Page 109 of Tangled Lies

“Complimentary champagne and water from the groom and the groomsman.”

Reina went to grab the bottle, but the woman pushed past her. I shot up.

“Excuse you. My maid of honor can pour it just fine for us. But thank you.”

The woman flashed me a smile that screamed pretentious bitch rather than humble server.

“Sorry, miss. I was told to make sure you got it. I work directly for the Barone family, you’ll have to excuse my disrespect for your friend.”

What the hell? Something seemed off.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we need the drinks. I have water already.”

To prove a point, I grabbed the large bottle of water that already had a straw in it as I attempted to not mess up my makeup.

“Well then, niece.”

I looked up at the door and the bottle in my hand slipped free.

“Uncle?”

I tried to keep the surprise and fear from my voice, but it wasn’t possible.

“You do look beautiful. Wonderful day for a wedding. Too bad you’ll be missing this one. Be a good little girl and drink the champagne.”

I saw the sudden movement of Reina and almost felt something hopeful, until I watched the server hit her on the back of the head. Reina dropped to the floor with a thud.

“Now, now. There’s no need for violence. Margaux, Carrow is still willing to have you. I was disappointed to see the wedding invitation even after all my efforts to make sure the Barone family got what they wanted and I got what I did. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

I reached behind me for my phone and something else to throw. All I came back with was the water. Fine. It was just him and the server. I could maybe get around them. I just needed to get to the hall where someone would hear me screaming.

I threw the mostly full bottle at my uncle and grabbed the skirt of the wedding dress to sprint around him. I tried to stay low and shove my shoulder into his stomach as I passed him.

I screamed the second I got to the door.

“Ronan, Knox, help.”

I couldn’t get out anyone else’s name and didn’t get any further into the hall because of the damn dress. That server was clearly not just a server and I knew that, but I was still out of options. I grabbed my phone and got it unlocked in time to push whatever favorite my thumb hit and I started to scream. The woman behind me not only stepped on the dress so that I fell, but she didn’t bother with hitting me. No. I got a sharp needle to my neck. I fought whatever was in that needle for a few secondsand quickly shoved the phone down the front of the dress, seeing the writing on the wall.

I’d tried to fight, but with the weight of her on my head and the burning of the needle, I wasn’t getting far without help.

I heard the ripping and knew the dress wasn’t going to make it even if I did fight her off. I grabbed for anything, but it was getting hard to breathe.

“Fighting just makes the drug pump through you faster,” said the woman I didn’t know.

“Margaux, be good. You wouldn’t be in this predicament if you would have just died with your parents, now would you?”

My uncle’s words sent a sharp bolt of pain cutting through my chest, and I faltered, giving them the time they needed.

Suddenly the world was quicksand and I was trying to swim upstream against the thick, viscous air.

“Good girl, Margaux. Just give in.”

He lifted me when I couldn’t stop him. I heard the shout of Jett from somewhere, but with the quicksand came the drowning. His words were distant and muffled. I wasn’t sure where I was going. The room went in and out of focus until I was being shoved into a car of some kind.

“She’ll be there,” my uncle said from somewhere nearby.

My body was flung down on the seat like a rag doll and my arms were tugged, but I couldn’t feel much. My eyes grew heavy.