked onto our beach."

Ciro stood up. His jaw locked tight. "Who is on it?"

"We don't know," Mateo said. He pulled his gun out again. "The guards went to check it, but now they are not answering their radios. Someone is on the island with us."