Page 13 of Hextreme Measures

Ofelia wrapped her fingers around Angelique’s wrists. “I won’t let anything happen to Ben,” she promised. “I won’t let anything happen to you either. Let’s just get you in a safe place, and then we’ll figure the rest out.”

“What else is there to figure out?”

“A cure,” Ofelia replied, not missing a beat. “Also, we need to figure out who those banshees were targeting.”

Angelique’s eyebrows moved toward one another as she dropped her grip on Ofelia. “What do you mean?”

“They didn’t just happen upon my engagement party. They were there for a reason. We have to figure out what that reason is.”

“Huh.” Angelique’s shoulders drooped. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”

“They were there for a specific purpose. We’re going to figure out what that was. If you’re infected, we’re going to fix that, too. You just need to have a little faith.”

Angelique pressed her lips together to stave off tears and nodded. “Okay.”

“Great.” Ofelia took her hand, and they resumed walking. “Make a list of the things you need from home when we get there, and I’ll get them for you.”

“Are you going to tell Sully and Ben?”

Ofelia hesitated. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

“You’d better. You’re a terrible liar.”

“Yeah, let’s just get you settled. The other stuff will work itself out.”

SULLY HAD BEEN STUNNED WHEN Jack told him that Ofelia had taken off with Angelique. That was the exact opposite of what he expected from her. Ofelia wasn’t the type to run from her responsibilities. And, sure, the party wasn’t technically her responsibility. It was still out of character for her to abandon the cleanup.

He was suspicious, and he was never suspicious of his fiancée. She was the most honest person he knew. She was up to something, though.

Ben was equally as confused. Once everything at the party was under control and they’d identified four scratches that needed further attention, Sully had said goodbye to his boss. He was determined to track down Ofelia. Ben had caught him by the park exit.

“Angelique isn’t answering my texts,” he said in a morose voice. “Do you think she’s mad at me?”

Sully regarded the other man. He liked him, despite the fact that he was still learning about modern times and sometimes said awkward things. Ben didn’t always react in a way that Sully understood, though.

“She’s not mad at you,” he said finally, shaking his head.

Ben jerked up his chin. “What do you mean? Did she say something?”

“No, but Ofelia is gone, too.”

Ben absently scratched his cheek. “Do you think they’re doing something? Like … do you think they’re hunting the banshees?”

“No, I think they’re hiding something.” And that was the part that Sully couldn’t wrap his head around. What could they possibly be hiding?

“What?” Ben asked blankly. “What would they hide after an attack like that?”

Sully was halfway through a shrug when it hit him. He’d seen Ofelia and Angelique huddled together by the garden wall. The park had been buzzing with activity, but they were only focused on one another.

“They didn’t want my team to get too close to them,” he said finally, a full picture finally taking shape in his head. “They were careful to take off when all of the women at the party were being checked for scratches.”

Ben’s eyes went wide. “You don’t think —”

“That’s exactly what I think.” Sully gave Ben’s shoulder a hearty slap. “Let’s go. One of them is in trouble.”

“Do you know which one?”

Sully ran the images he’d collected in the immediate aftermath through his head. He was both relieved and full of trepidation when he gathered them all into one solid image. Ofelia had been wearing a sleeveless dress. It would have been hard for her to cover up a scratch or bite.