If there was one thing I remembered about Dad, it was his loathing for messy situations. Everything needed to be done quickly with no loose ends, because loose ends got you killed.

With this in mind, I knew he had to be rolling in his grave while watching from below as I held Vance fucking Trevors at gunpoint. It was annoying really. In any other situation, I would've already shot the bastard. I already had my silencer ready and it wasn't like anyone was waiting to physically stop me, but it was those fucking blue eyes.

Wesley.

He stared at me with this wide-eyed expression as if he couldn't believe what I was doing, but I knew that couldn't be true—I first introduced myself by holding him at gunpoint in his own home, after all—but still those damn eyes.

"Manolo," Vance called out my name, reminding me he was there and forcing my gaze off Wesley. "Come on, man. Put the gun away."

He spoke as if we were friends and maybe in a past life we were, but he made sure to burn that bridge years ago.

"You threaten my partner and then tell me to put my gun away?" I scoffed.

"Threaten? We were talking. It wasn't like that."

"Tell me what it is like then, Vance," I snapped, stepping closer and pressing the gun against the back of his head. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks a hell of a lot like a threat."

Most men would have tried to sweet-talk their way out of the mess, but Vance Trevors was not like most men. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "We hadn't even made it to threats yet when you walked in."

Bastard!

My finger hovered over the trigger and despite everything about this situation demanding me to press it, I didn't.

Dad's voice echoed in my head, sharp and cold. Don't hesitate. Hesitation gets you killed.

But it wasn't hesitation that stopped me. It was those damn blue eyes burning a hole through me from across the room. Wesley didn't say a word, but his expression screamed volumes—something between disbelief and...fear?

I hated that. Hated it more than I hated Vance standing here, smug as hell.

I let out a slow breath, forcing my hand to lower the gun just an inch. Vance, the arrogant bastard, must've thought he was safe because he started to speak again, but I cut him off by grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking him close.

"You think I won't do it, don't you?" I hissed. "You think because I let you talk because I haven't painted these walls with your brains yet, that you're in the clear."

His smirk faltered, just for a second. "Manolo—"

"You don't get to say my name like we're friends," I growled, shoving him back hard enough to make him stumble. "You show your face around Wesley again, and I swear I'll make you regret every choice that led you here."

The fear was finally creeping into his eyes, and it was almost satisfying—almost. But not enough.

"You're lucky he's here," I muttered, jerking my head toward Wesley without looking at him. "Because if it were just you and me, you wouldn't have walked out of this room."

Vance didn't wait for me to change my mind. He practically tripped over himself on his way out, slamming the door behind him like it would keep me from following.

The room was silent except for the sound of my breathing. My hand tightened around the gun as I tried to shake off the anger still burning in my chest.

"Manolo," Wesley's voice broke the silence.

I turned to face him, expecting him to be angry or scared or something, but instead, he just looked... conflicted.

"You okay?" I asked, holstering the gun and crossing the room to him.

He blinked like he wasn't expecting me to ask that. "I'm... yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"

I frowned. "I'm not the one who got threatened."

"No," he admitted. "But you look like you're ready to kill someone."

"That's because I was."

To any sane person, that should have been yet another sign to get the hell away. However, I was starting to understand that as much as he tried to argue otherwise, Wesley Hughes wasn't sane.

He didn't flinch, didn't take a step back. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, studying me with this maddening look of curiosity.

"You didn't, though," Wesley said quietly.

"I didn't," | agreed, though I wasn't sure why.

"You could have," he pressed like he was trying to unravel some grand mystery. "But you didn't."

"Congratulations, you've mastered basic observation," I shot back.

His lips twitched, and I realized with growing confusion that he was fighting back a smile.

"What's funny?" | asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Nothing," he said quickly. Too quickly, but he didn't give me the chance to argue. "Is Vance going to be a problem? What if he tells—"

Wesley's words fell on deaf ears when glanced behind him and spotted a familiar gold chain. I moved toward it and picked it up, my free hand unintentionally moving to the matching chain around my neck.

"Hilda," I murmured.

"What?" Wesley said, not quite catching my words.

I stared at the locket and all the pictures before slowly shaking my head. He didn't need to know about her.

"Vance can tell Davina whatever he likes. She won't be able to do anything. We have two advantages over her after all. Now, let's get out of here."

Wesley didn't argue. He turned the door and while he wasn't looking, I swiped a few of the smaller photos along with Hilda's necklace before following him out.

Luckily, the party was still in full swing, and oblivious to all that happened behind closed doors. I wrapped my arm around Wesley's waist and we assimilated into the crowd.

"How much longer are we staying here?" Wesley whispered.

"Not much longer," I assured.

Like him, I didn't want to stay for much longer either. If anyone looked at us too closely, they'd see the tension in his shoulders, the way my fingers twitched against his side, ready to grab my gun if necessary. But for now, it seemed we'd dodged the worst of it.

Until she appeared.

"Manolo! I was wondering where you disappeared off to," Davina said as she approached with Juliette following behind her.

Juliette hadn't said a word to me the entire night, but I could tell by the way she was studying Wesley and me, that she'd definitely spoken to Davina about us at some point. Great.

"We just wanted a moment to ourselves," I explained while trying to keep the fake pleasantries alive.

"Right," Davina mused. "I can't believe I didn't know you were dating someone!"

"We kept it secret for a while," I told her.

"I bet! I mean, news about you tends to make its way around rather quickly. So, I expected news about you dating again would have done the same. Especially after the situation. I mean the only way it would have remained secret is if you were really good at hiding." She smiled a bit too brightly. "Or...if you were lying."

There was a moment when none of us said anything. Davina's words hung in the air like a loaded gun. Wesley stiffened beside me, and I felt his eyes dart to mine, searching for some kind of reassurance. Meanwhile, Juliette's sharp gaze swept over us like she was waiting for a crack to form in the façade.

I forced a chuckle, leaning more heavily into Wesley, my arm tightening around his waist in what I hoped looked like an affectionate gesture. "Lying? About dating Wesley?" I repeated, letting my tone drip with just the right amount of incredulity. "What would I possibly gain from that, Davina?"

She shrugged, her eyes gleaming with faux innocence. "I don't know. Attention? Sympathy? A way to keep people off your back?"

"Manolo doesn't need sympathy," Wesley said quietly but firmly.

Davina's smile faltered for half a second before she tilted her head, turning her attention to him. "Oh, Wesley, darling, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that, well..." She waved a hand between us. "It's such an unexpected pairing. I suppose I'm just curious how it all started."

Wesley, bless his soul, tried to defuse the tension by offering a polite smile. "It's not much of a story. We met, we clicked, and here we are."

"Is that right?" Davina's eyes sparkled with mock interest. "Well, forgive me if I'm skeptical. You two seem... mismatched. You know, opposites don't always attract."

I could feel Wesley tensing beside me, and for a moment, I debated letting Davina run her mouth until she got bored. But then I caught Juliette's expression—sharp, calculating, and far too interested in what Davina was digging for. They were looking for a crack to exploit.

I didn't have time for this.

I glanced at Wesley from the corner of my eye and without a second thought, I tilted my head toward Wesley, my fingers grazing his jaw just before I leaned in, pressing my lips to his in a kiss. It wasn't soft or hesitant. I didn't do hesitant. It was just enough to convince Davina that we were actually a couple.

At least, that's what it was meant to be.

Wesley froze for half a second before his hands instinctively wrapped around my neck and pulled me closer. I half expected him to freak out or get scared, but he didn't. He didn't pull away.

When I finally broke the kiss, I let my hand linger on his cheek, forcing myself to look calm and composed even as my heart hammered in my chest. Wesley's face was flushed, his blue eyes wide and slightly dazed, and for once, he seemed at a loss for words.

I turned back to Davina, who looked like she'd just bitten into a lemon. Juliette's expression was carefully neutral, but I didn't miss the flicker of surprise in her eyes.

"Still skeptical?" I asked.

Davina opened her mouth, likely to say something snide, but I didn't give her the chance. "You've always had a flair for dramatics, Davina. But this? This is pathetic, even for you. If you'll excuse us, my partner and I have better things to do than entertain your insecurities."

I didn't wait for her response, steering Wesley away before she could recover. We weaved through the crowd in tense silence until we were finally out of earshot. Only then did I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

I guided Wesley toward the door and I could feel his blue eyes focusing on me. He didn't say anything and, in some ways, that bothered me more because Wesley always had some snappy response waiting to be heard. It was only when we were outside that he started to speak.

"Do you think she bought it?"

"She didn't have a choice but to buy it," I responded, deciding to follow his lead for once and ignore the elephant in the room.

"So now all we need to do is—"

"Hold on for a second," I instructed, hushing him.

I stopped in my tracks, eyes narrowing as I heard a faint shuffle of footsteps not far from us. I motioned for Wesley to stay still, and without a word, I pulled him behind the nearest pillar, scanning the area.

And then, I saw him.

Anton Riley.

His posture was too relaxed for someone sneaking around, and he was too comfortable in his movements. He was making his way down a narrow corridor, glancing over his shoulder now and then as if he didn't want to be seen.

"Stay here," I told Wesley before moving to follow Anton.

The big guy rounded the side of the building, stopping by a large bush. I crouched slightly and waited until a woman, much smaller than him, emerged. Neither of them said anything. Anton handed the woman a white envelope before turning away. The exchange alone wasn't enough to prove anything, but the flash of a name on Anton's phone screen as he left was more than enough.

Tia.

I slowly made my way back to Wesley and he shot me a questioning look. "Did you see anything important?"

The two of us walked back to the car and I replayed the exchange in my mind before saying, "I'm not sure yet."