“I need you to go back in there and cover for me.”
“Ari...” Her lips pursed.
“I’m only going up to my room. I need some space.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, Luis will be with me.” I glanced over at him and he nodded.
“Here,” she handed me my clutch purse, “you forgot this.”
“Thank you.”
Nora pulled me in for a hug. “I know this is another blow, but it’s just a game. They’re just trying to keep the upper hand.”
Nodding stiffly, I took a deep breath and met her eyes. “You should go before anyone comes looking.”
“Okay, and for what it’s worth, I’m so fucking sorry.” She hurried back inside leaving me with Luis.
He came toward me, his brows drawn with concern. “They know,” he said.
“So it would seem.” We walked over to the elevator and waited.
“I’ll let the Marchetti know.”
I nodded. The doors pinged open and we stepped inside.
“It’s a kink in the road but it doesn’t change anything.”
I released an exasperated breath. “I’m going to my room. I don’t want you to let anyone inside, okay?”
“Arianne, maybe I—”
“Please, Luis. I need this.”
“Very well,” he said around a tight expression. “I’ll make sure you have your space.”
Good.
For the first time since all this happened, I felt out of control. Wild. I felt like a caged animal pushed to its limit.
And I was terrified that if I found myself cornered, I would do something reckless.
Something I couldn’t undo.
My suite in the hotel looked like a storm had blown through it.
The second the door had closed behind me, I had unleashed all my anger and frustration. Clothes lay scattered around the floor; my dress was in a crinkled heap on the bed and the pillow was stained with mascara and tears.
But I felt better.
I felt calmer somehow.
True to his word, Luis had kept any potential visitors at bay. Nora had texted me to say the party was in full swing, detracting from my absence. Everyone thought I was sick.
But Scott and my family knew the truth. And they afforded me a moment to myself. I guess I should have been grateful, but it was the least they could do given the bombshell Mike had dropped tonight.
Thanksgiving.
They wanted me to marry the man who had raped me, stolen my innocence, and hurt me in inexcusable ways, in less than two months' time.
Luis was right. The likely explanation for the sudden change in plans was that Mike Fascini knew that Nicco and his father had discovered the truth about Elena Ricci.
I grabbed the glass off the nightstand and threw it across the room, the sound of my screams piercing the silence. It hit the wall, shattering into a thousand pieces.
“Arianne?” A knock sounded on the door.
“I’m fine, Luis. I just... I broke a glass.”
“Maybe I should—”
“I said I’m fine,” I yelled.
He didn’t reply.
Pulling a pillow into my chest, I curled into a ball and laid down. I wanted to be stronger, to be down there putting on a brave face. But I was scared that if I did, and Scott said something to me, I would snap.
In here, I was safe.
They were safe from me.
Because I felt different. Dark volatile energy coursed through me, making my skin vibrate and my body hum.
I wanted to hurt him.
I wanted to hurt his father.
I wanted to make them both pay for what they’d taken from me. What they continued to take.
The last thought I had was of Scott on his knees, begging me for forgiveness, begging me for his life, before everything went black.
I woke startled.
Fear wrapped around me as I lay frozen on the bed. “Luis?” I called out.
Where was I?
It all came rushing back like a tidal wave.
The party.
Mike’s announcement.
Me fleeing to my hotel room.
I lay listening for any sound but there was nothing.
Sitting up, I pushed the wild curls from my eyes. I was a mess. Dressed only in my underwear, my hair all over the place, and no doubt with makeup streaked down my face, I was thankful I couldn’t see my reflection in the darkness.
Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I fumbled to find my cell phone. It was almost two-thirty. The party would be over by now, guests sleeping peacefully in their expensive suites. Nora would be with Dan, curled up in his arms. Dropping my cell back on the nightstand, I reached for the lamp switch but a noise in the corner of the room caught my attention. My eyes strained, my heart beating furiously in my chest.