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“It was my father’s.”
“No, it wasn’t, Ellie.” His voice was harsh. “Where did you get it?”
And then I knew. “It’s part of the Ricardo Estate,” I whispered.
His fist tightened around the ring. “Did you get it from Marino?”
I shook my head.
The sirens grew louder.
“Ellie!” David shouted from the shore. He leaned against one of the still standing poles.
“We have to get out of here, Collin.”
Collin dropped his hold on my chain and nodded, looking dazed as he examined the dock.
We picked our way across the splintered wood and circled around the damage and holes until we reached David on the shore.
He was sitting on a rock, both of our backpacks slung over his bare shoulders. He’d tied his shirt around his leg and his face was pale. “You did it.”
We had, but Collin’s words worried me. At what price?
Collin had healed my wounds from the badgers with our marks. I considered trying the same on David but instantly knew it wouldn’t work. The ability to heal was one more resource for us as Curse Keepers.
David and I had already planned an escape route at the back of the park. We hurried toward it in silence, David hobbling to keep up.
Collin stayed with us until we slipped through the fence, and then he got into his truck and drove away.
Chapter29
The following Saturday night, the summer evening had cooled off and a breeze tickled the hair hanging down my back. Drew and Claire were dancing their first dance in the middle of the Grand Ballroom at 108 Budleigh, and Claire was gorgeous. She had gotten her dream wedding.
David leaned down toward my ear. “You do know that the maid of honor isn’t supposed to be more beautiful than the bride, don’t you?”
I looked up into his loving face and smiled. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who thinks that.”
He pursed his mouth into a mischievous grin. “Nope. That bloke over at two o’clock hasn’t stopped watching you since you walked down the aisle.”
“That’s Claire’s cousin and he’s had a crush on me for years. He doesn’t count.”
After all the recent craziness, I couldn’t believe we were doing something normal. It felt good.
For the last week I’d replayed the events in my mind, and I couldn’t see how we could have done things differently. Especially when I took into account that Daddy had told me to do it. But was Collin right? Had Ahone tricked me by using my father? Did Ahone have his own secret agenda? Whatever the original agenda, the new one was clear. There was a good chance that Collin and I had giant bull’s-eyes on our backs. Everyone in our lives was fair game too.
Claire and Drew’s dance ended, and they invited the rest of the wedding party onto the dance floor.
David hobbled out with me. “Your dress is too beautiful to waste, Ellie.” He’d needed to get multiple stitches for his leg wound, and he had trouble getting around, but he still insisted on dancing with me. Tom had questioned him endlessly, but ultimately, he let it rest after the attacks stopped.
I had to admit, Claire was right. The emerald-green gown clung to my curves and the color perfectly complemented my auburn hair and blue-green eyes. I really did feel beautiful, even if just for a night.
David wrapped me in his arms, and I looked up into his face, feeling both blessed and guilty. When the song ended, I helped him back to our seats.
My mouth dropped open when I saw Collin standing in the back of the room, dressed in a suit. He walked toward me, then looked down at David. “Would you mind if I steal a dance with Ellie?”
David stiffened slightly, then covered my hand with his own. “It’s not my decision. It’s hers.”
I nodded, my breath catching. I hadn’t seen him since we’d earned our new titles.
