Their Masquerade (The American Soldier Collection 6)

“Who goes in first?” L.T. asked.

“You did already. Let Deacon. If she doesn’t recognize him by then, I’ll go, and we’ll take her from here and to the special room,” Axel said.

“Agreed,” L.T. added, and they watched as Deacon made his way toward Mariah.

* * * *

Something was going on. Those men sure did leave in a hurry, and then on top of it, she’d recognized Armando, but he didn’t seem to recognize her. This mask was truly the right choice. Where most of the masks the women wore covered part of their face or just the eyes, hers covered all the way to her upper lip, around her cheeks to her ears. It was all decorated in silver beading with strands of silver hanging on her right side, to nearly her bare shoulder.

She heard the sound of the music playing and identified the song immediately.

“May I have this dance?”

She turned around to see a man she had not seen before. Dressed in a white tux, and wearing a white mask, she nodded as he pulled her into his arms.

“You look stunning, miss. But there are people here you cannot trust,” he whispered, and she immediately recognized his voice.

“Morris?” she asked, and he smiled.

“Oh, my God, what are you doing here?” she asked him.

“Shh, just dance and pretend that you’re enjoying yourself. I don’t know why you are here, considering that you were just dancing with Armando and he didn’t seem to know it.”

“It’s the mask. I recognized him.”

“How about the other man who was with him?”

“No. I don’t know who that was. Just Manchenso and Armando.”

“The agents are here. We believe that the third man is Eduardo.”

She stopped dancing and froze in place. She had danced with that man, as well as Manchenso and Armando. Agent Morris pulled her closer and moved along the dance floor. She spotted another man dressed all in black, almost identical to the man who’d saved her from the group orgy situation. Except this guy was in a dead stare at her. She felt his eyes on her body like rays of heat.

Morris whispered into her ear.

“The agents are trying to confirm. If all goes well, we should have a plan established by Monday. You be careful here. If Armando or Manchenso call for you, be sure to get to them quickly.”

The song ended and Morris bowed his head before he walked away. Mariah placed her hand over her heart. Eduardo is here and I danced with him?

“I promise, if you say yes to dancing with me, I will not leave your side.”

She turned to the sound of the deep, male voice, laced with some sort of accent. The other guy with the identical accent sounded the same way, too.

This man was just as handsome.

“Actually, I think I’ve had enough dancing,” she replied, staring up at him. There was something familiar about him, too. But the truth of the matter was that she wanted to find Armando. Where he was, so was Eduardo.

“Then perhaps a drink and something to eat. Shall we?” He offered his arm, and she only thought about declining a moment. As she absorbed the smell of his cologne and the feel of his arm against hers, she recognized it.

Deacon?

Was it wishful thinking? She wasn’t sure as they made their way out of the ballroom and to the dining area. Following the buffet line, he spoke to her about odd things and about the masquerade. Her initial thought was to get away from him. He was one of the reasons why she was here.

“Is this your first masquerade here?” he asked her as they sat down by a table for five. Her heart suddenly began to pound in her chest. Were the others here? She couldn’t help but to look around them.

“To fantasies coming true,” he stated as he raised his wineglass. She tapped hers against his and they sipped from their glasses as they locked gazes.

He was sitting beside her. They ate in silence, but she had hardly taken much. She felt so on edge.