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Theo has his ideas. “She’s still acting like this is the ball and she’s Cinderella.”
“I heard that!” she calls out. Something falls, like a jar or a tube, and she cries out. “Dang it!”
“Try not to hurt yourself in there before we ever set foot out of the hotel.” Theo sounds like he’s enjoying this, though I can’t understand why. Everything boils down to what happens tonight. Our futures. Our lives. Yet he can sit snickering and smirking like a man without a care.
As if he’s reading my mind, he says, “Everything’s under control. We’ve got this, little brother.”
“Sophia won’t be there?” That’s all we need, for a moment of recognition to cross her face while someone else is watching.
“You mean the grieving widow?” He snickers, shaking his head. “If anything, she’s glad for the excuse to avoid it.”
Our masks sit on the dresser, my and Theo’s black leather designed to cover everything above our noses. June’s is more elaborate, in black lace, embroidered with tiny glass beads, small enough to be invisible until the mask moves and they sparkle. I toy with mine now, needing something to do that doesn’t involve wearing a hole in the throw rug.
“Okay, I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” June pauses, though, because she’s determined to break my brain tonight. “Can I get a drumroll, please?”
“We left the drums at home,” I tell her with a sigh. “Let’s just get it over with, please.”
“No fun whatsoever.” Still, she opens the door between us and steps out wearing a shy grin. “How do I look?”
I would tell her if I could find my voice. I had already seen her in the dress, of course, but the addition of her sleek, sophisticated hairstyle and the expertly applied makeup have turned her into a goddess beyond anything I could’ve imagined. My heart forgets to beat before my shock wears off and I croak, “You’re . . .”
“You look great,” Theo tells her with a thumbs-up. “Matteo’ll be all over you.”
Not the right thing to say in front of either of us. My fists immediately clench while her skin turns a pale, sickly color. “Please, let’s hope not. I just want to interest him enough to get him outside, right?”
My head bobs, eyes still glued to her body encased in that red silk. “You’ll be perfectly safe.”
“I better be. I wouldn’t want my first ball to end in tragedy.” She pauses, meeting my gaze in the mirror above the dresser while she puts on her earrings. “For me, at least.”
The only tragedy tonight will be for Matteo and his blood-soaked empire.
Theo rented another car, this one more befitting the event, and I help June into it when we reach the garage. Her hand trembles in mine, and I give it a squeeze. “It will all be over soon.”
“Not soon enough,” she whispers, flashing what I guess is supposed to be a smile, but looks more like a terrified grimace before I close the door and fight to catch my breath. I can’t shake the feeling of leading a lamb to slaughter as I duck into the passenger seat before Theo pulls out of the spot.
Along the way, we go over the plan one more time: June is to approach Matteo, pique his interest, then lure him out to his infamously elaborate gardens. It’s as good a way as any to draw him away from his guests and into the seclusion of the glass-walled conservatory, where they can have a little private fun. At least, that’s what he’ll think until we set him straight.
The drive passes almost too quickly. I’m so deep in thought, worrying what might go wrong for her, I barely notice anything around me until the gates to the estate loom up ahead. A line of taillights seems to stretch a mile, but at least the line is moving. Now that we’re here, I want to get this over with fast.
Then I can take her back to the hotel and tear that dress off with my teeth.
“Don’t forget your masks,” she reminds us from the back seat. I tie mine securely before looking over my shoulder to find her doing the same. She takes long, slow breaths through pursed lips before noticing I’m watching. “Nerves,” she whispers with a shrug. “I’ll be okay. I know I usually don’t do well in crowds, but somehow knowing you will be there calms me.”
Her admission makes my chest swell with pride and my head fill with doubt. She trusts me to keep her safe, and I have never felt such an urgent need to perform a job.
Beyond that, I’m incredibly proud of her. She might be scared, shit when it comes to firing a gun, and clumsy as hell, but there’s a core of steel under all that romantic idealism. She’ll make it through.
The uniformed valet takes the car, leaving the three of us to walk the red-carpeted stairs leading up into the mansion. Every window glows bright against an inky black sky while men and women in formal wear like ours pose for photos and greet each other with excitement. “Matteo’s outdone himself this time,” I hear one of them tell another, and it makes me snicker softly. It’ll be a night to remember, for sure.
“Oh, holy crap.” June stands on her tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of the crowd while Theo and I present the invitations Sophia had delivered to our hotel. “It’s so beautiful in there.”
Leaning down, close to her ear, I catch a whiff of her light, floral perfume, and the slight hint of spiciness underneath it. “Don’t act like you’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Right.” She gives her head a firm nod and sails into the front hall on my arm like a queen with head held high, a soft smile playing across her lips.
“Are you pretending you’re in one of your books right now?” I whisper. Her baby blues roll dramatically, giving me my answer.
We can’t stay long, but we should mingle a little. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd of hundreds. The constant chatter and clinking of crystal grate on my nerves, but I force a pleasant expression while scanning the area for any sign of the man we’ve come here to kill.
