Blud

Part 16: Liam

After I spend the rest of the evening and most of the night studying Nicolas blueprints, I sleep half the next day and go into work for my swap shift. It's Benny is out sick with some stomach bug, so I take brady around town and show him how someone who doesn't fuck around all the time actually works. I try to focus and forget about Eve, but it's hard when the wound is so fresh. Her face keeps flashing in my mind, and I have to shake her out multiple times.

When I get home that night, it's very late and I'm exhausted. I do my normal things and crash. Seems like all I've been doing lately is working and sleeping. Just like he promised, Dom calls me.

"Hello?" I greet as I nearly trip over Milo in the hallway. He meows, agitated, and I step around him and go into the living room.

"How is it going, Liam?" It sounds like he is chewing on something, and I grit my teeth. I hate that sound so much.

"It's going well. I think I have it pretty much nailed down how I'm going to get in. There was an old tunnel that the servants used to use to transport laundry and trash out the back when the house used to be a large family estate. I'm hoping they haven't filled the tunnel in and I can get right inside." I start picking at my nails.

"Good," he responds, "that's good. Are you sure you don't want any backup?" He sounds skeptical of my confidence.

"Yes, I'm sure. I can be more stealthy by myself." I say stubbornly, and he drops the subject.

"Okay, well I have some information that might help you. Nicoals is hosting a party in a couple days, and everyone in his circle will be there, including the Nightshades. There should be plenty of chaos and faces around for you to blend in if you happen to get caught with your pants down in his office or something."

"Oh!?" I sit up, liking this new information. "That's very helpful actually."

"Yes, well it's also a masked party. So make sure to wear a tux and a black mask. It can cover your whole face or just the top half. But you should be able to get in and out without being detected. This is the only chance you will have though, because this party only happens once a year." He pops something crunchy in his mouth and I almost hang up. I hold the phone away from my ear slightly as he munches.

"Thank you, Dom. I'll let you know how it goes." I hang up on him, the irritation fading the second I can't hear his chewing and I clap once loudly, smiling at Milo who jumps a foot off the floor.

"Milo, things are looking good." He pads away, flicking his tail as he disappears around the corner. "Time to find a tux." I say, opening my phone and finding a website where I can buy one. As I'm scrolling through the available tuxedos, I come across one that is all black with a deep green vest, I hover over it, my heart racing for no reason. I click it,and my thumb hovers over the 'buy' button, my throat bobbing.

"Is green going to be a weakness now?" I ask myself out loud, scowling at my hesitation as I order the green out of spite.

The next couple days are the same. Working, sleeping, and going over my plan over and over again, working out the kinks and making sure I have an exit strategy with every possible situation I could encounter. I can sit here and plan until I'm blue, but unexpected things can always, and will always, happen. I wonder often if Eve will be there with the Nightshades, looking painfully stunning in a floor length, silky green gown that plunges down to her sternum. I imagine her dancing with some stranger, tilting her head back in a laugh as he spins her around carelessly. What will she do when she sees me? Will she even recognize me in my mask? Do I want her to recognize me, or will it complicate my mission? I decide not to dwell on that too much, as that is such an unpredictable scenario I can't afford to obsess over.