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Acid lingers on my tongue as fear tries to creep its way up. Which it does, in full spurts, when the door bursts open and the waiter runs in. “Hold the door! My cover’s blown!”
I stumble forward and smash both fists onto the door while he tries—and succeeds—to lock it with a key. Dread forms a ball in my stomach when I feel the pressure from the other side of the door.Fuck. Someone’s out there, and they’re coming after us.
“Now what?” I hiss.
“Now we leave. Hold it!” He leaves the key in the now locked door and runs toward the window. I watch him pull the thick, black curtains open and frantically pull at the window frame. “Got it!” He yells and he looks over his shoulder with wide eyes. “Come on.”
I leave the door and make a run toward the open window. The sudden breeze and the sight of normality—cars, people, shops—gives me such a feeling of relief, that I could just cry and hug the anonymous waiter. But I don’t. Instead, I follow him out tiptoeing across the gutter, praying that the aluminum will hold both of us. My mind’s spinning—something’sverywrong about this situation—but I can’t wrap my head around it. I swing my legs around the sewer pipe and swirl down, only to feel a shudder of pain rake through me at the very moment my feet hit the ground. I growl, then open my eyes and let out a deep breath.
“Motherfucker, we made it.” I mumble, surprised and out of breath.
“We did.” He sounds amused, doesn’t he?Doeshe?
Something’s wrong.
“Have you seen the guy I came in with tonight?” I try. He blinks, then moves to slowly take off his mask, making my heart hammer with nerves. Light eyes that give me a wary look, though it doesn’t take away anything from his beauty. “He left earlier. That guy.”
I swallow thickly while searching his stare for lies. “Heleft?”
“Yes. He was chosen.”
“Chosen?” I echo, brows furrowed with worry.
“I’m Xavier,” he says instead, curling his lips into a seductive smile, large puppy eyes locked on mine. “And you and I have some things to discuss.”
Chapter 14: Austin
60 minutes earlier
The moment theTrésorleads the other guy away, my curiosity takes over any sliver of sensibility. I follow the crowd from the large reception room into another, richly decorated, yet smaller space. It looks like a bedroom, with its smooth golden colors and large bed. Connor’s right—I am the guy who always wants to show off and win every competition, even if it means crushing all the other competitors in the process. Even now, with my heart aching for my infuriating partner in crime, confusion battling with admiration, or eveninfatuation, I want to beat Connor at this self-declared contest. He might be a fucking genius, but I can prove I’m more than just a cocky bastard.
The bedroom is filling up with shuffling feet and excited whispers, somehow making me shudder. I reach out, but the spot next to mine is no longer occupied by the man who’s been occupying my thoughts. I spin my head around, but all I see are shiny masks and strangers’ eyes. His smell, coconut with a touch of cinnamon, no longer lingers around me.
Did he find Manuel’s guy?
Is he working on his mission, while leaving me out as usual?
If we make it out of here tonight, I’ll tell him how I feel about him. I’ll admit to every astonishing wave of longing he gives me and we’ll see where that can bring us. If it’s enough for him to trust me, to want me. Fuck, I hope it is. He’s got me hooked and though I hate to admit it, I can’t do without it. His tall, proud frame, curved with muscle. His auburn hair and that unique smell that is so,sofine.
“Hello again,” a voice croons in my ear.
I turn to face a smaller man with dark hair and bright eyes. “Hello, uhm—”
“Touché, last night?” He smiles sweetly.
Christ, he’s the flirt from the bar and clearly a member of thefamily, by the looks of his clothes. The thought this man has seen my face, has seenourfaces, makes my skin crawl. How many others have seen us talk to Manuel?
Flirty boy caresses the tattoo on my inner wrist and my limbs tense up before I shiver and pull my hand back. He slowly circles me, then purrs into my ear, “Where’s your boyfriend now?”
“Somewhere,here,” I let out through gritted teeth. He cackles at that, eyes twinkling with fun. “You’re a jealous one, aren’t you? Bet the boys are always hitting on you.” A finger strokes one of my ass cheeks and he lets out a laugh when I take a step away. “You’re not shy, are you?”
Fuck off. “So what’s tonight’s theme?” I ask, completely dodging his question.
The bedroom is now filled with a crowd of gowns and suits, masks and fans, making me feel like I’ve somehow stumbled back in time. Again. Piano sounds, low and faint, fill the air like some gloomy presence.
Flirty boy sends me a dirty wink. “Nothing’s too crazy for our greedy clients, so the jackpot tonight is to experience a punishment.”
“Hm,” I let out, trying to play it cool, hoping that he won’t notice the tension in my body.
