(Kwan)

The darkness of the early morning is a cover that can only last me so long. Pretty soon, the sun will rise and it'll become a lot harder to follow my target unnoticed.

It's the first tip we've had since the guy we dragged down into the Monroe basement during Dom and Calla's announcement party. But even with every Don and second from all six families in attendance, we still didn't get any answers. The guy was a false lead, and I'm hoping the one Alasdair told Dominick about last night isn't another. If so, following him for the last half hour will be a waste of time.

Keeping my distance and the hood of my sweatshirt up, I slowly walk behind the guy in a green jacket and ball cap. Our sources say his name is Rico. Some dealer who might have info on who's after the girls. But for someone with such dangerous ties, he doesn't seem very aware of his surroundings. Either he thinks he has nothing to worry about or he's that confident he can handle himself. Whichever one it is, he's clearly mistaken.

As he stops at the door of some dingy apartment building on the rough side of the city, he fidgets with his keys. He doesn't even notice me behind him until my arm slides around his neck, cutting off his air. His nails dig into my skin, desperately trying to get free, but it's no use.

In just a few seconds, his body goes limp, and I loosen my hold on him. We need answers, and we can't get those if he's dead. But I need him out cold in order to transport him back to the docks.

As planned, Han and MJ quickly pull up along the side of the road in a black van. The three of us get Ricos's unconscious body in the back before peeling off just as the sun begins to rise.

The ride to the docks is a quiet one. Once we pull up, I jump out and start walking towards my car.

"Aye, you not sticking around?" Han calls as he climbs out of the passenger door.

I turn around, walking backward as I wave him off. "Not this time. You guys just lock him up till I get back this evening."

"You got somewhere important to be?" MJ asks next, walking around the front of the van with a wide grin.

Han shoots him a matching smile. "Haven't you heard? Our very own second is dating the younger Monroe sister."

I open my mouth to correct him, tell him that I'm not and that the "younger Monroe sister" has a name, but I stop myself. Han and MJ are two of the few guys in our ranks that's shown me nothing but respect since Dom made me second. They like to joke around, especially with me being younger than both of them, but its from a good place and as long as they dont play when it's time to work, I usually don't mind.

MJ whistles. "Good going, Kwan!"

With a deep breath, I shake my head and turn back to face my car. "Yeah, well I gotta go take her to school. So, I'll see you guys later," I say over my shoulder.

The two of them make noises like a couple of horney animals as I climb into my car and drive off.

I swing by my loft apartment on my way to Dom's, check on things, and change my clothes. I might have some stuff in Dominick's pool house, but I won't have time for that once I get there. Even as I'm shrugging out of my extra baggy clothes that I wore to tail Rico, a text comes through from Lily.

Princess Pain: Where are you? Am I driving with you, or should I get one of the drivers to take me?

Kwan: You're riding with me. Keep your ass right there. I'm on my way.

If this were a regular workday, I'd be putting on one of my many black-on-black suits. But since its just school, I opt for some loose jeans and a black fitted tee before slipping out and locking the door behind me, double checking the security system as I rush down the stairs.

Pulling up in front of Dom's place, I'm not even surprised to find Lily on the steps waiting. As she walks over to the passenger door, I can't help noticing how she's dressed.

Does she always wear that kind of stuff?

Faded jeans hug to her figure like they're painted on and her low-cut white shirt is so small it doesn't even meet the top of her jeans, flashing sun-kissed skin with every step she takes.

Fuck.

"Ready?" she asks, turning a smile my way after getting in.

"What the fuck are you wearing?"

Her big blue eyes narrow as her brows pinch together. "Clothes."

"They look like something that would've fit you ten years ago." I shake my head and pull away from the house.

"Um, no. These fit me just fine, just like all my others." Lily rolls her eyes. "My shirt is no tighter on me than you'rs is on you."

"At least mine reaches past my pants."

She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and making it hard for me to ignore how her shirt rises just a little more with it. "Is this the act you've decided to go with, the jealous over protective boyfriend?"

"No," I say through gritted teeth.

"Then why do you even care?"

I shouldn't.

"I don't," I quickly tell her, forcing myself to keep my eyes on the road.

But I'm not sure she's buying it. Hell, I'm not even buying it.

Normally I can block her out pretty damn well. Go on about my business as if I don't even see her. But now I'm getting the feeling that's going to be harder to do since I have to notice her. I have to watch her every move and even get close to her in order to convince people we're together.

This is my own personal hell, forced to be close to the one girl I've done everything I fucking can to ignore, and we've barely gotten started.

I take a deep breath to clear my head but my sense are instantly hint with the undeniable smell of cotton candy. The sugar-sweet scent fills the car, screwing with my head almost as much as the clothes worn by the scent's owner. I roll my window down but it's not use.

The delicious smell pulls my attention, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch Lily digging through her tiny backpack. A smile slips across her face as she finds what she's looking for, a multi-colored lollipop that she quickly free's from it's plastic cover and slides the sugary treat between her full lips. Lips that I know would feel as soft as velvet against my skin. Lips I've only gotten to taste once and have been haunted by ever since.

Fuck! Get your shit together.

My gaze jerks back to the road as my hands tighten around the steering wheel. It takes some serious concentration to keep my eyes forward the whole way to school. And once we're parked in the parking lot, a deep relieved breath escapes me before I jump out.

I walk around and open Lily's door just as she's reaching for it. The surprise is evident in her eyes when she takes my hand and steps out. But I don't let go, holding her hand as we approach campus where all eyes seem to land on us at the same time.

"The fuck?" Lily whispers as we slowly make our way towards the main building.

"I don't know."

She looks around, meeting the stares trained on us as the campus is filled with chatter. "I mean...I thought some people might notice but this is crazy. It's like..."

"They were waiting to catch the show," I finish for her.

A pricking sensation travels along my spine, drawing my attention to the brunette propped against a light post. With the raise of an eyebrow, a girl I know all too well waves at me.

Mia.

"Someone got the news out fast," I say, just as Lily presses her body closer to mine.

I know Lily has thick enough skin to deal with a lot of shit, but the pressure from our audience is just as thick.

Narrowing my eyes at Mia in the distance, I shake my head and look away, letting go of Lily's hand only to drape my arm around her shoulders and tuck her into my side as we walk. Having her there feels better than it should. She fits perfectly at my side as if she was always meant to, and that thought alone is enough to unsettle me.

"So..." Lily looks up at me. "Protective boyfriend act it is, huh?"

I shrug. "Gotta make it believable."

That and I need Mia to know this isn't a game. Even if this isn't real, her and everyone else needs to think it is. She can tell the whole fucking school about me and Lily, just as long as she understands I'm done with her and keeps her distance. I can't let her screw this up.

Classes are much like our walk-through campus this morning. Especially considering, I can't leave Lily alone. Luckily, our classes are at different times, allowing us to sit in on each other's classes with the excuse of "auditing" for future interest. The professors don't bat an eye, not with some extra cash in their pockets, but our classmates have clearly noticed, staring at us despite the fact we sit apart.

Even now, as I sit in the very back of Lily's last class for the day, several pairs of eyes are on me. They only look away long enough to catch something the professor says or to glance at Lily who seems unaware as she take's notes and talks to her friend, Raven.

Raven fails to secretly look back at me before leaning closer to Lily and whispering something that makes Lily giggle. I don't want to be interested in what they're talking about, but I can't deny that I am. I want to know what makes Lily laugh so easily and if they're talking about me.

With a heavy sigh, I drag my hands through my hair and lean back in my seat. I'm half tempted to close my eyes when the professor declares that class is over and dismisses everyone.

I wait for Lily to get her things and head my way before getting up and falling in behind her as she walks with Raven. The two talk in hushed voices down the hall before Raven says her goodbyes, even waving to me before heading in a different direction. With her absence, Lily halts a step for me to take the place at her side, slipping her hand around my arm like it's completely normal. The action creates a lightness in my chest that I quickly stuff down deep, hoping to smother the stupid sensation before it can grow.

"I'm so ready to go home," Lily groans as we step outside.

"Same," I agree before asking, "You staying in for the rest of the night?"

She looks up at me and nods. "Mhmm. Why?"

Looking away, I give an honest but simple answer. "I got some work to handle at the docks."

"What kind of work?"

The curiosity in her voice catches me off guard. We've never really talked about what I do. We've never really had a normal conversation at all, actually.

"The messy kind of work. Stuff you don't need to worry about."

She playfully taps my arm and rolls her eyes. "I'm not an idiot. I know what our families do and I know how messy things can get."

"Sure."

"I'm serious," she says in a more demanding tone before her voice turns soft. "Any way, you don't have to hide that kind of stuff from me. I can handle it...and it's okay to talk about it if you need to."

For the third time in five minutes, she catches me completely by surprise. I can't help but stare at her as we walk, trying my best to figure out her game. Her words sound like a sincere offer, an olive branch across our rocky past, but girls like Lily aren't like that. Mafia Princesses aren't like that. I've been looked down on by enough of them to know that first hand.

Yet even as that thought crosses my mind, Lily looks up at me again with a soft smile that seems anything but malicious. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long.

Nearly reaching the parking lot, Lily's eyes land on something in the distance before a wider smile fills her face, and her hand slips free from my arm.

"Cruz!" She shouts, taking off in a full sprint.

I open my mouth to call after her until I spot the target of her attention.

Parked on the side of the road just before the campus parking lot is a red top-less Ferrari, and sitting on the top of the driver seat like he's a life-guard on his perch is none other than Cruz Perez.

The third son of the Perez Mob family, the fifth family in our little circle, beams a smile just as wide as Lily's before jumping over the driver's side door. The second his feet hit the road, Lily reaches him, practically jumping into his arms.

My lip curls as I slowly make my way over, unable to look away from where his arms are wrapped around her.

Cruz lifts her off her feet with his embrace. "Damn, Lilypop. It's been too long."

"Right! Way too long," Lily agrees as he sets her back on her feet. "I've missed you. When did you get back?"

He steps back but keeps at hand on her waist, a hand I'm seriously considering cutting off.

"Just last night," he answers.

In my opinion, he could've stayed gone. Cruz and I haven't really crossed paths before but I was just fine with keeping it that way until now.

As the third son in his family, his ranking isn't super high but it isn't low either. His oldest brother, Santiago, is training to be their next Don and the second oldest, Diego, as his second. That leaves Cruz's options limited, either he's a worker, a soldier, or a leech living off of his familie's fortune made by their many clubs and bars that front for their massive drug trafficking.

Her eyes widen. "And you came to see me so soon?"

"So soon?" Cruz asks with a laugh. "I graduated months ago."

"Yeah but then you're dad had you visiting family down south and I mean...you just got back. I'm sure Mr. Master's degree has other more important things to do before seeing me."

Cruz shakes his head, casting another smile on her that creates a look in his eyes that I'm not happy with. "Nah, nothing's more important than seeing you. Besides, I don't start managing the downtown clubs till next week."

So worker-bee it is.

As I come to a complete stop just a few feet behind Lily, Cruz's attention moves from her to me, a look of confusion on his face before his face lights up as if he's just remembering something.

"Hey, man," Cruz nods.

I stuff my hands in my pockets but keep my eyes locked with his, unwilling to show any kind of weakness. "Hey."

Finally remembering me, Lily quickly jumps away from Cruz and turns to straddle the invisible line between us.

"Um, Cruz, you remember Kwan Song right?" She asks with a nervous smile.

Cruz nods before holding out his hand. "The Song familie's new second, right?"

"Right." I shake his hand before adding, "And Lily's boyfriend."

Lily's big blue eyes double in size as a light pink brushes acrossed her cheeks. But Cruz doesn't even bat an eye.

With soft laugh, he nods. "Right, I heard about that." He leans closer, saying more quietly. "But don't worry, I know the deal. Madam Jo already filled me in. Fake boyfriend, real bodyguard. You guys don't have to pretend around me."

I don't know what pisses me off more, the fact he knows or that he's so quick to brush it off.

"Um." Lily nervously chews on her bottom lip, an action neither I nor Cruz can ignore. "How...when did you talk to my mom?"

Cruz straightens and grins. "This morning. That's why I flew in last night. I wasn't supposed to come back for a few more days but your mom wanted to start the interviews this morning."

Lily's head snaps up. "Interviews?"

I grit my teeth knowing already where this is going. It shouldn't bother me but even as I tell myself that, I can't control the heat that travels through my veins.

"Yeah." Cruz nods, that smug smile perfectly in place and practically daring me to knock it loose for him. "The potential marriage interviews."

Lily chokes on her next breath, her eyes wide as she coughs through the minor fit before catching her breath.

Cruz and I move toward her at the same time, his eye's snapping toward me with a mic of confusion and judgment. But Lily quickly holds out her hands to keep us back.

"I'm fine." She takes a step back and inhales another deep breath. "I'm just...wow. I mean, I know she said it was time but that was quick."

Cruz places a hand on her shoulder. "Lilipop, what did you expect? You were attacked. She's worried about your safety."

I don't miss how his glare finds me with those words before falling back on her.

"The sooner she finds you a match, the sooner you'll have a husband to protect you. You'll be someone's first priority

You won't have to be under your sister's husband's protection."

"She's under my protection," I clarify, my voice harder than I intend.

Cruz shoots me a look. "Yeah, but only because you've been ordered to."

I step forward, ready to either take Lily away or knock this guy on his ass. He even had the nerve to casually shift towards Lily as if trying to block or from me. But she doesn't seem to notice any of this.

With her eyes glued to the ground, shr quietly asks, "Do you know who else she's interviewing?"

Cruz turns his attention back to her. "As far as I know, it's only myself and Richard King. We're the only ones close enough in age."

That's bullshit and he knows it. I'm close enough too. Hell, he and I are both twenty-four. With Lily being twenty, technically Richard King is closer to her at twenty-two. But outside of that, there really isn't anyone else within the six families. Cruz has a couple older brothers and some younger ones in their teens, the Perez family practically tried to give birth to their own army, but only one person from a family can be considered for a match.

But clearly I'm not an option. Second in command or not, I'm still the Song family bastard.

Guess it's a good thing I don't want to be an option.

At least that's what I tell myself even as I reach for Lily's arm.

"We gotta get going," I say, more to Lily than to Cruz.

Lily nods, snapping out of her thoughts. "Right. You have that work thing later."

I take a few steps, completely expecting Lily to follow only to have her shake off my hold and rush back into Cruz's arms.

"I'll see you around," she tells him.

He gives her one more squeeze, his eyes locked with mine from over her shoulder. "You sure will."

The second they let go, I head for my car. Lily's foot steps softly follow behind me but so does the prickling sensation that I'm not the only one on campus who caught their moment together.

This isn't going to help our lie one bit.

The whole ride back to Dominik's is quiet, or I should say I'm quiet.

"I wasn't expecting for him to show up," Lily says from the passenger seat, her eyes searching my face as I drive. "Cruz and I have been friends since we were young...that's it."

I can't hold back the eyeroll. I'm not even sure why she's telling me all of this but I can't say it makes things sound any better. In fact, the more she talks, the more I keep picturing her running into Cruz's arms.

"Kwan...are you okay?"

My hands tighten around the steering wheel as I grit my teeth.

She props herself to face me better. "Kwan?"

I can't bring myself to answer her, untrusting of what might come out of my mouth.

"Seriously?" Her head cocks to the side, her eyes narrowing on me. "So that's the game you're playing? Just give me the silent treatment?"

With a lick of lips, I glance out the side window, refusing or unable to look at her. I'm not entirely sure which, all I know is I need a second to breathe as my insides burn alive with an untamed temper.

I shouldn't be pissed. I know this. But after that shit she gave me yesterday after I bumped into Mia, I can't help but think this whole thing is bullshit. She's a hypocrit, worried about her own reputation while not giving a damn about how today makes me look. But it's more than that and I know that too. Even I don't wanna focus on how seeing her cling to Cruz nearly made me see red.

"Fine!" She huffs, crossing her arms over chest as she shifts again to face her own window. "Fucking childish."

Fucking childish?

A short and dark laugh escapes my lips as I shake my head.

Fine then. She doesn't want to play games? Well neither do I.

When we pull up infront of Dom's house, she quickly jumps out of the passenger door, slamming it shut. Her heels click against the stone steps as she hurries inside but I'm not far behind her. The second we walk through the front door, she tries to escape and storm off to her room. She barely get's a few feet away from me before I grab her wrist and yank her back.

"The fuck, Kwan!" She shouts, but the anger in her eyes quickly turns to surprise as I get right in her face.

"You wanna talk about playing fucking games, Princess?" I keep my grip on her wrist while invading her space, forcing her to step back. "What about you, huh? What games are you playing?"

Her brows pull together as she shakes her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I keep walking forward, forcing Lily to move until her back hits the foyer wall. "You gave me all this shit yesterday about not making you look like a fool. About not fucking up your reputation to where people think you're some doormat who lets her boyfriend sleep around."

There's barely an inch of space between us, her chest brushing mine as she takes deep rapid breaths. But those big blues are filled with confusion as she tries to process what I'm saying.

Still holding her arm, my other hand falls on the wall beside her head, keeping her trapped as my blood boils deep in my veins. "How the fuck do you think it makes me look when my woman jumps into the arms of another man?"

Her eyes widen with realization. "It wasn't like that!"

"Bull fucking shit, Lily!" My hand slams against the wall with a loud thud. "He came there to tell you that he might be your future husband. To gage your reaction. You really think that was just a friendly visit?"

"He is my friend," Lily says, her voice rising as she struggles against my hold. "And why the fuck do you care anyway? I'm just a job, right? The sooner my mom finds someone, the sooner you're free of me and can go back to your playthings!"

"But until then, you're mine!"

My shout echos through the halls, my words shocking the both of us.

"I mean..." I wet my lips, trying to hold onto exactly why I'm so angry. "As far as anyone else is concerned, you're mine, and I'll be fucking damned if I look like some whipped dog who let's his girl do whatever and whoever she wants. I have a reputation to keep too and I've worked too fucking hard for it to let you screw it up."

Her lips thin, no words to fire back but her glare says all it needs to. She's just as pissed off as I am but I'm not even sure if she knows why herself. Either way, she does her best to shake off my hand stripp wrapped around her wrist but she doesn't dare do more than that. Not when each move she makes just forces her body to brush against mine more and more.

I take her arm in my hand and pin it to the wall beside her before leaning in closer, my breath mixing with her's as the scent of cotton candy fills my senses. For a split second, I'm tempted to take her full lips with mine. I imagine how she'd taste, how she'd melt against me as I kissed her into submission. Maybe then she'd listen to what I'm saying and understand that this cover story of ours is what's keeping her safe. That what she pulled today could've blown it all. And yeah...maybe she'd think for a second just how her actions made me look...made me feel.

But I resist the temptation, forcing the idea from my mind as I say, "I've spent way too many years letting everyone look down on me. I'm not about to have it happen again, not when I've worked to get to where I am, to have the reputation that I do. So before you go throwing yourself at another guy, thing about that. Better yet..." I lean in, notciing how she holds her breath as my mouth bypasses hers only to hover by her ear. "Think about your own words. You don't want to made to look like a fool, baby? Well neither do I, and today...I looked like a fool in front of everyone. Hell, I felt like the fool."

When I pull back, I find Lily's mouth left slightly open as her breaths fall faster, but the confusion is back in her eye's. She might not get it, but I'm not even sure I do right now either. So I leave her with the only thing I can.

"If none of that matters to you, than think of your own safety." I step back, finally letting her go. "If either of us blow our cover, it puts you in danger. Remember that."

I need to get out of here. I need space, far from Lily, where I can think clearly again. It's barely been a few days of this stupid lie and my head already feels all messed up. I fucking hate it.

I head to the door, stopping once I have it pulled open and looking back at where Lily still stands against the wall. "Stay here. I'll be back later."