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I push open the window and scream his name, but he doesn’t hear me.
“Max!” I scream.
Again, nothing.
Peering my head out the window I look at the drop. “Fuck,” I mutter as I lift my legs over the edge.
The brick exterior of the house digs into the palms of my hands. My legs dangle over the edge before I take in a deep breath, letting go of the ledge.
I tumble onto the grass and race to the street. My hands hit the car, and I see blood on the window. Max stops and gets out quickly, holding a gun to me.
“Stop,” I shout. “Fuck, why do all of you want to kill me?”
Looking down at my hands, I notice cuts that are deep. My adrenaline is at a high, so I didn’t even notice the pain before I saw the marks.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind shooting you. I fucking told you to come to me when you needed insulin, and you didn’t,” Max says, lowering his gun.
I stare at him. “Are you kidding me? That’s the least of our concerns.” Out of breath, I say, “I need to find Giovanni and Mikhail.”
His eyes widen, and I wave him off as I walk to the other side of the car. He gets in and tells me to buckle my seat belt. “How do you know Giovanni?” he asks.
“I’ve only heard of his name before the fundraiser,” I begin.
For the entire ride, I tell him everything that Pavel told me to do, and how I’ve failed.
“I don’t know what to do.”
He pulls the car into a large parking lot flooded with people wearing elegant dresses and masks on their faces. Digging through the center console, he pulls out two masks. “We’re going to go find him. Giovanni will be here tonight, and my guess is that he will be too.”
I grab the mask from his hands. “Why do you have a spare?” I ask.
“I was going to pick up my friend, Maddy, but she’ll just have to miss out. You’re more important.”
Hiding my smile, I look down at my clothes. “I can’t go in like this,” I admit.
He brings his hand to the back of the seat and pulls up a dress on a hanger. “This was for Maddy, but you two are roughly the same size. She’s taller than you, so you’ll have to hold up the dress. There should be heels in the back too.”
I nod, thankful he even has something for me to wear. “Thank you,” I tell him, and I scoot into the back seat of his car. Before changing, I push up the rearview mirror and get an eye roll in return. “What? You’re not getting a free show.”
“I’m the last man you have to worry about. My eyes are meant for only one woman.”
“Who?” I ask quickly. “Maddy?”
He laughs. “Nah, but it doesn’t matter,” he says, dismissing me.
I shrug my shoulders and change as fast as I can.
Looking out through the window, I see many people walking up a long staircase. There are small lights lining the bottom of each step. Potted trees stand either side of the steps with decorations on the branches.
Opening the door, Max offers me his arm, and I take it.
Turning around, my heels dig into the sidewalk, and I stabilize myself. “Sway” by Michael Bublé plays through the speakers. I grab onto the stone railing and step up the stairs, exchanging smiles with many others as I walk through the doors into the building. Blue lights fill the room. They shine through the white curtains.
I have no idea what tonight will bring, but that’s what excites me.
“Miss?” A stranger stops me. “You forgot your card.”
I take it from him. “Thank you.”
