BLOOD AND LOYALTY
~SIMONE POV~
The wine cellar smelled like dust and something I couldn't name. Carlos waited in the shadows, his face unreadable in the dim light filtering through narrow windows.
When I approached, he didn't move. Didn't speak. Just stared at me like I was a problem he needed to solve.
"You called me," I said.
"I did."
"So talk." Carlos pulled out a cigarette and lit it with steady hands.
The flame illuminated scars I had never noticed before. Old wounds that spoke of violence survived.
"Irene came to see me after breakfast." My stomach clenched.
"And?"
"Made me an offer. Very generous. Very final."
"What kind of offer?" He took a long drag, puffed out smoke into the stuffy air.
"Help remove you quietly, get promoted to head of security. Refuse, and I will
