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Ari glanced up then out the window next to their table. It was darker than it should be for dinnertime this time of year. A bright light zig-zagged across the sky, illuminating the forest below.
A storm definitely brewed outside.
Rita, still talking about the upcoming dance, pulled Ariana from her thoughts. She tried to match the bride’s enthusiasm and focus on that. She loved dancing with Damon, and they rarely had a reason to anymore.
“We’ve hired a professional photographer,” Rita said, “so make sure you show up early to get your pictures taken. If you don’t have a date, you can stand with your groomsman partner for the wedding ceremony. Or pick a random guy. It doesn’t matter!” She laughed. “This is all in good fun. I don’t want anyone being too serious at our wedding.”
“Do we have to wear masks for the portraits?” Damon asked.
“It’s up to you,” Rita said. “The pictures will be taken outside the ballroom. Once inside, your masks are glued to your faces. They don’t come off at all.”
“What if we don’t want photos?” Emerson asked.
“Too bad,” Rita said. “We want them for our album.”
Javier was the only one not talking. Either he was worried about Mateo or cooking up another prank. Hopefully the first, because if the latter, he’d be the next to get kicked out of the wedding party.
“Are you okay?” Ari asked him.
He turned to her, surprise in his eyes. “My best friend is missing! Am I supposed to be celebrating?”
“You expect us to believe that?” Maya asked. “After that fake drowning incident last night?”
Javier glared at her. “He wouldn’t have taken off without telling me. Or without taking his inhaler.”
“If his asthma is that serious, surely he has a spare.”
“I know my cousin.” Javier looked away.
As he did, another bolt of lightning lit the sky. A moment later, the lights flickered again.
A shiver ran down Ariana’s back, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it because the waiter brought drinks and appetizers. Even though she wasn’t hungry, she found herself sipping wine and nibbling on crab cakes.
Rita continued talking about the masquerade ball, and Javier looked around the room wordlessly, paying attention to neither food nor drink.
If Javier was honestly worried about Mateo, could he actually be in trouble? Were they all ignoring obvious clues and letting precious hours slip by while he was missing? Ariana knew firsthand how important the first hours in a disappearance were.
“Do you really think something’s wrong?” she asked him.
He turned to her. “I already told you that.”
“Should we start a search party?”
“What would be the point?” Javier asked. “Everyone thinks he’s pulling a prank.”
“If he’s not, then we need to do something.”
“Stop encouraging him,” Rita said. “He’s in on the joke. If those two think faking a death is funny, then they’ll have no problem pretending someone is missing.”
“I’m not pretending.” Javier cracked his knuckles.
Ari didn’t have time to respond because the meals arrived. The waiter moved seamlessly as he placed one plate after another in front of each person.
Everyone dug into their food, except Javier who only picked at his.
Ariana watched him from the corner of her eyes as she stuffed herself. The aromas were too mouthwatering to ignore, and she had to try everything in front of her despite having filled up on fruit in the spa. She would dance the night away, so she’ll likely burn off more than she ate, anyway.
The lights flickered again. If anyone else noticed, they didn’t say anything. The lady at the spa never got back to them about the protocol for a power outage, but it probably didn’t matter because the hotel had a generator. Even if the impending storm did knock out the lights, they would only be in darkness for a few minutes at the most.
