Page 62 of What's Left of Us

I tilt my head and nod, but to be honest it’s still a little surreal. When Emeric sat down and explained that his girlfriend came up with this idea, I almost laughed. The door to the office opens, distracting me. Serenity comes in, rushing right up to her cousin and hugs her tight. My Killer pats her back, but she looks a tiny bit uncomfortable. Jo isn’t a hugger unless it’s one of us. Her eyes dart over to me as Emeric steps in.

They have masks on too in similar shades of red. Emeric smirks and walks over, clasping my shoulder. “Up for this?”

I touch the mask Jo picked out for me. By now, I don’t necessarily have to hide my face, and after cutting my hair it’s grown in a little thicker but still the memorable blond. The CGS case is old news, and even though occasionally Serenity tells Jo about posts from fans like Beverly Heather, no one appears to be looking for me. All the focus is on Porscha in prison.

Walking around without the mask is an option, but with it I feel safer. “Yes.”

He grins. “Just watch Callie and Nate. They put on a show.” Emeric wiggles his eyebrows at me. “If you come in early sometime you can watch me strip. I have a class I teach.”

I snort. “Tempting, but no.”

He squeezes my shoulder and moves towards Serenity. I lean my cane against the desk, fiddling with the sleeves of the suit that Vinny custom ordered for me. They have a dress code here, and the last time I remember wearing a suit was when I had an ill-fitting one for court. This is completely different.

Eyeing myself in the mirror, Vinny walks up and slaps my hands away as I try and fail to fix the tie. “Let me.”

I peer over his head as he works, and I’ve seen the way Vinny styles his suits. It’s going to be some elaborate knot that I could never replicate, but will look amazing. When he steps back I look at myself in the mirror again, and I almost don’t recognize myself.

The eyes behind the mask are mine, but everything else is a different person. This could be who I always was in another life if I didn’t try and save Jo from the monster who is her mother.

“Come on.”

When I look back, Serenity and Emeric are gone. Jo’s holding out her hand, the mask matching the black lace of her dress. It’s sleeveless, revealing, and slit high on both sides. From what I understand this will be a totally different look from how she presents herself at the club. Even when she’s brought me along over the last few weeks to help her go over things, she covers up. There’s nothing hiding the scars now.

I grab my cane and make my way over, following in Vinny’s wake. He captures her hand and kisses it before she descends the stairs, all but dragging me along behind her. I get the masks are a theme for the night, and there’s supposed to be new members here too, but I don’t think anyone is going to miss who she is with those scars.

It's crowded downstairs, and I find myself basically pressing against Jo’s back against the wall of people. Some glance our way, others don’t even look up. There’s mood lighting and music that both give the place a sensual vibe. Some of the staff Jo pointed out to me wear uniforms, their faces hidden behind different masks of their choosing. It’s a little like a masquerade without the elaborate ballgowns.

Fingers slide down my back, and I tense before catching Vinny just behind me. He’s close enough that people won’t shove between us, so I shouldn’t get separated in the crowd either.Between the two of them there isn’t anything to fear, even if there’s a room full of people around us that’s crowding towards doors on the far side of the room. Using the cane draws attention from anyone who passes me, and I’m suddenly grateful for the mask.

I’m actually excited to see a show tonight. No one will pay me any attention once we sit down.

By the time we make our way to a table, a private space that’s been roped off for the owners, my anxiety has me ready to crawl out of my skin. But Jo and Vinny are totally at ease surrounded by their patrons, dodging questions that get launched at the three of us as we walk.

Jo sits on one side of me, Vinny on the other. There’s another chair left vacant, and as the room fills up no one comes to claim it.

“They get to use the whole stage including the runway,” Jo explains, pointing to different spots in the room. They had blue lighting in here last time I walked through, but it’s purple now. Pretty, and it matches the decorations hung on the walls around the room.

Onstage I can see that they are going for a dramatic demonstration. There’s a big X in the center of the stage, and we’re close enough to the stage I can see there are mounts. There’s also benches, and from the ceiling it looks like suspension rigs.

I glance between the two of them. “What is this showcase about again?”

Jo glances past me at Vinny, smirking at him. “It’s almost spooky season. We usually get a lot of extra attention this time of year through the end of December. People who think they want to expand their kinky lifestyle but aren’t prepared for what it means.”

“It’s all BDSM furniture,” Vinny explains, and I turn to him. “And the different uses. This is less of a demonstration and more of a showcase, but Callie and Nate will show off with the other performers what the different pieces of furniture can do. It’s more theatrical though. Just watch, you’ll see.”

I nod, my interest piqued. After the showcase, they promised to show me one of the private rooms the club is apparently known for. They have their own space reserved and I’ve already had plenty of ideas whispered in my ears the last few days about what they can do in a place like this.

Just before the showcase starts when the lights dim, someone else appears. It’s harder to see now, but he pauses outside the ropes like he’s not sure he’s supposed to cross. His mask looks like it matches ours.

Vinny gets up and Jo shifts next to me. I watch Vinny open the rope and the person walking to our little table. Instead of returning to the seat beside me, Vinny sits in the only other vacant spot as the newcomer sits down between us.

I recognize him just before he speaks, the lights all but going out as the stage lights up and the showcase begins. He leans in a little closer so I can hear him. “Al.”

Smirking, I recognize his voice instantly, and reach over to pat his arm before leaning back in my seat to watch the show. “Agent.”

After the showcase, which is interesting to say the least, we barely make it to the private room before the four of us are on each other. I only know the door to the room even locks because I can hear it before Jo jumps on me.

I grunt when she locks her legs around me, digging my cane into the ground when her weight hits me. I haven’t held Jo like this since before my injury, and now as her fingers rake down my shoulders and her lips frantically kiss mine the fear kicks in that I can’t support her.

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