32. Hero

Chapter 32

Hero

R eincarnation is an interesting concept.

To die and then to one day come back to life. Stripped of all memories, all past trauma, all knowledge, all regret.

A soul with a clean slate.

Unfortunately, my soul's far too sullied, too damaged, too tainted to be reborn into something beautiful.

For that reason, I don't believe in reincarnation. I believe in something far more powerful. Far more tangible. Far more measurable.

I believe in revenge.

And I believe in justice.

Perhaps, in time, the idea of coming back as something other than a slug will be my reality.

Until then... I'll right my wrongs.

With pleasure.

"Hi, Daddy," I say, smiling at my father, his eyes large with disbelief and confusion as my ashes sift through his fingers onto the freshly cut grass of the cemetery. I nod at the poorly curated flower arrangements, smirking, "I would've gone with lilies."

"Ca —" My father clears his throat, glancing at my mother who's about to faint. He blinks. "You're... You're..."

"Alive?" I sigh, cocking my head. "Disappointed?"

"I don't understand," Dad says, looking around at The Council members. I wave at them, flashing a welcoming smile. "How?"

"At least they smell nice," I note, sniffing the bouquet. I glance at my mom. "Did you pick these out?" I expel a cynical laugh. "Of course not, right? Too much work?" Neither of my parents are able to form a sentence. I laugh. "Wow, you both look so shocked right now." I take a step forward, digging my hardened gaze into my father's. "How does it feel, Daddy? To be the one in the dark for once?"

"What are you talking about?" he asks, raising a quizzical brow.

"Come on now, Daddy," I sigh, trailing my fingers along the empty casket as I circle the podium. "Let's not play dumb."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Camilla," he says, watching me with a wary eye.

I snap my head up, jaw clenched as I grunt, "Daniel."

He blinks as my mother's body winces. "What about Daniel?"

"It's over, Daddy," I say. "I know."

"You know..."

"I know everything," I snap, marching toward him until I'm two inches away from his face. With hatred oozing from my pores, I spit, "You fucking killed him. You murdered him."

"I—"

"And you will pay for your crimes."

"What are you talking about?" my father asks. "What did you do?"

"I brought you home, Daddy," I whisper, chest rising with accomplishment. "I brought you home."

"You bugged my fucking house!" I cry out. "You used me! You pretended to care! You ? —"

"That was before I knew—" Hayden swallows. "That was before I knew you."

"And what a mistake that was, huh?" I muse, eyes glossing over. "Getting to know me." I extend my arm, taking a step back as I point the gun at Hayden's chest. "Get in the boat."

Hayden's jaw locks. "Is this really the life you want, Camilla? I don't think it is. I think you want something with light and freedom and love."

"Love?" I let out a maniacal laugh, shaking my head. "Didn't you hear me, Doc? I'm a villain." A tear rolls down my face. "Villains don't get to fall in love."

"Neither do heroes," Hayden whispers. He sucks in a labored breath as he takes a step away from the boat. "I didn't want to do this. I thought you'd make up your own mind but... But you've left me no choice."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Your family," he begins in a gentle tone. "The ones you are so desperately trying to protect... They're the real villains here."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, pulse racing.

"It wasn't El Castro that murdered Daniel, Camilla," Hayden whispers. "It was your father."

I freeze, my knees weakening as the weight of his words crash down upon me like a meteor.

"What did you say?"

Hayden swallows. "Your father, Camilla, he... He placed a hit on Daniel."

"No." I shake my head fervently. "No, no, my father wouldn't do that. He wouldn't ? —"

"I have proof," he says, slowly taking a tentative step toward me. "I have evidence that The Council wired funds to a man named Silo Frances. He's a hitman, Camilla. He's ? —"

"No..." I whisper, taking a step away from him. I blink, hoping that this is all a joke, a dream, an illusion. "No..."

"Yes," Hayden breathes, apologetic but determined as he reaches for the gun in my hand. "Camilla." He places his hand on my cheek, trying to meet my fluttering gaze. "Your family lied to you. They... They betrayed you."

"No..." I whisper again, tears budding in my eyes as the blood in my veins boils to an unbearable degree. "No!"

"Help us," Hayden pleads, nodding as he watches my loyalty quickly vaporize under high heat. "Help us prosecute the people who did this." He swallows. "Help us put them away for life."

"My father." I whisper, chest rising as I struggle to breathe. "He..."

Memories of my parents meeting Daniel flash through my mind. My father's surprising support. My mother's welcoming smile. My father's encouragement, his acceptance, his words, his actions. They were all lies .

They were all...part of his plan.

His plan to hurt me. To destroy me.

To fucking kill me.

You need to die to become an angel.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

And it worked.

Fucking bastard.

"He's in Indonesia," I mutter to Hayden, hatred stewing in my stomach.

"What?"

"It's a non-extradition country." I blink, emotionless. "I'll do it but..." I suck in a breath of resolve. "We need to get him back to the States. I want to see his face when he learns just how much of an angel I truly am."

"It's funny if you really think about it, huh?" I muse, glaring at my father. "You did everything you could to make me into your little clone, a replica of the great Tony Bianco, and for all intents and purposes, you did." I cock my head. "So essentially, you're the cause of your own demise."

"You should get some rest," Hayden says. "It's late."

"No," I say, shaking my head. "We need to go over the details still."

Hayden quirks up a brow. "Do you ever sleep?"

"No," I say, standing up and heading to the coffee machine set up in the corner of the room. "I can sleep when I'm dead." I flash Hayden a knowing smirk. "Really dead."

He blinks. "Dead?"

"Yes," I say, pouring two cups of coffee. "That's the only way."

"Only way to what?" Hayden asks .

"Bring my father back to New York," I explain, walking back over to the couch. "He won't come back for anything else, especially if he knows the FBI is watching us. Here." I hand him a mug. "I'm not even sure my death would be enough." I twist my lips, thinking out loud, "We need to up the ante a bit. I think—" I glance at Hayden, "—I think we need help with this one."

"Help?" Hayden frowns. "From who?"

"Hazel," I reply, nodding. "I think she's the key."

"My demise?" Dad asks, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously. "What are you going on about?"

"Thanks for meeting me here," I say, sitting down in front of Hazel.

"What do you want from me, Camilla?" Hazel asks, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Why am I here?"

"I have a...proposition for you," I say, scanning her meek features. "A way for you to escape—" I nod to her engagement ring. "That."

She moves her hand off the table, placing it on her lap. "I don't, umm... I don't want to ? —"

"The Dragons are going to prison, Hazel," I state, throwing a Hail Mary. All cards on the table. I don't have time for games. "In a matter of weeks, maybe even days, your fiancé and his entire organization will be draped in orange and selling smokes for toilet paper."

Hazel blinks. "What?"

"I'm working with the FBI." I swallow, praying that my intuition is correct. "The Angels, The Dragons, and Almuluk, they're all going down, Hazel." I pause, meeting her bruised eyes. "You can either go down with them or...you can help me. Help the FBI. And...help yourself."

She lowers her voice, leaning across the table. "You're working with the FBI? But you're..."

"I need your help," I state in a whisper. "Help me, Hazel."

She's silent for three minutes and thirty-six seconds. I'm counting. I'm holding my breath and counting. Counting on her to say yes. Counting on the fact that somewhere, deep inside me, I can still tell when a person is good, when a person is smart, and when a person is trustworthy.

I've been wrong a lot lately.

This time I can't be.

This time my gut must be correct.

"Hazel?"

"They'll kill me," she whispers in a trembling tone. "He'll kill me, Camilla. I... I don't..."

"He won't know until it's too late," I assure her. "You'll get protection, Hazel. You'll be safe. I guarantee it."

Hazel bites her lip. "What... What would I have to do?"

"A couple of things."

"Couple?"

"Yes," I say, flagging down a server. She'll need a drink for this. "A couple."

"What are they?" she asks, swallowing. "What do I have to do?"

"Well," I hum. "First off, I need you to convince Zhao to betray me ? —"

"What!"

"It'll be easy, Hazel. He's power-hungry, and he fucking hates The Angels. Convince him to turn on me. Maybe he can go to Alba and crack a deal, I don't know. We can sort the details out later. "

"Easy?" Hazel mutters, distraught. It's understandable. "Right. Okay...and the second thing?"

"How good is your aim?"

She blinks. "What?"

"Can you hit a small target?"

She narrows her eyes. "Yes, but ? —"

"I'm gonna need you to shoot me."

"Shoot you?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going to kill you, Camilla. Are you fucking crazy?"

"I said shoot, Hazel. Not kill."

"You're going to jail, Daddy," I state, ignoring the chatter from the funeral party. "Any last words?"

"Jail?" he scoffs, clicking his tongue. "If I'm going anywhere, I'm going to the fucking morgue." He looks over at Frankie. "You said she was dead, Franks." He gestures up and down my body. "This look dead to you?"

"She was, Boss," Frankie says, standing up. "I saw her bleed out. I saw her die." He gives me a lingering once over, unable to fathom the idea that he was mistaken. "You were dead, Cami..."

"Really?" I ask, touching my beating heart. "Funny, I've never felt more alive."

"She said yes," I whisper, staring off into the distance. "Hazel said yes."

Hayden laces his fingers through mine, giving my hand a squeeze. "And you're sure?"

"It's the only way," I whisper, my future fading with every breath .

"I don't like this," he says, once again bringing me into his arms. "We can stop this. It's not too late."

"It is." I close my eyes, breathing in his scent, my lungs filling with longing. "It's too late."

"Do you trust her, Camilla?" Hayden asks. "Really trust her?" He shakes his head. "If she misses the trigger even by a centimeter then the vest won't work. It'll stop the bullet but that's it. No blood."

"She said she can do it," I state. "I have to trust her, Hayden. Just like you're trusting your tech team with this vest, I'm trusting my team with my life."

"It's going to hurt, Cami," he says. "If she hits the blood trigger, you'll feel the explosion. In addition to the impact of the bullet..." He winces. "It's going to hurt, baby."

"I can handle it," I say, letting out a long breath. "It'll only hurt for a minute. Zoey said that Petrotoxin works fast. I shouldn't feel a thing."

His jaw clenches. "I don't like the idea of you taking a modified neurotoxin that hasn't been properly tested, Camilla." He runs a hand through his disheveled hair. "It's dangerous."

"It's necessary. I need to appear dead."

"I'm glad you're alive, kid," Dad says. "But next time when you want to throw a tantrum, perhaps try something a little less dramatic." He nods at The Council. "Let's go before she pulls another little magic trick."

"You're leaving?" I ask, giving him a smile. "You can't leave."

"Watch me," he grunts, grabbing my mother's hand as he marches away .

"Have fun in jail, Daddy," I call out after him as The Council begins to rise from their seats. "I'll write to you!"

My father comes to an abrupt halt after walking a few yards. He turns on his heel, fist clenched as he stares at me with loathing and beautiful disappointment.

He saw them.

"What did you do?" he spits, body vibrating as the rest of The Council tenses, finally noticing the onslaught of FBI agents hiding in the distance. "What did you do?"

"Remember, Daddy? Remember what you told me?"

"We will kill every one of them, bambina," my father says, consoling me. "We will rise up and become the most powerful family. A family that no one would think of fucking with ever again." He looks at me, dead in the eyes, and says, "One day, Camilla, this will all be yours. And you alone will make El Castro suffer for taking the life of dear Daniel." He holds my hand and gives it a squeeze. "You are a Bianco, and you will get your revenge."

"I'm getting my revenge." I smile as a gust of wind flows through my white chiffon dress, and I can finally breathe. "Time to surrender, Daddy." I tilt my head. "You're surrounded."

"Surrounded?"

"Surrounded."

"You fucking bitch!" my father screams, pulling a gun from his holster. Fuck! "You set me up!" He storms toward me, his arm shaking as he vibrates. "You fucking set me up? You fucking rat!"

I had a plan.

All the pieces fell exactly where they were supposed to fall .

Except one.

"Mils!" Leo yells, lunging toward me as flocks of birds spread their wings and fly off the trees, a horrifying melody of chirps and gunshots echoing in the sky. I scream as Leo falls backward into my arms, Zoella running to my side as dozens of FBI agents rush toward us. "Mils..."

"Leo," I cry out, holding his head as I sink down on my knees, my heart racing. No. No. No. No. No. "What did you do? What did you do!"

"Oh my God," Zoey cries, fingers trembling as she hovers her hand over the gunshot wound right over his heart. "Oh my God, Leo..." She looks around, desperately screaming, "Help! Someone help him!"

"Camilla!" I hear Hayden's voice in the midst of all the chaos. "Camilla!"

"Help!" Zoey cries, looking up at Hayden as he sinks down on one knee. "Do something!"

"It's okay, Zoe," Leo coughs, blood dripping out the side of his mouth. "It's okay..."

"Hayden do something," I beg, stroking Leo's cheek as tears roll down my face. "He wasn't supposed to shoot, I didn't think he would try and?—"

Hayden leans over me, pressing his palm against all the gushing blood. "There's too much blood." He cranes his neck over his shoulder. "We need a medic! Fitz!"

"Mils..." Leo croaks through struggling breaths, placing his hand on top of mine as Hayden continues to call out for help. "I... I told you I came back for you." He chokes, coughing. "I... I told you that, didn't I?"

"Y-Yes, you did." I nod between praying sobs. God, please. Don't take him. Don't take him away . "I'm sorry, Leo, I am so fucking sorry. Please, Leo. Don't leave me."

"Y-You got to…" Leo swallows, eyelids fluttering as his body convulses. "You gotta learn to...to trust people again, Mils." He coughs, the color vanishing from his face. He stares at me, smiling like an angel, a hero, someone who doesn't fear death. He tightens his grip around my hand, squeezing it one last time. "Not everyone..." His breathing falters. "Not everyone will hurt you... Not everyone will—" He groans, closing his eyes. "Not everyone..." His voice fades. "Will hurt you."

"Leo!" I cry, tapping his cheek frantically. "Leo, wake up! Leo!"

"Camilla..."

"Leo! No! Come back! Leo!"

"He's gone," Hayden whispers, prying my hands away from him. "He's gone, Camilla."

"No..." I shake my head, looking at his sister. "He can't... I—Zoey..."

A medical officer runs over and glances at Hayden.

Hayden silently shakes his head at the officer, lifting me to my feet as the other agent scoops a sobbing Zoella into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Camilla. I tried..."

"This wasn't supposed to happen," I whisper, staring down at Leo's lifeless body. "This wasn't supposed to…"

He was going to kill me. My own father. He wanted me dead. I thought of everything. I had a plan. I had a fucking plan. He's my dad. I didn't think he would shoot me. I didn't think that fucking bastard?—

He's going to pay.

He's going to fucking rot !

I snap my head up toward where my father was standing. What? He's not there. He's not standing.

He's...

I blink, gaze shifting to the ground, my eyes darting to the bullet in his forehead. "What..."

"I had to..." Hayden breathes. "He fired on you."

"You killed him?" I whisper, conflict stirring in my chest. "You killed my father?"

Hayden swallows. "I'm sorry, Camilla. I had no choice."

Dead.

He's...dead.

"We all have a choice, Hayden," I mutter, scanning the cemetery for Zoey. "We all have a choice."

Life is all about choices.

You get to choose.

You're either a villain.

Or a hero.

There's no in between.