by Tara Brown
Luce sighed. “I’m going to powder my nose.” She stalked off to put the bots in the ladies’ rooms.
“Coop’s done the men’s restrooms already.”
“How are the kids?” I asked Simone without moving my lips.
“Great and Hedgie is the cutest dog alive.” She smiled when she spoke.
“Excellent.” I growled, “Damned Fitz.”
“Can I buy you a drink?” a voice I knew all too well interrupted my complaining.
I turned to see Servario, no mask of course. “I have a drink already.”
He took my champagne from my hand and lifted it to his lips, letting the entire flute full slide down his throat. “Can I buy you a drink now?”
“They’re free.” I couldn't help but smile.
He lifted two fingers at the bartender who rushed, possibly scared of Servario. He placed a second glass of champagne and a glass of scotch in front of us. Servario lifted the scotch, his eyes lowering to my fingers where the ring was. His lips toyed with that grin, the one I wouldn't miss. The smug one that told me he predicted every move I’d make.
“Where’s your date?” I asked, flashing a little jealous pettiness at him.
“In the north of France. Alsace, to be exact. Her father has a house there.”
“Why isn’t she here?” What was he doing?
“Does it matter?” His brow lowered, shading his gaze.
“I guess not.” I sipped the champagne. “Thanks for the champagne.”
“Evie, wait.” He stepped closer.
“No. Don't do this,” I pleaded.
“I would do anything to fix what I’ve broken with us. Anything.”
“I know.” I stared up into his mesmerizing eyes, letting myself get lost for a nanosecond before I spun and walked away.
I found Luce on the opposite side of the room from where Servario had been, trying to get away from one of the older men attempting to impress her with his story of a yacht. “Sorry to interrupt,” I cut in.
“No, it’s fine. I’m coming. Lovely meeting you.” Luce smiled at the older man and hurried to my side. We walked to a table and sat.
“One hour and twenty-nine minutes to go.” She gulped. "Why do we think we can solve something no one has been able to solve for decades?"
"Because we're going to murder every single one of the people who are making this an issue, innocent or not. That's something no one else is horrible enough to do," Simone answered bleakly.
"Right." Luce nodded.
As she said it Jack and his family entered the ballroom. They were stunning. All of them. It was obvious from the moment you saw them that they were royalty. They exuded confidence and a relaxed nature only people accustomed to this sort of lifestyle had. This ballroom wasn't the nicest one they had been in. It wasn't even close. They owned castles and mansions and went to dinner with the Queen of England. Everything about them was admirable, their air and nature and even the way they walked.
They didn't seem like snobs, just comfortable with the scene.
And Jack was no different.
He smiled and greeted people, allowing them to slightly bow or hold his hand as they shook or clasped it.
But as hard as he tried, Jack couldn’t stop his gaze from drifting or sneaking over our way to where Luce sat. Her cheeks flushed and her gaze lowered as she took deep inhales. It was fun watching her be this way around him. The queen of cool was a mess.
I rose to go to the ladies’ room, excusing myself. “Be back in a moment.” As I rounded the corner, I bumped into a tall man with broad shoulders in a tux. I paused when I caught a whiff of something in the air. Deodorant and safety and Coop.
“Duchess.” He smirked from behind his mask.
“Hello.” I tried not to get high off the fumes of Coop in the air. The sight of him in his tux was heartbreaking. He would have women all over him all night long. He reminded me of a movie star all made up.
“You look beautiful.” His eyes shone as he lost his sarcastic nature in the compliment.
“You do too,” I whispered.
He licked his lips and cracked a real smile, the one I could live off of. “Save me a dance, perhaps.” He rested a hand on my shoulder for a moment before he walked away, going to a table to sit down. I watched him for too long before I recalled Simone was in my ear and eyes. Feeling weird about her watching me, I changed my mind on the bathroom and went back to the table to sit. My cheeks flushed and Luce gave me a strange stare.
“You all right?”
“Yeah. Fine. Nervous.” I brushed it off.
The tables around us filled up as the lights dimmed, creating ambiance, while the music picked up and became a touch louder. The stage was setting.
Our table filled with men and women we didn't know. Not one was from the list we’d invited to murder, which was a nice break.
Dinner was served, though neither of us could eat. Luce moved food around the plate and I didn't even bother with utensils.
As everyone was deep in their meal, I watched Coop eat at the table with three of our marks. He laughed and joked, still wearing his black mask. I tried not to stare but it was impossible. He was smiling wide and chewing and being Coop. A lady next to him put her hand on his bicep. She leaned in and his eyes widened. He licked his lips and lifted his drink, making a joke about something. She laughed too.
I wrinkled my nose and turned to where Servario sat with a bunch of terrible people. I knew most of them. He was smug as always but there was something else, something on his face, a look of distance and preoccupation. His eyes never drifted my way once.
The music paused and a woman stepped up onto the stage. She smiled wide with the lights on her. “Hello and good evening. My name is Cybil Conway.” She introduced herself and continued, “I work for the charity chosen for this gala, a nonprofit called the Polaris Project. We named our project after the North Star that led the slaves to freedom.”
My skin shivered as the small woman spoke softly, speaking right to my heart.
“Since we started in 2007, we have responded to over thirty-one thousand cases of human trafficking across the United States alone.”
The crowd gasped. Some of them. The others knew damned well how much human trafficking occurred around the world.
“We have helped in drafting and advocating a hundred and twenty-seven trafficking bills to change laws in the United States. We have been directly involved in reporting over six thousand cases of trafficking to law enforcement through our hotline. And we are helping to rebuild the lives of victims who have been trafficked. In the United States alone, there are an estimated four hundred thousand modern-day slaves—today. In the world, that number stretches to over forty million. Most of those slaves are women, and a large number girls. Children. There is no quick fix for this, but we at Polaris believe that by using technology and our global community we can conquer this together. The nations of the world need to wake up and see the myriad of trafficked human beings living in the world around us. Part of the landscape we ignore on a daily basis. And with your generous donations here tonight, we will save even more lives and stop tyranny at its roots.” She bowed slightly. “Thank you.”
The room erupted in applause. Even Servario, human trafficker number one, clapped though his effort wasn't anything to write home about. A man at his table laughed and leaned in, saying something gross. His words oozed from him with creepiness.
“Tell me he’s getting a hairpin,” Luce muttered.
“Amen,” Simone piped up.
“He is,” I agreed with their assessment. “Is he on the list?” I asked Simone.
“No. He’s an unknown. No facial recognition in the CIA's system. But I'll find him."
“He’s dying,” I whispered and plotted.
The music started up again and dessert was served.
“That was dreadful.” One of the women at our table, a fellow American, remarked as she scooped a spoonful of mousse and ate it. “I had no idea. I
thought slavery was abolished.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Simone muttered into my ear. I pressed my lips together and ignored the daft bitch before I throat punched her for being part of the problem and then forced the dark web on her—well, forced Simone to show her the dark web. I still didn't understand it nor knew how to access it. The whole thing made my skin crawl.
And by the faces of the people around me, I had to say it made their skin crawl too.
There was less smiling and chatter, more forced eating and drinking.
I loved the charity Jack had chosen. And I loved him for choosing it.
It was the one highlight of the night.
25
Bad to worse
“Shall we?” Coop offered me an outstretched hand and nodded his head at the dance floor with dozens of couples already waltzing. The evening had progressed quickly, almost as if time had sped up and was now running out so fast I couldn't keep up.
“Why not?” I took his hand and let him lift me from my seat and lead me to the dance floor.
Luce was already waltzing with Jack who grinned like a prize fool to the point his parents had taken notice. No one would ever presume they were anything but a young couple in love. Their cover was tight, and mostly because of the goofy expression on his face. He couldn't possibly be a spy.
Coop spun and pulled me into his arms, not gripping my ribs too hard. “Nervous?” he asked softly.
“Yup.” I could barely breathe as my eyes darted around the room, landing on the arms dealer who had avoided my stare all night long. He remained at his table with the morons I had avowed to kill at some point.
“Me too,” Coop confessed. “I never imagined when I first met you that this was where it was all heading.”
His words brought my stare back to his lips. “Me either.” I peered up into his eyes, getting lost for a moment in the steely blue of the intense stare. My breath hitched.
“I’m so sorry, Evie. For all this.” His left eye twitched, signaling trouble.
“What’s wrong?” My stomach tightened.
“We have an issue.”
“The kids?” I tensed, ready to bolt from the room.
“No, they’re fine. Better than fine. It's something else. And I have to tell you, but first I need you to promise you’ll do the opposite of what you always do. You have to promise to stay calm, focused on the mission, and not bolt from the room like a crazy person or react in any way.”
“Okay?” I was confused and scared and his tone put my already uncomfortable nerves on edge.
“Promise you won’t run. You’ll take the horrible thing I’m about to say and lock it away for later?”
“I promise.” Terror gripped me.
“I didn't know this but Servario’s giving the speech. I just found out. He never planned on anyone else doing it."
“What?” What did that mean?
“He’s the one getting the Organization members to come and meet him by the terrace. He’s giving a speech, telling them all he has figured a way for them to get the Burrow under their control.”
“Okay.” I paused as the reality of his words sank into my thick skull. “Oh God. The bomb.” My fingers tightened and the room spun, not just because Coop was spinning me. “Why? Why him? How will he avoid the bombs?”
“Shut up, Evie. This is exactly what I was talking about. Keep your cool. Remember in this moment you have no heart, just a head.” Coop pulled me tight to him, making my ribs sting. “Stop talking and think for two seconds about the scene you’re about to cause and what it means for the mission. What that means for your kids.”
I couldn't catch my breath, I was drowning in the instinct to panic. The music was overwhelming and the room was too hot. There were too many people and my heart—my poor fucking heart—was shriveling to dust. I went through every emotion one after the other as Coop held me tight and danced for us both. I wanted to cry and run and find Servario and beg him not to do this. I wanted to force him to leave with me. I wanted to admit I loved him, and I hated that we couldn't be together. I resented having to pick my family over my heart, just for a second, as the floodwaters of reality drowned me. I resurfaced with a slight gasp.
Servario was sacrificing himself for me.
He was ending this for me.
He was protecting me with his death.
And I had to do the same for my kids.
I had to be a parent.
But before that, in this moment, I needed to be a spy.
All brains, no heart.
While I had the emotional breakdown under control, I was exhausted by the time the song was over. Coop didn't let go. The next song started and he held me tightly.
“We have eight minutes until Jack’s parents are going to be doing their dance. I need you at the top of your game. You have to act the part. Do you understand me?” His tone became the bossy one. Commander Coop had this mission under control.
There was no Simone. No Evie. No heart.
He was cold because he wanted me to go home to my kids. He truly cared more for me than anyone in the world, maybe even my own family.
“May I cut in?” a man asked from behind me. His voice tugged at my heart, threatening me with feelings.
Coop glimpsed at me before answering. I let go of him, let go of my safety, and turned to Servario, letting him sweep me into his arms and dance us away.
The smell of him intoxicated me, making my stomach ache more. All my common sense died off when I looked up into his eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
“To be certain it goes off without a hitch. To sever the tie between you and me for good. To set you free.”
“Gustavo—” my voice cracked.
“Evie, I have made every mistake I could in this lifetime, loving you isn’t one of them.” His accent was thick and heavy. “But I will forever regret letting you slip through my fingers, believing I would never be good enough. I spent my time doing all I could to make the world safer for you from the shadows, instead of doing the one thing that you needed more than anything else. I should have married you. Maybe I never would’ve been good enough for you, but I should have given up everything to be with you. Fuck the world, Evie. Fuck the world and all the people in it. I love you and I always will.” His stare burned through me, killing off whatever his words had missed.
“Don't do this then. You’re right. Fuck the world. Let’s run away.”
“We will never stop running. So long as I am alive and the Burrow exists and the Organization is here, you and your kids are in danger. I can change all that with the flick of a switch.”
“But that means you go too.” Tears filled my eyes.
“One life can change everything for three. I have always been a selfish man. My death will have honor.”
“I can’t do this.” I pulled back.
“You have to. And you can’t cry. Not yet. Stay in character and let me hold you for a moment longer.” He pulled me tighter. It burned but I relished the pain. "I wish we'd made love once more. I regret that the shower is the last time. I wish I could change that." He was killing me.
The room spun and the dresses twirled and the people laughed.
They were living their lives, loving whoever they wanted. They were free.
I clung to him, desperate to take just a little more, rob him of some of his essence. He wouldn't be needing it. A dry sob escaped my lips as he kissed my forehead, pressing his lips in so deep, for a brief moment I thought maybe we were joined. “I love you forever,” he whispered.
The song ended and he let go.
He turned, walking away, still in my view for a twinkling of a second before the gap closed and the dancers surrounded me, a sea of motion and movement sweeping me up. Arms were there, lifting me and pulling me in tightly.
Coop spun me to the side of the room. He smiled and pretended to wipe sweat from my forehead. He laughed and talked about nonsense.
I couldn't hear him.
I couldn't hear anyt
hing but my own heartbeat. It pounded in my ears.
My eyes were stuck on the doorway where the man in the tux, the man holding my heart, had gone.
Taking deep breaths, I fought it as my mind tormented me with images of what was happening.
“And now ladies and gentlemen, we have a stunning surprise for you,” a man in a beautiful tuxedo with gray hair and a wide smile began to introduce Jack’s parents. I blinked as his words faded. His mouth moved and his hands came up, clapping and making everyone around us clap. Jack’s beautiful parents walked to the middle of the dance floor and the lights changed.
My heart stopped.
My eyes found Luce. She swallowed hard, a sheen to her stare. She knew what was happening.
The symphony started to play but I couldn't hear that either.
I was stuck in a fog of slow-moving agony.
It began in my chest and worked its way up my throat.
I heaved as I tried to get breath. Coop surrounded me with his arms, holding me to him and blocking out the world. My shield.
“I’m so sorry, Evie,” Simone whispered once and the world cut out.
Sound erupted as an explosion boomed in the distance, the room shook, and the lights cut out. Screams filled the air as emergency lighting switched on, creating a red haze for us to live this nightmare in. Tears streamed my cheeks, blurring my vision and taking my words and thoughts.
He was gone.
It was done.
Smoke wafted in the doorway as pandemonium began. The building shook a second time. Coop ushered me to the side door where people streamed from in confusion.
We made it out into the street to see chaos and fire on the far side of the casino.
Crowds rushed from the old buildings, flooding the streets.
His body would be in that fire. Unless he wasn't dead. What if he was just injured? What if he needed me?
I tried to run to him but Coop lifted me, carrying me, screaming and all, to the side of the hotel, away from the crowd.
“He’s gone, Evie. He’s gone.” He wrapped around me and my brain screamed until my lips parted and I shouted into his bicep.