Darkness Before Dawn

Aimee waves her hand and explains that a lot of people come to these events, and Connor usually doesn't make it even when he says he will.
    "Don't count me out just yet," Connor booms behind us, making me laugh.
    I turn around and look at him in surprise when I see he's wearing a tuxedo and has a pretty brunette on his arm that's smiling in apprehension.
    "This is Sandra," Connor announces before introducing us all to her. When he gets to Blake he pauses and gives her a pointed look that leaves me confused. Blake's smile widens and she stands.
    "It's so great to meet you, Sandra. I'm Connor's cousin," Blake says, which confuses me even more.
    "Good to meet you, Blake," Sandra says, smiling happily.
    "Your son is absolutely adorable, I've seen a million pictures of him. He looks like trouble," Blake continues.
    "Oh, you have no idea! Like father, like son," Sandra says with a laugh.
    "I am not trouble!" Connor says as he looks at Sandra in adoration, and I realize who she is.
    Once we settle down in our seats again, Mark shows up with his date, who Blake also happens to know and talks to for a couple of minutes.
    "How do you know all these people?" I whisper as the food is being served.
    She smiles. "Sandra is Connor's ex but not really ex—it's complicated. He's always talking about her. I'm surprised you don't know who she is. And Mark's date I know from his office," she says in a low whisper.
    "Got it," I reply before taking a sip of champagne and leaning back into my seat.
    All of us fall into easy conversation for the duration of our meal before Blake excuses herself to go to the bathroom. Aimee also gets up and accompanies her, tossing her napkin aside before walking rapidly after her.
    I crinkle my eyebrows when the waiter brings over the dessert and I realize that I've been so enrapt in conversation that I hadn't noticed Blake taking a little too long in the bathroom. I look around, pivoting my body in my seat to look for her but don't see any sign of her or Aimee.
    "Aub, is it me or have they been gone a long time?" I ask curiously. Women always take long in the bathroom—I've learned that over the years. But something doesn't feel right.
    "You're right," he responds as his eyebrows knit together.
    A loud shriek rings through the ballroom and the feeling of dread that was threatening to consume the pit of my stomach, does. My eyes shoot to Connor's as I get up and take off into a sprint in the direction of the screams. I hear stomps behind me and assume Connor and Aubry are following, maybe Mark, but don't care enough to look. My vision tunnels and my ears clog as I look around anxiously for the bathrooms, bumping a couple of people out of my way in the process. My shoulder crashes into a blur of brown hair when I round the corner and I grab on to the feminine figure to steady her. My heart rate spikes even higher when I look past Aimee and realize she's by herself.
    "Where is she?" I shout, shaking Aimee by the shoulders.
    "There! There!" Aimee shrieks, pointing at the door as she runs toward it again.
    "Aimee!" Aubry screams behind us and grabs her as she tries to shake out of his hold, shouting that she has to get to Blake.
    I turn the knob of the door she pointed at and find that it's locked. I slam my shoulder into it as hard as I can once, twice, three times before I decide to start kicking it.
    "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, CONNOR!" I yell loudly.
    He runs quickly to me and pulls out the pistol from his back, making people around us scream in alarm and start to scramble in every direction.
    "Get out of the way!" he shouts, pushing me aside.
    "Give it to me!" I demand, earning a 'you've got to be kidding me' look that I don't have time for.
    "Are you fucking crazy? You're not using my gun!" he shouts back, pushing me away and aiming it at the doorknob.
    Screaming coming from the kitchen doors makes our heads snap in that direction before we take off running that way.

 

    "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I yell loudly as Benny walks me through the commercial kitchen of the hotel. The chefs and everybody else dressed in white drop everything to either scream or put their hands up. "HELP ME!" I scream, looking at them with wild eyes, not understanding how they could just be standing out of the way watching this happen.
    "Yeah, yeah, stay out of it unless you want your head capped!" He spits, pushing the barrel of the gun into the back of my skull, making me close my eyes and shiver at the bite of it. "Well,