The light of the streetlamps reflecting against the wet sidewalk reminded Mina of a Leonid Afremov painting. Her hands were curled around her arms as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. Sheets of rain hit her bare legs, and she shivered, her eyes on Cole, who was slightly bent over, his hands on his hips. A canopy above the entrance of the art gallery was the only protection they had against the rain.

"I'm guessing you weren't expecting that," Mina said, referring to the bombshell Salvatore had just dropped.

Cole shook his head, exhaling deeply. "No, there's no way Lisa would've cheated on me. I loved her. She loved me."

Mina nodded, her face scrunching up as she took in the growing line of cars. Amid the blare of horns and tires wading through rainwater, she could hear sirens in the distance.

"He's lying," Cole said, raising his voice. "Lisa wasn't a bad person. There's no way she tried to blackmail anyone."

Again, Mina nodded.

His brows narrowed as he glared at her. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Mina straightened her back and unfurled her arms. "What do you want me to say, Cole? Do you want me to lie and say my cousin was an angel? Do you want me to go in there and call Salvatore a liar? Maybe kick him in the shin?"

"How could you talk so callously about Lisa?"

She couldn't stop the sigh from escaping her lips. "Arnie Carmichael."

The corner of Cole's mouth stretched downward. "Who?"

"Arnie Carmichael," Mina repeated. "He was unconventionally attractive. Some people called him a nerd. Okay, almost everyone called him a nerd, but I didn't care. He was my homecoming date during my freshman year of high school."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I didn't make it to homecoming."

Cole shook his head and lifted his shoulders. "I'm not following you, Mina. Is this supposed to make me feel better? Did this Arnie cheat on you?"

"I remember buying this sequined green dress. It made me feel like some sort of mermaid princess in it. My family couldn't afford it, but it was my first homecoming, but my mom bought it for me anyway," Mina shared, staring at the rain pelting the cars ahead. "I waited for him all night, but he never showed."

"A nerd stood you up?" Cole asked in disbelief.

She ignored him. "I remember thinking he must've been in some sort of accident. I was worried and tried to call him, but he never answered his phone. It was past midnight when I found out why."

She turned her head. Cole's face was still puckered as if he wasn't sure how to respond.

"My cousin sent me a picture on her phone. It was of her and Arnie in bed together—a sheet wrapped around their naked bodies. He was asleep, but she told me Arnie lost his virginity that night."

"No," Cole said, shaking his head.

"That Monday, I walked into school and Arnie was all over me. He kept asking when we'd get together and have a repeat of homecoming." She made a scoffing sound. "Apparently, I called Arnie, telling him I would meet him early at his house the night of the dance."

The sound of the rain thrumming against the canopy above them filled the silence as Mina let that information marinate in Cole's thoughts.

He squeezed his eyes for a moment before giving his head a single shake and meeting her eyes with his. "You're saying Lisa—"

"I'm saying my cousin tricked Arnie and pretended to be me. The entire time he was with her, he thought he was with me. I know you're in shock right now, but there was more to her than you realize. She didn't even like Arnie. It was just some sick joke she got off on. I overheard my parents gossiping about how my uncle was struggling to keep her out of trouble."

"No, this can't be. Lisa wasn't like that," Cole argued. "Maybe she changed after she met me."

Mina gave a bark of laughter. "Is your ego that big? She didn't change because of you. If you think she's some sort of saint, it's because that's what she wanted you to believe."

"If Lisa's so evil, why are you so intent on finding out what really happened? Why not just let her death go unsolved?"

"I could not care less about her. I'm trying to find out the truth." Mina glanced again at the line of cars. The sirens hadn't stopped. "If you don't want to help me figure everything out, I understand. As a private investigator, I can figure everything out on my own. It would be easier if you were helping me."

"Why? So, I can help you frame someone in my circle?"

Mina rolled her eyes. "You heard Salvatore. Lisa was trying to blackmail someone with that baby. You don't blackmail poor people, Cole."

"I'm not helping you." He looked to his right, where the valet drivers huddled together in a five-by-three-foot booth. "If you think Salvatore is right and Lisa's baby wasn't mine, there's no reason for me to stay involved. Hell, that's probably why she wanted to break up with me. She knew it wasn't my kid."

"Yup, it's totally your ego talking. That's a problem you should work on."

"I do not have an ego problem!" Cole fumed.

Her phone rang, and Mina scowled at Cole before answering. She introduced herself when the other person asked, "Are you the daughter of Hector Cruz?"

Mina frowned. "I am. Why? Is something wrong?"

Cole had been debating whether to run in the rain to the valet booth when he overheard Mina speaking. He turned back to her and took a step closer.

"I'm going to need you to come to Mercy Hospital. Your father was in an accident."

"An accident?" Mina whispered. "Is he okay?"

"Please come to the hospital as quickly as you can," the woman suggested before disconnecting the line.

"What's wrong?" Cole's head tilted to one side as he took in her pale face.

"My father's at the hospital. I've got to go." She ran onto the sidewalk and into the rain.

Cole cursed and followed her, grabbing her hand and running toward the valet booth. Thirty minutes later, they were standing in the waiting area of Mercy Hospital's emergency room. A nurse had given Mina a clipboard with admittance paperwork.

"Is he going to be okay? What happened?" Mina asked, her eyes wide and unblinking.

The nurse nodded with a slight smile. "They admitted your father after being hit by a car. We weren't sure if he was going to make it, but the surgeon is doing emergency surgery as we speak. Your father is in excellent hands. There's a police officer here who wanted to talk with you when you arrived."

Another ten minutes later, the police officer explained her father had illegally jaywalked while intoxicated. A speeding vehicle hit him. The driver claimed the rain made it difficult to see Mina's father. A couple witnessed the entire accident. They even tried stopping Hector Cruz, but he was adamant he wanted to cross the street despite the oncoming traffic.

Sitting in the hospital's uncomfortable plastic chairs, Cole turned to Mina. "Do you think your dad was trying to commit suicide?"

"He was drunk," Mina hissed. Her eyes were pink and watery. She continued staring at the waiting room doors. "Maybe. I honestly don't know anymore."

They sat in silence for another two hours until a man in a white lab coat came out to give her an update. Her father was still alive, but was still in critical condition. She could call tomorrow to check up on him when he'd be allowed visitors.

She didn't remember Cole escorting her out of the hospital to his car. She wouldn't remember him stopping at a liquor store and returning to place brown bags in the trunk of his car.

Burns, the doorman, greeted them both and helped Cole carry his liquor bottles to the penthouse. After Burns left, Cole planted himself on the floor, his back against his couch.

It wasn't until Cole placed a drink in her hand that Mina finally jolted back to reality.

She stared suspiciously at the tumbler. "What's this?"

"Your medicine," Cole answered. "Mine too. We've both had a crap night. We need to feel better. I'm not into drugs and I don't think you'd be up for sex, so hard liquor it is." He lifted his glass and tapped it against hers, making a clinking sound. "Cheers to stressful evenings."

His eyes narrowed on her outfit. It was the catering uniform. "You probably lost your job tonight."

She looked down at her clothes and shrugged. "I was only working there to get close to Salvatore. I thought he could give me information about Lisa's murderer. Once I figure out who wanted her dead, then I can figure out who ruined my father's life."

Cole poured himself another drink. "And you still want me to help you?"

She shrugged again. "You have the keys to the powerful and the wealthy. I can try to break into your world, but I have a feeling whoever slept with my cousin is going to recognize me and get suspicious."

"Very true," Cole agreed, clinking a third glass of whiskey against hers. He drank it all. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"You don't want to know the truth?" Mina asked, placing a hand against her temple, and squeezing her eyes for a moment. She burped and covered her mouth with one hand before giggling.

"You're already drunk," Cole smirked, pouring himself another glass. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to hang with me."

His drink sloshed out of the glass as he brought it to his mouth. "Your dad is going to be okay."

"He hasn't been okay since the accident," Mina confessed. "After my cousin died, my family hasn't been the same. We're like a torn-up photograph we can't quite tape back together."

Cole was lining up shot glasses on the coffee table. He pulled out fresh bottles from the brown paper bags and started filling the shot glasses. They sampled all the bottles within thirty minutes.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Mina whispered. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyelids were at half-mast.

"Of course," Cole said, lifting another glass of whiskey in the air.

Mina scooted closer to Cole, placing a hand on his shoulder. She leaned in until their noses were practically touching. "I hate her."

"Who?" Cole turned his head, pouring the liquor down his throat. He cleared his throat. "Lisa?"

Mina gave an affirmative grunt and giggled before falling forward in a fit of giggles. She splayed her hands on his chest and squeezed. "Do you work out?"

His chest bounced with laughter. "You're drunk."

"No, I'm not," Mina denied, her voice slightly slurred. "Do you know what I hate the most about her?"

Cole placed his arm around Mina and pulled her close. "That she stole your homecoming date?"

"No. Yes. No, but she's lucky we could return my green mermaid dress."

"Then you'd really hate her, huh?" Cole smiled, pulling her even closer.

She was practically on his lap. Mina nodded before crawling on his outstretched legs until she was straddling him. His hands rested around her waist, and he leaned his head back. "I hate knowing she lied to me. I hate that I've wasted years mourning her and what could've been."

"That bitch," Mina growled.

Cole laughed, causing Mina to laugh as well.

After a moment, she placed her hands on Cole's shoulders and whispered, "I hate that she's dead—that I'm all alone. My aunt and uncle left the country. My dad checked out mentally. The guilt was too much for him. She's dead. That just leaves me. Mina—party of one." Her hands kneaded his shoulders, and she grimaced. "Seriously? Do you lift weights every day or what?"

He grinned and pulled her forward until she was directly above his lap. She looked down and gasped before jerking her head back up. Their eyes met.

Before she could protest, he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. One of them moaned.

When he pulled back, she pulled his face back to hers and kissed the corner of his mouth. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"We aren't doing anything wrong," Cole whispered, kissing the soft skin just below her ear. "Are we?"

"I suppose not. We're both single if you don't count your crazy stalker." She began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"We're just two people helping each other feel not so lonely," Cole said between kisses. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"No," Mina moaned. "As long as it's just for tonight."

Cole squeezed her hips. "Just for tonight?"

"Just for tonight," Mina nodded before Cole picked her up and carried her to his bedroom.