Lucius and I were still tangled together on the rug when laughter drifted in. Everyone was back; they hadn't been able to get onto the boat because the pier was swarming with reporters covering some racing event in Monaco.
After a shower filled with stolen kisses, we headed back out to Charlotte's apartment.
"Carmilla, the only truly smart one here..." Evangelina said, her voice laced with suspicion and laughter the second I walked in. I was back in jeans and my white blouse; my purple dress, stained with wine and Lucius's cologne, was spinning in the washing machine.
Moetia, clearly jealous of the eldest Longfield brother and me, rushed over and added, half-joking and half-serious, "You can't leave you two alone for a second. You have that unmistakable look of someone who's had way more fun than the rest of us, stuck inside dying of boredom."
I just smiled. Lucius brought me a drink, wrapped his arms around me in front of everyone, and pulled me back against his chest. Philippe immediately got the message—he was marking his territory. He grabbed a glass and walked over to us.
"We can't just give up," Philippe said. "Tomorrow we're going out to have some fun, and I have the perfect solution. There's this famous masquerade ball. Exclusive, very exclusive—no press, no prying eyes. I have a feeling there'll be one tomorrow, and we can go with our faces covered so nobody will recognize you."
I loved the idea. I was dying to dance. I asked him why he had a feeling there would be one, and he pointed at his twin sister, Charlotte.
"Because she's the one who organizes them, and they're always a hit. Come here, sis!"
Charlotte walked over with a huge smile. You could tell they absolutely adored each other. She looked at Philippe with a heart-melting kind of affection. He begged her to throw this masquerade ball in record time for tomorrow, and his sister agreed to everything—no complaints, nothing. It was like they were two halves of the same soul, recharging through the endless hugs they exchanged at random moments.
Philippe announced it to the room: "Listen up, everyone—tomorrow there's a huge masquerade party. Charlotte's going to bring everything we need right here so we can mask up and dress in spectacular outfits. Then we're heading to the best spot in Monaco, where nothing is forbidden except... revealing our identities."
Out of the corner of my eye, while that charming boy was talking, I noticed Bruce and Evangelina arguing. She gave me a look—just one—and I knew he was about to leave, just like he always did. When I came out of the bathroom, my suspicions were confirmed. She grabbed my arm and pulled me back inside so we could be alone, pleading with me.
"I know you love me, Carmilla, almost as much as I love you. Can I ask you a favor? Seduce Bruce a little. Give him a reason to stay with us. I don't want him to leave, not this time, and I have my reasons. Trust me, I wouldn't ask if it weren't incredibly important. Look, that psycho Big George is still out there, and we've heard rumors he's been lurking near the Fonzi estate. Do you know who they are? Bruce told me everything."
I shook my head. I really had no idea what she was talking about. Evangelina explained, "Isabel Fonzi is a woman who disappeared in a shipwreck. It was the case that catapulted Bruce to fame in private investigator circles. The thing is, Bruce found her alive and rescued her from an organization that had her captive in Central America. The woman fell so hard for him that she became obsessed, and, well, she used her money to smother him with ridiculous gifts. Bruce rejected them and tried to reason with her. Isabel Fonzi doesn't listen to reason, but he cares about her; he says she's a good woman who just suffered too much and is confused. My fear is that this Isabel might have contacted that psycho Big George as a way to pull him back into her life—or that the lunatic, having been in the security forces, knows Bruce and Isabel's history and wants to lure him in to hurt us. I don't believe in coincidences."
I replied, "We already beat Big George once. Granted, Killian was there, and the three of you had to fight him together. Okay, give me a second to think. I'm in the middle of something with Killian and Lucius—a plan to bring them back into my life. I don't want to ruin it; everything is going way too well."
My excuses were useless. Evangelina stood in front of me, a single tear rolling down her cheek, looking like a tragic goddess. She pressed her hands together, begging me. So I gave in. I told her yes.
Of course, girl, Bruce is gorgeous, brilliant, and so sensual that my only real hesitation was the fear of ending up in his arms completely in love with him too. Three men and only one heart feels like a bit much, even for one of those romance novels Carol used to obsess over.
My conversation with Bruce almost escalated into a full-blown fight. He just didn't seem in the mood to listen to me. It all started when I told him, "Your cousin told me you're leaving. You're leaving us now? Again? I don't know if you do it on purpose, if you just don't care about our hearts, or if you think it makes you seem more enigmatic and mysterious so we'll like you even more than we already do. No, no—it doesn't work that way. We like the thrill, we're drawn to deep, handsome men, but not to the constant certainty that the person we care about is here today and gone tomorrow, with nothing we can do to stop it."
Honestly, girl, I thought my speech was flawless—perfect for making him wonder whether I loved him or not. But he couldn't have cared less. He just shot back, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a detective, and I do what detectives do. I don't know what Evangelina told you, but I'm only leaving for a little while to handle a case, and then I'll be back."
I knew he was lying, and it made me furious. I whispered, "Hey, Bruce, enough. Tell me the truth. Do you even care about me at all? Tell me—what's really going on?"
He doubled down, insisting it was the truth and that he'd only be gone for a few days. I couldn't help but feel completely frustrated. I grabbed his hand, only to pull mine away instantly, terrified. He grew angry with me while I was still shaking with fear.
"Why are you using your powers on me? No matter what you saw, I swear I'm the good guy here."
I answered, my voice breaking, "The good guy? I saw you about to shoot someone unarmed. Did someone hire you to kill someone? Was everything about Big George just another lie?"
He grabbed my arm and pulled me out onto the balcony. There, he confessed, "No, none of that is a lie. Isabel Fonzi, an old friend I once saved, has a massive problem with her ex-husband. He's already tried to have her killed several times. He's the one who contacted that psycho Big George—there's no doubt about it. The giant is going to try to assassinate her, knowing I'll rush in to save her. She's just a friend I care about because I pulled her out of a horrific situation. I know what she went through, and I'm not going to leave her alone. If you saw the future and I'm killing someone, it must be her damn ex-husband. I'm not going to lie to you, Carmilla—I'd blow his head off without a second thought."
I let out a long breath and tried to compose myself. Under the Monaco moonlight, the detective's face looked like a cruel joke—it was impossible to tell if he was real or a magazine cover of the sexiest man alive.
I stroked his cheek and pleaded, "Send the Empire's men. Put security guards on her. Evangelina will gladly arrange it. Let them catch him lurking around, gather evidence, and do whatever it takes to lock her ex-husband away. Clara, the psychic, says the future isn't set in stone, but one way or another, visions and reality always seem to collide. So this time, send an entire army if you want—but don't go yourself. At least delay your trip."
He looked into my eyes, his lips parting slightly. I didn't need powers to realize he was about to try to seduce me. He said, "I'm willing to take your advice, if only because it sounds wise. But I want you to promise me that we'll dive deep into Isabel's case—just you and me, going through the files on my laptop, pretending we're a team who always works together. Let's find the evidence and connections to prove that everything tragic that's happened to Isabel Fonzi is tied to her ex-husband so we can finally lock him up. Will you help me?"
I asked him, "If I help you, do you swear you won't leave—or at least that you'll delay the trip?"
He replied, "I have a lot of faith that the two of us, completely alone, can crack this case in three or four meetings, and I won't have to travel at all. Let's just pretend to be the ultimate detective couple, nothing more."
He was entirely too clever. He used the word pretend—the exact same word we used when we had to fake being a couple in front of the Vanderecks, back when I would sit on his lap, feeling his manhood harden and his hands aching to touch me.
The new Carmilla emerged, and she didn't hesitate for a second. I answered, "Fine. You and me, completely alone. We'll play the part perfectly. Everything has to stay strictly confidential, just like real detectives. Sound good?"
He's an absolute genius, and he immediately caught on that this was too good to be true. He asked, "What are you up to? Come on, tell me."
I shot back, "Nothing. I don't lie as well as you guys do. I just want you to know you're so beautiful that I'd do anything to keep you from becoming a cold-blooded killer. There's no beauty in that—none at all. So yeah, I'll be there whenever you call."
To my surprise, he pulled me into a hug and murmured, "Thank you. Only you could make me stay."
On the inside, I thought: God, Evangelina is so sharp. She realized before anyone else that I was the only one who could hold him back.
Though, deep down, I realized I'm a little afraid of the Bances. Not because they'd ever hurt me—nothing like that. I'm afraid because I feel like just another cog in the machine of their plans, plans only they can truly understand.
Evangelina doesn't believe in coincidences, yet every single thing that happens somehow plays to her advantage. I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore, girl. I adore her—I'd do anything for her—but I can't keep lying to myself. Deep down, the seed of doubt is there.
Tomorrow, at the masquerade party, I'm going to make sure Bruce and Evangelina... tell me the truth.