I stared at the tips of my shoes, lost in thought. “Let’s go.”


    Steve loaded my luggage into the car, opened the door for me, and closed it once I was inside. Only


    then did he get in and start driving.


    “Steve, how did things get so out of hand? It was just a snooker game…” I wasn’t ming him, just


    lost in


    the mess we were in.


    What should’ve been a simple thing had blown up, dragging in Hernan, and now Bruno was


    involved too. It felt like danger was everywhere, and everyone was on edge.


    I remembered what Jace had said. “Who do you think is behind all this? Why target you


    specifically?”


    “I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Steve replied, clearly following my train of thought. “The key


    is figuring out their endgame.”


    I let out a bitterugh. “Seems like they want to catch us all in one go.”


    “Especially every guy connected to you,” Steve added, making me sit up straighter.


    Right… Jace, Steve, Hayden–they were all tied to me..


    “I’m starting to think this person has some twisted obsession with you,” Steve said, half–joking.


    “Take us out of the picture, and they’d have a clear shot.”


    A chill ran through me as Wayne’s journal shed in my mind.


    “Has Wayne been in Houston recently?” I asked.


    Steve nced at me in the rearview mirror, caught off guard. “I wouldn’t know. Why? You think


    there’s one more person to add to the mix?”


    Ignoring his teasing, I breathed in slowly, my heart pounding. “He stayed in Houston for four years.”


    Four years–that’s plenty of time to make connections and build awork.


    Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    And if this whole mess was about me, like Steve suggested, then Wayne was the only one who


    made


    sense.


    The most suspicious part? The dates in his journal. Even though he was supposed to be in


    Kehlmark, I found his handwritten journal hidden in a drawer here.


    That could only mean one thing–he came back secretly.


    But why would hee back just to scribble a few notes in his journal? It didn’t add up.


    And then there was what he wrote–stuff about seizing what you want, about taking the first step.


    “Rea?” Steve’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Did something just click?”


    A cold wave washed over me as I met his gaze. “Do you think it could be Wayne?”


    Steve stared at me, clearly shocked. “What makes you think it’s him?”


    Then, a flicker of recognition crossed his face, like he’d had the same thought.


    12


    I told him about what I found in Wayne’s journal. Steve’s expression grew darker, and he was outer


    for a long moment.


    Finally, he spoke, his tone serious. “We need proof. Without it, don’t jump to conclusions. And


    whateve you do, don’t confront Wayne about this.”


    “I’m not that reckless,” I murmured.


    “If he’s behind this because of his feelings for you… then his love has twisted into something


    dangos Be careful,” Steve warned.


    A sharp pang of guilt hit me. If all this was because of me, then I’d dragged so many people into this


    mess -especially Steve. We were just friends, and now he was in the middle of it.


    This was supposed to be his finalpetition, and now it was ending like this.


    “Don’t stress too much,” Steve said, trying to ease my mind. “With Hayden’s skills, hell sort this out”


    His words hit me. It was clear he understood Hayden’s abilities even more than I did. They hadn’t


    been close before, but this whole situation had turned them into allies.


    “Who is Hayden, really?” I asked, finally voicing the question I’d been wondering all along.


    But before Steve could answer, the car jolted, and I looked up to see vehicles closing in from every


    direction.


    “Damn it,” Steve muttered under his breath. “Bruno’s pulling a diversion tactic.”