John Dandy Boys Club

Chapter Sixty: The Masquerade Games (Finale, Pt. Two)

The first thing that made my heart stop was the ballroom itself. The ceiling and walls were covered in mirrors as the lighting in the room gave off an eerie yet eclectic vibe despite the various holiday decorations (the white Christmas tree covered in all-white decor), fake snow that covered the floor in random areas, and the fancy-looking chandelier that's covered in these crystals.

The second thing involved the guests as the ladies were dressed in dark blues and whites wearing white masks that were similar to swans. Half of the men were dressed in the usual black and white tuxedoes with the usual masks.

But the other half of the male guests?

They were dressed in identical navy-blue tuxedoes and were wearing these freaky Venetian masks that resembles the face of the panther and covered their faces entirely. Those must be those John Dandy pretty boys.

"What the fuck is going on?" I breathed, fists lightly clenched as everyone began dancing and mingling with one another.

"Hello again, Miss Kenya."

I whirled around to see this Monroe chick dressed as the other females while looking as if she was ready to take my crown from me. "What is all of this shit?" I exclaimed. "What are these fools playing?"

"It's the theme for the ball," Adelaide replied. "Can't really make heads or tails of it, but I guess that it's the "Predator and Prey" bit that's the theme. Kind of kinky in a way."

"It's a hot mess, that's what it is," I shot back angrily.

"No need to get testy, Kenya," Adelaide commented smoothly, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. "Besides, the people here aren't keen to see you here."

Now that she mentioned it, it looked as if all the other guests looked at me with contempt while shooting Miss Thing pitying looks.

I scoffed loudly. "Girl, take me to the nearest bar in this place," I said snidely. "I need a stiff drink."

"You sure you wanna risk that?" Adelaide asked me warily. "You know that you'll get carded and they'll be ready to arrest you."

"I'll take my chances." With that, I  made a beeline for the nearest bar set and sat down, grateful that I was alone yet a little scared to see those panther-faced members tending to the drinks. "Let me have a nice martini."

"You look a bit young to have one," replied the masked bartender.

I glared at him. "Like I fucking care. Just serve me my drink and make it quick."

"All right," the bartender said, shrugging his shoulders. "You're that Halliday chick, am I right?"

"Obviously," I replied sourly, sitting up in the chair that I sat on. "I got invited by someone who knows who I am. But I'm here to find my ec-boyfriend and cuss his ass out."

The masked bartender chuckled lowly. "I doubt that you'll find him," he replied ominously. "And if you did, neither of us would take kindly to you trying to kill him like you did Vion through your female accomplice."

"Hey, I did what I had to do," I defended as I took the drink from him and downed it in one gulp. "Kind of sweet for a martini."

"It's Mr. Westley's special recipe," the bartender teased.

"Well, give me another and make it a triple," I directed. "And how did you know what I did to that loser of my former godbrother anyway?"

"News travels fast around here, miss. And besides, everyone knows who you are thanks to Mona and her husband bringing their nephew here and him telling his story."