“We won’t,” Luca replied. “If you get into trouble, use the emergency alarm I gave you. It will set off an alert on all three of our phones, and we’ll be able to track you.”
I nodded and touched the spot on my corset where I hid the emergency alarm. Luca thought of everything, but that didn’t help my pulse calm down. They were using me as bait to lure the Vittorios into a trap, and the three guys left me in no doubt about the danger.
I no longer felt like they were making me do this to protect my parents or myself. I wanted to help these men stay on top. If I was really a part of this family, then I wanted to do it for the family and for them.
I still wasn’t sure if Iwaspart of this family, but my destiny seemed to be tied up with theirs. I was born in this family, so maybe being part of it only completed something that got interrupted long ago.
I didn’t have time to think about that now. We climbed the steps to the entrance where light and laughter and music drifted out into the night.
I had to lift my skirts to walk up the steps. That felt like such a luxurious thing to do, and I could imagine myself as a princess in some far-off fairy tale.
My memory of living with these three men was like a fairy tale. They treated me like a princess, and now I was one again.
We reached the top and glided through the massive foyer into a giant ballroom packed with people. Masked and costumed guests swirled everywhere. Some danced. Others stood around and talked, while masked waiters carried trays of champagne back and forth.
Luca lifted a champagne flute off a passing tray and handed it to me. “Don’t drink it. Pretend to sip it so you stay alert.”
“Keep an eye on anyone who comes near you,” Dante murmured in my ear on my other side. “Stay sharp in case someone slips something into your drink.”
“What if they don’t do anything?” I asked. “What if the Vittorios don’t make their move?”
“Then you can start acting tipsy. That will bring the sharks like blood in the water.”
We migrated closer to the buffet and turned to watch the dancers. “Do you recognize anyone?” Dominic asked.
I scanned the crowd. It was hard to recognize everyone through their masks, but I did see a few revealing characteristics. “Quintino Concordio is over there dancing with some floozy.”
“That floozy is Loriana Ranallo,” Dante told me.
“We never covered her,” I argued.
“That’s why I’m telling you. She doesn’t belong to any family, so she isn’t on our list.”
“Who is she then? Why is she dancing with Quintino?”
The guys exchanged glances, and Dominic snorted. “She’s here because she’s a working girl. The Vittorios must have hired her for entertainment.”
My eyes widened. “Working girl… as in prostitute?”
“That’s right. Most mob guys are too careful to bring their wives or girlfriends to an event like this. If they can’t get a date, they hire someone to act as their date so they don’t roll up alone.”
My cheeks flamed under my mask. “Will people think that’s what I am?”
“If Michael did his research on you after he saw you at Club Veil, he’ll know by now who you are,” Luca replied. “He’ll assume by now that you’re out with me because I’m serious about you.”
I stared at him, and his eyes rotated toward me again. Maybe it was because I couldn’t see the rest of his face, but I could swear his eyes softened again.
Washe serious about me? Is that why he kept looking at me like that—like he used to look at me when I was his little princess? Could he really change as much as that?
“Do you recognize the woman in the gold butterfly mask?” Dante asked.
I followed his gaze to a woman in an enormous dress that took up five times as much floor space as her legs. Two gossamer butterfly wings sprouted from the cheekbones of her mask, but enough of her face and eyes remained visible to tell who she was.
“It’s Rafaella Fiacco.”
“Excellent!” Dante exclaimed. “You deserve a reward for that.”
He took my hand and led me onto the dance floor. He circled my waist, and we started gliding around in circles. This dress made me float several inches off the floor. It almost felt like flying, and I whirled into a daze in Dante’s arms.