gloves.
“I’ll be right there,” she called. She was folding the towel when the knob on the bathroom door jiggled.
“I said I’ll be right there,” said Esperanza. “Just take a seat in the living room.”
She hung the towel on the rack, smoothed her hair, straightened up, and took a deep breath before opening the door.
Chapter 19
P iper stared out the window as the limousine entered the grounds of Elysium. The long driveway was edged with dense trees bearing glossy green leaves and lacy sprays of small white flowers.
“What are those?” she asked.
“Avocado trees,” answered the driver. “In a few months, they’ll be laden with fruit. We use them in so many things here, from beauty treatments to milk shakes.”
The car pulled up in front of a white stucco mansion with a sienna-colored tile roof. A young man dressed in a peach cotton shirt and khaki slacks immediately came to the limousine and opened the rear door.
“Welcome to Elysium, señorita, ” he said as Piper got out of the car.
She inhaled the sweet, fresh air and looked around. Clusters of palm trees, fronds swaying in the breeze, flanked the mansion. Hibiscus and bougainvillea grew from gigantic clay pots carefully placed around the perimeter of the stone-paved courtyard, while water cascaded over the sides of a three-tiered fountain in the middle. Everything was bathed in Southern California sunlight and exuded a feeling of carefully cultivated well-being.
“Miss Abernathy is expecting you,” said the man.
Piper followed as he carried her duffel through the expansive lobby to the massive walnut reception desk at the end of the room. Upholstered chairs were strategically placed near the glass walls that offered breathtaking views of the landscape. The area was quiet, calm, and soothing.
As Piper waited for the desk clerk to complete making notations in the computer, she heard a woman’s voice behind her.
“Piper?”
Turning around, she recognized Jillian Abernathy, who was even prettier in person. Piper noticed that the length and color of the woman’s hair were almost exactly the same as her own.
The two women shook hands and exchanged greetings.
“That’s a long flight,” said Jillian. “You’re probably beat. There’s a masseuse on standby for you. Would you like her to come to your room now?”
“That would be fantastic,” said Piper. “Unless you think I should check out the kitchen and tour the rest of the place first.”
“It’s up to you,” said Jillian. “But I usually find that I can pay more attention when I’m rested.”
“And I’m in love already,” said Piper.
“Good.” Jillian turned to the desk clerk. “What room is Miss Donovan in?”
The clerk checked the computer screen as Jillian’s phone sounded.
“Excuse me,” said Jillian, putting the phone to her ear. She listened, the pleasant expression falling from her face. “Call 911, and I’ll be right there,” she snapped. Without another word, she took off.
Instinctively, Piper followed.
I t was chaos in the bungalow.
Piper stood to the side of the room and tried to stay out of the way as a man administered CPR to a woman on the floor. A plastic mask hung away from the woman’s face, revealing grotesquely ravaged, red skin. In stark contrast was the beautiful caramel-colored hair that fanned out around her head.
“Oh, my God! Dear God, no!” Jillian Abernathy cried, rocking herself. “This can’t be happening. It can’t be. Please, Esperanza. Live. You’ve got to live!”
As Piper stared, she began to make connections. The woman who lay crumpled on the floor with wide-open, bloodshot eyes and a dark red trickle oozing from her nose was the same woman who had suffered the acid attack meant for Jillian Abernathy.
Ambulance technicians arrived, and the man who’d been administering CPR moved back and put his arm around Jillian. Piper suddenly recognized him. He was the guy in Jillian’s Facebook picture. Her
“I’ll be right there,” she called. She was folding the towel when the knob on the bathroom door jiggled.
“I said I’ll be right there,” said Esperanza. “Just take a seat in the living room.”
She hung the towel on the rack, smoothed her hair, straightened up, and took a deep breath before opening the door.
Chapter 19
P iper stared out the window as the limousine entered the grounds of Elysium. The long driveway was edged with dense trees bearing glossy green leaves and lacy sprays of small white flowers.
“What are those?” she asked.
“Avocado trees,” answered the driver. “In a few months, they’ll be laden with fruit. We use them in so many things here, from beauty treatments to milk shakes.”
The car pulled up in front of a white stucco mansion with a sienna-colored tile roof. A young man dressed in a peach cotton shirt and khaki slacks immediately came to the limousine and opened the rear door.
“Welcome to Elysium, señorita, ” he said as Piper got out of the car.
She inhaled the sweet, fresh air and looked around. Clusters of palm trees, fronds swaying in the breeze, flanked the mansion. Hibiscus and bougainvillea grew from gigantic clay pots carefully placed around the perimeter of the stone-paved courtyard, while water cascaded over the sides of a three-tiered fountain in the middle. Everything was bathed in Southern California sunlight and exuded a feeling of carefully cultivated well-being.
“Miss Abernathy is expecting you,” said the man.
Piper followed as he carried her duffel through the expansive lobby to the massive walnut reception desk at the end of the room. Upholstered chairs were strategically placed near the glass walls that offered breathtaking views of the landscape. The area was quiet, calm, and soothing.
As Piper waited for the desk clerk to complete making notations in the computer, she heard a woman’s voice behind her.
“Piper?”
Turning around, she recognized Jillian Abernathy, who was even prettier in person. Piper noticed that the length and color of the woman’s hair were almost exactly the same as her own.
The two women shook hands and exchanged greetings.
“That’s a long flight,” said Jillian. “You’re probably beat. There’s a masseuse on standby for you. Would you like her to come to your room now?”
“That would be fantastic,” said Piper. “Unless you think I should check out the kitchen and tour the rest of the place first.”
“It’s up to you,” said Jillian. “But I usually find that I can pay more attention when I’m rested.”
“And I’m in love already,” said Piper.
“Good.” Jillian turned to the desk clerk. “What room is Miss Donovan in?”
The clerk checked the computer screen as Jillian’s phone sounded.
“Excuse me,” said Jillian, putting the phone to her ear. She listened, the pleasant expression falling from her face. “Call 911, and I’ll be right there,” she snapped. Without another word, she took off.
Instinctively, Piper followed.
I t was chaos in the bungalow.
Piper stood to the side of the room and tried to stay out of the way as a man administered CPR to a woman on the floor. A plastic mask hung away from the woman’s face, revealing grotesquely ravaged, red skin. In stark contrast was the beautiful caramel-colored hair that fanned out around her head.
“Oh, my God! Dear God, no!” Jillian Abernathy cried, rocking herself. “This can’t be happening. It can’t be. Please, Esperanza. Live. You’ve got to live!”
As Piper stared, she began to make connections. The woman who lay crumpled on the floor with wide-open, bloodshot eyes and a dark red trickle oozing from her nose was the same woman who had suffered the acid attack meant for Jillian Abernathy.
Ambulance technicians arrived, and the man who’d been administering CPR moved back and put his arm around Jillian. Piper suddenly recognized him. He was the guy in Jillian’s Facebook picture. Her
Similar Books
