“I’ve been practicing with it every day, and I’ve gotten stronger. It’s no easy task, but I think I can read the minds ofthese mobsters without much of an issue,” Marcus replied. “We just need to get them in the same room, and I’ll be able to do it. IknowI can.”
I looked Ivy’s way. “What do you think, Ivy? Will this really work?”
“I’m certain. My dad will buy whatever I say, because if anyone hates the Warden more than us, it’s my father,” Ivy insisted. “My dad knows the Warden is gonna come sniffing around Chicago eventually, and if he’s got the rest of the supernatural world in his pocket, it ain’t gonna take much for the mob to fall under the Warden’s influence. The vampiric government has already sided with the Warden, so my father knows his days are numbered. If he wants the mob to survive, he needs more firepower. That’s where demigods are useful to him.”
“But Salvatore Bianchi isn’t going to welcome you back into the mob with open arms,” Charlie protested. “He’ll assume this is a trick.”
“Let him,” Ivy said, shrugging. “I know my dad. It’ll be interesting to him, to play a game of power. He wants to know if I’m a better mobster than he is, if I can outthink him— Iknowthat eats away at him. Plus, he wants his chance to either eliminate or join the Majestica family. The only way he can destroy the Elvish mob as his rival is to team up with them or eliminate the Elvish heir. I’m practically handing Charlie to him on a silver platter if we do this, and despite any hesitations, he’ll see that as too good an opportunity to pass up. He’ll be suspecting his gangsters to be ambushed at the circus, but when that doesn’t happen, he’ll spend all his time wondering what we’re playing at.”
“And when none of his mobsters get hurt, he’ll be convinced your offer is genuine,” I said. “They won’t even know Marcus read their minds. When it seems clear to Salvatore that Ivyactuallywantsto be welcomed back into the mob, we have another in.”
“So it’s simple. We go in, put on a big distraction, and while the circus is going on I’ll read the minds of Salvatore’s gangsters to find out what they know,” Marcus stated. “Nobody gets hurt, Salvatore doesn’t find out anything, and the job stays clean.”
“The job never stays clean with us,” I mumbled.
“We’ll go ahead with this plan. We need a few days to map out the details, and Ava needs to rest before we go,” Charlie insisted, gesturing to me.
“That’ll give us enough time to publicize the event and lure these mobsters in,” Marcus said.
“I need time to reach out to dear old dad,” Ivy said scathingly. “He’ll be suspicious, for sure, but I also know he’ll be frothing at the mouth to get his hands on the rest of you and one-up the Warden. Trust me. He won’t be able to resist.”
Marcus nodded. “Everyone needs to get ready. We’ve always said our lives have been a circus— well, now it’s time to become one.”
A week later,we stood outside a massive circus tent at midnight, waiting to execute our plan.
The circus was set up on a hotel property that Salvatore owned in New York City, in a massive tent that could fit over a thousand people. We were getting ready in a smaller, secondary tent that was set up next to the big top. Marcus, Kallie, and Alistair were already waiting to begin their performances, while Danny, Chancey and Ivy were finishing getting ready with us. At any minute, the show would start.
The packed crowd actively chatted inside the tent— true to Ivy’s word, every vampiric mobster had shown up to see what the circus was all about. Now we just had to hope our plan worked.
“You guys owe me big time for putting me in the same room with Salvatore Bianchi,” Danny grumbled as he slipped on a sparkling red shirt. “He’s been looking for my ass for ages, and now I’m wrapped up in a pretty bow on his doorstep.”
“He’s not getting his hands on any of us,” Charlie promised. “The Elvish Associates are waiting on my say so to get us out.”
Charlie and I were part of the acrobatic act, so we wore matching costumes— me, a glittering silver leotard, and him, a set of black pants and a white button-up. I finished off my makeup in front of a fun mirror in the setup tent. The mirror appeared as natural as any prop in the circus, but really, it was our way out. Once the circus was over with, we’d use the fun mirror to escape back to Ilamanthe before Salvatore tried to catch us, which he most certainly would do.
Ivy was decked out in the best costume I’d ever seen them wear. They wore a black corset with gold fringe, and black panties with fishnet tights. The red jacket they donned had pointed coattails, long sleeves, buttons with gold chains, and was absolutely covered in rhinestones. Their outfit was complimented by thigh-high black heels and a glimmering top hat.
The entire ensemble was absolutely marvelous. They were playing the part of the ringleader, and they suited the part perfectly. Red lipstick and false eyelashes brought the look altogether.
“A little daring with your dad around, don’t you think?” I commented. “I thought we were trying to convince him you wanted back into the mob.”
“I need to come as I am. He’s not gonna believe me if I show up looking like a man,” Ivy replied. “We got in a big argument when he came to visit me at the Institute. He told me he didn’t buy the act and knew that I was dressing like a male just to please him. Said I’d always be a dirty little queer.”
My fists tightened in rage. “I hate him.”
“Well, Iama dirty little queer,” Ivy said with a wink. “And since my dad knows it, might as well go all-out. He’ll hide his disgust until he thinks he’s got the rest of you in the bag.”
“You look adorable, dollface,” Chancey said, and he gave Ivy a kiss. “Save that outfit for later.”
I really hoped Ivy wasn’t pushing their luck. We were dealing with the second most-dangerous man in the world, right after the Warden. If this went wrong in any way, we’d be risking our lives.
We put in earpieces so we could communicate throughout the show if need be. Ivy peeked out of the set-up tent once before they said, “Everyone is in place. Come on. Show’s about to start.”
We entered the big top through a slit in the back and took our positions around the arena, waiting for our turn to perform. I had brought a spare wheelchair to the circus, as I didn’t want to risk losing my main one if we had to get the fuck out of here in a hurry.
I left the spare wheelchair to the side as Charlie hovered me upward, to the top of the tent. I sat on a platform and looked down at the crowd from above. This was where I would host my act, but it also served as a good look-out spot. I’d be watching the mobsters, as well as Salvatore, to make sure they didn’t try to pull a fast one during the performance.
Salvatore was sitting in a fancy booth at the top of the tent, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. Good. He was here, at least, which meant he wasn't out plotting our demise somewhere else. We could keep an eye on him.
