Chapter 808

Aaron wasn’t backing down. Not even a little.

Wayne wasn’t looking for more trouble, but Aaron? He wasn’t budging. If this guy kept pushing, Wayne was ready to go all out. Still, there was something about Aaron’s confidence—like he knew something Wayne didn’t. But what could Aaron even have? He’d only been back a few months. No way he’d built up serious power that fast. Right?

Wayne couldn’t figure it out. Aaron had always been a ghost, flying under the radar, no alliances, no moves worth noticing. Wayne had written him off as a non-issue. Big mistake.

Wayne wasn’t reckless, though. He’d faced down bigger threats and messier situations. Aaron might’ve been an unexpected wildcard, but Wayne wasn’t convinced he could actually cause problems.

Wayne let out a sly smirk. “Since you’re so eager to stick around, how about you wait here for tomorrow’s funeral?”

With a dramatic wave of his hand, Wayne called in more backup. Instantly, the room exploded into chaos as his guys stormed in, clashing with Aaron. Before I knew it, someone yanked me out of the fray. I turned to see Jace, standing like a human shield in front of me. But he was still recovering, barely steady on his feet.

I huddled close behind him, taking in the way his broad back blocked my view of the chaos ahead. Funny how I’d never noticed just how tall he was. It hit me out of nowhere: back in school, there was this guy who had a crush on me. When I rejected him, he brought his friends to corner me. Jace showed up, pulled me behind him, and fought them off. Even back then, he felt larger-than-life.

Now, here we were. We might not be “us” anymore, but some things don’t change. He still had my back. Like he once said, he’s more like an older brother now—the kind who’d always look out for me, no matter what.

“Uncle Aaron, watch out!” Lena’s voice cut through my thoughts like a slap.

Chapter BOIT

The fighting stopped as quickly as it started. Wayne’s men? Wrecked. Aaron’s crew? Still standing, cool and steady like this was just another Tuesday.

The vibe was beyond awkward, but Wayne’s face stayed unreadable. That faint, almost-smile of his? Zero clues. “I underestimated you,” he said. “Now, can I go pay my respects to your father?” His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the authority behind it.

Wayne hesitated, then made a reluctant gesture of invitation. Aaron turned, locking eyes with Lena. “You coming, or what?”

“Oh, right!” Lena snapped out of her trance and stepped forward—then paused, spun back, and pulled me out from behind Jace. She wasn’t leaving without me. Typical Lena.

I shot a quick glance at Isabel, silently signaling her to help Jace. Lena and I followed Aaron as he strode toward the elevator.

As we walked, I leaned closer to Lena, lowering my voice. “Okay, spill. What’s the deal with your uncle? He’s always been so low-key, but now he’s pulling off action-hero moves?”

Lena looked as baffled as I felt. “How would I know? He’s been overseas forever. We didn’t even know he had moves.”

Yeah, Aaron was officially the “don’t judge a book by its cover” poster child. Not only had he pulled off a rescue today, but whatever Wayne had planned? Aaron just threw a wrench right into it.

Still, Wayne wasn’t the kind of guy to fold this easily. If he was willing to pull stunts at his dad’s funeral, there was more to come. And Hayden? Still MIA. My stomach twisted at the thought. Was he okay? Or had something gone wrong?

Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed as we stepped off the elevator, into the garage, and finally into the dim room where the memorial was being held.