It’s showtime

It’s showtime
Carrie
“Carrie?”
“Eduardo,” I replied to him.
“How old are you?”
“Why do you ask?” I took my eyes off the large party hall out of which people kept trooping out, with glee that matched the expensiveness of their clothes written all over their faces.
“I have always wondered. You look really young.”
“How old are you?” I returned his question.
“I am thirty. So is Alessandro.”
I glanced at the quiet man seated next to me. Then, I replied, “I’m twenty-four.”
“Wow. Really?” I didn’t understand Eduardo’s excitement, so I faked a smile when my eyes met his image in the centre mirror. “I would have guessed you were older.”
“That sounds like an insult.”
“It does?” Eduardo sure was being super chatty. “I thought that was a compliment. Anyway, you are almost a decade younger than us, I think it’s cool.”
“How is that cool?”
“It’s nice to have someone younger around.”
“You are hardly making any sense, but okay.” I looked out again. “When are we going in?”
“When our targets arrive,” Eduardo quickly became serious. “They always go to events together, so it makes things easier for us.”
“That’s good. But I’m still curious about the plan. You haven’t told me anything, and I’ve been asking since last week.” I directed my last words at Alessandro who was barely around for many days. “I want to know the full plan.”
“Why bother?” Eduardo ripped off the packaging of the lollipop he dragged out of his pocket. “I hope you haven’t forgotten the very important thing you have to do?”
I replayed it in my head. “How can I forget such an important duty?”
“Don’t worry, Carrie. Everything will go according to plan.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
I faced Alessandro, who was yet to speak a word.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Hmm…” He cleared his throat. “Sì.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
“Oh, I’m not bothered by that.” The leather seat made squeaky noises as he adjusted until the entirety of his upper body was facing me. “As Eduardo said, everything will go fine.”
“But you looked lost in thought earlier.”
“Carrie. The truth is…”
“They are here,” Eduardo excitedly announced. “It’s showtime.”
I quickly shot my head out of the window, my eyes carried excitement I didn’t know I had, and I watched as our targets shared big smiles for the cameras.
When they headed into the hall, we all got out of the car, our outfits quickly attracting some attention.
I chose a gown with a mermaid tail. The outfit was the most comfortable and fashionable when we went shopping. It was crazily expensive, though. I think my mind was shrouded by my father’s money in the past.
Back then, I spent money without batting an eye, but now, one trip to the boutique almost made me nauseous. I felt greatly apologetic towards Alessandro for spending so much money on me.
“Are you ready?” Alessandro asked from behind, his hand placed on the arch of my back, just as I always desire.
“I am. You look great,” I finally acknowledged his suited appearance. He looked like he stepped out of a double-zero-seven movie.
“You look beautiful.”
“It’s showtime, people,” Eduardo added his input, and I giggled at his enthusiasm.
I won’t lie, though.
Even though I am not entirely informed about their plan, the fact that we were about to do something similar to what was done to Layla or even worse, made my heart dance with thrill.
I find myself anticipating the outcome, and I think my baby shares my joy because a stir in my stomach followed my thoughts.
Minutes after the paparazzi got countless pictures of the three of us, we headed inside and joined the party, which was a birthday bash slash charity event.
I do feel sorry for the birthday celebrant. He or she is about to have the worst birthday ever. But looking on the bright side, the person will have a tale to tell their grandkids.
Soft, jazzy music welcomed us to the huge arena that was decorated with a lot of silver-themed items. It was almost as though the whole room had plans to become nothing but silver.
If a dress colour code of silver had been mandated, it would have been hard to see everyone’s faces as reflections would have conflicted greatly. We could all appear invisible to one another.
Oh, Lord.
I’m rambling, aren’t I? I guess my excitement is gradually turning to nervousness.
And that is understandable. Alessandro and Eduardo are about to incite the biggest chaos ever, and it won’t be a beautiful sight.
“The first stage starts soon,” Alessandro whispered into my ear once we settled in front of one of the round tables decorated with appetisers and bottles of water. “I hope you have a great time, il mio fiore.”
Okay… That was sexy. The way he gripped my waist while he talked, coupled with the way his accent laced his words was enough to make my imagination go wild.
Or maybe it was my hormones.
Whichever one it is, all I know is that I am now imagining Alessandro reaching past my gown to touch me in the most sensitive area.
‘This party is shit,’ A masculine voice instantly filled the hall through the highly defined speakers.
And like that… the plan rolled into motion.
‘Of course, it is. No one is really here to celebrate with Gustavo. That dude is the worst,’ another voice followed.
I glanced at Alessandro, who smiled and nodded his head towards the right.
I followed that move, and my eyes located the table where our targets were gathered. The men were openly confused as to how their conversation of barely seconds ago was being blasted in the room for everyone to hear.
‘Do you think they know, though?’
‘That what?’
‘The bomb,’ a hushed tone responded. ‘Do you think they know about the bomb?’
‘Please, what do these fools know? They are just here to party like the starved people they are. At least their guts will be satisfied before leaving the world.’ Hearty laughter punctuated the last statement.
Once that came to an end, the hall fell into great silence.
For many seconds, the partygoers looked disturbed; some wore expressions that demanded an explanation.
Alessandro and Eduardo were the only ones who looked unbothered.
The heavy silence didn’t last long.
Suddenly, someone screamed, “Everyone, get the fuck out! There’s a bomb! There’s really a bomb!”
I turned to face Alessandro, who calmly watched as every other person scampered for their lives, their chicness, richness, and class, nothing of importance at this point.
I could have lost my coordination as well, but the presence of Alessandro and Eduardo assured me that things would be fine. So, I tapped into their composure and watched as people struggled and squeezed themselves out of the hall.
Watching that scuffle made me wonder if our targets were also fighting to escape the hall.
So, I looked over to their table and saw that many suited men had surrounded them, preventing them from taking a step.
“Alessandro…”
I didn’t get the chance to ask the question as Alessandro leaned closer and whispered into my ear, “It’s time for you to play your part.”
I glanced at the exits. They were still filled with struggling people.
“Everywhere is blocked.”
“Oh, come on, my flower. You know I always have your back.” I was wondering what he meant by that when he clicked his fingers and summoned five heavily built men. “They’ll escort you to the car park,” Alessandro whispered to the men, who all grunted in response. “Carrie, see you on the other side.”
And that statement was all it took to get me pumped up.
I dashed Alessandro and Eduardo a nod and followed the men to the car park, where my simple mission would be carried out.