Page 137 of The Ruse

“I know.” I sighed.

I just had the worst luck in the universe tonight, apparently.

“I’ll leave you here to talk to him,” Nash said, eyeing Asher who had just opened the ballroom doors and was peeking inside as if looking for someone.

“Thanks,” I said.

Nash walked through the door Asher was still holding open, but Asher didn’t even seem to care. He just continued to run his gaze around the room.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, stepping up beside him, realizing only then that he wasn’t wearing his tuxedo anymore. Instead, he wore the puffy black coat he’d let me wear during the fire alarm and a pair of dark-wash jeans.

Was he going somewhere?

“I’m just looking for Jace and Logan.” He pulled his gaze away from the ballroom and looked at me. “I wanted to tell them where I’m going, but it looks like they’re busy.” He shrugged. “I’ll just text them.”

“You’re going somewhere?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He let the ballroom doors shut again and pushed his hands into the pockets of his coat. “I got a call from Bailee a little while ago, and she asked if I could come see her.”

“You’re going to see Bailee right now?” I asked. “As in,tonight?”

It was close to nine-thirty.

“We’re leaving early in the morning for Ridgewater, so I figured this was my chance to see her.”

Oh.

He eyed my necklace for a second. “And since I was just a backup, there’s not much for me to stick around for.”

Did he think I saw him as a backup?

“Anyway…” He glanced toward the front doors of the hotel. “Bailee said the car would be here to pick me up any minute. Could you just tell my cousins where I went? And that they shouldn’t wait up for me?”

They shouldn’t wait up for him?

What was he planning to do with Bailee?

When I’d watched the news report, I hadn’t seen her with a guy that could be the teacher she’d run away with. Was he out of the picture then? Was she hoping to get back together with Asher?

He’d been in love with her before. Did he want to pick up where they’d left off?

It was a crazy idea, but this whole thing with Bailee was pretty crazy so it was possible.

The doors opened, and Jess Brooks, a guy who graduated from Ridgewater High last year, suddenly burst into the hall like he was running away from something inside the ballroom.

Was all of Ridgewater here tonight? Because this was just getting weird now.

Jess stepped back when he saw Asher and me, a somewhat frantic look in his eyes. Then with a shake of his head, he said, “Sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here.” He darted down the hall like he couldn’t get out of the building fast enough.

“Is there a fire?” I asked, wondering what the heck was up with him.

Asher opened the ballroom doors so we could take a look at what might be going on inside, but everything looked normal.

Maybe Jess was justreallydone with the ball then?

Was it possible someone was having an even worse night than me?

Asher closed the doors again, and we both took a couple of steps down the hall, in case Jess’s date tried chasing after him.

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