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She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. My job is to get the story and I haven’t been able to follow through on that. Pel only wanted me out here to help him pitch him to network television.”
Her stomach rumbled in time with a growl of thunder rolling through the night.
Some guests stopped thrashing in the grass and sat cross-legged with their robes clinging to their bodies. None seemed concerned that a deadly lightning storm illuminated over their heads. They were risking their lives for what? A run at some airtime and sponsorship dollars?
Why did Pel have to bring her father into this? His admission had rocked her to the very core. How dare he dig into her past and then try to use to as leverage?
The rain was coming down so hard now, she could barely see anyone on the lawn. Squinting, she made out their white forms sitting in two neat rows. Hands on their knees. Heads ramrod straight. And then one of them fell over.
She’d seen enough.
“Do you think we should call the police before someone gets killed?” Looking over her shoulder at Ethan, she did a double take to find him gone.
Again.
“Ethan?”
An outside flood light suddenly popped on and drenched the lawn in brilliance. Pel and his followers were sitting in a circle now except for the one man who still lay in the grass. Each of them was still, eyes closed, expressions almost peaceful. They appeared to be meditating again or were just so out of it, they’d fallen asleep. Not even one of them seemed bothered by the storm.
Sensing movement behind her, she spun to find Ethan carrying a plate in one hand and a bottle in the other.
“I found some bread and butter. It looks safe enough.” He handed it to her.
Hesitating, Kimber took the plate and inspected the thick, soft slice. “Thanks. But I’m not eating this. They probably laced everything in his kitchen with LSD or something.”
“I ate some and I feel fine.”
Ethan stepped closer. Picking up the bread, he held it to her lips. “You’re hungry. Eat.”
Oh, the command in his voice turned her limbs to mush. Dim light from wall sconces in the hallway lit his face. Watching her intently, he looked ready to feed her himself if she didn’t comply. His lips parted, and he did just that, pressing the food to her mouth.
“I’d better not end up on that lawn after eating this.”
The bread was soft and flavorful, homemade most likely, the butter salty and tasting slightly of grass. Fresh. Delicious. Their fingers brushed together as she took the bread and turned back to the scene outside. Pulse racing, blood pumping, she ate until it was gone and willed her body to cool it. Her reaction to Ethan kept getting stronger as the night went on.
Beside her, he popped the top of the bottle he was carrying. The sweet scent of rich red wine filled her nose. “The label and cork were secure. I doubt it’s laced.”
He took a drink and then passed her the bottle. Kimber stared at it with a sigh. Oh, why the hell not? She took a swig, then another, before handing it back. Ethan worked the cork back into the bottle and set it on the ground.
“We should go to bed.”
“What?”
“It’s getting late. We could get some sleep and bust out of here the minute the storm ends.”
“I like the sound of that.” Even if she was unreasonably disappointed that he hadn’t been suggesting they go to bed together.
Closing the door, she followed him down the hall, back into the dining room and then to the main foyer where the staircase was. It felt creepier going up without Linda as a guide this time. Even Ethan took his time, once again on high alert. The landing and hall were almost completely dark thanks to most of the wall sconces having gone out. Pulling out her cellphone, she turned on the flashlight app for some welcome light.
There were so many doors, she couldn’t remember which were theirs.
“We’re just down from the bathroom.” Gesturing to the bathroom on the right, Ethan perused the bedroom doors on the left until he found the right ones. The doors all looked the same.
“This one is yours, and I’m right next to you. Lock the door behind you.”
“I will.”
Maybe he’d come in and check for monsters under the bed. She thought of the dark shadow she saw earlier and shuddered. Heat flushed her face and her fingertips tingled. Maybe she shouldn’t have had the wine… or maybe she should have had more, so she could forget about being scared. Ethan touched her shoulder and gave a little squeeze.
