Gen grinned. “At least it’s you this time
and not me
.” She sing-songed the last words, and I glared at her.
“Thanks for the support, brat.” But I couldn’t keep the smile off my face—how could anyone blame me for falling for Leo. He was perfect.
And he’s mine.
Gen whispered in my ear, “You should have thought about that before you decided to have dirty sex with Leo, and before you lied about your relationship to everyone.”
“
Ugh,
shut up,” I said, and made a grab for her blue tipped hair, but she danced away, laughing.
“Girls! Not in the kitchen.” My mom looked up from the bowl of tossed salad. “Catherine invited Leo to dinner tonight, and I don’t want you two goofing around the kitchen and spilling something.”
Gen whirled over to my mom and kissed her on the cheek. I followed, and kissed her other cheek.
Gen winked obnoxiously at me. “Everything will be perfect for Lexie’s new
bo-oy-friend
.”
“Boyfriend?” My mom looked up to pin me with a surprised gaze.
Gen didn’t side-step fast enough this time; I tugged on her hair, and she stuck her tongue out at me.
Catherine watched us from where she leaned against the counter and rolled her eyes. “You two…I swear.”
“Since when do you have a boyfriend?” My mom now turned her back on the salad bowl. “Who is it?”
“It’s, um… I glanced nervously at Catherine, who towel dried a maroon ceramic serving bowl while staring me down. “I, uh—”
“
Sheesh,
spit it out already.” Gen laughed, her eyes shining.
“
Okay.
” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I came here with Leo.”
“With
Leonardo Moss
?” Catherine set the ceramic bowl down. “The guy I asked you about earlier this week and you ripped my head off?”
“Alexis.” My mom’s stern stare made me fidget.
“You are so dramatic,” I told Catherine. “I did not rip your head off.”
“
Humph,
” she answered, and turned her back on me.
I glanced at Gen and crossed my eyes. She pressed her smiling lips together and puffed her cheeks out.
“All I can say,” Catherine said, her back still to me, “is I hope you don’t screw things up with Leo. You aren’t exactly a ball of joy to be around these days.”
Before I could reply, my mom said, “Yes, and your dad really likes him, Lexie. I hope you’re…better.”
“Thanks for the encouraging pep talk, family.” I grinned and fought the urge to twirl.
Later, after dinner, I watched Leo with my family. He belonged here with me, with us. Every time his gaze found mine, my pulse would race because it felt
right.
For the first time in so long everything felt right. How had I ever thought Jeremy and I would be happy together? We hadn’t had this kind of comfort and laughter. Though my parents would have—and did—accept Jeremy into the family, he had barely spent any time at my parents’ dinner table. I wasn’t sure what kind of blinders I’d worn in that relationship, how I’d allowed myself to wear them, but I didn’t have to worry about that with Leo. He was so open, so forward in the way he spoke, the way he laughed. When he put his arm around me on the couch and I relaxed into his side, it was as if we had always been this way, as if he was a part of me.
I hadn’t felt this close to anyone in so long. Maybe since the first time he and I were together.
And I love him.
My skin warmed, and I knew my cheeks were flushed. I hid my face behind the wine glass, glancing sideways up at Leo’s smile. Did he know how I felt? What would he say? I wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, to profess my love to him—again. It was way too soon. A part of me was still afraid of getting my heart broken, even if my heart told me this time Leo wouldn’t leave me; this time he came with a happily-ever-after.
I hope.
The Colonial Revival mansion on Prairie Hill was impressive. The massive white columns reached up to a second floor balcony, the wide stone steps rounded down to the half-moon driveway. The fountain was lit up tonight, the water flowing into a round, stone bowl. The first time Jeremy brought me here to meet his parents for an afternoon luncheon, I was awestruck. I’d known he came from a wealthy family, but it hadn’t hit me just how wealthy until I saw their home.
Roxanna sat beside me in the backseat of the limousine as we waited our turn to arrive at the front steps of the mansion. The line of cars wound through the gated community, filled with costumed guests who no doubt bubbled with excitement at attending the city’s most prestigious party. Everybody who was anybody in this state would be attending this ball. Our driver, a burly man with a snow white beard and kind eyes, hummed cheerfully, no doubt drawn into the festive mood. Lights from inside the mansion spilled through the windows, illuminating the grounds.
Even though this plan was all my idea, I was a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. Knowing what I had to do didn’t make it easier. We were about to commit a crime, and I’d never done anything illegal before. I wouldn’t let her ruin my parents, though. The fact she would do it without a moment’s hesitation, as she’d threatened, made the risk worthwhile. Tonight, I would steal my life back from her just as she’d stolen it from me—she wouldn’t even know what hit her.
The bitch is going down.
Roxanna didn’t appear nervous at all, but if she was, she was a lot better hiding her emotions than I. True, Roxanna was one for the dramatics, but when it came to keeping things bottled up, the woman was a pro. She let people see what she wanted them to see. Tonight, she looked confident, and I was taking my queue from her. Or trying to. She was more schooled in espionage than I, what with all the shows she watched. Me, I was winging it and hoping I would nail it, or else this would all be for nothing.
We were disguised in beautiful gowns, complete with bejeweled masks covering most of our faces, our hair curled and arranged around our heads and down our backs to mask our earpieces and the wires taped under our gowns. Roxanna’s gown was black with a beaded bodice and ruffled satin skirt, while mine was a shimmering white satin covered in sparkling tulle. We were dressed for our roles. I needed to make sure I didn’t bomb my part and ruin everything.
Roxanna’s home office had become operation headquarters, as she’d called it. We met for a week, when Leo wasn’t home, and locked the door to her office when our meetings were over. He had no clue what we were up to. If I could trust that he’d let me go through with this, I would have told him. I couldn’t risk him interfering.
This is the only option.
Operation Evil Queen Takedown was officially a go. I straightened in my seat, channeling confidence.
Simple—in and out.
I wasn’t sure how Roxanna had managed to get her name on the guest list with a plus-one. More than likely it had something to do with Kristina Kosmicki’s background check. I didn’t ask for details. Some things were better left to the imagination. We had a way in, which was the most important thing.
The heater was cranked up in the back of the limousine, but I shivered in my wrap. My palms sweated inside my white satin gloves and I repeated to myself:
This is to save the boutique. This is to save the boutique.
We’d covered all our bases. I was intimately familiar with this event because I’d attended on Jeremy’s arm two years in a row. There was no way Deborah would find out we were inside. With our masks on, we’d blend in with everyone else. While she was on the other side of the mansion entertaining her guests, we’d be searching her office.
“
The Eagle has landed,”
Richard said into my ear, and Roxanna and I jerked in unison. “
I repeat, the Eagle has landed.”
“Damn it, Richard,” Roxanna whispered behind a black satin glove. “You scared the crap out of me!”
He chortled,
a-hu-a-hu-a-hu.
“
Sorry, Nighthawk. Just making sure the equipment worked.”
“You’re back by the servant’s entrance already?” I whispered. Everything was going along without a hitch, as planned. I shouldn’t be so nervous.
If the driver looked into his rearview mirror, he would see two costumed women whispering, perhaps excited about the ball they’d been invited to. I shifted closer to Roxanna, scared our voices would carry and we’d be found out. Not like he’d have any clue what we were talking about. We sounded crazy, even to my own ears. Our plan was outrageous, and if we pulled it off, genius.
Even Richard was tucked into a stylish tux and wore a half mask over his face. If someone knocked on the van’s door, he would be posing as a news reporter for the college. He’d pretend to be eager for an interview with Gerard Buchanan, a man who continued the Buchanan family tradition of large donations to the college.
“
10–4, Snow Bird. I’m stationed at the side of the house, ready for action.”
He sucked in a breath that could be heard through the earpiece.
Before he could continue, Roxanna said, “Okay, we’re approaching the front steps. We’ll be inside soon.”
“
10–4, Nighthawk.”
After a moment of silence, he said, “
Hey, you broads there?
”
“
Yes,”
we said in unison, our whispers strained.
Richard answered with laughter.
The limousine eased to a stop in front of the mansion. I grasped Roxanna’s hand as the driver stepped out and shut the driver’s door behind him.
“Okay, I’m kind of freaking out a little bit,” I whispered.
“No panic attacks allowed,” Roxanna whispered, her stare intense from behind her mask.
I opened my mouth to reply, but the door beside Roxanna opened. The cold swept in as the driver held the door open.
In and out, in and out,
I repeated to myself.
“
Lights, camera, action!”
Richard said into my ear.
Roxanna jerked as she scooted to step out of the limousine and hit her head on the top of the doorframe. “Ouch,” she moaned and touched the top of her head.
“Easy, Miss,” the driver said, reaching for her gloved hand to help her out.
“
What happened? Everything okay?”
Richard asked.
“No more talking, Richard. It’s dangerous,” I whispered to him as I scooted along the black leather seat to the door. The driver reached his hand in and I grasped it, easing out to stand on the driveway. My body tensed for another outburst from Richard. He kept silent, though, and I made it out without injuring myself.
Roxanna and I stood on the red velvet carpet leading up to the stairs and across the porch to the double oak doors opened wide for the guests.
“We are really doing this,” Roxanna whispered.
The limousine had already driven away and the next car in line parked in its place. I tugged on her hand to keep her moving. If she lost her nerve, I’d never make it through the night.
“Invitation, miss,” the doorman said.
Roxanna flipped open the clasp to her black satin clutch to pull out her invitation. The doorman held out his hand, and she placed the invitation in it. We waited while he skimmed it, then nodded for us to step inside.
We stood in the entryway; a crystal chandelier twinkled from the ceiling above us. The double staircase with its oak banister curved along the wall up to the second floor landing. Standing at the top looking down upon the guests was the evil queen herself, dressed in a black ball gown. Peacock feathers shimmered from her tightly pinned coiffure.
“What if she recognizes us?” I turned my back on Deborah to stare at Roxanna with wide eyes.
“She won’t. We’re in costume. We look just like everyone else.” She glanced over my shoulder. “Don’t turn around. She’s coming down the stairs. We’ll wait until she’s out of the room.”
“Okay,” I whispered. After a few moments of us standing awkwardly in place, I asked, “Is she gone?”
“Yeah. Let’s get a drink to take with us. I’m sweating like a pig in this dress,” Roxanna said.
I nodded toward the room off to our right, and she followed. Last year the east side of the house had been cordoned off to guests. I only hoped the same could be said for this year so we could slip into her office and search for the contract without interruption.
Roxanna made a straight line for the champagne table, and I followed right behind. Most of the men and women wore masks, but some of the women opted for masks on black or silver wands and were lax in covering their faces. There’d been a canister on the entry way table holding masks for guests who didn’t have their own.
Roxanna handed me a glass of champagne. Laughter and music drifted to us from the ballroom down the hall. We were quiet as we observed the guests, and watched for Deborah. She must have joined the guests in the dance hall.
“
You broads mind if I play some Zombie Attack 5?”
“Those games are going to rot your brain,” Roxanna said, forgetting to whisper. A woman standing to the right of us lowered her mask just a smidge to peer at Roxanna over the top, her auburn brows raised in haughty regard. The pearls at her neck looked too heavy for her thin frame. Roxanna shrugged at her. “Eavesdropping will rot your brain, too.” The woman gasped and turned her back to us, and Roxanna said, “Touché.”
“
Is that a yes?”
Richard asked.
“
Fine
. Play your games, Richard,” Roxanna said. This time, the nosy woman’s date, a salt and pepper haired main in a half-mask, peered with interest at Roxanna.