There was pain. Lots of it.

I could feel that whoever was trying to get the bullet lodged in my body out was not doing a good job, but I didn't care. I kept my eyes on him. He was staring at the man fixing me up. The st.i.tches were jagged, I could tell. They would scar, I knew. I would worry about them later.

"You okay there, Mia?" I could hear Luke ask. He sounded far away... like a figment of my imagination.

"Perfect."

I heard low murmurs. I felt more pain.

The seeds of doubt spread like wildfire in my helpless brain.

"You need to stop playing that game with them, you know..." I heard him say. It was not Anthony, his lips didn't move. "Making them think that you love them? That's cruel," he said. "I mean, you did it with Cienna. The poor girl warned Vincent, but she didn't listen. And now this girl. Murray, tell me your secret. What magic do you use on these girls?"

Laughter.

I could see his lips part and his head thrown back as he contemplated the words.

"It's very easy, really."

Oh, the secrets.

I think I am losing my mind.

"You make them think that they get under your skin. You make them think you are good together. You fight with them. You push them over the edge over and over again. You tell them lies. They are women, they trust. You can tell them not to, but they never listen." More laughter. This time, it's not him.

"What do you think of this plan, Mia?" Darcy asks me.

"Tell them how you fell for it, love," he snickered.

"The perfect crime," I whispered. "It was a brilliant plan," I smiled.

"She's lost her mind," I heard Darcy say. He sounded awed.