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A headache was starting to form behind Ari’s temples. “I think you’re going to feel a lot better in the morning. We should all get some sleep.”
“Won’t change anything.” Lia headed toward her bedroom.
Ariana turned to Damon. “I know she’s really stressed out, but she’s not even trying to see a bright side.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You can’t force her. She needs to work through this on her own.”
“I hate seeing her like that.”
“So do I, but she has to cope with the stress in her own way. Plus there’s the whole baby thing. It’s a lot.”
“Right,” she agreed. “We talked about staying somewhere else. Do you think we should look into that? Even if they don’t mind us being here, it’s one more thing they have to deal with on top of everything else.”
“We can do that if you want. I don’t want to be a burden to them either.” He pulled her close. “Let’s take your advice and get some rest. It’s been a long day. We can decide what to do in the morning when everyone is clearheaded.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They made their way to the guest room and got ready for bed. Ariana dug through her purse, trying to find her phone. Must have left it in her car.
“I’ll be right back,” she told him while he was in the shower. “Gotta get something from the car.”
Ari found her phone between the seat and her door. No new texts or calls. She remote-locked the car.
“What do you think you’re doing?” came a male voice from behind.
She whipped around. Recognized the man from HOA meetings. He could only be one person. “Ryan Kane?”
“The one and only.”
Her pulse drummed in her ears. She stood taller to hide her nervousness. “What are you doing here?”
“You think I didn’t see your car?” he said.
“Excuse me?”
He scowled. “Following me.”
“You mean when you flew past the police station like a bat out of hell?”
“I have no idea what you think you know, but you’re wrong.”
“If you’re clueless, how do you know I’m wrong?”
Ryan leaned against her car. “I know all the vehicles in the neighborhood.”
“You must lead a pretty boring life.”
His nostrils flared. “I make it my business to know my surroundings.”
“Because you have something to hide?”
“Because I want to keep my family safe.”
“You live in Rosy Hills. Doesn’t get much safer than this.”
He glanced over at Ariana’s empty plot of land with piles of dirt from the police unearthing the bodies. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She stared him down and stepped toward the house. “Goodnight.”
