CIARA’S POV

The silence stretched between us like a taut wire ready to snap. Sarah stood with her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on some point just over my shoulder. The candlelight flickered across her face, highlighting the dark circles under her eyes, the way her jaw tensed and released in a rhythm that spoke of barely contained nerves.

Behind us, I could hear the soft clink of glass on glass. One of the girls pouring wine, settling in to watch the show. The thought made my skin crawl, but ...