Love Antidote Characters

A pastry chef working under the name Beth at Lumos and a contracted assassin for the Juniper Guild. She takes both jobs seriously, uses fine dining as cover, and has eighty-two confirmed kills with no bounties. She is motivated by survival, a dream of opening her own bakery, and later by her bond with Mateo.

Arc: She begins by poisoning Mateo to protect Lumos's Michelin star, then saves him with an antidote; after he tracks her down, she partners with him to reformulate poison gas, survives an explosion, and chooses a shared future with him. Together they kill Tomasz Nowak and prepare to hunt Slange and Tommy McCormick.

• Mateo Rocha — her poisoning victim, then partner and lover; they exchange 'I love you' and fight side by side
• Tomasz Nowak — her assassination target, whom she kills with poison canisters
• Henrik Slange — feared rival assassin threatening her Nowak contract
• Carl Donnelly — deceased assassin she revered as 'an icon'
• Sarah — her chef at Lumos, who calls her Beth
• Abigail — Lumos coworker who unknowingly served the poisoned karpatka
• Paolo — Lumos coworker whose cut she bandages
• Chef Kowalska — Lumos chef whose reputation Isla says she must protect
• Rolland — Mateo's associate and later teammate, who suspects her

An independent-contractor assassin who is hired to kill Tomasz Nowak. He is poisoned by Isla at Lumos, saved by her antidote, and becomes obsessed with finding her. He is skilled at surveillance and terrain, and is determined to clear the bounties on his name.

Arc: He tracks Isla to Madrid, proposes an alliance, works with her on a poison-gas weapon, and falls in love. He protects Isla during an explosion, chooses a shared future with her, and helps kill Nowak while preparing to target Slange.

• Isla Castillon — his poisoner and antidote-giver, then partner and lover
• Rolland — his business manager and trusted associate
• Tomasz Nowak — his assassination target
• Henrik Slange — old enemy who left bullet wounds in his leg and shoulder
• Carl Donnelly — deceased legend he remembers playing McNickels with
• Worden — his client/employer, unhappy about the failed Nowak job

A heavily protected criminal figure and the primary target of Isla and Mateo. He appears at Lumos for his birthday, orders karpatka, and survives previous assassination attempts, including one by Carl Donnelly. He is later hiding in a fortified Turkish mansion and is due to meet Anthony Baptiste in Madrid.

Arc: He avoids the poisoned karpatka at Lumos and goes underground after the parking-garage attempt. He remains protected by Slange until Isla releases flesh-eating poison into his compound's water lines, and he dies.

• Isla Castillon — her assassination target; she kills him with poison
• Mateo Rocha — his would-be assassin and target
• Henrik Slange — appears with him in a photograph and controls access to him
• Carl Donnelly — previous assassin who tried to get rid of him and was killed
• Anthony Baptiste — due to meet with him in Madrid
• Rolland — spotted him through a scope during the final operation

A rival assassin thought dead who is revealed to be alive in photographs with Tomasz Nowak. He is feared for slowly wrenching secrets from captured competitors and makes access to Nowak difficult. He is also the subject of a seven-million bounty mentioned by Mateo.

Arc: He appears alive, threatens Isla's Nowak contract, and controls Nowak's security. In the final operation he is spotted running across the compound, and Isla offers Mateo the sprinkler system button to use against him.

• Mateo Rocha — old enemy whose first and last encounter with him left bullet wounds in Mateo's leg and shoulder
• Isla Castillon — feared rival assassin threatening her Nowak contract
• Tomasz Nowak — shown with him and will not let him eat or drink during the meeting
• Rolland — spotted him through a scope

Mateo's business manager, trusted associate, and retired but still active colleague. He tends Mateo after the poisoning, doubts his judgment about Isla, and assists in surveillance and field operations. He is sarcastic, protective, and suspicious of Isla's motives.

Arc: He warns Mateo that Isla may have betrayed them and questions his trust in her. By the final operation he is working alongside them as a teammate, communicating through an earpiece and spotting targets.

• Mateo Rocha — his client and associate, whom he manages and advises
• Isla Castillon — teammate whom he distrusts and suspects
• Worden — conveys Worden's displeasure over the failed job
• Alvaro — sent him photographs of Nowak and Slange
• Tomasz Nowak — target he surveils
• Henrik Slange — spots him during the final operation

A deceased assassin remembered fondly by Isla and Mateo. Isla reveres him as 'an icon,' and Mateo recalls him as a legend he played McNickels with. His death is tied to grudges: Isla accuses Tommy McCormick of killing him, while Mateo remembers him being killed by one of Nowak's former bodyguards.

Arc: He does not appear; his memory motivates Isla's fury and Mateo's resentment. Isla invokes 'Justice for Carl' before the Nowak kill.

• Isla Castillon — assassin she revered and remembers fondly
• Mateo Rocha — legend Mateo remembers playing McNickels with
• Tommy McCormick — man Isla accuses of killing him
• Tomasz Nowak — target he tried to assassinate

An off-page name on the credit card Isla pulls from Mateo's wallet. Isla mistakes Mateo for him and accuses him of killing Carl Donnelly; Mateo denies being Tommy. Isla later suggests going to Scotland to target him.

Arc: He does not appear; his name drives Isla's initial rage at Mateo. By the final chapter he is named as a future target, with Isla proposing poisoned sticky toffee pudding and 'Justice for Carl.'

• Carl Donnelly — accused of killing him
• Mateo Rocha — the man Isla mistakes for him; Mateo denies being Tommy
• Isla Castillon — she reads his name on a credit card and later proposes targeting him in Scotland

The chef at Lumos who calls Isla 'Beth' and drives the kitchen to keep its Michelin star. She tends Paolo's cut, sends Isla for gauze, and barks orders during service. She is focused on the restaurant's reputation.

Arc: She appears in Chapter 1, responding to the possible Michelin inspector and managing the kitchen. She does not appear later.

• Isla Castillon — chef and coworker who calls her Beth
• Paolo — sous-chef whose wound she tends
• Abigail — coworker/server under her direction

A Lumos worker/server who reports the lone diner at table seven and later admits she took the poisoned karpatka to table seven because he ordered it. Her action accidentally sends Isla's poisoned dessert to the wrong target. She matters as the cause of the mistaken-target crisis.

Arc: She appears in Chapter 1 and does not appear later.

• Isla Castillon — coworker
• Sarah — chef/coworker

The sous-chef at Lumos who cuts his finger deeply during service. Isla guides him to the sink and bandages the wound tightly, while Sarah tends to him. He is a minor kitchen coworker.

Arc: He appears in Chapter 1 and does not appear later.

• Sarah — chef who tends his wound
• Isla Castillon — coworker who bandages his wound

Mentioned as the chef at Lumos whose reputation Isla insists must be protected. Isla tells Mateo that the poisoning was not Chef Kowalska's fault and calls her an amazing chef. She is tied to the restaurant's Michelin star stakes.

Arc: She is mentioned only; she does not appear.

• Isla Castillon — the chef whose reputation Isla claims to have sabotaged by poisoning a diner at Lumos

Mentioned only as the person Tomasz Nowak is due to meet in Madrid. His meeting is the reason Mateo and Rolland relocate to Madrid and set up surveillance. He does not appear.

Arc: He remains an off-page contact and plot catalyst.

• Tomasz Nowak — due to meet with him in Madrid

Reported as Mateo's client/employer, unhappy that Mateo failed to kill Nowak with a lot of money on the line. The notes also list Worben Inc. as Mateo's current client on his verified profile. Worden expects Mateo to do his job.

Arc: Mentioned only as pressure on Mateo.

• Mateo Rocha — hired him and holds money on the failed job
• Rolland — Rolland conveys his displeasure over the failed job

The doctor/medic who treated Mateo after he was poisoned and says he should be out of the woods now. He appears briefly in the safe-house recovery.

Arc: Mentioned only.

• Mateo Rocha — his doctor/medic

Sent Rolland photographs revealing that Henrik Slange is alive and appears with Nowak. He provides intelligence for the Madrid operation.

Arc: Mentioned only.

• Rolland — sent him photographs

Mentioned as a man Mateo is known for killing in his own panic room. The detail appears on Mateo's verified profile and supports his reputation as an assassin.

Arc: Mentioned only.

• Mateo Rocha — a man Mateo is known for killing