I hand the phone back to Ash. “Do you know what’s going on?”
He shakes his head. “Only that I need to get you home, like now.”
“Oh, you’re not leaving, Joey.” Monique slips an arm around my shoulder, her lips pulled into a dramatic pout.
“I’m sorry, I have to,” I say with a roll of my eyes, annoyed at being called away from my best friend’s birthday party with no explanation other than Max ordered me to.
“Is something wrong?” Monique asks, her eyes wide with curiosity now.
“I have no idea.” I shrug. “But I need to go.”
“Aw, Joeeeey,” Monique whines, clinging to my arm. She must have had way more margaritas than I thought because she’s never this clingy.
“Oh, stop. You have a dozen friends here, you won’t even know I’m gone.”
“We need to move,” Ash says, nodding toward the house.
“I’ll just go get changed. I’ll meet you out front.”
Ash shakes his head. “Not allowed to take my eyes off you for a second.”
I frown. “What?”
“Except when you’re changing out of your wet bathing suit, obviously.”
“Maximo is worse than my brothers,” I mutter under my breath.
“I’ll come help you,” Monique says. “Just let me grab our drinks.”
“I’m fine, Mo. Enjoy the party and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She opens her mouth, feigning indignation. “If my best friend in the whole world is leaving my birthday party early, the least she could do is let me have one last drink with her.”
“No margaritas for the road.” Ash shakes his head. “We need to go. Now.”
“Oh, we can drink while she changes, Ash. Go on through and I’ll follow you in.” She wanders over to the poolside pop-up bar.
“If we move quickly, we might get out of here before she even has time to fix another drink and find us,” Ash says with a grin and hands me a towel from the locker beside him.
“Don’t be mean,” I say, nudging his arm with my elbow.
He laughs as we head toward the house. “I know she’s your friend, but you have to admit she’s a bit full on.”
“She’s just vibrant, is all. She lives life to the fullest.”
He arches an eyebrow at me. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
I’m drying my hair with a towel when someone knocks on the door of the small shower room. “Come in.”
Monique walks through the door with a margarita in each hand and a grin on her face. Ash holds the door open, covering his eyes with his other hand. “You got two minutes before I come and grab you out of there, Joey.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll be out in one.”
With a nod, he shuts the door.
“One last birthday drink?” Monique says, holding up a salt-rimmed glass.
“I have to go,” I remind her, pulling my dress over my head.
“It’s my freaking birthday.” She stomps her foot on the floor for effect.
I sigh, taking the margarita from her. “See how much I can drink in thirty seconds.”
“I bet I can down mine way faster than you, Moretti.”
Narrowing my eyes, I scowl. “You really think?”
“I know.”
“Huh.” I lift the glass to my lips, tip my head back, and down the entire cocktail in one gulp. When I look at her, she’s grinning at me, her drink still untouched.
“You not even going to try and beat me?” I ask, but my words sound like they’re coming from underwater. Now Monique sways on her feet. Or is that me?
“W-wha?” My legs buckle and I drop to the floor. The glass tumbles from my hand. The sound of shattering glass comes from a distance as my head smacks the marble.
“Never could resist a challenge, could you, Joey?”
My eyes flutter closed, but I manage to reopen them long enough to see her take a gun from a small locker. No! I try to shout for Ash, but my mouth won’t open.
Everything goes dark but I can still hear.
The door opens. “Is everything okay?” Thank God! Ash is here.
A muffled gunshot is followed by a sickening thud.
I try to move, screaming at my body to get up and run, but I’m paralyzed. My heart races. Where’s Ash? What the hell is Monique doing?
Drifting in and out of consciousness, I can’t make sense of the snippets of conversation floating above me.
“Hey, baby, it’s me … move fast … take her home … don’t know … he’s dead … there’s another one outside … as soon as you can.”
Then nothing.
