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“You’ll never keep me down!” Javier yelled, bloody spittle spraying from his lips. One of his teeth hung loose from the others.
Damon turned to Ariana. “Look for a closet we can lock him into.”
“On it.” She limped into the hallway then opened every door she passed.
Grayson raced her way. “Have you seen Rita?”
“She’s fine. Damon needs your help in the ceremony room.” Ariana pointed in the direction. “Javier has gone allFatal Attractionon Rita. He’s the one who killed Mateo!”
Grayson’s brows drew together, and his face reddened. “What? I’m going to make him wish he’d never been born!”
The next door Ariana opened was a utility closet.
Grayson darted down the hallway.
“Tell Damon I found a closet!” she called.
The night of terror was finally over.
ChapterThirty-Two
Atree branch pushed against Ariana’s shoulder. Again and again.
“Ari,” it said.
She pushed back. “What do you want?”
“Ariana!” It nudged her harder.
“Leave me alone.”
“Wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open.
Damon lay on his side next to her, the blankets only covering his lower half. His arms and chest were nearly as bruised as his face. “We should get up, babe. The police are here, and they’re definitely going to want our statements.”
She groaned. “Can’t they get those later? I’ve barely gotten any sleep.”
“Actually, it’s noon. We’ve gotten a whole six hours.”
Ariana bolted upright. “Noon? The wedding’s going to start soon! We’re running late!”
Damon rested a hand on hers and gave her a reassuring smile. “Rita and Grayson decided to start it later, remember? The ceremony room was destroyed, thanks to Javier.” He rubbed one of the bruises on his chest. “But the good news is it’s sunny now. They were hoping to have it outside, and now it looks possible.”
“Isn’t the ground soaked?”
“They have a platform they’ve already dried.”
Ariana tried to make sense of everything. She vaguely recalled the discussion with the bride and groom after they locked Javier in the utility closet and freed the hotel staff from a conference room blocked by a heavy cabinet.
The night before felt as foggy as her dream about the talking branch.
She yawned. “When did the police get here? Does that mean my dad’s finally back?”
“I just noticed the flashing lights outside the window, but I haven’t gotten up so I don’t know about your dad. I would assume he’s with them. How else would they know to come?”
Ariana rubbed her eyes. “I hope they brought gallons of coffee. I need every last drop I can get.”
