The parley.
But I push those bad memories aside. Tonight will not be like the parley. Iknowit won't be, because I trust Raffi to keep me safe. In fact, most of the night has been a blur of adrenaline and arousal. Because each time Raffi's eyes finds me across the room, heat floods my veins. I want the party to be over so that we can be alone.
But I also want the party to go on forever, because it's going so well. Even Julian seemed a little surprised, complimenting me just ten minutes ago on my preparations. "Very well done, little butler boy. You and Raffaello have really outdone yourselves. And the surprise is ready?"
"Oh, yes, Mr. Castellani," I'd assured him with a beaming smile.
"Nothing out of place? I want to make sure it's perfect."
"I'll go myself and double check."
And that's what I think I'll do now. Because, in fact, his mention of the surprise made me a touch nervous again. As part of the new house build, the landscape gardener suggested a nightfeature throughout the redwood grove, a display of soft lighting strung through the trees that gives the redwoods an unearthly, moonlit feeling. Julian loved it. And he wants the first lighting of it to happen tonight at the party.
It has to runperfectly.
I put down my tray, give instructions to the head waitstaff from the caterer to watch closely over the floor while I'm gone, and go to Raffi to let him know what I'm doing.
"I'll come with you," he says at once.
"Don't be ridiculous," I say with an affectionate smile. "I'll only be a few minutes, and you need to be in here, making sure everything's perfect."
He gives me a lopsided smile. "Perfect," he sighs. "Okay. Be quick, though, or I'll come looking for you."
With that, I slip away from the party and make my way down the winding path into the redwood grove.
Moonlight filters through the old, tall trees, dappling the ground. An owl hoots softly above me in one of them. I slow down a little, enjoying the solitude and quiet after the noise and crowd of the party.
I think it's going well. I think it's goingverywell. And everything out here is perfect as well, as I walk along carefully, aiming my phone flashlight above me to check the set up: delicate light strings dancing between the trees, which will illuminate and emphasize the beauty of the grove. I smile, picturing the guests' delight at the spectacle.
It really is something. Julian hired the landscape gardener, Mr. Carstairs, in an ongoing role after he completed the landscapingaround the retreat. He's very talented, though a little quiet, a little reserved. Though I suppose I could have been accused of the same thing when I first arrived at Red?—
I freeze in my tracks as a flicker of movement catches my eye. Peering into the shadows as I aim my phone flashlight, my heart leaps painfully. For a moment I think I see someone standing there, watching?—
But when I blink, they're gone.
It must have been a trick of the light. My nerves getting the better of me. It's time to get back, anyway. I don't want to be gone too long, or Raffi will worry. But I stand still another moment, staring at the shadows. Did I imagine a figure standing there?
Oristhere someone watching me? Waiting in the dark?
"Raffi?" I call out hesitantly, praying it's just him checking up on me. There's no response, only a silence that stretches out until I'm convinced it was my imagination, and I turn to head back.
And then, unmistakably, I hear a soft footfall and the crackle of leaves underfoot.
I turn off my phone light at once and dart behind the closest tree, pressing myself against its rough bark and trying to blend in with the shadows. But I stand out like a beacon in the darkness, my white tux practically glowing in the night.
And whoever or whatever is stalking me definitely doesn't have the same issue.
My thoughts race, desperately trying to remember Raffi's self-defense tips. But they all seem so useless now, if someone really is intent on—onkillingme.
The soft steps resume, approaching closer with each passing second, and I bolt. I run blindly, tripping over tree roots and grass clumps, but keeping upright through sheer willpower, until I'm halfway back to the house, and then I dart behind another tree and listen hard.
Nothing.
And then a snap behind me. I whip to the side, searching the gloom.
There. Unmissable now, a figure dressed all in black, lurking behind a tree. And it starts moving toward me.
I break into a run again, the footsteps behind me getting closer with every second. In this white outfit, I'm the perfect target.
