Generic pop music vibrated through the mostly empty bar. Its lack of visitors wasn't surprising, considering this was a Tuesday afternoon; It astonished me that they even opened at this time.

Unfortunately, the lack of people also meant I'd have to endure Connor's presence with a lot more focus, his ginger-blond hair practically screaming at me in the dim light.

"So, what do you want to know?" he asked, fiddling with the straw of his pineapple margarita. I couldn't help but watch the way his other hand clung to the glass, condensation dripping off his fingers from how tightly he held onto it.

Keeping in mind that it was only four thirty in the afternoon, I would've commented on his choice of alcoholic beverage, but when Amara had ordered Tequila ten minutes ago, I'd realized this was just Los Angeles. People operated under different time standards here, apparently.

"I need you to tell me what Cem has found out about my father's accident." Florence's voice was sharp and clean, like a knife running through butter. She was back in business mode.

Connor opened his mouth to argue, but she shot him down in a second. "And don't try to fight it — Rafael has filled me in. I'm not suing anyone as long as I am involved in every step of the investigation."

Amara leaned back in her chair, holding on to the Cuba Libre in her hands as she watched her best friend with wide eyes. Excitement was rolling off of her in waves, glimmering beneath the grin she was hopelessly trying to hide.

"Um... I don't..." Connor rambled, his gaze flicking over at me. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

His question surprised me, the sincerity in his voice making me narrow my eyes at him. I'd always seen him as part of the enemy, part of the reason my mother had ended up with that fucking asshole in the first place. Obviously, it hadn't been his fault, but still. Sebastian's blood ran through his veins.

He was my natural rival.

But the way he acted now, with a sensitivity in his gaze that was so different from anything I'd seen in him... I wondered if I'd been wrong about my assumptions.

"Positive," I answered nonetheless, glancing down at my hand as Florence squeezed it tightly. Connor's gaze followed mine, and even though he had no way of seeing what happened beneath that table, he probably knew what was going on. The smile on his lips gave some of his feelings away.

"Okay..." Connor cleared his throat and glanced at Idir, who was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. My friend had scooted dangerously close to Amara by now, his elbow resting next to hers on the table. I couldn't tell if it was out of interest in her person, or out of sheer spite of the Williams boy on the other side of him. I really hoped for the latter.

But it was like the universe had heard my thoughts, because seconds later, a familiar shadow cast upon our table. The security guard stood behind Idir and Connor, not saying a word. He simply stepped to the side to reveal Rafael Nyx, who hid his face beneath a blue baseball cap.

It didn't take a second for his eyes to roam the table, ending with Amara, who was grinning up at him the second she'd spotted his figure. He reciprocated the gesture, though his gaze quickly found the elbow next to hers, brows furrowed as he glanced between the two. Squeezing himself between Idir and her, he pulled Amara in for a tight hug, one that took long enough for every other person at the table to notice.

Even Idir looked uncomfortable, his elbow retreating from the table with a silent chuckle.

Rafael shot him a swift glare before he tightened the hug around Amara. "Hey, Ames. Long time no see."

"Yeah." She cleared her throat as they pulled apart, completely disregarding her confident antics from before. It was hard to tell with the darkness of her skin, but I thought I spotted the hint of a blush on her cheeks as she gave him a quick once over. "You, um, look good."

Rafael mirrored her movements, eyeing the Nigerian girl dressed in a flowy black dress with great intent. "You, too," he responded with a smirk.

Now she was definitely blushing. Furiously, at that. "Uh... Thanks."

Florence stifled a laugh beside me, hiding her grinning face as she turned to me. "Good God," she muttered, "am I that bad also?"

"Yup."

"Yeah." Both Connor and Idir agreed, smirking as they faced each other.

I couldn't help but chuckle before I pressed a kiss on her head, my hand wandering behind her and stroking her back. "It's adorable," I admitted as I glanced at my beautiful girlfriend.

As expected, Florence rolled her eyes in defiance. I decided not to comment on the faint color that crept up into her cheeks as well.

"I hate you."

"Nah, you don't." I winked at her.

I would've continued the direction of this conversation, but the helpless stare coming from Idir made me look up, my eyes meeting Rafael's as he glared at my friend.

He clearly didn't like the current seating arrangement.

Knowing Idir, he wouldn't give up that seat easily, either. Not because he was trying to hit on Amara — he wouldn't pursue someone who obviously was waiting for someone else — but because he liked to play. All in good spirits, of course.

"Saved you a seat, Raf." Flo leaned over and patted the chair next to me, a sisterly smile on her lips. You could tell just by the look on her face that she was trying to diffuse the situation, her disapproving gaze meeting Idir for a brief moment.

Her brother only grumbled a response before he took the seat next to me, frustration rolling off of him as he shot us a thin smile.

I'd spent a lot more time with him over the past weeks, getting to know the motives and thoughts behind his actions, and I had to admit that I was starting to like the guy. He had a great sense of humor and was a lot smarter than he looked. Had to give him that.

"So," Florence glanced around the table, waiting for Rafael to look at her. "My brother filled us in on most of it," she addressed Connor when her brother paid attention. "Has anything else come up since then?"

Connor looked from Rafael to me, then to Florence, and back to Rafael. It was obvious he was conflicted, probably wondering why Rafael hadn't contacted him before. Problem was, Rafael didn't know as much as we thought he did. Connor was the one who'd hired Cem initially, after Rafael had requested his name to be left out of the investigation.

That hadn't gotten him anywhere, and now he couldn't be sure he knew everything, since Cem hadn't contacted him since the day we left for summer break. Florence's words seemed to have left an impression.

Rafael's lack of communication with Connor had been my request, mostly because I didn't want Connor spilling anything to my mother about what was going on. I knew she'd liked him, and since I hadn't spoken to either of them, I couldn't be sure he hadn't asked her to join forces.

I'd kill him if he had.

"Well, I don't have the files with me," he finally said, "but I can tell you that your dad's brakes have been tampered with. I can also tell you they found a text on my father's phone that proved he spoke to someone about getting the security clearance he needed to access other teams' information and configurations. Such as your father's braking system."

Connor's gaze found my own again, the quizzical look from earlier reappearing in his eyes. I didn't have much time to focus on him, though, with Florence tensing up next to me.

She took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around mine as she sat up straight. I could tell she was trying hard not to show how much this affected her, and she succeeded, too. At least to anyone who wasn't facing the wrath of her grasp.

"What does that mean? Who would have that kind of clearance?"

"We don't know. It must've been someone who worked with new recruits, someone who drivers and other teams trusted." Connor sighed, looking into his glass. "The number that text has been sent to is not available anymore. Might've been a burner phone, might've just been someone who got a new cell plan... Either way, it's gone."

Rafael sat up straight. "What do you mean, it's gone? I thought Cem said he knew guys who could track a phone number if necessary?"

"He did. He tracked the number and found out that it hadn't been registered to a name he can get a hold of. We'd need police to get a name from the provider."

Flo rubbed her forehead, inhaling deeply as she glanced over at me. I could sense the frustration lingering in her bones, the unknown answers to the hundreds of questions she probably had now starting to surface.

But she wouldn't be Florence Nyx if she didn't know how to gather herself, take a deep breath, and face the problem head on. "So, what's his plan now?" Her eyes held that fire I'd fallen in love with over and over and over again.

She was back.

"We don't have a plan," Connor announced. "You asked him to stop, Florence. I know what it's like when your family is ripped apart by the media, so I told him not to investigate further. He's on hold for now."

I couldn't help but stare at Connor, whose gaze now turned to me. Again, there was this sense of sympathy in his eyes that chilled my bones.

"And no, your mother doesn't know. I can get you a file with most of what I have on him by tomorrow, in case you want to show it to her. If you ask me, she should run for the hills while she still can. The shit I've seen while digging into my father's past..." He swallowed, glancing away and taking a sip of his drink. "It's not good. That's all I can say."

The vagueness of his statement made me stare at him even harder. I hadn't expected that much honesty and cooperation from him and didn't really know what to do with it.

"Give me everything," I said without even thinking. "I want to know."

His response came instantly. "You don't. Trust me. I know you don't have a reason to and probably hate my guts, but believe me when I say you don't want to know."

"Well, that just makes him want to know it even more." Amara rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm pretty sure my P.I. will get all that info by tomorrow, too."

"You hired another P.I.?" Connor's voice rose in panic, wide eyes looking from me to Flo. "Why?"

"Because I didn't know if I could trust you," Florence said. "You're still his son. No matter how much you hate him."

Connor was still staring at Amara, his gaze helpless and pleading before he stared back at Flo. "Why bring me here, then? I could've just lied to you."

Flo sighed, glancing over at Rafael. "While I don't trust you, unfortunately, my brother does." I was glad she didn't mention how I'd told them about how he'd helped me out ten years ago, and that even though I was highly skeptical, I knew his hatred for his father ran deep. Deep enough to make Sebastian want to burn. "We figured it'd make more sense to join forces. Save resources."

Connor looked completely bewildered, his eyes flicking across the table as he ran a hand through his hair. The sigh that left his throat had a defeated sound to it, and I got the feeling he wasn't too happy about another private investigator being involved in all of this.

He faced me again, his usually so boyish eyes seeming almost dim now. "Just do me a favor... Speak to your mom. I'll send you everything I have, but please, talk to her before you do anything else." The way he spoke about my mother both relieved and irked me; there was a softness to his tone that told me he'd actually grown to like her. Not that I could've known, considering I hadn't seen the two together for a while. "She'll be in the states on Thursday, actually," he added, "Sebastian moved the wedding to San Francisco, for whatever reason. My guess is he wants to make a spectacle out of it. That wouldn't happen down in Ireland..."

The fact that I had gotten no notification of that change of plans both worried and pained me. I'd never replied to my mother's invitation, but had thought she'd keep me updated.

Knowing that she didn't... Well, I wasn't sure what to think about that.

I had little time to ponder, though. The vibration of my phone startled me out of my thoughts, and I reached into my jeans pocket to see a text from Connor, containing an address and a hotel name.

"That's where she's staying," he answered my unspoken question, placing his phone on the table just as I looked back up at him. "Sebastian has a meeting Thursday afternoon, so she should be alone."

Not sure what it was, but Connor knowing so much about my mother's whereabouts and schedule totally threw me off my game. How could I have let it come this far? Suddenly, I doubted my past actions.

"Why are you telling me all of that?" I asked, genuine curiosity sparking within me.

Connor smiled in response, a thin but sincere smile that once again made me question what was going on inside his head. There just had to be more to it.

"Because she's a good person. Good people don't deserve to be with scumbags like my father."

And even though I wanted to ask more, wanted to know everything he had to say about Sebastian Williams, I didn't. There was just something about the way he looked at me that told me this was final. That this was where he stopped cooperating.

I hated him for it, but couldn't deny that I respected the determination he'd portrayed.

Maybe, just maybe, Connor Williams wasn't the bad guy after all.

***

"Alright, that wraps it up." Amara slammed her notebook shut and leaned back in her chair, her thick dark curls bouncing on her head as she stretched her arms out.

"You sure?" Flo asked, glancing at the pieces of paper she'd scrabbled on over the course of the past two hours.

Her best friend reached over and pulled the pen from her fingers, throwing it across the table just in time for Rafael to catch. She shot him a wink before looking back at Florence, who was now scowling at her.

"Yes, I'm sure. I know what I'm doing and we have everything planned, don't we?" Amara glanced across the table, getting everyone's attention. When only Connor and I nodded, she pressed again, "Don't we?"

This time, Idir, Rafael, and Flo nodded as well, muttering a quiet "Yes, we do..."

"Good. Then please, for the love of God, can we have some fun tonight?" Amara was already standing, waving at the bartender, who was much busier now than he had been when we'd gotten here. Hours had flown by, and the bar was crowded with people by now.

Yay...

"Yo!" Amara called out, but the man ignored her fully as he addressed another guy sitting at the bar. She huffed in frustration before she pushed her chair aside, muttering beneath her breath, "Have to do everything by myself..."

"I got it!" another voice yelled from the other side of the room. I leaned to the side, glancing around the corner to see who's making the noise, but couldn't see anyone I recognized.

Flo and Amara did, though, and apparently so did Rafael, his groan making me glance over at him.

He watched both his sister and her best friend for a second before he turned to me. "This is gonna get real loud, real soon."

"What? Why—"

"What's up, bitches?" I looked up when a familiar redhead stood at the other side of the table, carrying a tray of empty shot glasses with a bottle of vodka in the center.

"Jas!" Flo squealed and jumped out of her chair, practically racing Amara to wrap her friend into a hug. The three threw their arms around each other, engulfing themselves in a tight embrace.

It took a moment, but as I watched the three women break the hug and share a few words, I realized where I'd seen the woman before.

Jasmine Watson. I'd seen her in Australia, as well as in some of the picture frames Florence keeps around her motorhome office.

The man I remembered to be Jasmine's husband stood next to them, shaking his head with a laugh at the women who almost dropped the tray from his wife's hands.

"Ladies, calm down. Hand me the valuables before you break it all."

"Shut up, Kill," Flo muttered loud enough for the rest of the table to hear, and I couldn't help but laugh at how she flipped him off when he grabbed the tray from Jasmine's hands.

"Yeah, yeah. You, too, Flo." He rolled his eyes before taking a seat next to Connor, who simply glanced up at the man.

"Are you Kilian Rogers?" he asked, watching him slide the empty shot glasses to each spot.

"The one and only," Kilian responded as he placed the bottle in the middle of the table and then faced Connor with a smirk. He held out his hand, which the race driver shook with wide eyes.

Connor blinked a few times, looking down at the hands and then back up at Kilian. "Damn. I love you."

"Yeah. Get in line, kid." Kilian chuckled. "Who are you?"

Connor was completely star-struck, his wide eyes not straying from the NFL wide receiver in front of him. "Connor Williams."

"Ohh, you're that guy." Kilian nodded, relieving Connor's hand and then slapping his shoulder. He said nothing more, just shot him a meaningful look before he turned to us. 

"So that's what Flo meant when she said gather the gang," Rafael caught on, stretching out his hand to him. "Good to see you again, Rogers."

"Ah, our job is bringing the good vibes." Kilian shook his hand with a grin. "Good to see you, too, Nyx. How's the girl?"

Rafael's eyes instantly fell on the three women who were still standing right behind Kilian. "Shut up..." he grumbled.

Kilian followed his glance before he looked back at Rafel. "Just asking." He shrugged.

The Nyx brother next to me muttered something unintelligible under his breath, but Kilian didn't seem to mind. His gaze simply wandered to me, brown eyes narrowing in on me.

"Grumpy dude," he said, a crooked smirk on his lips. "Fancy seeing you here."

And even though Kilian had only said a few words at that moment, I got the feeling he liked hearing himself speak.

Great. Exactly what I needed on a day like this.

Judgmental people who talked a lot.

Still, when he held his hand out to me, I shook it with a thin smile, knowing full well this was my girlfriend's best friend's husband trying to make conversation.

The shit I was doing for this woman.

"Kilian. Nice to see you again."

"No reason to lie, man," he responded with a grin, retracting his hand.

I couldn't help but laugh at his bluntness. Had to give it to him — he was annoying as fuck, but a funny dude. He had this dorky side to him that did not match the artificial arrogance plastered on his face; something told me he wasn't as cocky as he looked.

"So, how's the wife?" Rafael asked when Kilian had introduced himself to Idir as well and started pouring out vodka shots, uninterested in who wanted any and who didn't.

"Ask her yourself. She's right here." He grinned, placing the bottle back on the table and turning around to the women behind him. "Venus, you want a drink?"

"Hell yeah!" Jasmine grinned, and Kilian pulled out the chair next to him.

"Then have a seat. You're making me nervous, fiddling about behind my back." He glanced back at her, then added a swift, "Please."

"Aww, I'm making you nervous?" Jasmine quipped, smiling widely at him. "That's so... romantic?" She seemed like she questioned herself when she said the words, lips pursed in surprise.

"I'm gonna show you just how romantic I can be in that bathroom over there," he said with a wink, loud enough for Raf and I to hear.

We both choked on our drinks, smacking each other's backs while Kilian just raised a brow at us.

"Go easy on them, Kilian." Jasmine laughed at our sight, squeezing his shoulder. "They're not used to you."

My gaze wandered until I spotted Florence, who was watching me with a smirk on her lips.

What is happening? I mouthed, and she laughed out loud.

I love you, was all I got in response.

It was all I needed.

"Alright, McCoy, move your ass up a seat." Jasmine ordered.

Well, fuck me.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

Knowing that this meant Florence would not sit next to me and I thus lost all reason to be here, I only begrudgingly moved up to the chair she'd occupied before. The smile she shot me afterward was bright enough to illuminate this entire dimly lit bar, and yet I still longed for her presence next to me.

Fucking bullshit.

An unopened beer bottle sliding in front of me made me glance up. Amara was giving them out like candy, and I stared at the bottle before I looked at Florence, who was also holding the same drink in front of her. It'd been a while since I had a beer, or any alcohol outside of champagne on the podium, really. Idir had made sure I stayed on top of my game every single day during the season.

The glance he shot me now told me he didn't care much about it, and when I looked back at Flo, I found a similar look on her face. Her eyes glimmered with mischief as she shrugged and opened the bottle with the cap of another one — what a fucking hot move, by the way — and brought it to her lips.

"Cheers," she said, and even though I couldn't actually hear her, I could just feel the joy in her voice. After everything that'd happened in the past few weeks, we definitely deserved a little more of that.

Happiness.

Guess that means we're having fun tonight.

I was extremely thankful for the support I'd received lately.

Phoenix had been by my side the entire time, fighting all of this with all he had. Consequences be damned. He really proved to me there was something like unconditional love, as impossible as it sounded.

Time and time again, he'd shown that not only did he desire to be part of my life, but he also wanted me to be part of his. He opened up to me, was transparent about his thoughts and emotions, which made me love him so much more.

It was the kind of love that soared when he slung his arm around my brother's shoulders and engaged in a heated discussion about which Die Hard movie was best.

"I'm telling you, it's the second..." Rafael poked his index in Phoenix's chest, eyes narrowed as he followed the movement. He poked him a few more times, letting his finger bend with every time it hit his muscles. "Man, you are hard."

"That's what she said!" Kilian chimed in from opposite them, causing the entire table to first groan, then laugh. Even Phoenix was stifling a chuckle as he shook his head.

"The first is best. Definitely," Phoenix said, his eyes flicking across the table. I wanted to laugh at the scowl on his face when he couldn't find me, but the warmth in his gaze the second he spotted me simply stopped my heart.

There was so much love in his eyes that I felt like I'd burst.

"Gotta go," was all he said before he untangled himself from my brother — who was left with a frown on his lips — and made his way over to me. He was still walking upright, but the way he narrowed his eyes to concentrate told me the alcohol had done its work already.

"Watchout, grumpy alert!" Jasmine whispered.

"Shut up." I flicked her neck, making her squeal before she scooted closer to Kilian.

I glanced up at Phoenix, who didn't say a word as he pulled at my chair, turned it, and uncrossed my legs. My eyes widened in suspicion, having no idea what the hell he was doing.

But then, with one swift move, Phoenix plopped down into my lap. 

"Hi," he whispered, flinging his arms around my neck and pressing a kiss on my cheek.

The way his nose brushed against my skin made me shudder, an involuntary giggle escaping my lips. "Hi, stranger."

Phoenix inhaled deeply, his lips wandering up to my ear. "I fucking love that sound," he said, his voice deep and raspy as it vibrated against the sensitive spot behind my ear. I wanted to bottle that sound and listen to it whenever I strayed off course, knowing his voice would always get me back on the right track.

"What sound?" I cleared my throat and glanced around the table. Jas and Kilian were practically dry humping each other, while Amara and Rafael had a drunken debate about something I didn't think I wanted to be a part of. Connor and Idir had left a while ago, which meant Phoenix and I were safe from any unwanted spectators.

The giggle-like sound erupting from his lips made me look back at him. "That sound," he clarified.

"What?" I chuckled, leaning back to get a better view of him.

Phoenix threw a hand on his lips in mock-embarrassment, that weird giggling sound leaving his throat once more. "You know." He made the sound again. "That one."

A laugh escaped my throat as I looked up at my partner, the dark and mysterious tough guy race driver sitting in my lap, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"I do not sound like that," I retorted, shaking my head.

"Yeah, you do." He was full on grinning now, his dark eyes finding my own. They took in every inch of me, unabashedly memorizing the contours of my face. "You're so pretty."

Part of me melted at the way he looked at me, adoration clear in his stormy green irises. But another part, and this part was practically screaming at me to take a picture of his intoxicated state, wanted to get retaliation.

Mimosa retaliation.

"Thank you. You're really handsome, too." I smiled up at him, watching how he kept scanning my face.

"I'm also pretty drunk," he finally admitted.

Retaliation at last.

"Yeah, you are."

His head fell on my shoulder and he wrapped his arms around my neck, inhaling deeply. "You smell so good. How do you smell so good?" he mumbled against my neck, and I almost groaned from the sensation of his lips on my skin.

"Must be my soap."

"Good soap."

"Yeah. Good soap." I laughed.

Phoenix nestled into my arms, content written all over his features. "Are you going to carry me home now, mimosa queen?"

"Do you want me to carry you home, lasagna king?"

He laughed, a genuine belly laugh that seeped straight into my bones. "Smooth. Very smooth."

"That's who I am. Smooth operator." I sang the last two words in their known melody, eliciting yet another laugh from Phoenix.

His gaze found mine, and he just looked at me for another long moment, amazement and wonder lingering beneath his steely surface. "I think my battery is running low..." he whispered.

"Is that an excuse to get me out of here?"

"Maybe. Does it work?" he asked. The cocky grin on his lips did something to me. Involuntarily, I crossed my leg on top of each other, causing Phoenix to move on my lap.

"Maybe, McCoy... Maybe."

***

It didn't take long for us to reach the hotel room. Phoenix had been half asleep by the time I'd taken off his shoes and tucked him into bed, his dark hair falling into his beautifully haunted face.

Getting out of my own clothes, I slipped into one of his shirts before I joined him underneath the covers. My fingers ran across this jaw as I cuddled up to him, watching his eyes flutter open as he faced me.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"So are you."

Phoenix shook his head. "No I mean, god." His hands cupped my jaw, framing my face as he studied me intently. The vulnerability in his gaze completely caught me off guard, and I found myself swallowing hard as he rambled on, his earlier exhaustion now replaced by a burning fire. "Really, Florence. Have you always been this fucking beautiful? Sometimes I look at you and I think you're not real. That's not fair. How am I supposed to live the rest of my life doubting reality because you're with me?"

A shiver ran down my spine from the weight of his message. Leaning on my elbow, I allowed myself a moment to bathe in the way the faint moonlight hit his skin, illuminating this utterly stormy man in the calmest of ways.

He was the most mesmerizing enigma I'd ever laid my eyes on.

"I do that, too, you know."

"Do what?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear before it could fall into my face. His gaze sobered the longer he looked at me, as if he was trying to savor this moment without the interruption of a drunken haze.

"Think I don't deserve what I have," I responded, the words feeling heavy on my lips. "We do, though. We deserve all the love we find in each other. This is our reality, Phoenix. Embrace it."

"You've always done that." The smile he shot me almost made my heart stop. "See the best in me. Believe in me... Love me."

His eyes sparkled with a lot more than just love. There was a salvation in his gaze that was intense enough to bring both of us down.

"I have." I pressed a kiss on his cheek. "And I always will."

Author's Note

Hey, folks!

Well, no idea why, but this one took a little while to write, even though I had a ton of fun writing it lol. I sometimes get ahead of myself and just write and write and write, knowing you guys will read whatever I give you anyway. Haha!

I hope you enjoyed this one -- a short break before shit's going down!

Stay safe and healthy, y'all.

Lots of love,

Jane