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Erik let out a frustrated sigh. “I mean, it sucks we even have to have this conversation. I don’t particularly want to be turned into a vampire today, but if I die, your ass better bring me back.”
“That would make me your daddy,” I said with a wink.
Erik made a grossed out face before starting the vehicle. “Shut up, Winnie.”
“It’s Winston.”
An hour later, we were pulling up to a black Venom van exactly like the one we were in.
“This bitch better not be betraying us or I’ll kill her.”
Erik nodded. “Same.”
Noami seemed nervous when we got out and strolled up to the vehicle she leaned against. “Hey, Erik.”
His face stayed blank as he went straight into business. “Do you have our things?”
“They’re in the back of the van.”
“If this is some trick, you won’t survive.” My hand went under the back of my shirt where I pulled out one of my custom Springfield 1911s before raising it to her chest. Erik mirrored me, pulling out his Glock 19. I nodded my head toward the van’s passenger door. “Open it.”
Naomi did as I ordered. Erik kept his sights on her as I peeked inside, finding the front of the van empty. “Clear.”
Erik nodded his head toward the back of the van. “Go first.”
Naomi took a deep breath, stress consuming her face, before leading us to the rear end. We kept target on her as she opened the back van doors. The inside had a bench down each side and contained nothing but a box and a gray blanket.
“I told you I was alone,” Naomi muttered. “Can I give you the stuff now?”
She didn’t wait for me to answer, instead opening the box. I peeked inside and two creepy-ass wooden masks peered up at me.
“Those are the ceremonial items I was telling you about on the phone, Winston. Erik knows our customs.”
When Naomi called me and said she couldn’t get into a system without throwing an alert out, I spent an hour going over different ways to get around it. During the conversation, I realized she may be great with computers and some software, but she didn’t know shit about actual hacking. Being the idiot I am, I said it would be best if I could do it myself.
Another hour later, I had pulled Erik in on the plan, then the others so they could make sure Sage and Lyric didn’t find out. Now I was about to enter enemy territory with nothing more than some creepy fucking mask, a girl who didn’t fight much, and Erik. At least he could throw a good punch.
I cocked my gaze toward Naomi. “Our friends will kill you if you—”
“Yeah, I know. If I betray you, I’m dead. You’ve said it over and over. If we don’t get on the road now, we’re going to miss the ceremony, and this whole thing will be pointless.”
She stared at me, waiting for me to confirm. A huge part of me was concerned about this stupid idea we had come up with, but backing out wasn’t an option.
I put my gun back in my waistband holster and pulled a cloak from the box, throwing it on. Erik did the same. When I reached for a mask, Naomi stopped me.
“You can’t wear that one. The guy it belongs to is closer to Erik’s size. Wear this one.”
“You said everyone has their own masks and most people can tell who they are by their designs. So, whose masks are these?” I asked.
“The one you have belongs to my cousin Alex. The other—”
“You brought someone else in on this?”
Naomi clenched her brows. “No. You told me I couldn’t, so I didn’t. Like I was saying, one is my cousin’s. He wanted a night off, and I said I would cover for him by making it look like he logged into work. He doesn’t know anything.”
Erik suspiciously looked down at the mask he held. “And how did you get Duncan’s?”
Naomi tightened her lips, a shameful expression on her face. “I gave him the flu. Well, not literally. But he’s incapacitated at the moment and probably won’t be leaving his house or the bathroom anytime soon. Once the time comes, I’ll mark him present for attendance and then tell him I covered his ass so he won’t get another infraction. He’ll be grateful since he’s on thin ice already.”
