“LOOK, ALL I’M saying is I know a guy.” Zane held up his hands and then grabbed his cell. “Remember, I’m part Italian.”

Demetri walked over to our secluded spot on the beach where we’d all convened after seeing Andrew. Basically, we were hiding and the gang decided to hide with us. “He still talking about the mafia?”

“Yes,” we all said in unison.

“Why does nobody believe me?” Zane asked aloud. “Look I’m going to prove it.” He started working furiously on his phone and then held it up. “Nixon Abandonato, known contacts, Chase Abandonato, Sergio Abandonato—”

“That’s a hell of a lot of Abandonatos.” I scowled. “What does that even mean?”

“Oh, wow.” Nat looked over Zane’s shoulder. “He kind of looks like you, minus the menacing I’d probably shoot you in the face first ask questions later sort of way.”

“Case closed.” Zane dropped his phone. “I’m sending him a text. I just need to find his number…”

“No.” Ang finally spoke.

All eyes fell to her.

“Trust me, the mafia’s good at this sort of thing it’s why he’s never been in prison.” I wasn’t even concerned that Zane was actually seriously contemplating murder or that I was ready to leap over the group, snag his phone and beg his cousin to make a special trip, I had money, it wasn’t like I couldn’t pay him millions to keep it quiet.

It made me insane.

That insane.

To see Andrew again.

Even though I trusted Ang, a small part of me still didn’t know what to think about the fact that he’d touched her, more than once, that he’d been inside her, that he’d —

“Easy there.” Alec said to my left. “You’re turning the sand into diamonds with nothing but your fist.”

I dropped the sand and wrapped my arm around Ang instead.

She ducked her head against me and sighed.

“We’re not killing him.” Demetri, somehow ended up being the voice of reason. “It’s one cameo, and they sprung it on Jay last night after one of the guys, probably Jackass Andrew, had his agent pull some strings. The studio thought it would bring in more ticket sales, and since Will was already acting in the film, it made sense.”

“To them,” I spat. “But to me? It sounds like a complete nightmare. I’m fine with the rest of the guys. They’re… whatever, done with the whole scene. Hell, I keep in touch with them, send Christmas presents to their kids. But this… with Andrew. The media’s going to—”

“—do nothing.” Ang shrugged. “I mean what can they possibly say that hasn’t already been said?”

It was like the minute she said it, I recoiled because I knew there was one secret that had never leaked.

Alec nudged me.

I imagined he knew.

Both him and Demetri.

And when Zane locked eyes with me across the way, I guessed maybe our secret hadn’t been such a secret to anyone but us. Since we never talked about it, since it never hit the news, that made it not real, right?

But it had been real between us.

Too real.

“He can still find ways to hurt you, Ang.” I said hoarsely.

Her eyes widened and then fluttered closed. “Oh.”

The air felt thick with tension, heavy, even though it was cold out on the beach, and when Jay finally made his way toward us, his expression was grim, like he was about to tell us somebody had died.

“Bad news.” He sat next to Pris. The girls had been mostly silent, just offering water, gum, protein bars, whatever they could find in their purses to distract Ang from the fear. “The studio won’t budge. It’s my fault. Had I not done rewrites, forced Will into—”

“No!” I snapped. “This isn’t your fault, Jay, none of it is.”

“And here I thought you were going to put my head on a spike and stick it in the sand,” he said grimly.

I wiped my face with my hands. “It’s tomorrow, right? The cameo scene? And then they all — mainly Andrew — hop back onto planes and leave?”

“Fingers crossed,” Zane grumbled.

“Just use the buddy system.” Demetri shrugged, “Don’t leave Ang alone with the bastard, girls go to the bathroom in groups anyway, we can make sure that he doesn’t approach her in the next thirty-six hours. It won’t be hard. Besides, it’s not like he blends in.”

As if to prove the point, Andrew was a blur back on the beach; his tats stuck out beneath his loose tank.

“He should join the mafia,” Zane mused. “Kid looks like he’s seen things.”

“Kid.” I snorted. “He’s my age.”

All eyes turned to me again, and Zane laughed. “Yeah well, you don’t look as old as you used to, old man.”

I gave him the finger.

“Is that a hickey?” Demetri pointed at my neck.

“All right, enough of that, kids.” I emphasized kids and everyone burst into laughter. I could have sworn I felt Andrew’s intense gaze at my back.

Years ago, he had been jealous of my career.

And now I had new things for him to be jealous of.

And they were surrounding me as he stared.

Friends.

And he’d done nothing but burn bridges with every last one of them.