Leverage

SHAY

I can't make up my mind whether to be more surprised by Detective Oliver's confession or that he was staying in Marcus' former home, which he forgot to disclose until I found myself staring at the very living room where Marcus Zephanie was found dead.

Or at least, that version of him to be precise.

"Welcome home, Shay."

Hearing Detective Oliver say that; regret gnawed at me.

I would never have agreed to this sham marriage if I had known that I would end up living in the very place where my nightmare had begun.

I think the detective chose not to mention it for that very reason.

Except for the replacement of some furniture in the living room with the previous ones being tainted by Marcus's blood, everything else was in their exact same order.

It almost felt like I had never left.

"I'll drop your things in your room and go back to work. Will you be okay on your own?"

I forced myself to look at Detective Oliver, who was standing by the door to my former bedroom, and I smiled.

"I'll be fine, Rafael. I'm twenty-five not seventeen".

"That's… not what I meant".

"I know. I was just lightening the mood".

"Right." I watched him scratch the back of his head. It would appear that the detective was more embarrassed for exposing himself more than he could admit.

He seemed to have forgotten how to act in some instances, like what he was doing right now. He remained standing by the door, uncertain.

"You said you have work."

"Right." He repeated, seemingly waking up from his stupor.

"I'll see you later at 6. We'll go to the party together".

"Of course. I'll make sure to dress the part".

"Yes, you do that." And it took him a mere second for the awkwardness to come back. I cannot stand watching him like that any longer.

"Rafael." He looked at me, probably still thinking about his untimely confession.

"For the record, I like you too. But, let's keep things professional between us. Remember the reason why you went to all this trouble. You even lied to your loved ones to get this far. Make that your motivating factor. I promise that if you do so, you'll stop thinking about everything else".

That was what I did all these years, keeping all of my secrets and fighting the urge to run away from Marcus. To run away from everything that hurt, actually.

It was what kept me going.

It was the only thing that kept me. Period.

--

RAFAEL

Shay Zephanie was right.

The moment I had chosen to ignore all other thoughts except for catching Marcus Zephanie and eventually X, all that I was feeling at that moment vanished. The only thing left was resolve.

If I wanted to make sure that this plan worked, I needed my head to stay in the game and play my part perfectly.

"You look rather dashing cousin." Tori, the ever constant room invader, joined me in front of the full-length mirror while I was adjusting the bow tie, making sure nothing was amiss.

She didn't look so bad either in her long evening gown in teal, which set off the best assets in her body and as well as her green eyes.

"In order to play the part, I should dress the part, right?"

"True."

"So, what brings you here, Tori?"

"I just wanted to meet the future Mrs. Oliver first hand before she gets mobbed later."

I caught her mocking stare right beside my reflection in the mirror.

"Very funny."

"I'm not---" I had a good idea what she was about to say, but she was cut off abruptly by a scream coming from outside. She quickly vanished from my sight while I grabbed my gun, hiding under one of the pillows on the bed before rushing after her.

As swiftly as I had snatched the weapon of defense, I hid it with the same pace stumbling upon my sister, Rachel, who seemed to have already met Shay, in the living room with the two of them giving Tori and me a puzzled look.

My eighteen-year-old sister frowned in what I knew was my failed attempt to conceal my 'detective instinct' as she would call it. On the one hand, Shay almost took my breath away, surprising me with how beautiful she looked every time she had the chance to dress up.

She was wearing a simple off-shoulder tea length evening gown in burgundy, which somehow made her eyes stand out.

It wasn't that she wasn't pretty enough, yet the dress and a touch of make-up has enhanced what she already has.

"Couldn't you be a little more subtle, El?" At that moment I was beyond grateful that my sister was irritated with me for having a gun at the ready.

However, I can never understand how she relates that to me being a killer of joy whenever she sees me having it around even when I wasn't currently working.

I seriously couldn't fathom how my younger sister's brain cells function.

Rachel loves me. Most of the time, anyways.

"Whoa there, little lady, the world is a dangerous place."

"I know that, but even you, who wants to save everyone's lives, deserve a break."

"The pretty girl in the pink cocktail gown has a point." Tori smirked in my direction. She was obviously enjoying this as she always did.

It was apparent that I was outnumbered.

I went for the nearest drawer that I could find and placed my gun inside, turning to face my sister right after to show her that my hands were now empty.

"You win."

"That's much better. Anyways, I'm sorry for screaming, but I couldn't help it. Shay just told me a little shady secret and I can't contain myself". Rachel was beaming with excitement.

Tori gave me a death glare. She was clearly accusing me of being careless and not warning Shay Zephanie not to reveal the real deal between us to my entire family.

"Sounds very intriguing. I wonder what it was about". Tori said casually, her deathly glare unwavering.

"Rachel noticed my ringless hand. I had no choice but to tell her about Rafael's plans for tonight". Shay Zephanie gazed towards me, a small smile plastered on her face.

"I hope you don't mind." I smiled back, relieved that she has not blown our cover just yet.

Rachel can be very pesky when she wants to know something or someone. I can't have her or anyone else be aware of my sham relationship with Shay.

That would definitely ruin the plan, and everything would have been in vain.

"I don't mind at all. Anyway, since you already met my sister, Rachel, I only have one other person to introduce". I turned my attention towards Tori, who had already moved closer to Shay and was set to give her cheek kisses.

"Shay, meet Tori, our cousin. Tori, meet Shay, my fiancé."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the woman who kept my dear cousin on his toes." Rachel giggled. I had to shake my head in disbelief.

"The pleasure is all mine." Gratefully, Shay seemed to be unfazed by both Rachel and Tori. In fact, she was handling herself better than I expected.

"Be warned though, you've only met the saner ones in our family." Tori added.

I rolled my eyes. I cannot hold it any longer. Before my sister or my cousin could say more rubbish, I made my way towards Shay, gently taking one of her hands, pulling her to my side, saving her from more unnecessary antics.

"Prior to my sister and my cousin causing any more delays, I believe we have a party to attend to." Shay smiled, genuinely giving our other two companions a backward glance. She then tugged her hand free from my hold, linking her arms in mine instead, looking into my eyes right after.

"I like them." She whispered.

"And in Rachel's defense, I would have reacted the same if I was in her shoes." She winked at my sister, who, in exchange, stuck her tongue out to me.

"Well, well, well, looks like Rachel, and I found another ally, Rafael." Indeed they have. I could only scream my disapproval in silence.

What had I gotten myself into?

"I officially welcome you to the club, Shay." I watched Tori and Rachel saunter away towards the elevator, evidently enjoying my torment.

"Don't worry, Rafael, I got your back." Shay Zephanie whispered in my ears as we watched my cousin and sister get inside the elevator. I caught her gaze and smiled.

"I'm holding you to that."