Every second dragged like an eternity.
Since that woman had stumbled in earlier, no one else had shown up—not a guest, not even a single staff member. The silence felt unnatural, heavy, wrong.
Violet lowered her eyes, trying to gauge where Liam’s feet were from the corner of her vision.
Then—another sound.
This time the door didn’t just rattle. It slammed open.
Everything happened in a blur.
A figure shot through the doorway like a bullet, closing the distance before either of them could react. In the next instant, the grip on Violet vanished. Liam let out a strangled groan, stumbling forward as the knife clattered across the floor.
By the time Violet spun around, Liam was already pinned to the ground—his arms twisted painfully behind his back, Jay’s knee pressing between his should
