They look fucking ridiculous.
"Come on," Bailey says, voice muffled through his mask. "We're theMenage a MaskTok!"
I wave a hand around the rest of the party. "And so is everyone else."
Bailey leans in to whisper, "Yeah, but we're the real deal."
Now I actually laugh, and his Ghostface mask recoils from the sound.
"Come on,Mais. Let's go."
She makes a whining sound, but lets me tow her into the room with the pool table and away from the sharks smelling blood in the water.
I pluck a twenty from my phone purse and slap it on the side of the pool table. "I'll take the winner."
It's been a minute since I've played, but it was Jesse's favorite pastime, and you pick up a lot when you're forced to watch a man play this game more nights than he doesn't. Jesse never played against me, but he loved watching me beat down every other scumbag at that greasy bar. Using everything I learned from watching and practicing after hours.
The guy dressed as aYellowstonecharacter tips his cowboy hat to me, and I take it he's the one about to finish off the other guy.
"If I win, I take the hat, too," I decide. It's nice. Looks like a real leather one.
The guy raises his brows and pulls the toothpick he was chewing from his mouth to gesture at me with it. "You think you can beat me, little lady?"
"I think I have a fair chance."
I will definitely beat him.
"You're on."
Then I turn to Maisie. "Give me ten minutes, and we'll have the table."
She winces. "I don't know how to play."
Oh.
"I'll teach you."
Maisie grins. "Okay, yeah. I'm in."
She pulls the vodka from her purse and hands it to me. "Kick that cowboy's ass."
45
THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU SCREAM
SEVEN
It only took me twenty minutes to change Atticus's mind fromabsolutely nottojust this once.And that's how I know she's got him wrapped around her little finger.
So here he is, skull mask back on, dressed all in black with long sleeves to cover his tattoos and a hood to cover his hair. Grumbling about how this is a terrible idea when I know damn well he wants to crash this party as bad as I do.
"Is that her tail up ahead?" I ask, seeing the familiar black SUV.
Atticus sighs. "Yep. Masks stay on no matter what. Got it?"
"Got it," Eli replies.
I adjust my black gloves and my Ghostface mask, grinning beneath it as we step out of the borrowed vehicle and onto the lawn of the Alpha Sigma Phi frat house.
