Chapter 77
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
BELLATRIX
“This is some Cinderella shit,” I mumbled under my breath as I tilted my head back and peered up at the gold-plated ceiling. A low-hanging crystal chandelier swaying each time one of the servers walked by it a little too fast.
I might have grown up here but I was never allowed to attend any of the parties, and the ballroom had always been strictly off-limits to anyone who wasn’t in charge of cleaning it.
“Only if you’re the ugly stepsister,” Gabby said out of the corner of her mouth, the gray mask covering the top half of her face and her orange hair cascading behind her in long, natural waves. She was wearing a form-fitted matching gray cocktail dress and blood-red nails.
I slapped her on the shoulder, and she bit down on her lip to keep from laughing.
We were trying our best not to attract attention.
That was hard to do when Gabby attracted attention wherever she went and I was stomping around in heels like a show horse on steroids.
I wanted to wear my sneakers, but she insisted it would take away from the pantsuit she’d squeezed me inside.
The deep slits giving everyone in the room a glimpse of my tone thighs while I had easy access to the weapons I kept on me at all times.
This was as fancy as it was gonna get for me. I didn’t do dresses. I didn’t usually do masquerade balls either but here we were, I guess.
“Where’s Vee?” I whispered as I swiped a glass of champagne off one of the servers’ trays. I wasn’t going to drink it, but it would help us blend in until I spotted him. And then I wouldn’t care so much about causing a scene.
Gabby pointed behind me, and I craned my neck to see Vee mingling with a group of older women. Their necks strangled by fur pelts and rings on every finger. They probably had enough diamonds on each of their hands to buy a small country.
I made a mental note of which one looked the most likely to fall asleep in her soup later and reminded myself to sit next to her. In case a ring or two happened to accidentally fall into my pocket.
I felt a hand brush against my waist, and I turned back around, expecting to find Gabby standing there. I found someone else in her place. “What do you want?”
“Let’s take a walk.” Adrian pulled his plague doctor mask high on his head and gestured for me to go in front of him.
I cocked my neck to the side and shot him a glare. “You first.”
“As you wish.” He folded his arms at his back, his tux flaps fluttering behind him as he led the way.
I stepped up to his right, glancing around the room every few seconds to see who else was watching us.
“It’s been a long time, Trixie.”
“Not that long,” I reminded him.
“Since you’ve been back here,” he clarified.
“Not that long.” I grinned, and he nodded.
“Right. I’d almost forgotten about the field trip you two took while I was away.”
“You knew about that?” I wasn’t surprised. The Prescotts were always big on security. They didn’t want any of their dirty little secrets getting out.
“I know about everything,” Adrian said.
“Then you know why I’m here.”
He paused in his steps, grabbing a glass of amber liquid and raising it to his lips. He brought it down again and clinked it against my champagne. “Cheers.”
“I don’t drink.” I deposited my glass on a nearby table and crossed my arms over my chest, watching as he shot back the liquor before setting the empty tumbler next to my full champagne.
Then he tucked his hands into his pockets and started walking again. “Do you know why you’re here, Trixie?”
My eye twitched at the name, but I didn’t correct him. The more you told someone something bothered you, the more likely they were to do it. Though I was pretty sure my face told him for me. “You’re not gonna talk me out of killing him.”
“I’m not trying to talk you out of anything…”
I opened my mouth to call bullshit, and Adrian held up a hand.
“But I did bring you here tonight for a reason.” He pushed open a door, and once again gestured for me to go in first.
I shook my head and he crossed the threshold, waiting for me to step in after him before closing us inside.
I glanced around at the library, where I used to spend a lot of my time as a kid.
I should have recognized he was leading me here.
But I’d been focusing on other things and—he was right—it had been a long time.
“There’s something I think you should know. Something all of you should know,” Adrian announced to the room, and that was when I spotted Vee and Gabby standing in the corner. They didn’t appear distressed or like they were being held against their will. But they did look annoyed.
“What’s this about, Dr. Lambert?” Vee asked cautiously. Her eyes flicked in my direction before flicking back.
“This is a discussion,” Adrian replied. “Between your family and mine, Mother.”
Vee didn’t flinch. But she did narrow her gaze. “And the party?”
Adrian waved his hand in the air, as though he were grasping for the right word. “A distraction… in case things get… loud.”
“You mean violent,” I chimed in.
“That too,” he agreed.
“You want witnesses, hostages,” Vee stated calmly. “That’s why you invited my benefactors.”
“Benefactors?” I asked, and I could tell Gabby was thinking the same thing. She was just better at keeping her thoughts to herself until we were alone.
Vee didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled a chair out from the long table in the middle of the room and signaled for Gabby and me to follow suit.
A few seconds later, the door pushed open again, and four more figures closed themselves inside here with us. I didn’t have to see their faces to know which one of them was him. I could tell by the way he walked. His mask of choice was a dead giveaway too.