The Bounty Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Two

The person staring back at me in the mirror was a girl I never knew existed; I didn't recognize myself at all. Helen was right, the final touches made me stand out. Helen had put on a darker base of makeup on my face, as well as black eyeliner, light pink eye shadow and mascara for my eyes. I sat in a chair while they finished prepping me, Helen's helpers painting my nails and my toenails pink to match the dress. I watched in amazement as Helen fixed my hair, gently bumping it in the back and sweeping my bangs to the left side of my face. After they had finished, they showed me the pink heels I would be wearing and I just knew I was going to break my ankle tonight. But after practicing in them for awhile, I got the hang of them. Finally, I was allowed to put my dress on, and I wasn't shocked to see I still looked like a twig, but thanks to my chest, I was able I was able to hold the dress up perfectly. The opened the door to my room and led me out. I was the last one to leave my room because Helen wanted me to appear last, so I stood behind the maids so they could conceal me from sight. Walking down the stairs was a small challenge in my heels, but thankfully no one looked behind them as they walked do they didn't see me stumble. I looked over to the side and I saw the boys all dressed in tuxes, as well as the other soldiers Luke and Caleb must've gotten from the other mansion. I spotted Hailey and smiled, amazed at how beautiful she looked. She wore a one shoulder, light blue dress and her hair was weaved into an elegant bun with flowers decorating it. Her makeup seemed to echo mine in appearance, all except the blue eye shadow to match her dress. I smiled deviously to myself when I saw Luke couldn't take his eyes off of Hailey. Lloyd looked up when we walked into the living room and I looked down, starting to get embarrassed.

"Sir Lloyd and Miss Hailey, I present to you Miss Kasey," Helen said as she sidestepped, the other maids following in suit. Hailey's eyes widened when she saw me, and I folded my hands in front of me and looked away. She didn't have to gawk at me like that. I looked up and met Lloyd's gaze, whose eyes were wider than Hailey's and his cheeks had turned a light pink. His hand came up to his mouth to hide his smile, his eyes starting to sparkle with a devious glint. I huffed and rolled my eyes. It's just a dress, I thought irritably.

"Wow! You look beautiful! You are dressed like a girl! I thought Helen would have a rough time getting you into a dress!" I chuckled at Hailey's statement.

"Look at you! You look like an actual princess! Did you actually get to pick the color for your dress?"

"Yes I did!" Hailey said spinning around, showing me every side of her dress. I gave a disapproving look over at Helen.

"Funny I didn't get to pick mine," I said and Helen just smiled at me. I looked and saw Lloyd still smiling at me, and I blushed and averted my eyes. Did he really have to stare so intently? Hailey walked over and looked me up and down.

"Those heels actually make you taller so maybe you can reach the second shelf now instead of crawling on top of the counters," Hailey joked.

I rolled my eyes and gestured to her heels. "Your heels are just as big! Don't be making fun of mine!" Hailey's head turned sideways and she smiled deviously.

"Are you trying to show off your boo—" I slapped my hand over her mouth, my face turning red. Hailey pulled away from me and started laughing. I looked over and saw all three of the boys were trying to contain their laughter by looking away, all except Lloyd, whose smiled was getting bigger and I narrowed my eyes at him. Pervert, I thought.

"I didn't get to pick my dress," I said through clenched teeth as I turned my attention to Helen. Hailey stopped laughing and smiled at me, shaking her head. 

"It really looks good on you, honest." I sighed and looked away, already wanting this night to come to an end.

"The guests will be arriving soon, so I expect you two to be on your best behavior," Lloyd said and I gave him a look that said 'Obviously' across my face. Lloyd's eyes fell on me and his smile suddenly vanished. "Kasey, I need you to come with me real quick." I raised my eyebrows at Lloyd questionably and followed as he led me onto the patio before turning to face me. "Tonight, I want you to avoid the man known as Brandon."