Chapter 4 THE LOCKDOWN

LONDON'S POV

There were too many people. I couldn't see him anywhere.

My heart was beating out of my chest. The warmth from the alcohol suddenly disappeared. The screams around the stone patio got louder, a wave of panic breaking out through the crowd. I took a step back, looking frantically at their faces.

Maybe he had left. Maybe I was wrong.

Then I saw him.

The people near the fountain moved aside, and Julian stepped into the light. He walked smoothly, making his way toward the center of the chaos, right toward the body.

I froze, staring at him. I couldn't look away. I focused on the line of his shoulders under his suit.

Was that him on the balcony? Was it really him?

I wanted to convince myself it was a trick of the shadows. I wanted to believe my mind was playing games because of our past. But that exact, rigid posture was a terrifying match.

Suddenly, Julian stopped. As if he felt me staring, he turned his head.

Our eyes met across the screaming crowd.

In that moment, everything except him disappeared. His eyes were wide and unreadable, leaving me speechless. I gasped, cold sweat forming on my neck.

A new fear hit me. Did he know? Did he see me standing on the walkway?

Before I could read anything else on his face, he looked away, moving closer to the villa staff.

"Step back! Everyone step away from the body immediately!"

The voice was loud and rigid.

A man pushed through the circle of guests, followed by four guards in uniform. The music had stopped completely. The only sound left was the ocean waves crashing against the cliffs below.

"Is she breathing?" someone shouted.

"Did she fall? She must have slipped!" another voice cried out. "We need to call the mainland. We need the police!"

The man didn't respond to them. He knelt beside Nina briefly, checking her neck with his fingers. A moment passed. He exhaled slowly and shook his head once before rising, his face expressionless. Something was unsettling about how calm he looked. He stepped onto the steps, gazing over the frantic crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Gideon Shaw, head of security," Gideon announced. "There has been a tragic accident. Until the proper authorities arrive from the mainland, Wyndham Island is under a mandatory safety lockdown."

A murmur of fear ran through the guests. "What does that mean?" a man asked.

"It means nobody leaves Wyndham Island," Gideon said flatly. "The marina and the docks are closed. No boats will be departing. Communication networks are restricted until authorities arrive. For your own safety, you will remain in your suites. Please follow security instructions."

I stood frozen as a guard gestured for me to move inside. Was he really protecting us, or was he trapping us here?

The walk back to the private wing felt like a nightmare. The luxury hallways now felt like a prison, with security guards standing at every corner.

When I pushed open the doors of our suite, Tessa and Isla were already there.

Tessa was pacing around the room, her fingers tearing through her hair, her outfit completely wrinkled. Isla was sitting at the edge of the bed, her knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the floor. They both jumped when they saw me.

"Thank god," Tessa breathed, rushing over to grab my arms. "London, where were you? We've been looking everywhere. The place is crawling with guards."

"I was at the party," I whispered, my voice shaking as I leaned against the doorframe. "I saw it happen, Tess."

Tessa's eyes widened. "You saw her fall?"

"No," I said, looking directly into her eyes. "It was dark, but I saw her get pushed. Nina didn't slip. There was a struggle, and someone threw her over the railing."

Isla flinched violently from the bed, her head snapping up, but she didn't say anything.

Tessa froze. "Are you sure, London? You said it was dark and everyone was drinking. Are you absolutely certain?"

"I didn't see the face," I admitted, my hands shaking so hard I had to ball them into fists. "The alcohol blurred everything. But I remember the body type, the shape of the shoulders. Tess, I think I know who it was."

Before Tessa could ask for a name, the suite's wall intercom chimed. A guard's flat voice broadcast through the panel, informing us that a strict curfew was now in effect and we were required to stay inside until daylight.

A few hours ago, Nina had been standing on the yacht laughing with us. Now she was dead.

We didn't sleep. The hours dragged by in a heavy silence, the three of us trapped in our own heads while the waves outside kept crashing against the island.

The morning sun streamed through the glass windows when the door finally swung open. Jade entered the suite, her tight black dress torn at the hem, her pink hair wild, her eyes bloodshot.

Tessa jumped to her feet, the relief of seeing Jade alive curdling fast into anxiety. She reached out, touching Jade's arm, checking the torn fabric.

"Jade! Where the hell have you been?" Her voice was a mix of whisper and demand. "We were up all night worried sick about you. Why do you look like that? Where were you?"

She took one look at our faces and forced a grin.

"Okay, this is either an intervention or you're about to tell me the minibar's out of tequila last night."

No one laughed.

Her smile crumbled almost instantly. She looked down at her hands.

"Can we... can we please talk about something else?"

Jade flinched, stepping back. She turned toward the window instead, pointing down at the grounds.

"Why are there security guards standing at every corner of the villa? The whole place looks like a military camp this morning."

Tessa crossed her arms, refusing to let it go, but Isla's quiet voice cut through the room.

"Someone died at the party last night." Her voice was completely flat.

Jade stopped in her tracks, her face draining of color. She turned slowly. "What? Who?"

"The woman from the boat," I said quietly. "Nina Weston."

The moment the name left my lips, Jade panicked. She gripped the edge of the table, her breathing turning shallow.

"Dead? What do you mean dead?" She shook her head as if she could physically refuse it. "Okay. Okay, we need to leave. Start packing right now. We need to leave this place immediately."

"We can't, Jade." Tessa walked over, wrapping a steadying hand around her shaking shoulder. "The docks are blocked. No boats are leaving until the mainland authorities get here."

"Then we swim." Jade's voice cracked on the edge of a laugh that wasn't really a laugh. "I didn't survive four years of Isla dragging me to awful swimming classes for nothing"

"I never dragged you anywhere," Isla said quietly.

That's not the point, Isla."

The joke died in her throat. Jade sank onto the sofa, her face in her hands.

"I only came here for a vacation," she said, muffled. "How the hell did I end up being investigated?"

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Jade lifted her head, her eyes glassy.

"I still can't believe she's dead," she whispered. "She was so beautiful on the yacht. So elegant." She turned toward the corner. "Isla, did you notice how excited she was about the island? She seemed so happy."

Isla didn't answer.

I looked over at her. She was sitting perfectly still, her hands gripping her folder so tightly her knuckles had gone pale. Her face was blank, like she hadn't heard a single word Jade had said.

"Isla?" I took a step toward her. "Are you okay?"

She blinked slowly, pulling herself back into the room. She didn't look at me. She just stared at Jade.

"I'm just... tired," she murmured, barely audible. "My head still hurts."

I watched her closely. Something about her felt wrong. I couldn't explain it. She didn't look like someone mourning a stranger. She looked like someone afraid of being asked the wrong question.

Tessa opened her mouth to talk but was distracted by the sound of the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three sharp, heavy blows rattled the door of the suite.

The room went dead silent. Jade's ruined almost smile vanished completely. Tessa straightened, moving toward the door.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"Security," a cold voice answered. "Mr. Shaw needs to speak with you regarding the incident."

My stomach dropped.

A pause. Then, through the door:

"All four of you."