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For now, I’ll ready myself for the role. And I’ll take down Alessa de Luca by any means necessary.
But as I fall into restless dreams, Alessa’s sly green eyes seem to pierce my conscience. Something in me knows…
The games have only just begun.
CHAPTER5
NATALIE
I finish applying a final coat of mascara and step back to examine my reflection in the ornate gilded mirror of the master bathroom. My usually practical ponytail has been smoothed into soft waves with the assistance of my teammate Evelyn. The little black dress Kris insisted I buy clings to my body, paired with dangerously high stilettos. I feel like I’m playing dress up, trying to embody the type of woman who belongs in a Park Avenue penthouse.
“You look incredible,” Evelyn Chang says from her perch on the edge of the expansive tub. “Alessa isn’t going to know what hit her.”
I force a smile, but my nerves are starting to get the better of me. In just under an hour, I’ll be sitting across the table from the most dangerous woman I’ve ever targeted. And once again, I need to make her believe I’m someone else entirely.
I was barely able to keep it together for five minutes at the charity event. Am I ready for a whole evening of play-acting?
“Are you ready for this?” Chang asks, her brown eyes searching mine with concern as she unknowingly echoes my thoughts. “I know it’s a lot we’re asking you to do.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to complete the mission.” It’s true, I would do anything for this job. Bringing criminals to justice is my purpose in life. After growing up in a broken-down small town where crime was a way of life, I always knew I wanted to make a difference. Watching single mothers and kids get targeted made me feel so helpless as a kid.
Now, though, I get to target those criminals right back. And Alessa de Luca is the brightest jewel in the Mancini Family crown. Ripping her out will be a pleasure.
“Well, the place looks fantastic, at least,” Chang says brightly. “Setup team really outdid themselves.”
She’s right about that. The team has gone all out creating the illusion that I’m an Upper East Side heiress with money to burn—down to the monogrammed hairbrush left artfully askew by the sink here, just in case Alessa de Luca wanders into my private bedroom.
God. I need to…not think about that.
In lieu of attending his new restaurant, Jacques Auclair has catered the dinner, though I insisted that none of his staff stick around to serve the meal. I’m pretty sure that any real heiress worth her salt would have insisted on servers, but I’ll just have to persuade Alessa that I’mthatdesperate to be alone with her.
Even though the team will be watching and listening avidly…
Anyway. Hopefully it will be enough to convince Alessa I belong in her world tonight.
Chang glances at her watch. “We should get moving, let you finish up. The caterers will be here any minute with the food, and we don’t want them seeing the team.”
I take a deep breath and smooth my features into a mask of cool confidence. “Ready when you are.”
We make our way down to the living room where the rest of the team is waiting. Patrick O’Conner and Kris Hays are bickering lightheartedly over whether the accent pillows on the sofa need to be rotated thirty or forty-five degrees. Sam Wright is fiddling with the hidden cameras positioned around the room while Stephen Bell stands over his shoulder looking impatient. It’s almost showtime.
When Bell notices me, he claps his hands sharply. “Okay people, final checks. We need to be long gone when catering arrives.”
Hays makes her way over to me. As the team’s psychologist, it’s her job to get inside the mark’s head, and we’ve been over a few techniques already.
“How are you feeling?” she asks. “Nervous?”
“A little,” I admit. Lying to Hays never turns out well. She can read me too easily. “Mostly anxious to get started.”
Hays nods. “Remember what we talked about. Don’t come on too strong. Let her make the first move.”
Leveraging someone’s desires against them leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But I trust Hays’s profiling skills.
“I’ll follow your lead,” I promise her.
“Atta girl.” Hays winks. “Now we’d better vamoose. Catering will be here any minute.”
* * *
