Bianca holds up a hand. “Trust me. You’ll be invisible. Rouge pays them absolutely no mind unless they’re breaking the rules or making her look bad. We’ll style your hair a little differently, maybe put some makeup on you. That way, as long as you keep your head down—which is what’s expected of the servers anyway, to show subservience—she won’t notice you.”
“But how will I even get in the club in the first place?”
“The waitstaff entrance, of course.”
“Won’t the other servers know that something’s up?”
She shrugs. “There’s staff turnover all the time at Aces. They’ll think you’re someone new.”
“But—”
Bianca places a finger over my lips. “Trust me. I’ve worked at Aces for years. I know how things work. With a little luck, we’ll get away with this.”
I sigh. “It’s better than not doing anything, I guess.”
“And tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. Aces will be open.”
I furrow my brow. “I thought they were only open on weekends. St. Patrick’s Day is on a Tuesday.”
“Rouge makes exceptions for special holidays, especially those where drinking is a big part of the celebrations. We’re always open on St. Paddy’s, even if it falls on a weekday. And the place will be crazy busy, which will give you a chance to snoop around, see if you can’t find that writing raven.”
I sigh. “All right. You win. We’ll do it. But there’s one thing you should know about St. Patrick’s Day…”
She cocks her head. “What?”
“It’s… It’s kind of my birthday.”
She drops her jaw. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
I shake my head. “It’s not a big deal. You’ve only known me a few days. It’s not like you’re supposed to know everything about me yet.”
“Of course. But still…” She swallows. “I hate to ask this of you on your birthday of all days, but I’m afraid the longer we wait to make a move on Rouge, the more people will disappear. End up like Alissa or Maddox, half-starved in some makeshift prison.” Her face darkens. “Or worse, fully starved. Or…” Her face twists.
Beheaded. I can hear the word as she’s thinking it.
I rub at my forehead. “I totally get it. I don’t make a big deal of my birthday anyway. I just…” I grab her hands. “I wanted you to know.”
“I’m glad to know.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“November ninth.”
“A fall baby.”
“And a spring baby.” She squeezes my hand. “No wonder you got so…so…” Her blush darkens.
“So what, babe?”
“So…animalistic. The last time we… You know. I kept thinking about how men tend to get more hot and bothered when the weather starts warming up every year. You especially.”
I pull her into an embrace. “Babe, for you I can be warm any time of year. And seriously, don’t worry about the birthday thing. I’d rather spend it with you.” We look into each other’s eyes for a minute before I tear myself away. “Besides, we’re helping Maddox. And Alissa. Finishing their mission. And we could be saving countless lives in the process.”
“Agreed.” She glances toward my left shoulder. “Unrelated, but do you happen to have a fireplace in your home?”
“A fireplace? I do, but why?”
She bites her lip. “Because… We’re going to have to brand you.”
