Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

He recoiled into his desk, knocking the broken bottle to the floor. The rest of it shattered, sending splintered

pieces of glass to the far corners of the small room.

"What?" Thomas's voice was thick with fear. "What the hell are you talking

about?"

234

"She saw us together," Ariana spat, trying desperately to keep her voice down. If anyone heard her screaming

and caught her in Thomas's room, they were screwed. "She knows we had sex. She knows about Sergei."

Tears welled up in her eyes at the very sound of that name. "And she told me that if I didn't stay away from

you, she was going to tell Daniel everything. She said she'd go to the police." The weight of the threat was

palpable, heavy in the air. "The police, Thomas."

"Oh my God." Thomas rubbed his face with both hands, exhaling slowly. "Okay. Give me a second to think."

He jumped down from his desk, pacing back and forth in front of the bed. Head down. Glass crunched under

his every step. "How did you ..." he started. "Where did she find you?"

"In town."

Ariana suddenly felt drained. Every last bit of strength had been sapped from her body. It took everything she

had just to breathe. In and out. One breath at a time. She collapsed onto Thomas's bed, inhaling the scent of

his pillow. But even his familiar smell couldn't comfort her now.

Eyes closed, she took a deep breath and told him everything this Mel girl had said-except, of course, exactly

how Sergei had died.

"She's serious, Thomas," Ariana said quietly, wishing she could sink into the mattress and disappear. "I can

tell."

"Crazy bitch." Thomas stared at the floor for a while. "How the hell did she

even know about us?"

"I don't know, but she was following us all weekend," Ariana said. "I'm surprised she and Sergei didn't bump

into each other in the-"

235

Suddenly the truth rushed in on Ariana. It hit her so hard her brain went foggy for a moment. But when it

cleared again, she was sure. She knew exactly how Mel had found out about them.

"The North Face store," she said quietly.

"What?" Thomas said.