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Ari dropped the chip in her hand. “You’ve never been to one?”
Bella shook her head. “My parents have always said it’s an evil day, but I always thought it just looked like fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to dress up and get free candy?”
Ariana couldn’t wrap her mind around never having celebrated Halloween before. Her yearly parties had always been a big hit with her friends from the time she was little. As soon as November first rolled around, she began thinking about the next year’s bash.
Rita squeezed into the booth next to Ariana. “What are we talking about?”
“Ari’s legendary parties,” Bella said. “I can’t wait to see this one with my own eyes.”
“Wait, what?” Rita gave her sister a double-take.
“The Halloween party.”
“That’s not a good idea. At all.”
Bella’s expression fell. “What do you mean?”
“You need to lay low with Dad and Neil looking for you. Our parents have been blowing up my phone all day with texts and calls. They already suspect you came to stay with me since I’m the black sheep who left their way of life.”
“You’re not letting me go to the party?” Bella stared at her sister in disbelief. “I’m finally getting free from living under our parents’ strict rules, and nowyou’rekeeping me from having fun?”
“It isn’t like that.”
“What’s it like, then?”
Ariana exchanged uncomfortable glances with Maya and Olivia.
“We need to keep you safe,” Rita said. “Your life is in every bit as much danger as mine was when Boone—”
“I’m not even engaged to Neil. This is completely different.” Bella folded her arms.
“You think so?” Rita cocked an eyebrow. “If our father gave his permission for Neil to marry you, you’re as good as married in their eyes. Doesn’t matter that there hasn’t been a ceremony yet.”
“Maybe I should find somewhere else to stay. I didn’t think I was exchanging one set of impossible rules for another.”
“Can we talk about this later?” Rita asked.
“No. I’m not the little girl I was when you got married and moved out, so you can’t order me around anymore. I’ve never been to a Halloween party, and I want to go to this one.”
Rita threw Ariana a pleading glance.
“Maybe we should play it by ear,” Ari said. “Make sure your dad won’t be able to get there.”
“It’s a gated community, and he’s not on the list of allowed guests.” Bella glared at her sister. “And I can wear a costume with a mask. Nobody even has to know I’m there. I can just enjoy the only Halloween party I’ll have ever been to.”
Rita started to say something, but then pulled out her phone. Her face paled as she looked at the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Maya demanded.
“Our parents are on their way here.” Rita’s face lost even more color, and she turned to her sister. “We need to get you out of herenow.”
ChapterNine
Rita lifted a blind and looked outside for what had to be the five hundredth time. When she had returned home with Bella, she’d stopped at the gate and double-checked with the guard that her parents were on the list of people not to let in.
They were, but that still didn’t put her mind at ease. Not when her father believed he was above the law. He thought he was an agent of God and laughed at the laws of the land.
If he wanted inside the gated community, he would find a way. She wouldn’t put it past him to scale a fence or trick his way into the car with someone whowasallowed past the gate.
