Chapter 2

Upstairs at the Restaurant

"Boss, that's what I've been trying to tell you," Nate said.

Mateo looked past him at the stage. A young woman was singing, and the whole room was watching her.

"Who is that?" Mateo asked. "What happened to the singer we booked?"

"Her manager called. They were robbed on the way here."

"Robbed? Come on, Nate."

"I'm serious. It's already all over social media." Nate reached for his phone to show him, but before he could, Wayne grabbed Mateo from behind and hugged him hard.

"Mat, I am emotional right now." Wayne let go and pointed at the stage. "Have you heard her? Who is she?"

Mateo looked at Nate. "Yes. Who is she?"

"Her name is Mirabella," Nate said. "She's one of the new hires. When the singer's manager called to cancel, she offered to step in."

"Mirabella," Wayne repeated, like he was tasting the name. "Beautiful voice. Beautiful everything, actually—"

"Did anyone even hear her sing before you put her on that stage?" Mateo cut in, looking at Nate.

"It was an emergency, boss. I didn't have time. And look at them." Nate nodded at the crowd. "They love her."

"See?" Wayne said. "For a few minutes I actually forgot my problems. That's talent."

"You always forget your problems," Mateo muttered, and walked off toward the guests before Wayne could answer that.

He moved through the crowd. People were dancing where they stood, some swaying with their partners, others too caught up in the music to notice him pass. A few told him how much they were enjoying the night. He came back to Wayne and Nate, satisfied.

"Alright. She's good. Everyone's having a good time."

"Told you," Wayne said, still watching the stage.

"And you." Mateo's voice hardened again, but only a little. "Where were you when I cut the ribbon?"

Nate quietly stepped away, sensing this was not a conversation he wanted to be part of.

"I told you already. It was for a good reason." Wayne grinned. "I was finding you a sister-in-law."

"A what?"

"Look." Wayne pointed at the stage. At Mirabella.

"If I didn't know you don't drink, I'd think you were drunk right now. I'm the one who's been telling you to date, and the first girl you actually notice is my employee?"

"Who said anything about dating her? I just like watching her sing."

"You are not normal," Mateo said, and walked off toward the stage, shaking his head. He never understood how Wayne could seem so light and easy all the time, when Mateo knew there were things underneath that Wayne never let anyone see.

On Stage

Mateo took the microphone. The music stopped, and the room turned to him.

"Thank you all so much for coming tonight," he said. "You could have been anywhere else, and you chose to be here with us. Please, follow us online, send us your feedback, and if you want a table — even the private ones downstairs — we would love to have you back. Thank you."

The room clapped one more time. It took another twenty minutes for the hall to finally clear out. Once it did, Wayne suggested they head to a hotel nearby to relax, the way they always did when they were too wound up to just go home.

On the way out, Wayne caught Nate's eye and gave him a small signal. Nate nodded and went the other direction.

"What was that?" Mateo asked.

"I asked him to bring your car and meet us there."

"Since when do you and my assistant talk in code?"

"Since now. Let's go." Wayne gave him a light push toward the door.

Hotel Luxury, Later That Night

The lobby was gold and marble, the kind of place that made you lower your voice without meaning to.

"You really do have taste," Mateo said, looking around. "I wish you cared this much about your love life."

"That day isn't coming, Mat. I just want one woman. Someone who takes the weight off me instead of adding to it."

"You'll be waiting a long time for that."

"I don't mind waiting," Wayne said, smiling.

At the front desk, Wayne gave the receptionist a small nod. She smiled and waved them through.

"What was that about?" Mateo asked. "You didn't even show her a card."

"I already handled it. Come on."

Mateo glanced back. The receptionist was still smiling — at him, he assumed. He was used to that. He knew he was good-looking; he'd never had to work hard for female attention. But next to Wayne, he always felt like he faded a little. Wayne wasn't as tall as him, but there was something about him people couldn't look away from. Even at his own office, surrounded by women, Wayne never seemed to notice — or maybe he just never let it show.

"Mateo." Wayne poked his shoulder. "You still with me?"

"Yeah — hey, do you remember Dennis?"

Wayne groaned. "Don't do this to me. Don't bring that man into my night."

Mateo laughed. Dennis had been a model Wayne worked with years ago, who had gotten obsessed with him and wouldn't leave him alone — showing up outside his work, calling constantly — until Wayne finally had to get the police involved.

Still smiling at the memory, they walked into a dark hallway.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Mateo asked.

"Just hold onto me. We're almost there."

They walked a little further, and Wayne opened a door into a second dark room.

Mateo stopped. Something felt wrong.

"I thought we came here to relax. What's going on? Let's go back."

"We're not going back," Wayne said. His voice had changed — lower, unfamiliar.

"What—"

Everything from the whole night rushed back to Mateo at once — Wayne showing up late, disappearing during the ribbon-cutting, the secret signals with Nate, the receptionist waving them through without a word. Is this what people mean when they say even friends can turn on you?

He turned to run and slammed straight into someone standing behind him.

The impact sent his head spinning. He grabbed at the person to steady himself.

That's not Wayne. Wayne's still beside me. So who is this?

The smell was familiar. So was the height.

Nate. It's Nate. But why? What is going on?