Reyna was glad for the anonymity the masks provided. She worried for Meghan. Her face had certainly been caught on cameras the day she had broken Reyna out of Visage. And Gabe—if Everett had guessed he knew Reyna, would Harrington know the Irish mobster Gabriel O’Connor and the rebel Gabe were one and the same? Would Harrington be able to sense her? Washington said no, but this would be the test of that.
She tried not to think about it. What would be would be.
Traffic obstructed their limo at every turn. New Year’s Eve in the city was a nightmare. People had started to line up in Times Square at the earliest hours of the morning. But the elite who had received invitations to Penelope’s party were whisked past all the banal theatrics and through to her event. Gabe insisted the crowd would give them cover if they had to escape, but to Reyna, the mass of people was just a barrier. She remembered what it had been like to get caught in a riot outside of City Hall. She shuddered.
The limo dropped them off on a red carpet, and, as planned, Reyna and Meghan were Gabe’s arm candy for the night. They passed a row of flashing photographers, and when they reached the entrance, Gabe produced an invite from his jacket pocket.
“Welcome to Mayor Sky’s New Year’s Eve masked extravaganza. Proceed through the ID scanner and enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you,” he said.
This was the part Reyna was most afraid of. None of them had real ID bracelets. They had to trust that Tony had programmed their fakes well enough that no one knew the difference. Because if they failed here, everything would be for naught.
A woman used a small electronic device to scan Gabe’s bracelet, looking as bored as ever. He chatted the woman up, keeping her attention on him. Gabe was a charmer, that was for sure.
“Mr. O’Connor, A positive. Cleared.”
Gabe kept talking to the woman as she scanned Meghan’s wrist, revealing her fake identity, Annabelle Donoghue, B negative. Cleared.
And then it was Reyna’s turn. She tried to look as blasé as Meghan had when she held out her wrist, like it was a supreme inconvenience that anyone was even doing this. She wasn’t sure she quite managed it.
The woman scanned her wrist. The device pinged. It hadn’t pinged for anyone else. Shit.
Reyna started to sweat. This was the end. They were caught. She’d be dragged to Harrington or kicked out of the party. They’d know it was a fake. They’d know.
“Oh, this damn machine,” the woman said. She hit it twice with her hand. “I’m so sorry, miss. Sometimes new technology is such a pain.”
“Isn’t it?” Reyna managed to get out through her fear.
“Let me try one more time.”
Reyna held her wrist out to the woman. She had no decorum left. Her fear pricked too high.
“Rachel Murphy, O negative.” The woman smiled brightly at her. “Sorry for the delay. You’re cleared.”
Reyna contained a sigh of relief. Gabe took both of their arms once more, walking them inside.
“That was close,” Reyna ground out.
“We’re fine,” Meghan whispered.
They stepped over the threshold and into the ballroom.
“Showtime,” Gabe muttered.
The ballroom glittered from floor to ceiling. Balloons rested in netting overhead, ready to be dropped at midnight. Waiters meandered through the crowd in slim-cut tuxedos with tails. The waitresses wore faux tuxedos with tiny skirts and high heels. They all carried champagne and little hors d’oeuvres. Some even had trays of blood in tiny shot glasses, organized by blood type.
Reyna covered her mouth to keep from gagging at the sight. Meghan’s sharp look made her remember her role. She dropped her arm and fawned over Gabe, letting her eyes roam the crowd. They made a slow circuit around the room. It seemed so much larger in person than when she had been staring down at the blueprints. Plus, the room was packed. She hoped she’d be visible in the masses.
Gabe had just reached for champagne for both Meghan and Reyna when a voice broke through the speakers.
“Your mayor, Penelope Sky,” the person said.
Applause boomed all around them. Their attention shifted to the stage as Penelope Sky stepped out. She looked…radiant. For a woman who had just had her heart broken, she looked even more stunning than normal. Her typical blue dress was so pale it was almost white. Her matching mask covered her entire face. She looked utterly unique and otherworldly beautiful.
Gabe directed them into position. It was a step above the rest of the room with a light overhead. There were several around the room, but they’d picked this one because it was closest to an exit.
Reyna stepped into the spotlight. She cleared her mind, ignoring Penelope’s final steps to the microphone. She wanted to test if she could sense Beckham in the same way he could sense her. She had never even considered it before Washington had suggested it, but if she was his blood match, then he was hers.
