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Just then movement catches my eye—Preston attempting to sneak toward the door behind Cade's back. With lightning reflexes, Cade pivots, grabbing the snake by the throat and slamming him to the floor without even glancing over.
“And just where do you think you're slithering off to, worms for brains?” Cade presses his forearm casually across Preston's throat. “Leaving before the guests of honor arrive? That's just rude.”
Preston's panicked wheezing cuts off as Cade applies more pressure. “Don't worry, I'll keep you nice and comfy until NYPD gets here. My buddy Mike will be thrilled to talk to you. We go way back.” His smile doesn't reach his icy eyes.
With his free hand, Cade pulls out his phone and hits a number on speed dial. “Detective Morris? Cade Neiman. Got a waste of space here who thought it'd be fun to roofie a girl at a corporate party.”
At the mention of police, Preston renews his struggles. Cade easily maintains a chokehold on him with one muscular forearm.
“Yup, caught the scumbag red handed pawing all over her while she was unconscious. Me and my buddy witnessed it. Uh huh. Walsh Dynamics CEO's heir apparent, actually.” Cade smirks down at Preston, whose eyes practically bug from their sockets. “Yeah, daddy's golden boy won't be getting off easy on this one.”
After he hangs up, he turns back to Preston. “We're gonna have a long chat about exactly what concoction you brewed up for my brother’s fiancé over there. Might take a while for it all to sink into that thick skull of yours.”
I squeeze Maddie's limp hand willing her to show any sign of waking while Preston paws helplessly at Cade's immovable grip, face purpling. But Cade looks utterly relaxed leaning against the wall atop him, a king cobra toying venomously with its prey.
I nod my thanks to Cade before turning worriedly back to Maddie’s prone form, willing her to open those sparkling eyes for me.
25
HOSPITAL HORRORS
There's a persistent beeping that draws me from heavy darkness. My eyelids feel weighted and stiff. Confusion clouds my brain like cobwebs as muffled voices echo distantly before fading out again.
Where am I? The last thing I remember is Preston leading me away from the party to find Jack. I followed him to a more secluded lounge area, farther from the party's noise. His hand kept hovering at my lower back, subtly steering me ahead of him even as unease prickled my skin. The deeper we walked into shadowy recesses of the club, the more the hair on my neck stood up. But before I could act on my blaring instinct to get away, everything went blank.
Slowly, I force my eyes open to unfamiliar sterile white walls and the source of that incessant beeping monitoring my heartbeat. Tubes snake under my nose and into my arms. The chemical scent burns but offers no clues as to where I ended up.
Sudden movement makes me flinch before I recognize Grace slouched in a chair, blinking herself awake. Aria stirs too, tangled small against me on the cramped hospital bed.
“Maddie?” Grace rasps, relief flooding her face as she grasps my hand. “Oh, thank God, you're awake.”
My tongue feels thick and clumsy. “Grace? What happened?” Panic flutters as I pat at my hospital gown, dim memories swirling hauntingly. “How did I get here? Where's Jack?”
Grace hushes me gently, exchanging an anxious look with a wide-eyed Aria. Dread creeps up my spine, wondering what trauma landed me unconscious in the hospital with my sisters hovering over me. Their drawn faces reveal a sleepless night’s vigil.
Grace squeezes my hand reassuringly while Aria curls impossibly close into my side.
“You're in the hospital, but you're safe now, Mads,” Grace soothes. “We're at NYU Langone. They have an excellent toxicology unit here monitoring you.”
My heartbeat quickens. Toxicology?
“What happened to me?”
Grace hesitates, taking a bracing breath. “We got a call that you were brought in unconscious. The EMTs detected traces of gamma-hydro something-something. I can’t recall the full name for the life of me. A date rape drug.”
“Someone spiked my drink,” I finish hollowly. Preston's smooth voice suggesting Jack was looking for me echoes mockingly in my memory.
How utterly idiotic of me.
Aria makes a small, frightened noise. Reflexively, I clutch her tighter, my own breathing growing erratic. Grace envelopes us both in a fierce embrace.
“Shhh, just focus on resting, both of you. We've got the NYPD and the best doctors on this,” Grace murmurs. But under her reassuring tone, tension in my gut remains tightly coiled. “I swear the bastard who did this will pay.”
At that promise, the tears I have been barely holding back spill over. Grace just rocks us gently as we cling together, letting our emotions pour out. Over missing our parents, the loss of our family home, the unrequited love. Grace's own tears mingle with mine and Aria's and soak the starched hospital sheets.
Eventually, our tears slow down, leaving us drained. Grace passes around tissues before clearing her throat gently.
“Maddie, Jack has been outside the room the entire night. Now that you're awake, do you want me to let him in?”
