When her car stopped and the driver hopped out to open the door, she sucked in a breath. She stepped out and before she knew it, she was ushered through a river of blinking lights. She couldn’t see a thing and was taken by the arm and escorted, blindingly through to the front entrance, where she was asked to present her invitation. She felt around for the small purse she had brought and presented it. The escort at her arm, assisted her inside and then politely excused himself to aid other people coming in.

  She took her time walking through the lobby of the aquarium, her eyes filled with dots from the flash bulbs. She had no idea when Jemse and Warren would arrive. She tried glancing around for Beau but didn’t spot him. She had told them to lay low and not approach her too often. With luck it would make her appear more vulnerable if she huddled alone by the wall.

  She was just hoping it wasn’t so crowded they couldn’t find her.

  With her mask on, she followed the crowd to the prepared ballroom where music was playing and some people were already dancing. Tables were set up in an arch surrounding the stage, some with reserved seats near the entertainment and the others left open to everyone else. A large buffet table display aligned one wall, with attendants at nearly every turn ready to plate your choice of roasted lamb, duck or caviar or aged cheese and wine. A large campaign glass fountain sat in the middle of the display, next to a large ice sculpture of a pineapple. Of course, she thought. Pineapple. Never saw that one coming.

  As the crowd grew, the music was stopped and an announcer asked for several young women to be brought up to be shown off for some princess of the ball contest. It was a new event, because Celeste didn’t remember that part from previous years. She was just turning around and hoping to see Beau or someone else around when a couple of girls pushed past her in order to get in line to be considered. A line formed around her, and she was swept up to step onto the stairs and wait in turn to be announced that she was in attendance for the contest. She blushed, and tried to back off, but there were too many girls and no room to move. They wouldn’t budge when she asked.

  And then she thought, why not? She wanted whoever to know she was there. Here’s the opportunity. Plus it gave Beau and the others a chance to really get a good look at where she was so she was sure they could keep an eye on her.

  She stood in line, listening to other girls around her flutter about their makeup and cry about not having a prettier dress.

  Before long she was next in line, and the announcer asked her name. She gave it to him and he turned to the crowd. “Miss Celeste Logan of Logan Enterprises!”

  The crowd applauded politely, but she also heard something else, a hiss and a few boos. Startled, she thought maybe it was other girls in competition booing in poor taste. It was really noticeable compared to girls before and after her, so she knew that might not be the case. People were unhappy. They blamed her.

  She had to a twirl to show off her gown and reveal her face so people could see who she was. She was then told to exit the stage, and she did.

  Once back on the main floor with everyone else, some folks surrounding her commented on her gown, the mask she wore, and congratulated her on entering the contest, etc. Some guys offered to vote for her, a few asked to dance. She smiled appropriately and then told them she would later. She just wanted to look around.

  At one point she was face to face with an older woman, a scowl on her face. She didn’t recognize her but she yelled over the commotion. “What are you doing here? I wouldn’t show your face.”

  She wasn’t sure what she said was what she heard correctly. “I’m sorry?”

  “Logan Enterprises is the worst corporation, and I can’t wait until it fails. You’re a drug addict. And you’re ruining everything.”

  “I’m sorry to hear you say that.” She tried to sound sincerely interested, and she was.

  “My husband’s business was destroyed due to the venue rent being too high. Every other building that he could rent is owned by your company. He can’t compete with other businesses. We’ve sunk so much money into it, we’re in debt up to our ears. It’s your fault. You’re too greedy.” Her eyes flamed.

  She blushed and apologized several times but the woman turned away without another word. People around them turned their backs, ignoring the confrontation.

  Celeste felt dizzy. She didn’t know how bad things had gotten. Well she knew, but she didn’t know how badly people now hated the company, her father’s company.

  Her head down, she walked toward the food displays, and asked for some water. She was presented with a crystal glass and was escorted to one of the tables. Sitting, she could see mostly the stage over the crowds that gathered to dance to the band. She wondered if this was a good idea at all. She wasn’t sure her being here was doing any good for the company, and she wondered if the guy with the goatee could even approach her during the ball. It was crowded and with so many people, maybe it was a mistake.

  The speakers began to screech a little and her attention turned to the stage. Leah Sanders, in a bright red, low cut gown, had taken the microphone away from the presenter and spoke, “On behalf of Logan Enterprises and my husband, John Sanders, now CEO of the company, I’d like to thank everyone for coming! My name is Leah Sanders. Please vote for me as princess.” She laughed daintily, and did a runway model turn in her dress, waving like royalty.

  Oi, Celeste thought.

  “This seat taken?”

  Beau took a seat next to her, wearing a tux and a simple dark eye mask across his face. “How are you doing?”

  “I wonder if the guy is going to show up.”

  He nodded. “It’s a busy crowd. I thought the society ladies restricted the number of people. Or maybe people are sneaking in.”

  “That would be a good thing for us if they were,” she said. “It’s then more likely our guy is here.”

  “Maybe,” he said. He took her hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it gently. “I know I hadn’t told you yet, but you do look lovely.”

  “I’m wearing a mask, silly.”

  “It’s a pretty mask.”

  She gave him a smirk. He stood up and then bent over to kiss the top of her head. “We’re all watching you. Cell phone reception is horrible in here, though. Just wave or something if you need anything.”

  She nodded. “Good luck.”

  He wandered off. After a few minutes another guy approached, asking her to dance. She accepted.

  The songs that followed transcended from waltzes and other slow numbers. The party planners were really trying to keep things super formal.

  As she danced with a masked stranger, there was some small talk exchanged. He didn’t know her and she didn’t know him. An elderly gentleman interrupted them as the song ended and the next one began, asking her for the next dance. She accepted his offer, too, to the disappointment of her first partner.

  The dancing continued on, and she was soon exhausted and dizzy. She negated other offers to dance and went looking for more water when she was side stepped by Leah. Damn, she thought. She was the only one she wasn’t wanting to find.

  The dress she was wearing dipped so low in between her breasts you could see her navel. Celeste was again feeling uncomfortable near her for what she was wearing. “I wasn’t told you would be here.”

  “I wasn’t told you would be here either. Now we’re even,” she said and tried to walk around her.

  “You’re not going to win the contest, you know. I’ve got the winning votes.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yay. You’re a princess for a ball. Congratulations. It’s an important achievement.”

  Her eyes blazed. “It’s not like you’ve ever accomplished anything. You’re pathetic. You’re some addict who can’t even afford a real dress. Even your dad was a loser.”

  Celeste sighed and tried to side step around her again. The next thing she knew, there was a splash at her face and she tasted wine on her lips. She licked at her lips, her hands brushing away the liquid. The dress soaked in the wine like a paper towel.

  Leah stood there, smirking. “Oops. Your dress got dirty. Guess you’ll have to go get it cleaned before you send it back to the rental store. Have a nice night.”

  Out of some wild instinct, Celeste’s fist shot out and she punched her in the nose. There was a loud squeal and Leah was on the ground, blood at her fingers as she covered her nose.

  A crowd gathered. Leah was shrieking. A group of girls covered her and tried to pick her up. The next thing Celeste knew, she was being pulled away by a man in a security uniform. Crowds gathered to see the commotion. Leah’s sharp wailing shot out over the music.

  As she was being escorted, she couldn’t tell what direction she was going in. Among the crowds and the lights and the yelling, she was passing by fish tanks and the next thing she knew, she was out a back doorway. The security guard who had taken her arm tossed her to the ground. “Can’t expect better from a spoiled brat.”

  The voice was familiar, and she looked up to see a thin face, goatee and a black mask across the face.

  “Who are you?” She asked, standing up and brushing off her dress. “How do you know me?” She checked the surroundings. She was in a back parking lot, the lights dim, cars were parked, probably people working at the party. Crap, she thought. Not a good place to be.

  “Not like you need to know.” He swaggered forward, a smirk on his face. “Not like you care. You don’t care about anything. Money. That’s all you care about.”

  “That’s not true. I don’t have any money.”

  He spat on the ground, and she heard a flick of something and caught the gleam of the Swiss knife in his hand. “That dress is worth a fortune, I bet. So is that house. You have money. It’s all you people want. Taking money is what you do. Not like you care. You’d rather play princess at the ball.”

  He swiped forward with his knife swinging in front of him wildly.

  She backed away from him and the knife but her heels caught in her dress and she was down on the ground. He jumped on her and she kicked outward, struggling. She caught him in the thigh and he howled, but he had a good grip on her and was on top of her. He snapped the knife across the dress, cutting it away from her body. She screamed in his face and struggled, and she tried get out from under him. He grasped at her neck for a necklace that was dangling and it came lose under his grip, ending up in his hands. Where he had cut through the dress was just enough for her to tear it off her body so she could get up and run.

  She ran toward the front end of the building. Soon she was in a crowd of people, wearing just her underwear and bra and hose, now ripped from the struggle. She didn’t care. She needed to find Beau.

  She went to the entrance, her tear streaked face and her hair now wild, startling everyone, and they backed away. More masked security guards came forward and asked her questions. At first, she backed off, blinded by tears, unsure if one of them was the masked guy who had chased her before. Several of them held her arms, asking what happened. She sobbed, struggling call out for Beau.

  He heard her. He shoved his way through the crowds and managed to wrap his jacket around her. Jemse and Warren were behind him.

  A cab that had dropped off some late stragglers left the door open and Beau shoved her inside. She struggled through her tears to tell him what happened.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  Jemse and Warren had stayed behind to try and look for the guy. Beau had the driver take them to his apartment.

  Inside, she put on a pair of jeans and borrowed one of his t-shirts. Now, away from the scene, she was shaking at the thought that the guy was close to her, with a knife and with unknown intentions.

  “This was a stupid idea. We never should have done it.”

  She nodded, but wasn’t really listening. “I don’t think he’d be there any more. He knows we left.”

  Beau paced, “I should have kept closer to you. I shouldn’t have let you talk us into this. This was crazy.”

  “You didn’t know how it would turn out.”

  “You were...”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “He cut off the dress and was ranting about money. He’s just crazy and has me as a target. I think he meant to scare me.”

  “He could have killed you out there.”

  “But he didn’t,” she said. “He’s had opportunities, but he hasn’t killed me.”

  “Not yet.”

  They fell into silence. Struggling with her thoughts, she went to the window, looking out into downtown Charleston and to the water.

  “We should go back to Kiawah,” she said.

  “You’re crazy. He could be there waiting for you.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “That’s good. Maybe he thinks I’ll go back home after what happened. He’s probably waiting for me now. It’s perfect. We’ll catch him and make him talk.”

  “I don’t know. If I can reach Jemse...”

  “We may not have time. I don’t know. But I think if we do it right, we can surprise him and find out who he is.”

  “You’re crazy,” Beau said. “Absolutely nuts.”

  Maybe she was crazy. Mostly, she was tired of the mystery and tired of being harassed. She wanted it to be over. Now. She smirked at him and then reached for her purse, pulling out the photo Kris had been hanging on to. She looked at it, at the front room, and suddenly she grinned. “Ready to play Sherlock?”

  Beau drove through Kiawah’s small roads. Most of the homes were darkened. Only two homes looked occupied, with lights on and shadows in the windows. As they passed by them, she wondered what would happen if they did catch the crazy guy snooping around her house. Some part of her wondered if he was at all involved with the guy who had also been searching her house. Could they make a lot of noise and alert neighbors if they ran into trouble? Would anyone hear them if things went wrong? Would the police come if she called? After the crazy night she’s had, she wondered if anyone would look at her the way they used to before it all started. She thought about the photos possibly already on the news about the crazy thing at the ball.

  The sound of crashing glass could be heard over the car engine, and before she ever saw the house, she just knew it was hers. On a hunch, she whispered to Beau and he flicked the lights off on the car and drove forward toward the driveway, stopping in the road when they had a good view of the house. While it was very dark, there was an outside light from the neighbors’ home, which revealed a figure standing in front of the house. There was a thunk and another crashing sound was heard and then she realized that whoever was standing in the front lawn was purposefully breaking the windows.

  Great, she thought. She looked over at Beau. He motioned for her to wait, and then he slipped out of the car into the dark, walking along the shadows around the neighbor’s house. She had no idea where he was going, but just as she was settling into the driver side seat, ready to drive off just in case, the guy in the front lawn stopped throwing rocks. He turned, as if he heard something. A few minutes went by, her holding her breath, waiting for Beau to pop out and tackle the guy or something. Nothing happened. The guy went back to throwing rocks. Go figure she couldn’t count on Beau to be predictable. It was exhausting just waiting on him. After a few minutes, nothing happened. She didn’t want to wait any more. The guy was running out of windows to smash. Where was Beau?

  And then the guy, probably tired from throwing, stopped and started walking away. He was going to get away!

  She turned on the high beams and honked, racing the car forward through the yard. If it was the goatee guy, she had full intention of running him over.

  When the lights flipped on and the car turned into the drive to drive through the yard, she could see it was the goatee guy, now unmasked, long hair tied behind his head and the same security outfit. He raised a thin arm to cover his face, backing off when he could tell the car was coming for him. He put his other hand out, waving it protectively and shouted, “Stop! Don’t!”

  If she had any sense at all, she would have called the cops then from her locked car, if not running into him to keep him pinned. However, she wasn’t sure if she could kill the guy, so she had no gumption to run the guy over yet. She stopped the car, keeping the high beams on and opened the door.

  “Who are you?” she asked. She rechecked to make sure the car was parked and then stood up, looking over the open door. “And why are you throwing rocks at the windows?”

  He squinted into the light, adjusting his footing. Something in the way he was swaying made her think he wasn’t all there. She wasn’t sure if he was drunk or stoned. “Why do you care?”

  “I care because I live here. I care because you stole my dress and have been harassing me for weeks. Did you hit my friend? I’m calling the cops.”

  She went for her cell phone in the car, but before she could pull it from the front seat she felt a pair of arms lifting her out of the car and off the ground.

  “No, you’re not,” he said. She could feel the dirt and grease from the guy’s mop of hair and cringed as it touched her skin as he hefted her up on his shoulder. He smelled heavily of smoke. It wasn’t pot or cigarettes, but she couldn’t place it. “You’re going to sit here quietly until I’m through, and then I’m going to go.”

  She struggled in his arms. He may have been skinny, but he was super strong. He had her on his shoulder and she was kicking and beating on his back. “Stop! Put me down.” She tried shouting, hoping the neighbors would alert security.

  She was lifted higher in the air and then dropped on the ground. The air left her lungs, and she was stunned for a moment. She thought maybe something was wrong with her and for the longest time she couldn’t move. When her lungs finally started working again, she sucked in gulps of air and coughed hard.