Chapter Thirty-Five #2
Reyna’s heart hardened around the words. Harrington. She needed to keep her head in the game. She was out to destroy the destroyer.
“I won’t.”
She met Meghan at the top of the complex, where the steel door was open and a stretch limo was waiting for them in the parking lot.
“Everything all right with Washington?” Meghan asked.
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
Gabe held the back door to the limo open and leaned against it in a slick black tuxedo. His red hair was gelled to perfection, his green eyes as charming and devious as ever. A plain black mask dangled from his hand.
“Ladies.”
Meghan stepped forward and straightened his bow tie. “This is a good look for you, O’Connor.”
His hand slipped to a lock of her red hair. “Everything is a good look on you, love.”
Meghan laughed softly and then slid into the limo.
“After you,” he said gallantly, gesturing dramatically into the vehicle.
She knew it was to lighten the mood, and she appreciated it.
She gave him a small smile before pulling the folds of her dress in and entering the limo.
Gabe slid inside last. The door slammed shut, and then they were off.
No one spoke on the drive. Even Gabe’s normal chatter was absent as anticipation clogged the car.
Reyna was glad for the anonymity the masks provided.
She worried for Meghan. Her face had certainly been caught on cameras the day she had broken Reyna out of Visage.
And Gabe—if Everett had guessed he knew Reyna, would Harrington know the Irish mobster Gabriel O’Connor and the rebel Gabe were one and the same?
Would Harrington be able to sense her? Washington said no, but this would be the test of that.
She tried not to think about it. What would be would be.
Traffic obstructed their limo at every turn.
New Year’s Eve in the city was a nightmare.
People had started to line up in Times Square at the earliest hours of the morning.
But the elite who had received invitations to Penelope’s party were whisked past all the banal theatrics and through to her event.
Gabe insisted the crowd would give them cover if they had to escape, but to Reyna, the mass of people was just a barrier.
She remembered what it had been like to get caught in a riot outside of City Hall. She shuddered.
The limo dropped them off on a red carpet, and, as planned, Reyna and Meghan were Gabe’s arm candy for the night. They passed a row of flashing photographers, and when they reached the entrance, Gabe produced an invite from his jacket pocket.
“Welcome to Mayor Sky’s New Year’s Eve masked extravaganza. Proceed through the ID scanner and enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you,” he said.
This was the part Reyna was most afraid of. None of them had real ID bracelets. They had to trust that Tony had programmed their fakes well enough that no one knew the difference. Because if they failed here, everything would be for naught.
A woman used a small electronic device to scan Gabe’s bracelet, looking as bored as ever. He chatted the woman up, keeping her attention on him. Gabe was a charmer, that was for sure.
“Mr. O’Connor, A positive. Cleared.”
Gabe kept talking to the woman as she scanned Meghan’s wrist, revealing her fake identity, Annabelle Donoghue, B negative. Cleared.
And then it was Reyna’s turn. She tried to look as blasé as Meghan had when she held out her wrist, like it was a supreme inconvenience that anyone was even doing this. She wasn’t sure she quite managed it.
The woman scanned her wrist. The device pinged. It hadn’t pinged for anyone else. Shit.
Reyna started to sweat. This was the end. They were caught. She’d be dragged to Harrington or kicked out of the party. They’d know it was a fake. They’d know.
“Oh, this damn machine,” the woman said. She hit it twice with her hand. “I’m so sorry, miss. Sometimes new technology is such a pain.”
“Isn’t it?” Reyna managed to get out through her fear.
“Let me try one more time.”
Reyna held her wrist out to the woman. She had no decorum left. Her fear pricked too high.
“Rachel Murphy, O negative.” The woman smiled brightly at her. “Sorry for the delay. You’re cleared.”
Reyna contained a sigh of relief. Gabe took both of their arms once more, walking them inside.
“That was close,” Reyna ground out.
“We’re fine,” Meghan whispered.
They stepped over the threshold and into the ballroom.
“Showtime,” Gabe muttered.
The ballroom glittered from floor to ceiling.
Balloons rested in netting overhead, ready to be dropped at midnight.
Waiters meandered through the crowd in slim-cut tuxedos with tails.
The waitresses wore faux tuxedos with tiny skirts and high heels.
They all carried champagne and little hors d’oeuvres.
Some even had trays of blood in tiny shot glasses, organized by blood type.
Reyna covered her mouth to keep from gagging at the sight.
Meghan’s sharp look made her remember her role.
She dropped her arm and fawned over Gabe, letting her eyes roam the crowd.
They made a slow circuit around the room.
It seemed so much larger in person than when she had been staring down at the blueprints.
Plus, the room was packed. She hoped she’d be visible in the masses.
Gabe had just reached for champagne for both Meghan and Reyna when a voice broke through the speakers.
“Your mayor, Penelope Sky,” the person said.
Applause boomed all around them. Their attention shifted to the stage as Penelope Sky stepped out.
She looked…radiant. For a woman who had just had her heart broken, she looked even more stunning than normal.
Her typical blue dress was so pale it was almost white.
Her matching mask covered her entire face.
She looked utterly unique and otherworldly beautiful.
Gabe directed them into position. It was a step above the rest of the room with a light overhead. There were several around the room, but they’d picked this one because it was closest to an exit.
Reyna stepped into the spotlight. She cleared her mind, ignoring Penelope’s final steps to the microphone.
She wanted to test if she could sense Beckham in the same way he could sense her.
She had never even considered it before Washington had suggested it, but if she was his blood match, then he was hers.
She tuned in to that sense she had always had of him. That moment where everything had always felt right. Where she inherently knew him. It bubbled up inside of her. An awareness. A sense of rightness.
She turned her head. And there he was.
He was standing between Cassandra and Roland to the right of the stage. As if in response, he faced her, cocked his head to the side, and a small smile graced those perfect lips.
Her heart thudded in response. It had worked. She couldn’t wait to tell him. Her soulmate.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Penelope said, drawing Reyna’s attention back to the matter at hand, “thank you so much for being here tonight. This was one of my father’s favorite occasions.
While I miss him dearly, I am so happy to continue his legacy.
As with every New Year’s Eve, the mayor brings an honored guest up onto the stage.
I’m pleased tonight to have the CEO and president of Visage, William Harrington. ”
Penny greeted Harrington as he strode onto the stage. This was the moment. She waited to see if he would find her in the crowd. If he could sense her, he would do it now. But his eyes never flickered toward her. He just continued until he reached the microphone.
Reyna gritted her teeth and forced herself to applaud along with the rest of them. This was the first time she had seen him since she had escaped. He looked…healthy.
It made no sense. He shouldn’t look this hale when he didn’t have access to her blood. He still leaned on his cane, but she’d seen him fake that before. His face wasn’t pasty. His hair was full. All he needed to do was straighten his back and she knew that the monster would reappear.
The crowd cheered enthusiastically for him.
He’d fooled them all—the entire world. He’d made them think the blood type cure was the only way for vampires to use their intelligence—but Beckham had explained that not all vampires functioned on the same animalistic level without the cure.
Harrington had pulled humanity back from the brink of collapse by employing humans at Visage, but no one knew he had caused that depression.
He’d offered this Blood Census as an olive branch to help with all registered vampires, but it was just a scheme to find more Rh null negative humans.
William Harrington was not an altruistic savior. He was a lethal, manipulative, conniving bastard. And he’d had centuries to perfect his act so everyone in this room salivated at his very presence. But she knew better.
“Thank you so much, Mayor Sky,” Harrington said with the soft voice he used with a crowd.
“I’m so pleased to be here as an honored guest tonight.
Visage is a beacon in this city. It employs many of the people here in this room, including my senior vice presidents who are in attendance.
” He gestured to the side of the room where Beckham stood flanked by Roland and Cassandra.
“At Visage, we always strive to be cutting-edge. To bring bigger and better to the world, to our employees, to our shareholders. This year alone, we’ve rolled out a new permanent enrollment, first with senior staff and then all of corporate.
This is set to go fully public in the new year. ”
The crowd cheered. They cheered.
Reyna was sick. How many people at this party had any idea what it was like to be a blood escort? She doubted there were many other than the hired help.
“With the completion of the Blood Census, we’ll be able to work toward even bigger gains going forward.
A full registry only makes sense when you consider that vampires have been registered for more than a decade.
But more importantly, we have a huge announcement coming early next year.
It’ll be groundbreaking.” He grinned wickedly.
“I wish I could say more, but be on the lookout for news.”
Reyna’s face paled further. The feeding camp. It had to be.
“And with that, I want to say thank you to our illustrious host, Mayor Sky. She’s a wonder to work with, and I’m amazed by the transformation she’s made in the short time she has been running this city.”
“Thank you, William,” Penelope said. “I feel like a new person.”
Then her hand went to the back of her mask and the entire thing fluttered away, revealing her full beauty. Her completely seamless, perfect face. There was no sign of the multiple surgeries she had undergone to recover from the fires. She was the same, and yet…
Penelope smiled. Bright and bold and deadly.
Reyna choked.
“No,” she whispered.
Penelope had been turned. Penelope was a vampire.