“I get it. Listen, you’re doing great. The wedding is tomorrow and then this will all be over. You can go back to your normal life.”
Sydney sighed and pushed a delicious-looking green bean across her plate.
“I don’t know if I want to go back to my normal life. Clearly, burying my head in my social media feed caused me to miss a few things. Maybe it’s time for a change.”
Alex frowned. “I took a look at your Instagram feed and it was great. You seem to really have a knack for what you do. I wouldn’t give it up so soon.”
Sydney shrugged. She was touched by his encouragement, but inside she felt conflicted. Maybe I just need a break, she thought.
The servers came in and removed their plates, then served coffee and dessert. The smell of warm coffee wafted up to her nose. She sipped and watched Alex chat up the rest of the guests at their table. By the time dessert arrived, he had everyone laughing and smiling while they plunged their forks into the red velvet cake. She noticed Ethan peering over at them from time to time.
When dinner was finally over and a few toasts had been made, they said goodbye to their table mates and began making their way back to their room. Alex kept a careful distance from Marissa and Ethan as he deftly moved through the crowd from one conversation circle to another. Sydney could tell he was keeping an eye on everyone. She moved close to him as he was deep in conversation with a couple from Long Island and whispered, “Ladies room, be right back.”
He looked back at her and nodded with a smile. He didn’t seem to suspect anything, much to her relief. She wondered if she had built up enough trust with Alex, although in his position, it must be difficult to trust anyone. Knowing that he was most likely keeping close tabs on her, she made a mental note to be careful.
Sydney’s heart raced as she casually passed the women’s restroom and headed toward the beach. She was to meet her mystery date at 10:00 p.m., and it was about five minutes until then. As she got closer to the ocean, the sound of the waves deepened and the reception music behind her began to fade.
The sun had set hours ago, and there was an almost disturbing quietness that hung in the salty air. She didn’t know whom she was looking for and began to feel a bit stupid for coming to the beach alone, considering everything that was going on. She decided she would wait until ten minutes after ten before heading back to the party. She was hoping the person with whom she was meeting would spot her first.
As the minutes dragged on, she felt a pang of guilt for leaving Alex back at the party and lying to him about her intentions. She didn’t owe him anything, but she found herself liking him more than she should since he wasn’t one hundred percent on her side in this whole mess. But if this meeting had something to do with Ethan or Marissa, it was in everyone’s best interest she be here.
The breezes coming off the ocean were giving her a chill. It was 10:08. She would wait two minutes more before heading back to the pool area. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she glimpsed a lone figure about one hundred feet away moving toward her.
Suddenly, Sydney felt a shiver run down her back. What am I doing? The note could have been left by anyone, and perhaps that person did not have the best of intentions. As the figure got closer, she started to take a few steps back. The frame looked familiar: broad shoulders, neatly cut linen shirt.
Ethan!
Why would Ethan want to meet with her? Red alarms were going off in Sydney’s head left and right. He must have figured out why Alex was here with her. It was hard enough keeping Marissa in the dark; how was she going to convince Ethan that nothing was up?
Before she could second-guess herself, Sydney turned on her heel and began to briskly walk back to the party. Maybe he didn’t see her and she could just pretend she didn’t see him. It was worth a shot, otherwise things were about to get way more complicated than she could handle.
“Sydney, wait! It’s me!”
Without turning around, Sydney froze in the sand. She felt the panic rise in her throat.
Come on Sydney, move! She commanded her muscles to stretch her feet forward but to no avail. She stood where she was, planted like a statue.
As she heard the sound of his breathing get closer, she heard the voice again. “Sydney.”
The woodsy, cinnamon smell of his skin hit her first. She already knew who was standing behind her. It took everything she had not to run. Every fiber in her being was screaming danger, but she couldn’t force her muscles to move. She felt a ball of adrenaline explode in her stomach, running through her body until her hands shook. When she finally regained control of her leg muscles, she turned around to face him.
Standing before her was not Ethan.
It was Jack.
Twenty-Seven
Ethan
Ethan scanned the party looking for Sydney’s petite silhouette. The crowd was winding down for the evening. Many of the white-covered round tables were now peppered with empty seats, the formerly pristine setup now looking slightly disheveled and abandoned. Servers and bussers were moving from table to table, clearing every last fork, knife, and empty glass. There were still couples mingling among the high-top cocktail tables, late night revelers putting the waitstaff to work. Most of the guests, however, had sauntered over to one of the three bars on the property where the party continued on.
Ethan wondered if he would find Sydney there. He hadn’t seen her in the crowd for at least the last hour. He saw Alex several times, even caught his eye a few times. The events leading up to dinner had left him feeling anxious.
The presence of Estavez, coupled with Sydney’s date and a possible stalker put his entire plan at risk. Everything he had worked to create was meant to unfold quietly; however, now he felt the pressure press down on him. He needed to be in total control for everything to work out the way he wanted, and the unknown guests he hadn’t prepared for made him feel like he was losing his grip.
As far as he knew, Estavez had left the party shortly after he presented his gift. Although he’d never been convicted of a crime, it was generally known that he was not a man to be messed with. His rumored behavior included many mysterious deaths, several of which involved a signature stabbing with a knife. Which is why the threat to Marissa was very clear to Ethan.
He finally spotted Sydney heading toward the bathroom area. She was alone. There was something about the way she walked that caught his attention. She seemed to be moving briskly, as if she was trying to sneak away. Maybe I’m overreacting, he thought as he headed in her direction.
“Ready to get out of here?” He heard Marissa’s voice in his ear as she ran her hand up and down his arm. He could smell the alcohol on her breath.
Ethan paused. He knew by her tone and the number of drinks his fiancée had consumed that a trip back to the bedroom meant very good things for him. But his head just wasn’t in it tonight. All he could picture was Estavez, the knife, and Sydney’s stiff date.
“I would love to, babe. But why don’t we wait until tomorrow night? Create a little anticipation for our honeymoon? Like we talked about?”
Marissa pouted for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to increase the stakes of her offer or move on. She chose the latter.
“Well, if you say so honey. I will see you tomorrow then.” She gave him a sultry kiss on the mouth and headed toward their suite.