“Okay.” I peck him on the cheek so quickly, he’s too late to realize it and dodge.
Answering his slight frown with a sexy little wink, I take out Mong’s phone and navigate my way to the roster. A few commands via the developer tools, and I have the cabin numbers for the ten people who are on duty tonight.
“There you go.” I give him the device. “Pick a victim and let’s get ‘Mong’ to sub in.”
16
Aran
Ientertheoff-limitsarea half an hour before Hex is to meet up with the Lynxes. I don’t like that I won’t be there, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make so that I can accompany him to game night. I have a bad feeling about the whole thing, and after the slight complication due to the wrong dosage of the sedative that Hex administered, I’m even more adamant to have him in a place like this on his own.
“I just messed up the syringe size! Cut me some slack,”he’d said in defense, batting those long lashes at me.
Okay, I concede. The fault was partially mine, because I didn’t double-check as I normally would have, and the kiss might have had something to do with it.
I never intended forthatto happen, and certainly not in the middle of things. But it did, and, strangely, I don’t regret it like I thought I would.
I bow my head as I take the tray of champagne and wine to the table I am serving. It’s all fine, the person Mong is subbing in is out for the night and when they wake up, they really will feel like they’ve come down with something. Me, on the other hand… I’ve been buzzing since the kiss and no matter what trick I try, I can’t seem to calm down.
Few of the unmasked faces I see around me register as my brain tries to overrule my frantic heart, but I only manage to recognize a couple of American politicians. We already knew the American government was involved in this drug conspiracy, so I expected this. I’m more interested in who else is part of it, and hopefully as the room keeps filling with arrivals for tonight’s fun activities, I’ll have a list by the end of my shift.
For a while longer, I try to concentrate on observing and listening in on conversations as I serve various tables. The opulence of the dining hall doesn’t help my case of nerves though, the lace and chandeliers and Greek motifs offering the best kind of ambience for a date with the man who’s been haunting my mind for so long.
Despite the complications to my focus, it feels like a weight has lifted off me, like I no longer need to hide my intentions and fight that primal imperative within me to stay away from Hex. I don’t know how things will unravel, but nothing will be the same. The limbo I willingly walked into so I could keep my best friend’s promise will break… as soon as this infiltration fiasco is over and Hex and I have a chance to talk.
That needs to happen, whether I like it or not. Leaving things unresolved will only occupy my already-distracted mind. I need my focus to be on the mission, but for that to be possible, I need to resolve things between us first, so we both know where we stand. Our back-and-forth has carried on for way too long, and I am at a point where I can no longer effectively ignore Hex.
Once the guests have finished eating, I help my ‘colleagues’ clean up the tables. We serve more alcohol and light snacks, then proceed to distribute bingo-like cards. I’m assuming this is for whatever games they will play, which also means that Hex should be arriving soon.
My gut churns at the thought of something going wrong while I’m not around to protect him. If something bad happened to him… I squeeze the silver tray to my chest and take a deep, shuddering breath. If something happened to Hex, I don’t know what I’d do.
Fortunately, I don’t get to find out either, as he appears five minutes later, smiling and laughing as the Lynxes lead him to their table. I set up that one, and I made sure the glass of champagne in front of his seat didn’t actually contain any champagne, but instead, flavored soda.
Our eyes meet across the hall as he descends the stairs, his lips upturning into a subtle but warm smile that launches my heart into space. He’s changed out of the clothes he had put on when I left him thirty minutes ago, and is instead wearing a frilly brown chiffon blouse with a black leather corset and white pants that hug his form like they were tailored to do so.
I’m speechless as my eyes feast on his elegant beauty. Hex is an attractive young man, I’ve always known that, but his sense of fashion does an amazing job of downplaying that. It’s a different story when he lets me pick his clothes, but this wasn’t me. Someone else must’ve seen what hides under the sass and the goofy style, and I don’t like it one bit.
My eyes cut to Mrs. Lynx as her manicured fingers wrap around Hex’s arm possessively. An urge so deep and dark to strangle her rises within me that I have to fight with everything to retain control of myself and not act impulsively. It won’t do me or Hex any good, especially since I am not even supposed to be here. We have our bases covered, and I did a spectacular job ensuring I look indistinguishable from Mong, but since I didn’t have time to study his mannerisms, I must limit my interactions as much as possible while I’m posing as him.
Chanting the rhyme my best friend and I came up with so we could distract ourselves when the stress became too much during a special op, I come down from the bloodlust just as Hex takes his place at the Lynxes’ table. The woman is quick to offer him wine, but he refuses with a smile and lifts his champagne glass. I promised I’d figure something out so he won’t have to worry about the alcohol, and I’ve kept that promise.
Smoothing out my lapels and collar, I plaster on a neutral expression, grab a tablet and head over to Hex.
“Good evening,” I say with a friendly tone I’ve been practicing all evening. “I will be in charge of your table tonight, Mrs. Lynx, Mr. Lynx. If you need anything or have any questions, please just let me know.”
“Oh? It’s not Lucia today?” Mrs. Lynx says, taking her mask off.
I recognize her immediately. Her real name is Claire Streiss. She is German-American, and she is the CEO of Darmst Industries, the world’s leading manufacturer of construction materials, heavy machinery and oil rig frames.
As for Lucia… That’s the person who ‘called in sick last minute’. Initially, we were targeting a man named Greggory, but we overheard him talking to Lucia about the Lynxes, so it made sense to go after her if it meant I’d get to watch over Hex from close-by.
“Unfortunately, no, Mrs. Lynx. Lucia called in sick, so I am covering for her. You have nothing to worry about, as I have memorized all your drink preferences already.”
She looks at me then and narrows her blue eyes. The air between us crackles with tension, my heart pounding in my ears. Mong and I resemble each other uncannily, but I’ve made sure to replicate our differences, so I can minimize the risk of being accidentally recognized.
Wrinkles mar her forehead, but they are fewer than you’d expect from a person her age. They also smooth out as she smiles at me, which tells me that she probably remembers me and was trying to decide if I am the same person or just a lookalike. “Oh, I see. I hope she feels better soon.”
Relief floods me—she fell for my disguise. She already knows I work on the outside, so seeing me here would raise all kinds of uncomfortable questions.
