Page 63

“Oh, come on.” Oscar gets to his feet now. “There are three of us. She’ll always be around one of us and no one will know who she is. Nothing will happen.”
Mag implores me with his hazel-green eyes, but I’m all for this. I’m one hundred percent on board. Not just because I want to do this, but it will be good for Oscar and Brawler to get out too. To have fun.
“That chick better not think you’re hers,” I say, sashaying away from Oscar.
Brawler holds back on my arm. “I’m not sure it’s a great idea either.”
I back up until I’m facing him and then rise to my tiptoes, kissing him solidly on the mouth. “Trust me,” I tell him.
Oscar beams as Brawler’s shoulders relax.
“Sucker,” he throws at him.
Brawler flips him off, but Oscar’s right. “Don’t worry,” I say, pecking Brawler on the cheek. “Now I just need something to wear. No one will know it’s me.”
I tap my chin, but Oscar runs to a room in the back of the apartment. Before long, he comes out with a Mardi gras like mask. It’s purple and silver. Almost bird-like. The nose comes out in front, a slight rounding on the end until it ends in a sharp point. Feathers plume off the top, and it sparkles in the light.
I suck in a breath. “It’s beautiful.”
“My mother went to a Halloween party when we were in Spring Hill. She wore this.”
“I have just the dress to wear with that back at my place,” I say, anticipation starting in my feet and winding its way through my body. As long as I can keep the mask on, no one will know it’s me. It’ll be so dark in there, as well as the stage lights flashing, that it will be impossible. I look at Mag. “You’ll have to wear something too. You’re recognizable.”
“This is a terrible idea,” he argues again.
“I think it sounds amazing,” I say, not able to hold back. Butterflies flutter in my stomach? What? Just because I’m here on a revenge mission doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.
“I’ve got something at my place for Mag,” Brawler says.
I pop up and down on my toes. “This is going to be so much fun.”
Brawler smiles softly while Magnum still looks less than pleased. He makes sure I know all about it as we head down the apartment steps to get in the car, me clutching onto the mask. “I’m just worried about your safety. I’m worried what will happen if someone spots you.”
“No one will know it’s me. I promise.” I get in the car and wait for him to get in on the driver’s side. I’m acting overly confident on the outside, but I understand that it’s a risk. But, it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I haven’t been able to do anything since I got here, and being with the guys, makes me want to live. Maybe it’s a false sense of security, but I want to throw caution to the wind at least for one night.
His jaw ticks. “I’d love to tell you no, but you’ll find a way to go anyway so let’s hope both of us are well-concealed.”
I squeal and reach over the seat to kiss him on the cheek.
His cheeks darken to a shade of crimson, and he looks away.
We’re silent when we head back to the tower. We stop in my apartment, and Magnum waits in the living room while I grab the dress and head into the bathroom connected to my bedroom to get dressed and put on a face full of makeup, so no one knows who I am.
I pull the purple dress with the sequin-studded bodice and tulle skirt on. It was one of the dresses Johnny bought for me that day I found him with the girl at the clothing store. I imagine he went back in afterward and told them to get whatever they had in my size and this happened to be one of them because I have no idea where he thought I was going to wear something like this unless it was to a costume party.
The mask and the dress are only a shade off, so it’s damn near a perfect match. I pull my hair up, placing it into a bun with the hairs underneath flaring out in a circle-like pattern. I darken my eye makeup so that they really stand out in the mask and then put a layer of lipstick on I would never normally wear. Then, I round out the outfit with a pair of black boots. Stepping back, I mostly look like a conglomeration of things, but I’m also hoping I look like a badass bird.
Ha. I don’t know.
I stand by the door. I haven’t heard Magnum on the other side even though I know he’s there. “Hey,” I call out.
“You need something?” he asks. The answer is immediate, and I smile.
“Close your eyes,” I tell him. “When I tell you to open them, tell me if you can still tell it’s me.”
“Okay,” Mag says without hesitation.
This should be a good test considering Mag’s seen me in a variety of different clothes, including sweats. Hell, I forgot, including stripped naked. “Remember it’ll be dark at Candy’s.”