Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

saw something else. Raw fear. Her lips curved into a half smile. Her body felt completely relaxed, drained of

any tension or anger she'd felt toward the girl before. She was calm, collected.

Because Mel was afraid. And that fear put Ariana in control.

"I think you know what I want," she said lightly. "I want Thomas. But you were going to take him away from

me." She reached over to the lamp on Mel's bedside table. It was cracked in several places, and she traced the

cracks slowly, deliberately, with the tip of her index finger, the cashmere gloves occasionally catching on the

tiny nicks. "I think we both know I can't let that happen, Melissa."

Mel's body was heaving now, her face reddening. "You stole him," she said, her deep voice getting

progressively louder over the sound of the shriek of a guitar solo radiating from the earbuds on the floor.

"He's mine, and-"

"Not anymore," Ariana said sharply, cutting her off. "He's not yours anymore. He'd never want you back

after everything you did to him. Everything you did to us." Her pulse was starting to race again, and she

paused, willing herself to calm down. Evened her breathing. "Stalking us, blackmailing us, stealing that

picture of me-"

244

"That wasn't me," Mel said frantically, gripping her blanket in her fists. Pressing her back against the wall.

"That boy. He broke into your room and stole the picture. I watched him do it."

"Liar." Ariana hissed. "Sergei was innocent. He never did anything to hurt you. And you killed him."

"I killed him?" Mel laughed, looking Ariana boldly in the eye. "Sounds like you've forgotten the most

important part of the story, Ariana. The part where he begged you for his life. Begged you to help him. The

part where you shoved him under. And the part where you lied to Thomas about it. So I'd be careful who I

called a liar, if I were you."

Mel's suddenly composed demeanor sent jolts of fury through Ariana. She'd only lied to Thomas to because

she had to. Only shielded him from the knowledge of how Sergei had died. Protected him. Her hands began to

tremble.

"You think Thomas will want you when he finds out about what you did to that boy?" Mel barked, leaning

forward on the bed. "You think he wants to be with a murderer?" She dove toward Ariana, a wild look in her

eye. "He'll leave you! Just like he left me!"

"No!" Ariana reached for the lamp on the bedside table, wrapping her fist around its base. The cord ripped

from the wall as Ariana lunged toward the bed and the room was plunged was into darkness.