Karma Doesn’t Sleep The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 717

Felix didn’t even look up from roasting the fish. “So you fell because Caroline hurt your hand?”

“Mhm…” Amelia didn’t bother denying it. She walked over and sat by the fire, already feeling the warmth chase away the chill in her bones.

“You probably think I’m an idiot, huh?” she asked quietly.

Felix let out a short laugh. “You? The genius from Baybridge University? If you’re dumb, then the rest of us don’t stand a chance. Besides, saving Caroline is just who you are.”

He finally turned toward her, his smile fading into something more serious. “Being kind isn’t the same as being stupid. But people who hurt others should pay for it. When it’s your turn to get even, don’t just let her off the hook.”

His solemn tone actually made Amelia feel lighter, as if everything might turn out alright in the end.

The smell of cooked fish slowly drifted through the cave. Felix handed her a piece.

She took a bite—fresh, tender, perfect. She glanced over at Felix. He’d gotten so much tanner since she last saw him, his features sharper and rougher, the beginnings of a beard making him look wild and dangerous. He was nothing like the polished Baker family heir she remembered. Now, he just looked like some rugged local, and she had to admit it suited him.

Felix kept his eyes on his food, but he could still sense her watching.

“Why are you staring at me?” he drawled, turning around with a lazy grin. “Let me guess—you just realized I’m way hotter than Ryan? Planning to dump him and fall for me instead?”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “You’re such a comedian.”

She realized he was never serious, not even for a second.

Once the fish was gone, she felt her strength coming back. She spotted her phone lying nearby, checked it, and—just as she figured—it was dead. Her watch still ticked, but there was no signal out here. No way to reach the military.

She touched the necklace at her throat, the one with the tracker hidden inside, and silently hoped it was still working. But she knew she couldn’t just wait around. If the tracker failed and nobody came, she’d have to find her own way out. Ryan was still waiting for her, after all.

“When I got here, Kit mentioned there was a military informant on the island. If we could just—”

Felix cut her off before she could finish. “He’s dead. Tatum found out who he was two weeks ago and fed him to the crocodiles.” Felix’s jaw clenched. “I wanted to help, but I never got the chance.”

He said it like it was nothing, but Amelia could feel the weight behind his words.

Rain started to fall outside, but Felix had already blocked the entrance with branches and dry grass to keep the water out.

He sat by the fire, whittling a stick. Amelia curled up across from him, staring into the flames, lost in thought.

“Why did Tatum want you, specifically?” Felix asked, breaking the silence.

Amelia shook her head. “I didn’t even know about it until Tavon and the others showed up. Three hundred sixty-six hostages, all for me. I have no idea what Tatum wants with me. And honestly, he was weirdly nice to me on the way here.”

She still didn’t get it.

“One of his men dragged me to see him, and I scraped my knee. Tatum beat that guy half to death right in front of me. He even assigned a girl named Tara to look after me, and he didn’t lock me up or anything…”

Felix’s hands paused mid-motion, his brows drawing together. He’d watched the whole situation before stepping in to rescue her. He’d dealt with Tatum before, and the man was not the type to be easily threatened. That Tara girl wouldn’t be enough to make him go soft, either.

If Amelia was really that important, Tatum would have searched her the moment she arrived, taken away any weapons, and locked her up tight. The Tatum Felix knew was paranoid and cautious. He’d have kept her caged up, not treated her like an honored guest.