When he saw her glance over her shoulder several times, he knew what she was looking for. Him. He had seen her do it hundreds of times. Or was it thousands? He had lost track. He just knew that she was looking for him. And he liked it.

Yes, he was there, prowling and lurking the way he had done so many times before, but this time it was different. Maybe not for her, but it was for him. He wasn’t there to make her feel uncomfortable, although unquestionably she was since Nate was in such close proximity.

Whatever.

It wasn’t about that insignificant prick tonight. It wasn’t about Mr. Black either. It was about Elsa and seeing a genuine smile on her face for a change.

He had just settled in and ordered a drink when he heard an angry, voice next to him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Victor spun on his barstool to face a man several inches shorter than himself who looked vaguely familiar.

“I don’t care who you are and what you do for a living, if you hurt my sister again, I’ll kill you.”

Nick Cassidy. He had sent him an email invite under the pretense of being Nathan. But how the hell did Nick know who he was?

He took a cleansing breath in and tried his best to look poised and relaxed. “Threatening a federal agent? I thought you were a bright man.”

“I am bright and I’m not threatening – I’m stating a fact. Get the fuck out of here and leave. Elsa. Alone.

Victor took another deep breath as his equanimity wavered. If it was that easy, he would’ve done it. Fucking hell, he had already tried and failed miserably. As they silently stared at one another, his statement came unbidden. “I care about her.”

The impact of the words that came out of his mouth stunned him. Why the hell did he feel the need to explain himself to her family? His mother had the same Goddamn affect on him the night his world came crashing down.

A vein throbbed in Nick’s forehead and he became flushed with fury. “Bullshit. The only thing you care about is the game.”

He winced and felt the blood drain from his face. “She told you about that?”

“Not directly,” he narrowed his eyes. “She wasn’t exactly lucid when she mentioned it. She had to be sedated more than once because of what you did to her.”

He pinched his brows together. “Didn’t you know that? Didn’t you know that you sent her into a mental break down? I thought you knew everything Agent Laurenzo. Or is it Agent Black?”

Victor’s throat clenched tight and for a split second he saw spots in his vision. Of course she hadn’t told him. To admit weakness to him would put her at risk of being debased by Mr. Black. But Victor wouldn’t allow it. Not this time. And he would never tell her that he knew of her breakdown. He would simply wait for her to tell him herself.

Abruptly he turned to walk away, unable to look into the eyes of another man who clearly cared about Elsa.

A hand on his upper arm whirled him around. “If you truly care about her, then leave her alone. She doesn’t have the common sense to know when something or someone is going to hurt her. She never has. Despite her tough girl image, she’s fragile.”

Nick wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. But Nick was wrong. She was strong and fragile. A devastating combination.

Nick’s body swayed as he waited for Victor’s response and he no longer looked angry, but war torn as he pleaded for his sister’s sanity. Mr. Black wanted to pummel him for putting his hands on him, but Victor felt every word Nick spoke, every raw emotion. It was a jolt to his system to see what a family member should be – protective, loving and unconditionally accepting.

“I can’t,” Victor croaked out.

“Why the fuck am I even trying to reason with you, you son-of-a-bitch,” Nick shoved against his chest.

“Yes, I am a son-of-a-bitch, but I need her and I don’t give a shit about what you think of me,” he finally found the nerve to speak at a normal volume. Straightening up and puffing his chest out, he took a step toward Nick as Mr. Black fought his way to the forefront. “You need to back the fuck off. The decision isn’t yours. It’s hers. And she chooses to be with me.”

Nick huffed in disbelief. “I’m not buying that for one fucking second.”

“I don’t really give a shit what you believe,” he waved his hand at Nick in dismissal and turned to walk out.

Once outside, his frustration spilled out in a fiery sigh as he leaned against the cold brick wall. With a lit cigarette in his hand, he clenched his jaw as he struggled to contain the argument simmering in his head between him and Black. He had just admitted that he cared about Elsa. To her brother. And to himself. Out loud.

What a colossal fuck up.

***

Elsa scanned the bar one last time for Victor, however, he had disappeared, leaving her with no explanation. She had hoped to spend her birthday at home alone, not thrust into a group of people in a crowded bar. Maybe the shock of seeing so many of her friends had scared him away.

Nate’s aftershave made her suck in a shallow breath of surprise. When she turned around, he was standing just out of reach, watching her, but saying nothing. She no sooner opened her mouth, when he spoke. “Happy birthday, El.”

Emotionless and aloof. Nothing had changed. Except absolutely everything. She moved closer to him to see if she could smell another woman on him. She couldn’t. His blue eyes, the hidden dimple in his left cheek, his broad shoulders and perfectly coiffed hair… she marveled at his boyish good-looks and intelligence, and wondered how a man who didn’t love her could’ve wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Her eyes zoomed in on his lips. Soft. Tender. Had he kissed those other women with that mouth?

“Thank you for putting this together for me,” she leaned in to hug him, recalling the dream she had about him the night before.

In her dream, he had left her for a younger brunette after finding out her secrets. It wasn’t such a farfetched idea and closer to reality than a dream.

His muscles tensed under her touch and he gripped her shoulders, holding her at bay. “I didn’t. I got the invite from your brother.”

Nick had never put together any kind of party in his life.

“Have you thought anymore about our plans? Changed your mind?”

Her mouth suddenly became dry as bone while her palms became clammy from his unexpected question. “I think about it every day. But I haven’t…” their conversation was abruptly cut short when Nick’s hand gripped her wrist and tugged her away.

“Excuse us, Nate, but Elsa and I have something to discuss,” he barked in Nate’s direction.

Dragging her to a quieter part of the bar, Nick ripped into her.

“What the hell is going on?”

She blinked at the icy authority of his tone. “What are you talking about?” she snatched her wrist away from him.

“Victor Laurenzo was just here. He said you two are together again. What the fuck, Elsa? Tell me that isn’t true.”

Her strength flowed out of her body and embarrassment washed over her. Nick had been there for everything. Through everything. He knew what had happened between her and Victor. Not the gory details, but enough to know that he had fucked her over in a bad way.

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears at being found out. “What else did he tell you?”

His expression changed and an unknown emotion flashed in his eyes. “Nothing except for admitting he’s a son-of-a-bitch.” He looked past her and blinked rapidly. “So it is true?”

His words cut deep to know Victor felt that way about himself. Unable to lie to her brother, she answered him honestly. “It’s true.”

His eyes shot back to her with disgust reflected in them. “What about Nate?”

“I… I’m not…” she couldn’t find the words to explain that she wasn’t in love with him and why she had made the decisions that she did.