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Bianca knew that the text wasn’t openly threatening, but to her, it felt that way. She had no idea how to explain that to anyone without revealing details that she wasn’t allowed to reveal, because they were part of Elias’ case.
“I don’t know how much I can tell you guys, but I think I made a big mistake by calling someone when I was looking for Eden,” she admitted. “Now that person is trying to get me to say something that I don’t think is true.”
Abbe’s eyes widened. “Tell Elias,” she urged quietly.
“I can’t!” Bianca said. “If I tell him, he’ll probably have to stop seeing me because it’ll mean I’m involved in the case again.”
“You looked scared when you got that text,” Abbe said.
Charles and Abbe shared another look. “If you’re getting texts that scare you from someone involved in one of Elias’ cases, you need to tell him,” Charles said, speaking for both of them.
Bianca knew they were right. “Shit,” she whispered, looking at the dress next to her, and now wondering if Elias was ever going to get to see her in it. She swallowed hard. “Why do you guys have to be right about stuff?” she asked, forcing a laugh.
Abbe reached out and put her hand on Bianca’s shoulder in sympathy. “Better sooner than later. The longer you hide it, the worse it will probably be,” she said gently.
Bianca knew she was right. She’d put it off for too long already. She pulled out her phone and called the number Elias had given her. After one ring she was shunted to an impersonal recorded voice telling her to leave a message for the given number. She left him a message saying that she had something important to tell him, and asked him to call her back.
“And now I wait,” she said.
“It’ll be fine,” Charles said, waving a hand through the air. “Have another drink!”
They tried on a few more dresses, not finding anything extraordinary, and were eventually joined by Rafe and Cassiel, both of whom had chosen their evening attire much more quickly than Bianca and Abbe.
Cassiel picked up the now empty bottle of champagne, rolled his eyes, and called outside the door for someone to bring them more. “Guess we’re making a day of it,” he said. He went and picked up the dress Bianca had chosen. “You haven’t worn blue in ages,” he said, looking the bright jewel-toned dress over.
Charles made a little gasping noise. “I love that you know that!” he said, gushing. “You’re so cute!”
“Howdoyou know that?” Rafe asked his brother, teasing.
“I pay attention to fashion,” Cassiel said, defending himself, and looking to Charles for support. “Not all of us have a buyer making our sartorial choices for us.”
Everyone shared a look before laughing at Cassiel.
“Sartorial?” Rafe repeated.
“That’s the proper term,” Cassiel said, not at all embarrassed. “Now. Why are we still in the dressing room?”
“Abbe hasn’t chosen a dress,” Charles said.
Abbe was in a pink thing none of them liked, waiting until her glass was refilled before going behind the screen again.
“I like this one,” Rafe said, holding up the ivory dress.
Abbe took it out of his hands, kissed him, and said, “No,” before throwing it back down on one of the many settees.
They made Abbe model several more dresses, none of them agreeing on which one suited her best. Bianca was having a good time and well on her way to forgetting the potentially disastrous conversation with Elias that still loomed, when one of the stylists helping them poked his head into the dressing room.
“There’s someone here for Bianca?” he said uncertainly. “He says his name is Elias. Is it okay if I—”
Bianca saw Elias standing right behind the stylist and nodded. He joined them in the fitting suite. Bianca was more than a little tipsy and so flustered to see him there in the flesh when she’d been expecting a text or a call from him, she just started talking.
“I called Ben Goh. The day after Halloween,” she blurted out. “I was looking for Eden and I got his number from this guy I went to camp with.”
Elias nodded, leaning back against the wall. “I know.”
Bianca was floored. “What—”
“At 2:48 in the afternoon of November first, you left a long, rambling message for Ben Goh on a burner phone that he ditched a day later, and which I recovered.” He shifted on his feet, keeping his back to the wall and his hands in his pockets.
