Page 34 of The Engagement Party

“A tree. Nothing more than a tree.” Sierra’s body listed to one side, forcing her to fight for balance.

“Where was this?” Mitch took a step toward the other men, but Sierra pulled him back to her side. Latched on to his arm in a clench that made him glance at her.

“We all need to stay in here. Find weapons.” She looked around for that fireplace poker. Did she leave it at the garage?

Where the hell did it go?

Cassie picked up her wineglass but put it back down again without taking a drink. “It’s okay.”

“It’s clearly not okay.” Mitch took another step toward the window, this time dragging Sierra along with him. “Do you see the person out there now? Show me.”

Instead, Alex looked at Ruthie. “What’s in that oversized shed?” When she didn’t immediately answer he snapped his fingers. “Ruthie. Talk to me. Boats? Gardening equipment?”

She shook her head as if trying to clear her mind. “What are you—”

“We toured the island yesterday, just to see what else was here, but the shed was one of the locked buildings. We couldn’t look inside and none of the keys the owners left us would open the door,” Will said.

Mitch blew out a ragged breath. “Just like the garage and look how that turned out.”

The owners.The words touched off a memory. A question Sierra wanted to ask but the thought slipped out again. Her mind was too scrambled to latch on to anything logical right now.

“Everyone, stop.” Cassie stood in the middle of the room, looking every inch the calm, in-control mom. “We’re all on edge. I feel it, too, but it’s just the storm. Bad weather makes things extra creepy.” Thunder picked that moment to crackle and drown out her voice. She waited until it died down again. “Don’t let your imaginations run wild.”

Alex glanced at her. “But, Cas. There’s a dead—”

“No.” Cassie’s voice rose and bobbled. “You heard me. It’s only a storm. A little rain.”

Fissures. Cracks. Sierra watched Cassie’s slick outer shell break then disintegrate. The frazzled tone and pleading in her eyes. Fear tugged and pulled at her even as she fought it.

Ignoring the last few hours of bickering and bossiness, Sierra extended her hand. Cassie stared at it for a few seconds then grabbed on to it.

The cacophony of wind and thunder rolled over the island.The shrieking melody had them crowding closer together. They jumped at every lightning strike and creaking noise.

During a brief lull Alex looked at Cassie. “I’m going out there.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Sierra could hear her rising panic. The terrible idea didn’t help to put her at ease.

Sierra felt a tremble move through Cassie, who stared back at her husband without saying a word, as if silently begging him not to play the hero. That made sense to Sierra. Before the storm and nightfall—maybe they should have done a quick look around outside. Gone out as a group. They’d had a fighting chance back then. The uneven terrain and the roiling cold water were enough of a deterrent now without adding in the horrifying reality of a stalker lurking out there.

“Don’t be a dumbass.” Mitch’s tone matched his words. “Do we even know how Tyler died? I didn’t do an examination, did you? A person could be out there with a knife or a gun.”

Alex exhaled in a way that suggested he was about to do something really not smart. “Someone is playing games with us.”

“Yeah, and that someone killed Tyler,” Ruthie shot back.

“Come on, man. You can’t out-macho a bullet.” Mitch’s voice took on a just-between-us-men quality. “Really, don’t leave this room.”

Alex shook his head. “What choice do we have? We can’t wait to be hunted and picked off.”

“No.” Cassie dropped Sierra’s hand and reached for her husband’s arm. “Alex, no.”

“I’m just going out on the porch, Cas. Maybe a few steps into the yard.” He stopped for two seconds to kiss her then looked around the room. “With all these windows you’ll be able to see me the whole time.”

Cassie glanced out the windows on the side of the house then to the one over the sink. “There are blind spots.”

“A few seconds while I round the corner.” He quickly pivoted. “I’m not a martyr. I’m not wandering far. I just want to know what we’re dealing with out there.”

That sounded strong and fierce... and so misguided. Sierra tried one more time to dissuade him. “Okay, but there’s no electricity and you won’t see very far with the light on your phone.”

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