Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

"Did that bastard lie to me?" His gaze dropped to the floor, his teeth grinding together in frustration.

Adeline’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, snapping him back to reality. "Is something wrong, Uncle? You seem distracted."

Evans’s head shot up, and he forced a laugh that came out hollow and awkward. "Oh, no. It’s nothing," he lied, waving a hand dismissively.

He quickly closed the distance between himself and Enzo, coming to a stop just inches from him and craning his neck to look up at him. "I’ll find out for myself," he decided. "Dacatt said he shot him in the shoulder. If he told the truth, then the wound should still be fresh."

Not knowing which shoulder it was, he raised his hands, placing them on both of Enzo’s broad shoulders. His long fingers pressed lightly at first, sliding back toward the area where the wound should have been.

If he winced—if there was even the slightest flinch—Evans would know that Dacatt hadn’t lied.

To keep the moment casual, he laughed and said, "I see you two are having fun. I hope you’re taking good care of my niece."

Enzo didn’t flinch. Not even a twitch. Instead, a slow, confident smile crept across his face as he realized what Evans was up to. "Indeed, Uncle. I’m taking very good care of her."

His fingers tightened, squeezing the area where the wound actually was without realizing it and hoping for the smallest reaction. But once again, there was none.

The more time that passed, the more awkward the situation got. Finally, he dropped his hands, nodding and smiling. "That’s... good to hear."

Without waiting for a response, he walked past them. "If you’ll excuse me, I have something urgent to attend to," he said over his shoulder.

Adeline and Enzo both turned to face his direction, watching him retreat down the hallway. They didn’t move until they saw him reach the foyer and step out the front door. Then, they both turned their heads to look at each other at the same time. Neither said a word, but they were both clearly thinking the same thing.

Adeline couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sound. Enzo, shaking his head, chuckled.

---

Evans stormed into the garage, glancing around quickly to make sure no one was nearby before yanking his phone from his pocket. He dialed Dacatt’s number with trembling fingers, pressing the device to his ear.

The call connected almost immediately. "Hello," Dacatt’s calm voice greeted on the other end. "Any update?"

Evans threw open the door of one of the cars and got in. Slamming it shut behind him, he shoved the key into the ignition but didn’t start the engine.

"You son of a bitch!" he screamed into the phone, slamming his fist into the steering wheel. "You LIED to me!"

There was a long pause before Dacatt’s voice came back, now tinged with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Adeline just returned, and guess what? Her fiancé is with her. And he looks perfectly fine!"

"What? That’s impossible."

"Oh, don’t ’what’ me! You told me you shot him twice! So why the hell is he walking around like nothing happened?"

There was silence on the other end, and Evans continued, yelling at the top of his lungs. "I even tested it myself! I squeezed his shoulder, right where you said one of your bullets landed, and do you know what happened?"

"What?" Dacatt asked.

"Absolutely nothing! No flinch, no wince, nothing at all! He just stood there, staring at me like he was mocking me!"

"Don’t you dare call me a liar!" Dacatt finally snapped, his sudden outburst throwing Evans off guard. "I might be a hitman, but I’ve got my principles. And one thing I’ll never do is lie to a client. I shot that man. I saw the bleeding out with my own two eyes. If he didn’t react when you touched where I hit him, he’s probably just pretending it doesn’t hurt."

Evans’s frustration began to waver, replaced by confusion. His voice softened slightly as he asked, "Pretending? Why would he need to do that?"

Dacatt’s voice was muffled, and Evans could hear the sound of chewing through the phone. He was eating, apparently unfazed by the situation. After a moment, Dacatt swallowed audibly and said, "Obviously. Look at the guy. He’s tough. Even if he’s in pain, he wouldn’t let it show. He’s not going to go ’ow ow ow’ in front of his future in-law. That would be embarrassing for a man like him."

Evans’s face twisted with worry as the realization hit him. "Why would he need to pretend it doesn’t hurt in front of me?" he asked, his voice trailing off as a cold thought slithered into his mind. "Could it be that they’ve found out I’m behind the shooting?"

Dacatt’s chewing noises stopped, and after a few seconds, he let out a dry laugh. "Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way they’ve figured that out. You’re overthinking it."

There was another pause. The sound of a can being opened came through the line, followed by loud gulps and a satisfied sigh. "He’s just a tough man. Relax. If they knew you were involved, you wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now. Trust me."

Evans exhaled a heavy sigh of relief, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he leaned back in the driver’s seat. "Fine. But you still failed. You didn’t get rid of Adeline. And you didn’t get rid of her fiancé either."

"I know, I know. We’ll talk about it later and come up with a new plan," Dacatt said.

Before Evans could say anything else, the line went dead. The tone beeped in his ear, signaling that the call had been ended.

He stared at the phone in disbelief, muttering a string of curses under his breath before tossing it onto the passenger seat.