Page 113 of Heart of The Night

Before we could analyse the issue further, Andy and Chloe arrived next to us.

‘Where’s Will?’ Andy asked.

‘Gents,’ I said.

‘Right. Might as well inspect the facilities myself, then,’ he said.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Chloe said, grabbing his arm. ‘I’ve got to powder my nose.’

‘Your nose is perfect, darling.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘It’s oily now. You dance like a madman, so my face got flushed straight away.’

Smirking, Andy glanced at us. ‘Back in a bit.’

As he and Chloe started toward the corridor where William had disappeared earlier, I saw Ivy striding toward us.

Averting my eyes, I warned Alex quietly, ‘Ivy’s heading towards us.’

He stiffened noticeably. Was he holding his breath?

‘Alex,’ she called, stopping beside us.

He spun to face her, his eyes alight with hope. ‘Yes?’

Her cheeks turned pink as she gazed up at him. ‘Beatrice swayed my mind.’

‘You’d like to dance?’ Alex asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

Ivy’s blush deepened, and she glanced down shyly, nodding slightly. ‘If you’d like, we could give it a try.’

‘Really?’

Did he need me to pinch him?

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’d like to get better at it.’

Alex immediately reached out, opening his palm to her. ‘I’d love to.’

Her hand trembled as she reached for his. Poor thing. She was evidently extremely shy.

Alex wrapped his fingers around hers, tightly, then turned to me. ‘Will you be all right by yourself, love?’

‘Absolutely.’ I waved them away. ‘But please crush his toes, Ivy. It would make me feel better about crushing Will’s.’

She met my gaze, her bashful smile transforming into a grin. ‘I promise.’

Chuckling, I went back to the table where I’d left my drink, sinking into the chair with a sigh. As the minutes ticked by, I started to wonder what was taking William so long. Frowning, I looked at the corridor leading to the toilets, expecting to see him return any moment. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a sudden rush – a group of security guards was sprinting toward the toilets. What the hell?

A wave of trepidation washed over me as I watched them dash inside. Could there be an emergency in there? Was that the reason for William’s delay? Perhaps someone was having an allergic reaction to the food, or worse, maybe someone had suffered a stroke.

I sat up, my arms crossed tightly over my chest as I glanced around the room. Only a handful of other guests seemed to have picked up on the disturbance. Like me, they looked around with furrowed brows before their attention returned to the corridor.

I flinched when a cold hand suddenly gripped my shoulder. Turning, I gazed into Chloe’s wide, brown eyes. Her face was ashen, her expression haunted, as if she’d seen a ghost.

Seeing her so shaken, my concern deepened. ‘Chloe? Are you okay?’

Her grip shifted from my shoulder to my arm, sending a shiver through me. ‘Cara, it’s important you stay calm.’

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