Music plays over the hidden speakers in the enormous ballroom. Due to their foresight, CJ had a dagger strapped to her thigh, accessible through the slit down her leg. The seven of them had snuck in mostly undetected, only having to go through a metal detector, after which they collected their weapons.
Presently, they stood in a large group, huddled by the bar.
"Disperse," CJ hissed, "We look too suspicious like this." Walking away, she made her way through the crowd to the stage where the band was playing, tapping a woman in a similar black dress to her on the shoulder.
Placing her gloved hand on the lady's forearm, she led her into a dark corner. Leo and the other men watched her in confusion as she walked out, tucking something into her bra as she got closer to the raised platform. Readjusting her mask, she climbed the steps, taking the mic in the centre.
"What is she doing?" Adrian whispered to Leo, who simply shrugged, entranced by the way CJ seemed to float across the floor as she moved.
'Spread out and focus' she mouthed to them, motioning to the crowds.
The gang nodded, fanning out with their partners to look for Romano.
"I'm going to kill that Italian bastard slowly for what he did to my sister," Paulo growled. CJ was taken aback by his sudden anger but was unsurprised nonetheless.
"And those other girls," Aiden spat, responding through the comm. Suddenly, the men's head shot up at the sound of a soft feminine voice singing. The melody echoed off the curved walls of the hall.
"No. Way," Adrian breathed, staring at the figure vocalising on the podium. Dressed from head to toe in black, CJ stood, swaying to the music, her lips moving with the words that poured perfectly from her mouth.
Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez played over the speakers. The lyrics fit her perfectly, a small smirk sitting on her masked face as she scanned the room, capturing the attention of everyone.
"I'm nuts, baby, I'm mad,
The craziest friend that you've ever had.
You think I'm psycho, you think I'm gone,
Tell the psychiatrist something is wrong.
Over the bend, entirely bonkers,
You like me best when I'm off my rocker.
Tell you a secret, I'm not alarmed,
So what if I'm crazy? The best people are."
Her vocals never once wavered, meanwhile her searching eyes passed from person to person, until they settled on a cloaked man in the corner. He did nothing, save for watching her. As the song ended, she whispered into the comm.
"Check out the dude in the back, he seems dodgy." As the next song starts, Adrian and Leo approach him from the left, as Paulo and Iago come from the right.
"He's running!" Iago grunts. The mysterious individual rushed out of the black door, leaving ten men, clad in dark suits in his place.
"Crap," CJ cringed, "I'm going after them. Cortes come with, leave the rest to deal with his goons." Pushing the mic-stand aside, she vaulted off of the stage, landing effortlessly on the laminate flooring, her silver heels thudding loudly, drawing the attention of the crowd to her.
Chaos erupted behind her as they ran. Adrian blocked the punch of a man with a small revolver in his hand. Paulo and Iago took it in turns to attack two bodyguards that were threatening them.
Leo pushed through, following her out of the opposite exit than the man they had seen. Grabbing the hilt of her dagger, she bolted into the garden and through a side gate. On the way, he picked up a semi-automatic from the bushes.
"It will have taken him a while to get out, what with all the security," CJ pointed out, "He'll be around here somewhere." Leo nodded, looking around apprehensively. They gripped their weapons in anticipation, sneaking around the building.
For a while, the only noise was the sound of their footsteps and CJ's. All of a sudden, a series of loud thuds sounded on the driveway. The crunch of shoes on gravel resounded into the night sky.
"Go!"
At her signal, the duo rushed after the man, who was currently attempting to escape into the woods. Dress billowing in the wind, CJ transferred her dagger to her left hand, pulling out a medium-sized throwing knife in its place.
Hurling the gleaming metal, she heard a grunt, alerting her that it had hit its target. Despite this, the pace of the escapee didn't slow.
"Damn it," she cursed, holding her head in her hands. Next to her, Leo let out a frustrated groan, throwing his wolf mask onto the floor.
"I guess he got away, then," Aiden sighed, hobbling up to them, attached to Iago's arm. Upon seeing his injuries, CJ hurried to him, examining his wounds.
"Je vais bien," he swatted her away, but she persisted, her thumb grazing a cut on his brow.
"Tu n'es pas sérieux, Aiden!" she berated, leading him back to the mansion.
"Why don't we get this special attention?" Mike complained jokingly. CJ deadpanned him, kissing her teeth.
"I just happen to have a soft spot for this boy, here."
He feigned offense, but was snapped out of it by Paulo's voice.
"It wasn't all bad. We got one of them to talk. It didn't take alot to get him to rat out his superiors." He grinned almost psychotically, cracking his knuckles similarly to his boss.
"Time for a celebration of our own then, don't you think?" CJ suggested, earning grins from her new friends.
YOU ARE READING
The Mafia Queens
Action"I came because your father passed two days ago. Drew is dead. You know what this means, right? You're next in line." - - - CJ Dickson is pulled out of her life in England and thrust into the USA, where she is supposed to assume her father's positio...
