2. Two

He wasn"t what I expected. He appeared nothing like his father. He was small, with a head full of soft curls spiraling against his head. They were falling into his face, grazing his defined cheekbones. His lips were red, probably from the combination of the champagne and cold air.

His voice was soft and delicate. No sign of the maliciousness his family or fiancé held.

His fiancé.

The man made my skin crawl and I couldn't help but clench my jaw at the mention of his name. Santiago Morales was a damn leech, always waiting for the right moment to pounce and take what wasn"t his. Once he married Mateo, he would take from him too.

Not if I take it first.

Walking back inside the house, I glance around the crowded spaces. No one looks in my direction once, all too busy wrapped in conversation and whatever else they"re doing. Whatever Miguel is whispering in his wife"s ear has her expression tensing. I turn my attention away from them when Mateo rushes past them, heading toward the table full of desserts. He looks so uncomfortable and out of place. Shoving a brownie in his mouth, he glances around, his eyes stopping once met with mine. Chocolate hangs at the corner of his mouth and I can"t tear my eyes from the way he swipes his tongue against it.

Sliding my hands in my pocket, I walk his way and his gaze falls to the floor when I reach the table. "I never cared for the food at these things but the dessert table does look promising." I pick up something fried and covered in sugar before tossing it into my mouth.

He swallows hard, licking his lips. "You"re still here."

"And so are you."

He shuffles from side to side, resting his hands behind him. "I"m supposed to be. The party is for me after all."

"Is it?" I ask. "Or is it for someone else's benefit?"

"Who did you say you were again?"

Smiling wide, I inch closer. "I didn"t."

"Mateo!" A younger woman yells from across the room, holding up two glasses of champagne. "Come have a drink with me, primo. Bring your friend too if you"d like." She winks in our direction.

He glances at me and back at her, looking uncertain of what he should be doing.

"You better go. I"ll see you later, Mateo. Perhaps outside by the fountain." I rest my hand on his arm, leaning in, brushing my mouth over his ear. "Hopefully you"ll have my jacket on you when I do."

He sucks in a breath and doesn"t walk away until after I do. I never go too far, watching him try to blend in with the corners of each room he"s in while I stay hidden myself. It"s easy to do with all the other guests standing between us. It"ll be time for us to talk again soon but not now. There are too many chances of us getting interrupted again and I don"t want to stand out to the wrong people. If only there was a way for me to get him alone, even for a little while.

A woman I"ve never seen before asks me to dance and instead of turning her away, I agree. There"s no better way to blend in at a party being thrown by your worst enemy than to act like everyone else.

I spin her around a few times and ignore her roaming hands. None of her flirty advances will get her anywhere. I"ve never been into women before and my desire for them won"t suddenly start now. A slow song has her pulling my body closer and she rests her head on my shoulder and when I look up, Mateo is watching us. Good.

The woman whispers in my ear and I"m too busy focusing on the man in front of me to care about what she"s saying. My eyes remain locked on his until the song ends. I need to be the only thing he sees in the room and as of now, I have him exactly where I want him. I thank the woman for the dance and walk toward the back of the house, downing a glass of champagne on my way out the back door. I set the glass down on the patio table, smiling when I turn around and see him following slowly behind me.

I glance between him and the fountain, before I step off the deck. I trudge through the wet, tall grass, distancing myself from the loud music, bright lights, and shouting voices. The guards pay me no mind, only seeing me as one of the many invited guests. No one here knows who I really am. I"ve spent the last ten years hiding in the shadows. Tonight I wasn"t the son of Marcus Castaneda, the man Miguel Juventino burned to ashes right along with his wife, leaving his children orphans.

No. Tonight, I was a third cousin who no one has recently seen enough of to remember what he looks like. A man I killed weeks ago. After his parents died in a boating accident, he kept his distance from his family and old friends. It worked in my favor and so did me holding a bit of resemblance. No one knew he was dead yet. I had probably only tonight to work with before they questioned who I really was. I only needed his name to get on the property but I was overstaying my welcome.

Where the hell is he?

The anticipation grows as I watch each person disperse from the large, white, stucco mansion. I stand by the gray fountain shaped like an angel and lean against the hard, cold cement, waiting. The house grows quieter. I glance at the large top balcony when the light turns on. Shadows of what appear to be two people move behind the thin curtains. It's hard to make out their shapes from here. Minutes later, the shadows move, one more violent than the other and the lights turn off.

The house is left completely dark, and as I'm ready to give up and walk away, I see someone walking down the narrow stairway from the balcony. My hand rests on my gun, prepared for whoever is approaching my way. Once I notice someone wrapped in my jacket, with a head full of curly hair moving against the cold night"s air, I relax, taking my hand off my weapon.

He came looking for me. Just like I hoped he would.

He was too curious not to. It was a dangerous thing to be. Mateo is more predictable than I assumed he was. No, he is nothing like his father. Miguel never made anything easy and he could smell a trap from miles away.

There was no way Mateo did, because who would walk into one willingly? Who would come outside to meet a stranger while being well aware of their family having enemies at every turn? It's not unheard of for others to go after a cartel boss's family and loved ones. If anything, it's to be expected, and that's why they were usually surrounded by guards.

Not Mateo. He was alone. He appeared as this little sweet lamb and I was the lion about to claim my prey.

The dry, dead grass crunches beneath his feet and he stops in front of me, staring. No hint of fear to be found. "Leaving so soon?"

"Where are your guards? Men like you are usually swarming with them."

He takes a deep breath. "If I need them, they"ll be here at the shout of my voice."

"And what if you aren"t able to shout?" I step closer.

He huffs out a breath. "Are you going to be the one preventing me from doing so?"

"You never know. Can never be too careful. In this world, you should always be prepared for something to go wrong."

"Even in my own home?"

"Especially in your own home."

"Who are you?" His eyes squint.

"I guess you could say I"m a friend of the family."

"I don"t remember ever seeing you before."

"Are you saying you recognized everyone inside your house tonight?"

He shakes his head. "No." He twists his lips, shuffling where he stands. "What did you mean by what you said earlier?"

I tilt my head. "Which part?"

"The part about why you are here."

"Remind me." I cock my head as I pretend to be as clueless as him.

"You said you were here for me."

"Then that should be enough explanation," I say sharply.

He huffs out a breath. "It"s not."

"It was your party, wasn"t it? I wanted to be here to congratulate you on the big proposal," I lie.

"You said you didn"t know my fiancé." His big eyes grow rounder.

"Doesn"t mean I don"t know you."

He tugs on the lapels of my coat, licking his lips. "Are you really a friend of my family?"

"Depends on how you define "friend"."

"If you plan on harming me, you'll live to regret it."

I bark out a laugh. "Typical Juventino, always with the threats."

"Don't call me that," he sneers.

"But it is your name, isn't it? You are the son of Miguel Juventino."

"Last time I checked, I was only me." His eyes grow distant and his face mimics the way a lost child would.

"And who might that be?" I inch closer, and the fresh forming bruise on his left cheek is more apparent underneath the fountain lights. Those moving figures behind the balcony doors earlier weren't just two people talking. They were two people fighting and something tells me he got the worst end of it.

"Mateo, just Mateo."

I graze his cheek with my thumb, and he flinches from my touch. "Who did this to you, Mateo?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it? Did you want your jacket back or not? Or did you stick around for some other reason." A hungry look appears in his eyes as he gives me a once over making his attraction to me apparent.

Well isn"t this a lovely surprise. Miguel Juventino's son isn"t only reckless and naive, he"s also longing for something he has yet to have from anyone else. Meaning Santiago hasn"t touched him in the right way or given him the attention he needs. The hungry and curious expression he"s sending gives him away. What else would he allow me to take?

My eyes are locked on him like magnets and I'm more intrigued than ever. He is nothing like I expected he would be. The impending fear I was used to seeing in others was nowhere to be found in him. No, I won't be harming him tonight. I"m going to have a little fun first. Like a cat hunting his prey, I want to play with my food for a while before devouring it. It will hurt more this way. Not only him but everyone.

I'll earn his trust and then destroy everything he ever thought he was. He will be nothing, or no one, by the time I'm through with him. How would his father feel about the son of his old partner using his son for his own personal plaything? At the same time, I"ll be taking something from another man I hate most in this world. Santiago"s fiancé"s innocence and heart, ending their alliance before it can fully begin.

The very thought has me smiling wide. "I"ve only stuck around to collect what"s mine." Grabbing him by the lapels, I tug him closer to me and he gasps.

"Give me my jacket and go back inside like the good boy you are, and then I can be on my way."

He shrugs off my jacket, handing it over with a look of hesitation. "Are you going to tell me your name?"

"Don't worry, we"ll have plenty of opportunities for that later. Goodnight, Mateo."

Walking away light on my feet, with excitement exploding inside me at how close I am to vengeance, I slide a hand in the pocket of my jacket. My smile spreads wider when my fingers don"t come in contact with the rose I placed in my pocket before arriving at the party. I brought it with me in case I needed it. Just because I"m a hitman doesn"t mean all deaths are planned out. Never have I left behind a victim"s body without accompanying it with a gift.

The difference this time is, Mateo got to receive his ahead of time. The first of many. I will shower him with so much good, it"ll be harder for him to see the bad coming.