Page 72 of Beautiful Prey

“I know. I just want to see, that’s all.”

“You mess up your dad’s company and who knows who’ll come after you.”

“That’s why I want to meet them first.”

“Man, I love you,” he said. “Keeping it one step ahead.” He pulled me into a hug. “See you soon.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Whiteleaf Manor. That’s where my uncle and the other execs decided to hold the party this year. An old historical site just on the edge of downtown Detroit, not even a mile away from the company building. Whiteleaf was a banquet hall for weddings and company parties, with rooms of different colors and themes, making it look like they had been frozen in time.

I admired the place from the outside where I parked in a side lot. The cold stone walls were covered in dark ivy, the windows filled with colored glass, little lights strung across the roof.

In a way, it reminded me of another building that sat on an island by the water…

I dropped my bag and coat in the car and crossed the lot past a gated garden that was also decorated for the occasion. Silver and black streamers and sunset orange lanterns hung across the space above decorated tables.

The place was already packed. People mingled around, faces covered in all kinds of masks—animal faces, feathers, masquerade. Men in fine suits and women in slim-cut, sexy dresses. A few shimmered when they passed. But it was obvious theirs were more modern and less theatrical than mine. If I feltout of place, I didn’t show it. Though I noticed eyes on me from several who could identify me even with the mask.

I slid over to the entrance and gave the doorman my name. He looked me up and down, then checked the invitation list.

“Welcome, Ms. Layne. There is a bar to the left by the refreshments. Enjoy your night.”

As I entered the foyer, to my left, was a small room with the bar where a group of attendees waited to receive special drinks, while the rest were making their way upstairs.

The whole place gave off a noir vibe. I could hear slow jazz playing near the bar. The place was decorated in silver and black—even the chandeliers had little silver streamers dangling from them.

Before I slipped up the stairs with everyone else I moved over to one side where a welcome table sat. On it was a neatly designed sign that read WELCOME SPECIAL GUESTS AND FAMILIES. I studied the lists of names below the sign. There were at least three dozen.

I took out my phone which I had stuffed between the side of my right breast and slid my finger over the screen. There was a missed call from an unknown number. Probably spam. I brought up my camera and took pictures to look over later.

As I took one last photo, I felt someone move close behind me, a great hulking shadow. I flinched and whirled around, then gasped as I found myself face to face with a smiling skull.

“Champagne, ma'am?”

I stared at the server. His face was painted up to look like a skeleton, only the color was silver-gray instead of white. His uniform was a simple black dress shirt and black pants like the other servers. His eyes were dark as he blinked at me.

“N-no, thank you.” He moved onwards, nodding at me. All the servers including the bartender had their faces painted the same.

I moved from the welcome table and headed upstairs where I expected my uncle to be. The walls were covered in paintings and there was a huge wide stained glass window just above the stairway. I tried to focus on the design along the glass instead of the people around me, who side-eyed me.

When I climbed the second floor, hairs along my neck stood on end. There was a bathroom to one side and an employee-only staircase. Through a wide doorway to my right was where the most people entered. I followed and stepped into the ballroom. The center chandelier was decorated with paper lanterns and streamers that stretched across the wall. There was a long table of food on one end and little tables and chairs to the back wall but most groups stood around on the dance floor.

The crowd parted, and I caught my uncle near a small bar at the back, talking with one of his company partners. He held his simple black mask in his hand so people knew who he was. I made a beeline for him. When he saw me, he went silent and there was no welcoming smile on his face.

“Eve…” he said when I reached his side. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” I said honestly.

He nodded while eyeing my dress. “Well, you look the part at least.”

“You look lovely,” the man beside Uncle Wes said. A large burly man with a graying black beard. Mr. Foley who had started at the company after my father’s death. “It’s nice to see you again.” He looked at Uncle Wes. “We’ll talk later.”

He left us alone, walking into the crowd to pull himself into a group in the center.

“You should have told me you were coming,” Uncle Wes said. “You could have come with Aunt May and Megan. They’re around here somewhere.”

“I’m not staying long,” I said. “I just wanted to talk.”

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