Chapter 5 5

"I regret it," I said, louder this time, as Ethan passed me in the hallway.

He stopped. Turned. His face was unreadable.

"You said if I ever regretted it, you'd help me fix it."

He stared at me, his eyes cold.

"What do you want, Ava?" The 'Ava' sounded like an insult.

"My father," I said, my voice breaking. "Can I... can I see him? Before... before they..."

He didn't flinch.

"No."

The word was a hammer blow.

"That promise, Ethan? Our relationship? The affection you showed? It was all a lie. Every touch, every word. Calculated. To get to my father."

Tears streamed down my face. I didn't care.

He watched me, his expression unchanged.

"Your tears mean nothing to me, Ava. It was an operation. My feelings were not part of the equation."

I stopped crying.

Suddenly, a cold fury replaced the pain.

"You used me," I said, my voice low and shaking. "You preyed on my love for you. If you had just asked for my help, if you had told me the truth about my father, I would have given it. I believe in justice."

He paused, a flicker of something in his eyes. Then it was gone.

"Justice?" he said, his voice laced with a bitterness that surprised me. "Years ago, the Scorpion cartel ambushed my team. Killed my mentor. Watched him bleed out. They laughed. That's the justice I'm interested in."

A woman approached him then. Agent Ramirez.

She put a hand on his arm, a gesture of easy intimacy.

"Ethan, we need to go over the El Jefe intercepts."

She glanced at me, her eyes dismissive.

"Is this a problem?"

Ethan shook his head.

"No problem, Bella. Just a suspect's daughter."

He turned and walked away with her, Ramirez tucking her arm through his.

He was sheltering her slightly from the draft of an open door.

Just like he used to shelter me.

The irony was a fresh wave of pain.