It was insanity. It was bat-shit crazy. But then, fuck, I also had to hand it to Hayden. And really, most of me was proud for my friend. He’d seen what he’d wanted, and he hadn’t let anything get in his way.

Plus, I was hardly one to start throwing stones about being with a girl he shouldn’t have been with.

“Xavier.”

Cole nodded at me with his chin and arched a brow as I stepped into the ballroom and saw him.

“Guessing by that look on your face that you heard?”

“I just did.”

Cole swore, shaking his head and grinning. “Well, shit, looks like this wedding is about to get a lot more interesting.”

“Where is he?”

“Getting married.”

I stared at him. “Wait, right now?”

“Apparently. He flew in that priest that was friends with his dad and everything. Faith said Sven’s there too—”

His mouth snapped shut, but not before he had my full attention.

“Cole—”

“I’m really not looking for a fucking lecture,” he hissed, his tone icy as he stared me down.

But I just grinned. Fuck it. I could have given him shit about Faith since he’d basically just admitted it. But like I said: who the hell was I to start getting on a high horse about being with someone he shouldn’t be with? Hell everything in the world said I shouldn’t have had a damn thing to do with Lola, but it’s not like that was doing a thing to stop me.

“Well I’m fresh out of lectures, dick,” I shot back, grinning at him. “You going to be okay there?”

“With her?” His jaw clenched.

I nodded.

“Yeah,” he growled, his eyes growing fierce before he sighed and shook his head. “Look, I know there’s every reason for a guy like me to stay the fuck away from a princess like that, but I just…”

I clapped him on the shoulder. “You don’t have to try and explain to me, man,” I sighed.

“Love, huh?” Cole grinned at me. “Who’d have thought I’d ever be stumbling into that whole thing huh?” He shrugged. “Well, maybe me, but you?”

I flipped him off as he chuckled.

“Duke?”

The voice came from behind us, and I frowned as I turned towards an unfamiliar man in a dark suit. His thinning hair was slicked back, and he had this kinda rabbit-like buck-toothed smile.

“Duke Danes?” He stuck his hand out, and I shook it. “My name is Robert Tile.”

I frowned. The name was vaguely familiar. Like I’d read it somewhere.

“Yes?”

Robert smiled this rodent-looking smile.

“I represent your ex wife, Shana.”

Fuck. Yep, that’s where I’d read the name — on the material Winston had given me on Shana getting together her new law team and investigators. Robert Tile was one of her new crooked, highly-paid lawyers.

“What do you want?” I hissed.

He just kept fucking smiling at me. “I think you know what I want.” He popped the briefcase in his hands and pulled out a file folder. “These are for you.”

I took the papers from his hand with frown, but when I glanced down at them, that frown turned into a mask of rage.

“She’s suing me?”

The attorney grinned smugly. “She is, Mr. Danes.”

“For what?!”

“I think you know what.”

“Enlighten me,” I snarled, drawing glances from a few other nearby guests. I felt Cole’s hand land on my shoulder as I moved towards Robert, like he was cautiously holding me back from taking a swing at the guy or doing something else that would certainly bite me in the ass in the long run.

“Do you want me to say it outloud?” Robert tossed back with this smug, shit-eating look on his face.

I glanced back at Cole before leveling my eyes on the asshole lawyer. “Yes.”

He shrugged. “Princess Lola? And yourself?” Robert made a tsking sound as he shook his head.

“Hey, you know what?” Cole growled, pushing past me and shoving a finger in the man’s face. “I think you need to fuck the hell off, right now,” he hissed.

“Oh,” Robert chuckled, holding his hands up as he grinned away like a fucking weasel. “I’m not judging, I mean she is one hot little thing, now isn’t sh—”

I lost it. I roared like a fucking animal as I lunged for the man. Cole swore, his hands grabbing me and yanking me away, holding me back.

“Hit me, sir,” Robert spat, the fear in his eyes taking away any sort of toughness the words might’ve carried. “Go ahead and hit me and see how that pans out in court!”

“You son of a bitch…” I snarled.

“You know,” Robert grinned right at me, clearly trying to provoke me. “I’m actually impressed that a man your age can keep up with her.”

“Keep up with my boot in your ass,” I snapped.

He chuckled. “Well, you know the terms, and you’ve provided us with all the ammunition we need.”

He reached into his briefcase again, this time pulling out a stack of black and white photographs. I felt my blood run hot as he held them out to me. I knew what they were before I even took them. But when I did, and saw the shots of Lola and I kissing in the shadows of a dark hallway — clearly shot by a pro with one hell of a remote camera or a drone or something — my heart clenched, and my eyes narrowed at him.

Fuck. Double fuck.

“That right there, Duke,” Robert sneered, “is all the proof I need to sue the fuck out of you, have your testimony dropped, and see my client freed from the completely unjust way she’s been imprison—”

“Your client is a murderous psychopath,” I growled at him through clenched teeth, my hands closed into fists. I moved towards him again, but again, I felt Cole play the sensible card and hold me back before I did something rash.

“Allegedly, Duke Danes.” He smiled. “Allegedly a murderous psychopath.”

I could feel every nerve in my body sizzling with rage. I felt wronged, and like the one goodness I’d found was about to get ripped away from me.

“I’d tell Lola to get hidden for a while,” Shana’s prick lawyer chuckled. “Because when these go public the way I plan on making them public, I think we both know there’s going to be a very big spotlight on her.”