Bulletproof | A BTS Gang AU

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

*This and the next chapter (Go Go) contain scenes of intense violence. Reader discretion is advised*

I adjusted the straps on my dress for the nineteenth time in the past ten minutes. They were thin and tight and cut into my shoulders, but I couldn't loosen them because, apparently, the more clothing costs, the less likely you are to get out of it without a pair of scissors and a stick of butter. I was all but sewn in.

"Will you quit squirming? You're going to draw attention to yourself."

"Easy for you to say," I said, glaring up into Namjoon's eyes. "You're in comfortable man-clothing. Not some skin-tight, see-through, lace monstrosity that somehow still weighs a hundred pounds."

"You're the one who picked out the clothes for this. Last night you said you wanted to be buried in it."

I ran my hand over the beaded lace that fell away from my hips and sighed. It was a beautiful dress. "Loving it and wanting to douse it in fuel and light it on fire are not mutually exclusive."

Namjoon brushed my dark hair over my shoulder and dipped his head low so he could look into my eyes. "It's nerves. You need to calm down. We've gone over your plan a thousand times, Morgan. We've got this. Everyone else is in position. We just have to get in, do what we came to do, and get out." I stared up at him for a long moment before taking a reassuring breath.

A man caught my attention and I spun Namjoon so that his back was toward him. I brushed off the black metal and leather details of his dress suit and slipped my hands into his hair, pulling him down slightly like I was going to whisper something seductively in his ear. I tried not to notice as his breath quivered and caught.

"We need that diversion on the lawn, guys. Hoishi is making his rounds and he knows his team well. He'll notice if an officer is a plant," I said into Joon's mic. He wrapped his hand around my waist and turned his face into my neck so I didn't have to speak so loud. His breath on my skin and the gentle sweep of his thumb on my back was distracting.

"Already on it, sweetcheeks," Jimin quipped back.

"Give us five minutes. We'll have to move quick once you light it," Joon said, his hands pressing me tighter against his chest. We swayed to the elegant music being played by the orchestra and looked every bit the part of a pair of love-struck guests.

The room was on the small side as ballrooms go, but it was every bit as elegant as I'd expected. Chandeliers the size of cars dripped from a ceiling decorated with paintings and details gilded in gold. Huge, round seating areas upholstered in cerulean blue velvet were topped with massive arrangements of pink and burgundy roses and spaced around the room to give guests a place to rest and discuss business while waiters in tuxedos floated around the room with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

An older woman slid between us and another couple on the dance floor. She looked up and down the length of Joon before cutting her eyes at me. I smiled weakly but instead of returning it, she tilted up her head and moved on through the crowd, holding her champagne glass close to keep from spilling it. Her dress was black, like mine, but the back was cut all the way to the top of her ass. Necklaces with stones the size of my fingernails were hanging over her exposed skin, covering her back like a glittering suit of armor.

"Baroness DuChamp is here. Her husband must be close," I whispered, hoping the team could hear.

"I've got eyes on the Baron. He's making his way to the office," Tae said from his position.

"Is he alone," Joon asked.

"Yup."

"Hold him there. We'll be there soon." Joon slid his hand down my arm and pulled on my wrist. To anyone else, it would look like we were trying to find some privacy. Security officers around the room ducked their heads and cupped their hands over their ears before rushing toward the door. Joon looked back at them as they passed and ran out the door.