Acid boiled in my stomach. The way Dallas acted only confirmed my fears that anything might set him off. I sucked in a breath and made one final attempt. “Lorea texted me about Natalie’s wedding site just before you came. I’ll need her help later to sort out some of my notes.” I grabbed the phone and began texting before he could reply. My mind spun as I tried to think of a cryptic message I could send to Lorea in case Dallas took my phone again.
Hey, I need your help. For Natalie’s wedding, could you call Wes’s best friend for a quote? I’m home.
I moved to put the phone in my pocket, but Dallas grabbed it. “You know she’ll text you right back. This way you won’t be distracted.”
Forcing myself not to react to the adrenaline telling me to run, I nodded.
Dallas slid my phone into his pocket. “I’m so happy you said yes.”
I attempted a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
It took all my willpower to walk demurely from the room and resist sprinting down the hall. Grabbing Briette’s picture off my dresser, I hurried to my bathroom and locked the door. I didn’t say yes, I thought. I looked at the sparkling diamonds and bit back tears. Clutching the picture frame, I slid open the bottom drawer and placed Briette out of sight. Removing memory triggers might help me to deal with Dallas.
I could feel my body trembling. Lorea was my one hope. I prayed that she would understand the text. With a shaky breath I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes were dark with fear. If I could just wipe the panic from my face, I would be able to continue this charade until the police arrived. But what if Dallas reacted violently when he heard the sirens coming? If someone was coming. My stomach churned, and for a moment I thought I might be sick. I took deep, steadying breaths and tried to think of my options. They were few.
Dallas might wonder what was taking so long. I should’ve taken my phone back, but I was too afraid of how he might react. Maybe I could tell him I needed five more minutes—make up some excuse to get my phone and call 911. Rolling my shoulders back, I lifted the corners of my mouth and opened the bathroom door.
Dallas stood in front of me, his hand resting on the doorframe. I jumped and tried to repress the scream climbing up my throat.
“You scared me!” I forced a shaky laugh.
Dallas narrowed his eyes. He grabbed my arm, jerked me forward, and dangled my cell phone in front of me.
“Were you trying to tell Lorea something?”
“No, I just—”
He gripped my arm tighter.
“Stop it, Dallas.” I tried to grab my phone, but he held it out of my reach.
He glared at me and threw my phone against the wall. I screamed as the glitter case popped off and the phone fell behind my headboard. I couldn’t hide my fear as he shook his head, making a tsking sound with his tongue. “Oh, Adrielle. I thought you would be happy to see that ring again.” He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away. The ring was the only proof I had of his identity as Briette’s murderer. I wouldn’t let him take it from me now.
“Dallas, what’s wrong?”
He held up a wedding planning book, and I took a step back, covering my mouth to suppress a whimper. He had found Briette’s binder. It had been sitting in plain sight on my bookshelf. Of course I’d kept it. Inside were pictures of her exotic engagement ring, her dress, Caleb and Briette together. Seeing her again might have triggered some new level of insanity for Dallas.
He squeezed the spine of the book until his fingertips turned white. “I’m not in this book, but I was there every step of the way.” He spoke in a low voice that left me petrified. “Briette went out on a date with me right before she met him. I’m certain things would have worked for us, if Caleb hadn’t gotten in the way.” The fury in his eyes dissipated as he looked at me. “But maybe it was all for the best, so I could find you.” He flipped open the wedding binder and held it so I could see.
The air in my lungs felt as if it had turned to ice. He dragged his finger down the page until it rested on a picture of me and Briette. We were sitting in the grass, wiggling our freshly painted purple toenails, and laughing at the camera.
“That’s why I picked you. Briette talked about you all the time—it was natural to love you. She said you wanted to get married but hadn’t met the right person yet.” He looked down at the picture again and back at me. “It was hard to find you at first—you disappeared. And I had to wait for the right time. But look at us now. Briette would be happy to see us together.”
“She was my best friend.” Tears ran down my face, but I didn’t move to wipe them away.
“I loved her. I tried to help her, but she couldn’t see how she was throwing her life away for that scumbag.” He took a step forward, and I cowered. I had seen his strength when he rescued me from the diamond thief. I didn’t stand a chance against him. “Come here, Adri. It will be different with you. You have a better understanding of what marriage means.”
Dallas flipped his wrist, and I saw a gleam of silver in his hand.
“Dallas, please. I’m sorry it took me so long to say it, but I do love you. I’ve been scared. It’s hard for me, working with so many couples and then seeing those marriages fail. I’m cautious.”
He inched closer, the blade of his knife reflecting the light toward my face. “But you’re just
