Casing ✔️

Chapter 2

My dress hung as perfectly down my body as the day before. My hair was curled and pinned and sprayed into this half-updo Ava insisted I'd wear, and my makeup was better than it'd ever been—smoky and sexy, with a lovely pink-hued lipstick to top it off.

I looked like a million dollars. All the men in my books would drop their jaws at the sight of me, especially when I showed off the black heels I'd swiped from Nina's closet a couple years back. She never knew they were gone. And she didn't recognize them as we walked into the overly luxurious hotel for the party. We got halfway through the lobby before dad took my elbow and leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Be careful tonight," he advised, "no shenanigans, and not too much to drink, please." Then he turned to Nina and kissed her cheek too. "Look after your sister."

"Promise," she replied with a wink.

Hank nodded to the both of us, and smiled at me before he joined dad, who'd already set course for the elevators. They had a meeting, apparently, and I didn't get to ponder over what could be discussed at a time like this for more than a couple of seconds before Nina pulled me towards the ballroom and through the red velvet drapes.

The room was golden and red, chains with diamonds hanging from the tall ceiling, chandeliers with even more crystals glinting down at me. Everyone was clad in their best outfits, men in tuxes, women in dresses, everyone carrying either a champagne flute or a whiskey glass. Waiters and waitresses walked around with trays and purpose, one of which stopped in front of me and offered a spoonful of black caviar topped with lemon zest and some herb.

I politely thanked him and tasted it, putting on a smile for him even as the weird substance slid down my throat and created a wave of not very good flavors in my mouth. Thankfully, Nina pulled me away before he could offer another, and we were at the bar in no time.

Ava and Hennie were already there, dressed in, respectively, pink and silver dresses. They looked every bit as good as Nina and I. Even if I was a little partial to my blue dress. Nina's was elegant and lovely, black with golden seams, but still not as good as mine.

After a glass of champagne was down my throat and another in my hand, I decided to scout the place. The first moments hadn't been at all what I thought. It seemed so...dull. The music was lovely, and as far as I could spy, there was a band in one of the corners, but nothing was really happening. Maybe I'd played it all up in my mind, anticipating fun and excitement at a mobster's ball.

"I saw Mr. Strac earlier," Hennie said, and I tried to keep one ear on her voice as I kept looking through the place. "Him and Damian arrived together. Oh, he looked so good in his suit.. Damian, I mean."

"He always looks good." Nina sounded like she was stating the obvious, and I was suddenly curious as to who this Damian was. "I hope he isn't too far away."

"He's right over there," Ava said, pointing towards the other end of the bar. I followed her finger and saw a dark-haired man with a gaze so heavy I felt like I needed to take a deep breath to get enough air in. He was undoubtedly handsome.

But he wasn't the one who caught my eye.

Next to him was another man with a smile so bright it could light up the darkest dungeon inside this damn empire. I swore I could hear his laugh as his head tilted back slightly, and his eyes glinted under the lights from the chandeliers. It was as if my breath had been knocked right out of me.

If the dark-haired man who seemed to have something stuck up his ass was handsome, the one next to him was gorgeous.

My attention was brought back to my little circle of friends—that's what they were, this evening—as Nina downed her drink and said, "Wish me luck."