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Liam glares. "I eat."

Tyler snorts. "Sure. When's the last time you voluntarily cooked?"

Liam doesn't answer. Which, really, says everything.

I smirk, leaning against the counter, thoroughly enjoying myself. "You should take notes, Carter."

Liam exhales sharply, rubbing his temple. "How the hell did I get roped into this?"

Tyler slides a plate onto the counter in front of me before turning to Liam, utterly unimpressed. "Because you're in love with Ava and therefore will do whatever she says."

Liam goes completely still.

I nearly choke on air.

Tyler, the absolute agent of chaos that he is, just grins. "What? Too soon?"

I grab my fork aggressively. "Oh, my God. Shut up."

Tyler just hums, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he goes back to flipping bacon like he didn't just detonate a grenade in the middle of the room.

Liam, meanwhile, is still standing there, hands braced against the counter, looking like he's reconsidering every decision that led him to this moment.

Which is not something I should be analyzing right now, so I aggressively stab a piece of pancake instead.

To distract myself, I focus on the food, and holy hell. It's insanely good. The pancakes are fluffy, the eggs are perfect, and the bacon is that ideal level of crisp. I close my eyes in sheer appreciation.

"Okay," I admit. "I might marry you for this."

Tyler winks. "Sorry, sweetheart, I don't do commitment."

Liam makes a low, annoyed sound in his throat. "Can we focus?"

Tyler sighs dramatically but finally relents, sliding into a chair across from me. "Fine. Here's the plan."

The idea is simple. We go to a high-profile gallery opening. It's in the Arts District, full of people Vanessa either knows or wants to impress, including Cliff. We let her think she's rattled me. That the pressure is getting to me. That I'm vulnerable.

And then, when she gets comfortable—when she thinks she's won—we strike.

It's risky, but it's also smart.

Tyler nods, pleased. "Alright. I'll meet you guys there." He stands, stretching. "Meanwhile, I've got a couple more things to look into. Try not to let Carter glower you to death before then."

"Can't make any promises," I say, grinning.

Liam glares.

Tyler smirks. Then, with one final flourish, he grabs his coat and heads out, leaving me and Liam alone.

Liam exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't like this."

"You've made that abundantly clear."

"I really don't like this."

I roll my eyes. "Too bad." Then, before he can argue further, I grin and grab his arm. "Come on."

Liam frowns. "Where?"