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Turning away, Ellery’s entire body shook as she grabbed her phone off her nightstand and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She pulled up Snapchat and sent the desperate message quick.
Hattie Ballard is here. Please bring help.
She couldn’t wait for a response. She shoved the phone in the drawer, flushed the toilet, rinsed her hands with cold water, and said another prayer to calm down and for help to get here before Hattie hurt someone else. It might look suspicious to be so quick, but she couldn’t stand to leave Kiera alone with a killer for one more second.
Hurrying out the door, she calmed a fraction when Hattie and Kiera were standing where she’d left them, Kiera telling her sister-in-law about her parkour moves.
“That was fast,” Hattie said, smiling pleasantly at her.
“Yeah. We’d better hurry back.”
Kiera luckily kept chattering as they walked back. Ellery was shaking so badly she didn’t know if she could keep walking. She needed Derek, but at least they’d survived.
Thank you, heaven above.
Hopefully Naomi was prepared and her people were waiting close by and would be coming soon. Ellery couldn’t take this much longer.
They entered the ballroom and everyone seemed to stop and look at them, give them kind smiles. Oh, great. Now the king and Sutton Smith were catching her eye. Luckily, she and Kiera had survived.
Soon Hattie would be arrested, and Derek’s family would be safe. That was some solace.
Derek and Steffan strode to them. Derek was coming. He would protect her. He loved her.
“Steffan,” Kiera said excitedly. “Hattie was showing me her secretive knife holder that you bought her to keep her safe from the evil William if he dares show his face. Can I get one too?”
“Knife holder?” Ellery squeaked out.
Hattie’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to see?”
She tugged her skirt up and tugged a knife out of the holder, the metal gleaming in the light of the many chandeliers and the sunlight streaming in from the massive windows.
Ellery was living in a nightmare.
“No!” she screamed. She hurled herself at Hattie, tackling the woman to the ground and successfully grabbing the knife from her hands.
She heard screams and cries of surprise all around, but she had the knife. Scrambling back to her feet, she pointed the knife at Hattie, who still lay on the floor, apparently stunned.
“You stay there,” Ellery threatened. “I won’t let you kill anyone else.”
“Me?” Hattie asked, sitting up, her dress twisted around her legs.
“I said stay.” Ellery’s voice trembled too hard to be convincing. What was she doing? She wasn’t some military ops person. Where was Macey? Sutton? General Raymond?
“Elle?” Derek’s voice rose above the rest of the clamor.
“She’s a murderer, Derek.” Ellery didn’t dare take her eyes off of Hattie. “She’s killed two people that we know of, and maybe even your mom.”
Hattie’s eyes were wide. Steffan rushed to her side and helped her up.
“Who are you?” he demanded, turning a fierce glower on Ellery. “And how dare you come in here and accuse my wife of murder?”
“She is a murderer.” Ellery’s voice was getting desperate. “Naomi Rindlesbacher told me everything.”
“Naomi Rindlesbacher?” Steffan said in disbelief. He cuddled Hattie close and then glared at Ellery again. “You’re in league with that woman?”
“I just sent her a message. Her people will be coming for?—”
The room exploded in a cacophony of upset voices. Somebody ripped the knife from Ellery’s hand. She whirled to see the groom staring her down. General Raymond August. “You’re working for Rindlesbacher?” he demanded. He was one intimidating dude.
