~LAUREN'S POV~

The gun's weight pressed against my thigh, tucked away in a special pocket in my red dress.

I wondered if Alexandro had planned this all along—the dress, the gun, and maybe even getting me involved.

The thought stung more than it should have.

I watched him from across the ballroom as he spoke with a silver-haired man whose friendly smile didn't reach his eyes.

Alexandro looked relaxed, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. He kept scanning the room carefully.

"May I have this dance?"

I turned to find Mario standing beside me, hand stretched out, his trademark easy smile in place.

Unlike Alexandro, whose every...