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He wouldn’t, of that I was sure. Maybe we wouldn’t work out in the end, but if there was one thing I trusted, it was Barry’s loyalty. He had a heart of gold, and he’d never break my heart trying.
Bending forward, I reached a hand out to his telescope where I ran a finger over the small dent by the eyepiece and felt a pang of regret. I couldn’t help but think the Royal’s actions were a retaliation for choosing Barry over Luca, so I felt partly responsible for the damage. I had half a mind to report them to the police anyway, despite Barry pointing out we hadn’t actually seen them do it. After all, I knew how much this equipment meant to Barry. It was more than money to him, and I prayed the damage was only superficial.
Straightening, I settled back onto the rock, wondering about the time. It felt like Barry had been gone forever.
Unzipping my wristlet, I pulled out my phone. Though I wasn’t certain exactly when he left, I couldn’t help but feel like something might be wrong.
My mind raced with the possibilities. He said he needed to take care of something first, but I thought he’d be back by now. Certainly, he wouldn’t confront JT and Luca, would he?
I glanced down at the telescope once more, debating whether to leave it, but my worry won out, and I made the decision to look for him. I headed back the way we came, through the maze of roses and under the bloom-covered arbor. The soft tinkling of the music from inside grew closer the farther I went, until I stood at the base of the gardens, staring into the massive windows of the ballroom where my classmates moved over the dance floor.
Searching the familiar faces, I spotted JT and Gabby suctioned to each other like leeches and grimaced. My heels clicked on the stone sidewalk as I neared the patio draped in fairy lights.
And that’s when I saw him.
He stood in the shadows, off to the right of the patio, making it hard to see him clearly. Though his back was turned toward me, I knew it was him by the gold epaulets on his jacket and the way the pond water had turned the dark blue of his suit to midnight. I couldn’t see his face fully, only the edge of the black mask he’d worn in the ballroom.
I squinted and took another step closer. At the same time, he shifted, and I realized he wasn’t alone. A girl with a ruby-colored mask and a sleek black gown stood behind him, tipping her head back and laughing at something he said. And when he reached out and threaded his fingers through hers, much like he had with me only an hour ago, my stomach sank to my feet.
I froze on the sidewalk, heart pumping so hard I could feel the staccato beat in my ears. And when he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, the ground bottomed out from under me.
Stumbling back, I nearly fell into the side of the rose arbor. My arm flailed, catching on a thorn, and I gasped. Yanking it back, a scarlet drop of blood bubbled to the surface of my skin at the same time he swung around to face me. But before he could say anything, I turned and ran.
Chapter 25
“Areyousureyoudon’t want us to stay? I could beat some ass for you.” Thorne asked, as he hovered inside the bathroom stall.
“No. Forget about it.” I adjusted the collar of the shirt he brought me and glanced over at Scarlett. “The sooner I go find her and get out of here, the better. I don’t want to make a scene and ruin the night or do anything foolish.”
“Good point,” she said, though the fury burning her eyes said otherwise. “They’re just salty, anyway. Seems they’ve been losing a lot lately, and that’s not something they’re used to. They’ll get over it, just like they did with Penelope and Thorne, and then they’ll leave you alone.”
I nodded, jaw tight. Though I was skeptical, I didn’t say it. Instead, I thanked them again and headed back through the ballroom, intent on finding Ella in the rose gardens where I left her, hoping she hadn’t gotten tired of waiting.
Back on the dance floor, the masquerade was in full swing, crowded with couples gliding over the marble in time with the music. The punch on the refreshments table had been drained, the finger foods and cookies picked over. The slow ballad changed to something slightly upbeat as I neared the French doors that led to the patio and the gardens.
I traced our earlier footsteps, heading under the arbor, past the bench we’d sat on to the pond with the fountain in the small clearing of the garden—and nothing. No sign of Ella. The only evidence either of us had been there were the things we’d left behind—the blanket and candles, my telescope.
My mind raced. Panic inching its way into my thoughts. Surely she couldn’t have gone far. I had taken longer than I’d expected, and she’d probably gotten worried. Or bored. Maybe she came looking.
I spun around and searched again. This time, checking the pathways of the garden we hadn’t walked, thinking she might’ve gotten lost or distracted, but I still turned up empty-handed.
With my heart in my throat, my clipped stride took me back to the ballroom, where I weaved through the couples, both hopeful and afraid I might find her there, dancing with someone else. I searched back out on the patio, wondering if I’d missed her. Several couples and a few small groups of friends dotted the small space. And then my gaze halted on Luca, dressed in my tuxedo, hanging on the arm of another girl.
Leaning toward her, he practically mauled her with a sloppy kiss as I approached, hard-jawed and ready for a fight, angrier than I’d ever been in my entire life.
He pulled away from her and said something to Mikey, who laughed. My hands clenched into fists in response, and when I stopped in front of him, he grinned. His gaze flickered over me, a casual assessment that wrote me off. I wasn’t a threat to them. I never had been.
“Nice suit,” I said through gritted teeth.
Luca glanced down at the jacket, smoothing the stiff fabric with his free hand. “This old thing? I found it just lying around.”
Mikey snickered.
“Where’s Ella?” I snarled.
“Lose her already, Glick?”
Another round of laughter.
