Then

"Jace, buddy, are you ok?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Jace replied and kept looking out the window at the Hollywood Hills of the Madrid suburbs.

There was one magnificent mansion after another, behind iron fences or brick walls. Lush green lawns, trees, and flowers in bright colors were everywhere. Summer in the south of Europe was a magnificent sight, though it was like being grilled in the fires of Mordor when not in the shade with a cold drink. Or inside with air-conditioning.

Jace sincerely hoped it was not an outside wedding with that sun baking down on them.

"Well, let's just say that if you don't stop gnashing on your teeth like that, you'll need dentures by your next birthday."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't noticed," Jace mumbled and flexed his jaw to realize how stiff and sore it was from having done what Gareth accused him of.

Gareth turned in his seat. They were alone in the limo, and the discretion wall between them and the driver was up, leaving them with privacy to talk. There had been no time to talk since they had left Dublin. From the house to the airport, a team of bodyguards had boxed Jace in, the same at the airport where they had treated him like some VIP. Gareth had scratched his initial plan to fly commercial and ordered his plane ready for Jace's security. Though, he had not minded the extra comfort and going through the Fixed Base Operations to stay clear of the commercial terminal.

Gareth liked convenience and luxury, and he favored them when he could. Jace's safety was his number one priority, but he did not complain about the added bonus of no screaming children or coughing people on the plane.

After arrival, they had checked into a hotel where they retired to their rooms to sleep before the wedding.

"Talk to me. Are you ok?" Gareth grumbled. Not because he was angry with Jace's reluctance to open up. It was more that he felt kept in the dark, and unable to help if he did not get some information.

Jace sighed and threw his head back to stare up into the roof of the car. Not the most entertaining sight, it was just something he did often when he felt powerless.

"I honestly don't know. It's been so long since I saw Levi in Prague, and even longer since I left him and London. I had somehow imagined that he'd never resurface, and that was the end of it. Meeting him again, and the things he said were too much."

"I can understand that. I'm not asking for details about what went on between you two. That's a picture I can pretty much paint myself, and it's not one I'll enjoy looking at." It took some willpower for Gareth to keep his voice leveled. Deep down, he wanted to know. Every sordid detail, not for the sake of knowing, but to have that information for the day when he would bring Levi to justice. It would be an 'eye for an eye' situation. Levi had to pay for what he had done to hurt Jace. It was as simple as that.

But the thought of knowing the details gave Gareth chills, and it hurt him to the core to know that something had happened that made Jace afraid enough to have a full-blown panic attack just by meeting the guy.

That was also why Gareth had shielded Jace from most of their meetings about Levi and their efforts to find him. He would do anything to protect Jace, and that included being the asshole who kept things from Jace for his peace of mind. If Jace wanted, they could have a brawl about it afterward, but he stood by his decisions and his motivations for them.

"I can't get past how different he looks now. I recognized him in Prague, but those images from the airport..."

"He might have needed plastic surgery to keep his anonymity. It's a neat trick and probably what's kept us from registering him with facial recognition software."

"Yes, his entire face is different. If I hadn't heard his voice, I would have sworn they were not the same person," Jace admitted, recalling the first time he had seen the footage from the airport at a private meeting with Gareth.

Jace already knew why Gareth had done it in private. He had wanted Jace's complete and uninhibited reaction to the images, and he had wanted Jace to handle it any way he needed. If that had meant another panic attack, Gareth had made sure it would not happen in front of the others. For that, Jace was truly grateful.

Seeing him on the screen had made his heart pump like a trapped butterfly. Levi's body was the same, tall and muscular without being bulky. His hair was longer and a new shade of brown, darker. His face had been like staring at a stranger, but the eyes... Those were the same malicious orbs of hate and self-entitlement that Jace had once found magical and beautiful. That was before he had seen what he hid behind them, what had not shone through until Jace was in too deep.

"I know you're certain, and I have Horse and one of his hacker friends looking at every major airport in Europe. We will find him, Jace. I swear it." Gareth fisted his hands and resisted the urge to hammer his fist into the armrests from helplessness at the lack of information even weeks after the incident, and Horse's intense surveillance of Arlanda Airport in the days following if Levi should return when he had wanted to leave the country.

There had been no sign of him.

"I know. And I know people are working around the clock for me. I just want to help. Help find all the missing subs and help get Levi, no matter if he's part of it or not."

"Yes, they're working around the clock for you, because we care. I don't know if he's involved for sure. I just feel it in my bones. My gut instinct is rarely wrong, you know that."

Jace nodded with a crooked smile. That was the absolute truth. Gareth's gut instinct was the reason he was so good and always prevailed. It was like he had a sixth sense, and it guided him expertly and kept him safe. It was what they all relied on, that and Gareth's mind.

"I feel it too. He's too much of a snake to not have a role in it somehow."

They sat in agreeing silence for a while. Both sure they were right, and that Levi would be the key to cracking the mystery of the missing subs. How and when they would catch him and what it would take to get information out of him was not a big concern. They both knew they would get him, eventually. It would be like one of those programs on Animal Planet where a predator waited patiently for its prey before it went in for the kill.

And Levi was the prey for once.

After a long time of silence, Gareth's hand reached over and found Jace's. He held it in a tight grip without moving his gaze from the window and the world outside the car.

"I'm sorry that I went overboard," he mumbled in a solemn voice. "Please forgive me."

Jace gave Gareth's hand a squeeze. "Nothing to forgive, brother."

None of them let go of the other until the car turned and stopped at a set of massive gates with a bunch of security people guarding the entrance. The driver rolled down the discretion wall for them to listen in when he talked to the security personnel. He showed them the invitations and waited patiently for the guard to find them on the guest list to approve their entry.

When the guards finally approved them, the car drove into a property that made Gareth's mansion look like a shack in the woods. The massive house lay bathed in the sun and looked like a crown jewel on display. Large columns stood on the front to frame the entrance to the house, in colonial style.

"Jesus Christ, are they royalty?" Jace mumbled, stepping out and gawking at the house, when the driver had come around to open his door for him.

Gareth grinned at him over the roof of the car from the other side where he had gotten out, smoothing his tux to prevent wrinkles. "Naah, they're filthy rich. This is Fernando's parent's place."

"And Fernando is the groom, ye?"

"Indeed. He's marrying Sereai, the sister of my classmate." Gareth walked toward the entrance with Jace by his side. "I've only met her a few times because she does PR for Fernando's company and has handled a few things Fernando and I have worked on together. But that's not the most impressive about her. She and her brothers own the PamHotel chain."

"PamHotel? Like the one in London?"

Gareth winked. "Yup. That and all the others around the world."

"Well, fuck me. Are they snooty?"

"They're probably the most down-to-earth billionaires I know. And I know a few," Gareth said with a wink and then laughed. "Pretty much everybody from my class back then has made it big. Most will be here today."

Gareth continued to talk about his friends, some Jace had heard of before, but he did not pay attention at all. He walked like a tourist in New York, wide-eyed and impressed, looking at everything inside the house.

The hall was a white and black marble floored entre to the dinner that was the house. A grand staircase led upstairs, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling, twinkling prisms and all. The hall was completely bare, with white walls and impressive stucco, except for some large vases with flower arrangements.

He followed Gareth into what he presumed was the living room, or one of them. He did not imagine there would only be one in a house that huge. Wherever he looked was like taken out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The room was a beautiful combination of modern and antiques with that unmistakable Spanish touch to everything. It was the same display of Spanish pride as Gareth had Russian and British in his home.

"Where are the guests?" Jace curiously looked around, but only people in waiter uniforms rushed about to finish details.

"At the cathedral in the center of town for the ceremony, they should be here shortly."

Surprised, Jace turned to Gareth. "Really? I thought the ceremony was supposed to be held here? Why aren't we at the cathedral?"

"I don't do churches," Gareth said in a grumbling matter-of-fact way and looked up as if having his own personal chit-chat with whatever God he believed in.

"I understand." Jace nodded at Gareth because he understood. Jace had stopped believing when he was a kid. Not that he had grown up religious, or had parents who had given him any specific faith to follow. His life had proved that there was no divine entity looking down on him to protect and care for him. Why should he believe in something unproven and intangible when he had Gareth and Phoenix to believe in?

Gareth and Phoenix were not Gods; they did not have powers or knew everything. What they had was the power of conviction, loyalty, and unfaltering support. That Jace could put his faith in, and he would trust them with his life any day rather than trust some unknown in the sky. Gareth and Phoenix might never be able to fix everything, personal or worldwide, but they would never stop fighting for what they believed in, and they actively did what they could to change the world instead of praying for miracles.

Jace returned from the restroom, which had been like taking a piss in a marble fishbowl with gold fixtures. Sometimes, he was happy to just be a regular man without all the trimmings and fancy things. Gareth handed him a glass of champagne, and they continued their tour of the ground floor while people began arriving from the ceremony. They walked through a parlor at the back of the house, large windows let in the light from the garden, where tents stood set up for the party, and they continued into what they could only describe as a ballroom.

A fucking ballroom.

It had parquet flooring and a small podium at the end where a string quartet played ambient music as the guests began to gather there.

Gareth had gone off to talk with somebody, and Jace casually kept to himself and walked around the room to study the paintings on the walls. Not that he was an expert or usually had an interest in paintings, there was just something mesmerizing about them. He was not even going to play smart and think about brush strokes and color blends. He had no knowledge of either; Jace knew nothing of signatures or the like. He simply appreciated what he saw.

They were all magnificent, but one had drawn him from the other end of the room. One that spoke to him personally.

Jace sneaked past a group of people and made his way to the painting, where he stood nailed to the floor and took it in.

It was a storm image of a sort of peninsula of land over a rocky seashore. A light tower spread a glum light from its top, only giving a vague sign of where the shore and safety were. The dark skies above, the murky, still stormy sea below, and grey shoreline of rocks all held the setting for a disastrous fate for the boat that was being tossed around by the waves. It was masterfully done, but it was the clouds to the side, greyish and white with a bright, shining silver lining and one single ray of ethereal light for the boat to follow that had his attention.

It felt like it was a metaphor for his life, and what Phoenix represented. Never had Jace felt that connected to any kind of art. It was as if the artist knew him and his life. Knew what Phoenix stood for.

It was amazing.

"Do you like it?"

The soft voice with a slight accent drew Jace from his thoughts of Phoenix and the painting. A tiny lady who looked to be in her sixties with grey hair and a few darker strands still left in the mix looked up at him with a smile. Her green eyes matched the lighter green wrap-around dress she wore.

"It's beautiful. I wish I could take it home with me." Jace chuckled at his idea of grabbing a four-by-six-meter painting and running with it.

"I like it very much too." She looked up at the painting with a melancholy smile. "It speaks to me."

"Me too," Jace agreed and pointed stupidly at the images of the painting. "That boat there is me, the lighthouse is hope, and that ray of light is the love of my life."

"What's your name?"

Jace blinked and blushed from having forgotten his manners. He held out his hand to the lady and gave her a winning smile. "I'm sorry. My name is Jace Keys."

"Raja Rivièrra," she said and took his hand. "Are you from the bride's or groom's side?"

Scratching his head, Jace wondered about that. "I guess I'm a friend of a friend of the bride's brother." He laughed. Even with that connection, it sounded like he had wedding crashed. "My boss went to school with Sereai's brother, and I'm here as his bodyguard, though I think he brought me for fun."

"I see. Well, I'm the mother of the groom." Raja puffed up with pride.

"This is your home? It's beautiful. Please don't mind me drooling over your paintings."

"No harm done," she said with a laugh, putting her hand on Jace's arm to show him she meant it. "I'm glad you like it."

"I do," Jace said with longing, glancing at the ray of light he called Phoenix.

"I'd better get ready. They're arriving soon. Please enjoy the party. And save me a dance?" Raja giggled like a schoolgirl at the wink Jace gave her when he nodded and waved at her.

Turning, Jace kept staring at the ray of light, thinking how much he missed Phoenix. When he got back, he needed to find a way for them to see each other somewhere private. If only for a few hours to stay connected, and for Jace to let Phoenix know he needed to relax a bit and not work himself to death.

"What is it with you and that painting?" Gareth asked, placing a hand on Jace's shoulder, making him jump in shock.

"Damn, I hadn't heard you come," Jace choked out and rubbed his forehead.

"You were long gone. I'm wearing dress shoes on a parquet floor. If you didn't hear me coming, you're either going deaf or you were long gone."

Jace chuckled with embarrassment. "There are other people here."

"That just makes it even weirder that you heard nothing."

"I don't know. I just like this one. Somehow, I forget the world around me when I look at it."

Gareth studied it for a moment with Jace, taking it in. It was magnificent, and he got why Jace felt pulled in by its darkness and the promise of something beautiful when the skies cleared. If he had to chance it, then he believed it reminded Jace of his past and maybe childhood. He had been so lost back when they had met.

"It's beautiful. Fernando is a talented painter."

"Fernando?" Shocked, Jace tried to stop himself from looking too stupid. Why had Raja not mentioned that? Her son had made it, and she had felt no need to brag. She had just enjoyed Jace's compliments.

"Yes, I think he made all of these before he turned twenty." Gareth looked at the incoming masses who had spread to the sides, making room for the bride and groom. "Come, I think they're about to enter. Now do me a favor and forget that you're here as my security. Eat, drink, and dance."

"Oh, I've already got one little lady on my dance card."

Laughing, Gareth slapped Jace's arm. "Just one? You're slipping, mate. We've been here for a while, and one is all you've got?"

"Hey!" Jace hollered with indignation. "It's the mother of the groom. Beat that."

"Ok, you win. Just find somebody your own age too. It's a party. You're supposed to have a little fun."

The ballroom filled fast as the steady stream of guests arrived. Jace and Gareth mingled around, and Jace got introduced to a bunch of people he had no way of remembering. Not that it mattered. He would meet plenty more to forget.

"Did you see her?" Gareth whispered as the bride and groom entered the room.

"The bride? She's lovely."

Jace could not fault anybody for finding that woman beautiful. The dress at first glance could seem boring, but it was nothing of the sort. It was underplayed with immaculate details to show Sereai's body. It was a sleek, heavy silk dress in an off-the-shoulders design with a second layer of delicate Spanish lace on top of the plain silk, forming waterfall sleeves on the upper arms, and closing on the front with intricate beadwork. A silk sash around the waist with three silk-covered buttons looked to close the outer layer like a coat around the dress, and the same lace was open in the front and fell down the back to align with the dress to create a train.

The dress was exquisite, but what made Sereai exceptional was the mantilla in her black hair with an elaborate Spanish lace veil. Like a Flamenco dancer.

Jace could not take his eyes off her. The way she beamed at her guests and looked up at her husband with adoring eyes was everything a bride should do on her wedding day. Fernando walked like the proudest of peacocks and kept caressing her hand on his arm, as if he made sure she was really there.

"She's absolutely stunning," Jace continued.

"Oh, Sereai? Yes," Gareth mumbled absentmindedly; he did not focus on the couple at all. He stood on his tip-toes, trying to look above the heads of everybody.

"Who are you looking at?" Jace tried to see what Gareth saw, but there were too many people around for him to have a chance at pinpointing what had caught Gareth's eye.

"I just saw..." Gareth shook his head and looked more focused. "It's nothing. Let's go to the tents and see where we're going to sit. I doubt we'll be sitting close."

Gareth had been wrong about the seating. They had ended at the same table, though on opposite sides of the round table, maybe because Jace was there as Gareth's security. Whatever had bothered Gareth, he made a good effort to hide during the delicious banquet. He chatted up a storm with the women on both sides of him. If he kept it up, Gareth would get lucky that day. There was nothing but interest in the women's eyes, and they fought charmingly to get his attention.

But Jace saw those moments of Gareth losing interest. How his eyes wandered around the room, as he looked discretely for someone or something. Giving Gareth a smile and hand signal from missions, which meant 'after', indicating that they could talk when dinner was over, Jace tried his best to let Gareth know he was there for him. He knew G-man well enough to know that the curt nod was an acceptance of the offered bro-talk.

That was good enough, and a strong sign that something was bothering Gareth. Whatever it was, Jace wanted to help.

Friendship was a two-way street.

If Jace had been so inclined, he too stood a chance at securing a good night. The women at his sides were not only very attractive, they were charming and interesting to talk with too. For a reason well known to him, they did not do it for him. He still found them desirable, no question about it, he simply had lost the need to act on it. Since he had discovered his feelings for Phoenix, his view on sex with others had changed.

He hoped that meant his feelings were real.

So, instead of flirting as he would normally have done, he spent his time getting to know them. Talking about their jobs, lives, where they were from, and what they wanted in life. It was strangely refreshing, and it made the time fly.

There were what felt like hundreds of speeches. Some funny and light, others entertaining and interactive for the couple, and, sadly, a few jaw-breaking yawns. Gareth was not one to hold a speech himself, he was part of the group celebration speech from the males of his friend group. The look on his face was priceless when he got called on stage by the one Jace had learned was Sereai's brother, Porter. There was a lot of banter about the friend group representing most of the world, but since they had no Greeks, they wanted to see who had the best wannabe Greek genes.

Jace wiped his eyes from laughter at all the men, including Gareth, who danced the ugliest version of a Zorba around the bride. In his opinion, none of them had any Greek genes, and thank fuck for that, or they would have had their Greek status revoked.

"One day, I'll get them back for this," Gareth grumbled when he sat back down, though his eyes shone, and his cheeks tinted pink from having laughed and moved around. He emptied his glass and smiled at Jace, who he noticed had not stopped laughing. "Jace, you'd better not be laughing at me."

"Why would I laugh at you?" Jace replied innocently, hiccupping, and trying to control himself. "I'm laughing with you. There's a difference, you know."

Gareth gave him a sly smile. "Maybe, but they sound the same from where I'm sitting."

"Nuances, G-man. You have to listen to the nuances."

"One day, I'll get you back. Just wait until your wedding," Gareth huffed, already noting in his head to remember and pay Jace back.

That made Jace erupt into another explosive laugh. "I'm never getting married. Like I'd go through this for anyone?" He lashed out his arm at the extravagance of it all.

Yeah, he had never thought about marriage. It was not for him. That meant having found the right woman, rings, commitments, and a whole plethora of shit he could not even begin to think about. If anything, he could consider a small dinner with friends after a visit to a courthouse. That would be more to his liking.

He tried to imagine it, and that was not really a problem. He could easily see all the guys at some fancy restaurant in their tuxedos. The part he had difficulty with was the bride. All he could see was a set of smoldering, grey eyes meeting his, and there was no poofy, white dress. It was all masculine and wonderful.

It was Phoenix.

He chuckled and downed his wine to occupy himself from his thoughts. He would settle for being boyfriends. Thinking about marriage to a guy like Phoenix was like imagining world peace. A nice thought, but completely unobtainable.

When there was finally time to go for a smoke after the three courses of top-of-the-line food, about eight billion more speeches, and some rather fun entertainment, Gareth and Jace found their way outside for some fresh air and a bit of moving their legs before the festivities continued. Back inside the tent, people were gathering at the main table of the couple and their families when a six-tier cake got wheeled in.

Neither of them had any particular need to be part of the cake-cutting and stayed back to just observe and wait their turn to get a piece.

"Why is she not joining them?"

"Who?"

"Her." Gareth discretely tossed his head toward a table not far from them where a woman sat alone. "She looks so sad. Why would anybody be sad at a wedding?"

Jace shrugged, though he had to agree with Gareth that she looked sad as she sat there, playing with the stem of her glass, not paying attention to what happened around her.

"There can be plenty of reasons. Newly divorced. Just not a party person. Envy."

"True."

"There's only one way to find out. Just check for a ring before you turn on the charm. This is not a place for you to get clocked by a jealous husband, and I have to come save your ass." Jace winked at Gareth, knowing the man was about to move in. To do what was the question?

Nodding, Gareth looked at the woman he had noticed a few times before. There was just something about her. He could not say what it was, if it was the way her back was straight even when she looked to slump in her chair, or it was the delicate features of her face. It was something.

"Stay close, ok?"

"Sure."

Slowly, Gareth moved away from Jace. He just wanted to know why she looked so sad. One smile from her would be enough. That was what he wanted.

"Excuse me?" he said quietly not to startle her too much, which was not a big success since her head snapped to him and her dark eyes locked with his instantly. They were so intense, they took his breath away. She said nothing but sat there, obviously waiting for him to state why he had interrupted her solitude.

Though he was annoyed with Jace's advice, he swiftly checked her hands for a ring or a line from one.

Just to be sure.

"They're cutting the cake. I wondered why you aren't over there with the others, getting a piece?"

"You did, did you?" She shot lightning at him with her eyes, narrowing them and tightening her face in a harsh grimace. "So, you wondered why the fat girl wasn't over there getting some more sugar to stuff her face with?"

"What? No!" Gareth backed away a step at her blatant attack on him. Fat? She was not fat. Curvaceous, full-figured, delicious. He had many words for her, but 'fat' was not one of them.

Her English was perfect, though it had an American accent as opposed to his own British one. It sounded sweet, unlike her words.

"Really? Don't pretty boy Ken dolls like you have better things to do than make fun of others? If you want cake so much, you can go stuff it up your snooty, British arse, unless you have to remove the stick already lodged there to make room. I doubt you can fit both."

Stunned, Gareth stood there and absorbed her verbal attack. Never had he gotten a reaction like that from any woman, no matter what his intentions had been. And his had been nothing but friendly, with a minor spike of interest that dwindled rapidly.

Like hell, if he would take shit like that. If she had known him, or he had actually been rude to her, then fair enough, but nothing he had said or done warranted that reaction or her accusations. When he finally got his brain to work, cold anger flooded him, and he grabbed the nearest chair to sit down, facing her.

He held her gaze, locked with his icy stare, and took a deep breath to not explode. "Listen up, Dolly dear. I am many things, and you can probably find enough to accuse me of if you knew me. But one thing you need to understand is that you should never, ever, assume anything about me."

Drawing in a breath, Gareth noticed how her eyes widened with surprise, maybe shock, but he did not see fear. Even at his most explosive, she met his stare head-on and stood by her convictions, though they were wrong.

"I don't care what you think, or who've made you judge people like that, but I would never, in a million years, disrespect anybody in the way you just accused me of."

Abruptly standing up, Gareth seethed, "Whatever I have up my arse can never compare in size to the chip on your shoulder."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked back to Jace, who he noticed was awestruck and did not say anything. "I need a minute. Watch her. If she cries and runs, you follow."

"Sure, G-man..."

Jace had no chance to continue the conversation because Gareth stomped away outside, looking like a doomsday thundercloud. Glancing discreetly at the woman, Jace took her in. She was not fat at all. Yes, she was a bit chubby, but all that did for her was give her that sweet cherub look. She looked soft and delicate, and the way her rust-colored dress accentuated her skin only added to her beauty.

How could somebody like that have self-esteem that low? She was not model thin, but that said nothing about beauty and nothing about her. She had healthy skin, beautiful hair, and the face of an angel. Thin and skinny were just fashion ideals pushed onto women, those ideals had nothing to do with what men found attractive. And from a male standpoint, Jace saw her as very attractive.

He waited for her to react. Cry, run, spew curses, or something. But she just emptied her glass and filled it again, sipping it with a sad face.

"Is she ok?" Gareth suddenly asked, standing beside him without Jace having noticed him coming back.

"I think so?"

"Ok." Gareth walked over to her again, and she did not look up from the apparently exceedingly interesting napkin she had in her lap.

Gently, he slid the plate with a piece of cake in front of her. He had snatched it from one of his friends at the cutting with some lame excuse.

"Here you go. If you won't come to the cake, the cake will come to you." Her face turned up to see him and, once again, her eyes narrowed at him. "Listen, I didn't notice you because you were... fat."

Gareth grumbled at having to use that word. She was gorgeous. Her black hair shone, and a few strands fell to frame her face, only making the creamy skin look pristine in contrast with the black. He tried not to focus on what he could see of her cleavage, even if he found it hard because her voluptuous mounds displayed beautifully to his view by the dress.

"I honestly didn't even notice your looks as such. Though I think you're exquisite, I hadn't noticed. What I noticed was how lonely and sad you looked, and that did not sit well with me on this joyous occasion, so I came over to talk."

Gareth shrugged lightly, hoping she would understand he had meant no harm, and he still meant no disrespect. If she would just smile at him, that would make him feel better for her.

"Really?" she shrieked, startling Gareth once more. "So, you felt pity for fat, little me and came over to smooth talk me into what? Pigging out on that piece of cake for your amusement? You can take that cake and go Bieber yourself."

Oh, hell no!

She had not just used a pop reference to tell him to go fuck himself! He might not be the most 'on the pulse' person, but even he knew about that Bieber song and what she meant. That was not acceptable in any way.

Years of schooling and good manners took a backseat to the anger and indignation that surged through him. Never in his life had anybody spoken to him like that without having a reason for it, and even then, it was rare. Granted, she did not know who he was, not that he solely relied on his reputation to gain respect. Gareth preferred to earn respect and had done nothing to give a poor impression.

Yes, he had his preferences when it came to women, and he did not always leave a winning impression. He would wine, dine, and fuck them. Take them to fancy hotels and give them the full rich-boy love package. And then he would not see them again. That was how he did things, and he stood by that because he never promised them anything. Never gave them false hope or mistreated them while he was with them. How they chose to act afterward was not always easy and could to some look bad. They had badmouthed him enough for it.

But that feisty woman, staring at him with her mahogany eyes, lifting her nose at him, had no such right.

Roughly, he shot out his hand and grabbed her chin, holding it in a vice grip, though not enough to bruise her, hopefully. He tilted her head for them to face each other fully and growled with controlled anger into her face. He moved in close to her. "I only came over because I wanted to get to know you. I noticed you earlier and hoped for a dance maybe, though I'm not so sure anymore." Gareth sighed and released some of the rage inside to clear his mind and speak like a human. "I don't care what we do. You can sit and push around a few salad leaves or you can binge on eight desserts. I don't give a fuck, as long as I get to have a normal conversation with you."

Her mouth fell open, but nothing came out. That was a triumph, at least. Maybe he had gotten through to her. With a gentle caress of her cheek, he let go of her face.

"If you feel uncomfortable here, I'll gladly have my guy call on my car, and I'll take you anywhere you want, where you are comfortable enough to talk without ripping my head off. I just want to get to know you, if you'll give me a chance?"

The last words were almost whispered and came out with a deep sincerity he hoped she could appreciate. She did not say anything, but the evil narrowing of her eyes stopped, and she took a moment to look beyond his eyes. She let her gaze drift down his tux and then back up to his face. A small frown knitted her perfect eyebrows together as she thought like mad.

"Mackenzie St. Angelo," she finally said and held out her hand.

Grateful and maybe a bit pensive, Gareth took her hand for a brief shake. "Gareth Tempest."

"I'm..."

"Hush," he mumbled and put a finger over her lips. "Let me get another piece of cake, and then we can sit down and talk for a bit, dance if you want to, or we can leave, and I can take you to somewhere in the city?"

"I have to be here for the bouquet toss. Sereai expects it."

Gareth just smiled and nodded. He had only gotten one piece of information from that comment.

She was single. 

Hi dear Wattlings.

Thank you for reading. So, it's time for the holidays. I'll be back updating Flashbacks on Monday January 3rd, 2022. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you stay safe out there.

And we got to the part where Mac made her entrance. She's a feisty one, no wonder Gareth likes her. We all know that this was the beginning and how it goes from there. But it was nice to know, right?

If you like it, then pop a vote and please leave comments. The comments are important for me to know how the story is progressing and the characters are developing. And I'd love to know what you think and interact with y'all.

Give me a follow too for updates on other work and put this book in your library. I'd appreciate that.

Love, Alix

Published: December 21st, 2021. ©Alix Davenport, Copenhagen