𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 | 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

０１７．

"You're never going to believe this, Dad," Ren gushed as she flung open the doors to her father's study, eyes bright and grin wide.

The security guards standing at either side of the door exchanged a knowing glance, but stepped aside for her all the same.

And behind them sat Cal, reading glasses perched low on his nose and brows knit together in focus or frustration or both. Ren didn't particularly care to find out, collapsing into one of the plush chairs before his desk and tossing her feet over one of the arms.

He looked at her for a moment, taking in her wild, wind-tossed hair and cheeks flushed from the hurried hike up to the Valetta villa after a long day of drug-dealing, and then her haphazard position on his chair.

Ren straightened in an instant, putting both feet on the floor and running her hands over her hair in a failing effort to make herself presentable.

"What's so important that it warranted storming my office like this, Renny?" Cal asked, his tone taut as he feigned interest.

His half-hearted attempt didn't faze Ren in the slightest. She only smiled wider, leaning forward until her forearms rested on the edge of his desk. "I got information. All of it."

Her father's interest was no longer feigned as he glanced up abruptly, setting down the papers in his hand and raising a brow.

Ren took it as her cue to tell him everything, from the Cameron patriarch's name to his business on the island to his criminal history. She animatedly explained the situation with the older daughter, how the stowaways had settled for her when they couldn't steal the cross, and how it was dripping with gold and jewels. And her father listened intently the entire time, nodding his encouragement for Ren to continue her story every time she showed signs of faltering.

"Good job, Renny," he said as she finished, patting her hand with a congratulatory nod. "I'm proud of you."

Ren narrowed her eyes, watching her father's face as he tilted his head slowly back and forth. It seemed like there was a 'but' coming.

"But, I do need more from you."

There it was.

Cal continued with a shrug, "I don't want to make any decisions based off of rumors amongst the crew. I want this information from the source. I need you to get -- what was his name? Rafe? -- I need you to get it from him. You have an in, and I need you to make him trust you enough to tell you everything himself."

"Decisions?" Ren demanded, "Decisions about what? What are you going to do?"

It was all she could do to keep her tone steady, her expressions neutral. She knew not to lose her temper with her father, but she hadn't signed up for this. Cal had led her to believe that he was just curious, seeking information about the new family in his town. If he was going to do something to Rafe's family, Ren didn't want to be a part of it.

Especially if it required her being around Rafe any more than she already had. She already didn't trust herself around him, didn't trust her ability to control herself in his presence, and more time with him would just make it worse. Especially if she knew that her father was planning something.

Cal steepled his fingers across the desk, giving his daughter a conspiratorial grin. "Renny, when have you ever known me to be a passive man?" He said, "Taking what I want is what got us here, you know. So if there's something that I want on this island, I'm going to take it. Especially if it could make us richer than we could even imagine."

Ren gaped at her father, and then gestured around the decadent office space, and then pointed out the window overlooking the sea. "We're already filthy rich. Why do we need to steal from an innocent family?"