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My skin is crawling being back here. Nevertheless, I keep going, lifting my head up and straightening my spine. I want to appear confident, when all I feel is a mess inside.
“Yeah. We can’t back out now,” I announce as we walk up the path.
I notice the light that was once broke has now been fixed, which I’m taking as a good sign. The thought of having to walk through here in the pitch-black scares me senseless. I don’t show it as we make it to the block of flats.
The second the door opens, heat, smoke and music hit me. I gulp, wondering for the first time if this was a good idea.
“Oh my god, is that their party?” Allie whispers, shifting awkwardly in her suit. “How did I let you con me out of that outfit?” she whines.
“You look hot. And I never talked you out of it. My boobs didn’t fit in it,” I remind her, eyeing her skin-tight leather catsuit. It clings to her body like a second skin, showing off all her luxurious curves. If it weren’t for the fact we’re on a mission, I’d totally make her show that outfit off around town. The cat mask she’s wearing makes her eyes pop out even more than they normally do. We were actually lucky she had a spare set of contact lenses in her drawer. She hates wearing them, but she does on the odd occasion when she knows her glasses will get broken or get in the way, like they would have with her mask on. And Logan will never expect it to be her. He’s never seen her without her glasses.
“It keeps riding up my arse,” she whines. I slap her arm away, stopping her from pulling the material away from her arse.
I smother my laughter. “Stop trying to make me laugh.”
“Sorry, Bat-woman,” she groans, rolling her eyes.
Yeah, my costume is pretty badass. My mask is the shape of a bat and my black leather costume is the shape of a skater dress, only mine has the bat symbol in yellow on my chest. I’ve got black leather boots on that reach just past my knees, and fishnet tights. I wish the costume Allie has on fitted me because it would at least cover more of my body. Well, everything except my boobs. They popped out of that bad boy outfit like they were bursting to be free.
“Remember to keep your phone on vibrate, don’t take any drinks from anyone, and don’t look obvious. If Cole or CJ spot us before we get this done, then we’re in bigger shit,” I remind her as we near the hallway.
“Okay, you too. Good luck,” she tells me, before slipping into Cat-woman, sexy mode. We know we’re going to have to act the part and not bring attention to ourselves by acting weird and quiet. We need to blend in, which is what we’ve planned to do. Act drunk, flirtatious, and socialise with other groups.
Heading through the hallway is harder than the last time I was here. There are more people leaning against the walls this time, wearing outrageous costumes. One girl is basically wearing a coconut bra and a thong with a hula skirt. How the hell is that a Halloween costume? It’s for a bloody beach party.
We shuffle our way through the crowd, making it to the door still attached to each other’s side. Allie gives my hand one more squeeze, which is the signal that she’s spotted one of the lads. My eyes flick around the room, and I spot the Ghost Face and Chuckie costumes straight away. How the hell they haven’t been kicked out is beyond me. They’re not blending in. They look like two doormen ready to kick out drunken idiots. Their postures are rigid, their gazes scanning the room, acting way too obvious.
On further inspection of the room, I find Jane over by the sofas, shaking her French maid arse in front of lads sitting on the sofa. My heart picks up and adrenaline pumps through my veins when I see it’s Alec, Logan and Jamie. All three look enthralled by her dancing, egging her on as loudly as possible. I have to turn away, bile rising in my throat.
“Where’s Alex?” Allie calls, leaning up so she’s talking in my ear.
“I don’t know.” I shrug, looking around the room once more, trying to find him. I pull her further into the room, dancing and shaking my hips as much as I can to blend in. I know I’m being paranoid, but something doesn’t feel right. I’m already on edge, however, the minute I step fully into the room, I swear eyes follow every step I take, causing my breathing to pick up.
When I walk past the kitchen, I find Alex being pestered by a group of girls, a group of lads in the corner laughing at him.
I turn to Allie with wide eyes. I want to rush over to Cole and demand a reason as to why he hasn’t helped the poor lad. It’s obvious he can’t get out of there and that he’s the brunt of the joke.
“Stay here. I’m going to get the chest,” I tell her, praying hard that Jane came through and managed to drug each of them. I want to get out of here as soon as possible, preferably before I pass out or have a major panic attack.
“No, not yet. Dance a second,” she orders, pulling me against her and grinding her body against mine.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my lips twitching.
“CJ and Cole just looked our way,” she whispers in my ear. “I thought they recognised us for a second there.”
“Oh no! Have they?”
“No! No,” she rushes out. “Right, it’s clear. Jane is distracting the slime balls and Cole and CJ are on lookout.” Her body tenses and her fingers flex around my hand. “Uh oh.”
“What?” I squeak, too scared to turn around. My whole body is a bundle of nervous energy. I’m so fucking scared we’re going to get caught.
“Two lads have just moved over to CJ, trying to take his mask. It doesn’t look friendly. We need to move now if we want to get this done,” she tells me. I push away from her, wobbling my way down the hall, acting drunk. It’s not even hard to fake. My legs feel like jelly, along with my whole body. A couple of lads whistle and eye me up as I move down the hallway, heading towards Logan’s room.
Couples and groups of people are everywhere, making it hard for me to go in unnoticed. I practically stumble in, faking a giggle, and gently push the door so it shuts quietly. If anyone asks, I can say it was an accident. Just before the door closes, my eyes scan the crowd, watching people moving out of the way as a fight breaks out in the middle.
Knowing I don’t have much time, I turn around, ready to get this done, but the second my eyes hit the room, my whole body turns cold. The bed to the left of me is unmade. I can still picture the bloodstains on the sheets that morning. The room smells just like him, and I have to gulp back the bile threatening to come up. It’s like being trapped in your own personal hell of a prison, everything you fear all caged into one room.
A picture by the side of his bed catches my eye, and with shaky hands, I pick it up, a sob breaking free.