Eitan walked over to the chair Evie had been sitting on a few moments ago and settled into it with a light huff.
'It's a bit annoying…' He mused. 'Coming all this way just to go back empty handed…'
"I know what you're thinking." Jan voiced interrupting his thoughts. "But just know that Evie wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. Your coming all the way here wasn't wasted effort."
Eitan stared at Jan for a few seconds before he opened his mouth to speak. "Aren't you going to escort her home?"
Jan chuckled softly, nervously scratching the back of his head. "With everything that's happened, I'm not sure she'll appreciate me doing that…"
Eitan raised a brow. "I may not know much about regular romantic relationships but I'm sure Evie needs all the support she can get right now."
"It's not romance, man." Jan retorted, a little offended. "Evie is just… a really special friend."
Eitan's eyebrows visibly twitched. 'Hah… what sort of stupidity is this…?'
He then waved his hand at his friend in a shooing manner. "Just go offer to escort her." He suggested. "Even if she doesn't let you, I'm sure she'll be thankful for the gesture."
Jan thought for a moment before he nodded with a grin. "You sure say a lot of nice things for someone who looks so apathetic." He then asked, "And what of you? Will you be leaving now?"
Eitan nodded. "I will. It was never my intention to come here in the first place."
Jan shook his head with a small smile. "I know you hate parties like this but why don't you stay back a while and enjoy this one a little?"
"I didn't bring a mask." Eitan pointed out.
"You say that like you don't already know that's not a necessity." Jan retorted. "Just stay for a moment, will you? Enjoy some drinks and mingle a little, it won't bite. Although… no one might want to speak to you with the gloomy vibe you give off…"
"Jan." Eitan called sternly.
"Fine, if the idea of mingling is so bad," Jan started. "Stay a while for your fiancé's sake, yeah? Just to make sure nothing else goes haywire after the incident that just took place. I'm sure she won't be leaving anytime soon."
Eitan remained silent for a long moment before he answered. "...I'll think about it."
Jan's lips twitched in exasperation. 'This guy…'
"Anyways, if Evie rejects my offer, I'll just go straight home." He said waving as he walked out the door. "I'll see you when I see you."
Then he was gone, leaving Eitan in the silent room.
*****
"Cookie, are you done?" Kyla asked, knocking lightly at a door in front of her. "We should be out of here soon."
They had already ditched the car somewhere along the road and went the rest of the way on foot. Their rendezvous point was a cheap motel just a few kilometers away from the park where the party was being held.
The place had terrible hygiene and the beds were full of bugs but at least the foods were manageable enough not to cause diarrhea.
"It's the zipper of the dress that's giving me a hard time." Ava said from behind the door. "Could you come in and give me a hand?"
"Sure." Kyla responded without hesitation. She pulled open the door only to freeze up halfway in.
Ava had put on a black sleeveless, ankle length gown with a slit that went up all the way to the base of her thigh. A pair of see through short lace gloves and black stilettos.
Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and the contrast of all that black on her fair skin made her look absolutely gorgeous.
"What?" Ava asked nervously. "Doesn't it look good on me?"
Kyla smiled fondly as she helped with the zipper. "It looks perfect on you."
'Enough for Vince to want to get his grubby hands on you the moment he sees you.' She thought, irritated.
Ava smiled sheepishly. "That's good to hear. I was hoping we wouldn't look too out of place since these are thrifts…"
Kyla, who was wearing a similar dress but in a shade of dark green, chuckled. "We never would have guessed that they'll look this good."
"Is Walter done?" Ava asked.
Kyla nodded. "He's been standing outside the room for a while now.
Ava's face brightened. "So we're good to go then." She said as she walked towards a table in the middle of the room and picked up two black masquerade masks, handing one to Kyla.
She'd never been to such a fancy event before. Although they were attending to do something that was definitely illegal, she was still excited.
When they both got out of the room, they found Walter leaning near the door frame with a basic black suit, tie and mask.
He didn't look too bad.
"Are they sending us a car?" Kyla asked.
Walter nodded and pointed backward with his thumb. "The driver's been waiting for a while now."
"Then we better get going." She said as she led them down the stairs and out of the cheap motel.
Just in front of the entrance, a small white car was waiting. It wasn't anything too outdated or too fancy. It was just enough to drop them at the venue without attracting too much attention.
Once they all got in, the driver didn't utter a word. He simply took out three invitation cards and three small earpieces and handed one to each of them. Then he began to speed towards the venue.
'Looks like it's invite only.' Ava thought as she examined the card. 'Hopefully Vince will let us have a bit of time to ourselves before the mission….'
Her grip tightened on the card. 'I hope we're not trying to kill anyone else tonight…'
*****
Ava was speechless.
She'd seen it all from the sight of the rifle but it couldn't compare to how beautifully decorated it was up close. She stood there for a few seconds just taking it all in.
"You like it, Cookie?" Kyla's voice came from behind her.
"It's… it's pretty." She said in a voice that was barely audible.
The dresses, the cars, the sparkling drinks, the people… it was like she'd entered another world. She had never once dreamed of being in such a place but it was still a good experience.
After all, people like her didn't belong here.