KAIA'S P.O.V.

"It was a lucky guess." He winked.

I was saved when a customer called me over, asking for a glass of rum and coke. Handing the lady her drink, I reached for the towel on my shoulder and wiped down the small mess I'd made while making the drink. I tried to not think about that guy from earlier. Maybe it was a coincident that guy knew my old name.

Unlikely, my thoughts snickered.

I shook my head and tried to focus on something else. Scanning the space around me, I looked for my cousin.

She'd walked in about an hour ago. The last time I checked up on her, I saw her catch the attention of a guy with inky black hair and a sly grin to match. My eyes widened when I spotted where she was now. Or precisely what she was doing.

The back of her head was to me, but I didn't need to see her face to know what was going on. The stranger's hands coiled around her body, drawing her in closer as the kiss deepened. Jamila wasn't the kind of person who made-out with complete strangers for the heck of it.

"Is that your cousin?" Winston asked, showing up out of nowhere.

"Uh, yeah. It is," I said as if it was nothing.

Winston was my manager. He had dated my cousin when we first moved into town, but it ended in heartbreak and deception. He hadn't informed her about the two kids he had in Harper Falls or the fact that his divorce from his wife wasn't finalized...

...or even filed yet.

"Is she dating him or something?" He snorted. "For her sake, I hope not."

"I'm not that sure." My brows knitted together as I tried to focus in on this guy. He had bright eyes and curly hair that was as black as the night sky. "He doesn't look all that familiar. Why do you say for her sake'? Do you know him?"

"He's Dario...Dario Blaine." He emphasized the last name.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I had only heard a few things about the Blaine family, but only in passing whispers in town. None of it seemed like solid facts, just stupid gossip. They were known around town as one of the most handsome bachelors in town. They didn't look related, so I didn't understand why all four boys bared the same last name. Everyone wondered why they didn't have girlfriends or wives yet.

I had secrets of my own. So, when it came to my questions regarding the Blaine brothers, I kept them to myself. I didn't need people pickup on my name or my identity.

There were four brothers in all, but no sign of a mother or father. They weren't biologically related—that was a fact, like I said before. They were different racial and ethnic backgrounds, ranging in height, some with ink against their skin - and others without. One looked like he was Far East Asian, another looked as pale as an Irish prince. Two of them had brown skin, but different hues—one was richer in contrast and had beautiful dreads. I had a feeling they were all adopted or something. But I wasn't going to be bold enough to ask such a question. Quite frankly, it wasn't my business.

"I've never met any of the brothers," I said honestly to Winston. "Well, actually. I did run into that one brother with the tattoos."

"Was his name Nolan?" Winston informed.

"I wouldn't know if that's his name or not. He wouldn't speak."

He nodded. "That's definitely Nolan. The guy doesn't talk."

"To anyone?"

"He doesn't talk at all. I've never heard him speak." He flickered his eyes over to where my cousin and Dario were. "You know what I think is extremely odd about all of the brothers?"

"What?"

"The fact that I've never seen any of them in the daytime. What do you think they do all day long?"

I snorted a laugh. "What are you implying? That they're vampires?"

"That's not what I'm trying to say." He nudged me playfully with his elbow. "Bloodsucking vampires isn't what I was leaning towards. I just know somethings up with them. Don't you find it strange? I mean, they've lived here for two solid years. Not once have I seen them throw a party or invite someone up in that huge mansion of theirs on the hill."

Without much thought, I knew exactly what he was talking about. The Blaine's estate was the talk of the town. Whenever you drove past it, you had to stop and stare at it, both in amazement and in envy. It resembled a castle more than it did a modern-day mansion with its stone exterior and arched doorways. It didn't matter what part of town you were at, you always had a view of that damn castle.

Locals had told me about how the brothers had renovated and expanded the original property. Before, it was a rundown house from the late 50s that they tore down the day they got here. The owner was about to demolish it anyway when the Blaine brothers bought the place and the land surrounding it. A few people were quite ticked off on how they were "disturbing History" by building their massive manor, calling the castle tacky and out of place.

"I don't get why they don't try and-I don't know-socialize with people. It's a bit odd." Winston continued. "You'd think that by now they would try to introduce themselves formally."

"They might be private people." I supplied. "Not everyone wants to throw parties and invite people over. If they like keeping to themselves, then that's their own choice. Why do you care anyway? Do you want to hook up with one of them?"

He rolled his eyes. Before he could make any form of a comeback, my cousin rushed up to the bar and took a seat on a stool. A stupid grin was on her face, stretching from ear to ear. Her eyes appeared half-open because of how hard she was smiling and her hair was a mess, strands sticking out from her pink beanie. I hadn't seen her this happy since we left our hometown.

"You sure look happy." Winston grumbled and walked to the opposite direction, tending to a thirsty customer.

"Don't worry about him." I waved Winston off. "What was up with that, though? You know how reckless that is. We aren't supposed to get involved with people – especially not while on the clock."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, dumbstruck. "I wasn't doing anything."

"You were full on making-out with a stranger. Explain yourself, missy."

"Explain what?" She dodged my gaze, blushing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't try to act all innocent. Tell me about him or I'll walk over there and ask him myself."

She grabbed both my hands from across the bar and held on to me. She was one of the few people I didn't mind making skin contact with. A shrill of panic didn't take over my senses when she took my hands into hers.

"No, don't go over there and talk to him. Please."

"Alright. Then spill."

Her cheeks brightened, missing my gaze on purpose as she spoke. "His name is Dario. He takes night classes at the local community college. And get this—he's has a motorcycle. He said he could take me on a ride some time." She sighed, fanning herself and getting all giddy inside.

"Please, stop. You're embarrassing."

"What? That so nice of him."

"That's so bare-minimum of him to offer that. I bet he offers that to every girl he wants to hook up with."

"I don't care if that's what you think." She went into her back pocket and fished out a cream envelope with a wax red-stamp, sealing it shut. "Because I got an invitation."

"To what?"

"You didn't hear about it? The Blaine Brothers are throwing a party for their oldest brother Shadow. Invitations have been going out since the beginning of this month. Dario said to wear something formal." She pulled out the card inside of the red envelop and shoved it in my face. "And guess what? It's says I can bring a plus one."

Winston came up from behind me and grabbed the invitation from Jamila. "No. There's no way this is real."

Jamila snatched it back from him. "It is real. And I'm invited."

"That's so out of nowhere," he noted, pointing his finger at the invitation. "They lived here for so long. I have a bad feeling about this. You shouldn't go. Neither of you should."

Jamila coughed a laugh. "You think I'm going to listen to you? I don't care if you think it's safe or not. Your opinion is irrelevant."

"Jamila. Don't be like this."

"Get out of my face." She shooed him off. "Why don't you go and take care of a customer's order? Or better yet, why don't you call up your wife and kids? Tell them goodnight one last time before they go to bed."

Winston sighed. "I thought we were cool."

"Yeah, we are. I no longer want you to die in a horrific car accident or get lit on fire by a random lunatic." She mused without any humor in her voice. "But just because I don't want you to get hurt doesn't mean I want you to re-enter my life."

Winston turned to me. "Can I talk to you for a bit?" I nodded and followed him. Once we were far enough from my cousin, he set his attention on me. "I know Jamila well enough to know she's going to that party. I want you to go with her."

"She's not going to go. She barely knows the guy. I grew up with her. I know what she'll do."

"Please. I don't ask you of much, but please do this."

"I see what this is about." I realized. "You're intimidated by this guy. Look, Winston. She's not going to take you back. Not after what you did to her."

He groaned. "I'm not asking you to do this so she can take me back. I'm asking you because I genuinely don't feel right about these guys."

"Okay, okay. I'll go with her if she ends up attending the party."

I left the discussion at that point, seeing that it was over. Returning to my job, I went back to serving drinks and making sure everyone had what they wanted. Jamila called me over at her end of the bar and I walked over to her. The moment I was in front of her, she started to babble about the party, about what she would wear, what kind of hairstyle she should do, and what kind of shoes she'd wear to tie the outfit together.

"You're going with me, right? I can't go if you don't go."

"Of course," I said. "I'd do anything for you."

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