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Ian replied.
“I’m on my way,” he said, opening the car door and sliding in. “Change of destination,” he said to the driver, then gave him the hospital name before turning his attention back to the call.
Chapter Twenty-One
Enclosed in the car, Dex sat back, bouncing his foot, frustrated already with the slow pace of the drive. “What the hell happened?” he asked Ian.
“Jeremy, that son of a bitch. Her assistant was with her and called me, she’s hysterical but she was able to relay information.”
He glanced at the traffic around him, noting they hit every red light, and anxiety flooded him. “Brandy called you?”
“She said it was the last thing Samantha asked of her before she passed out.”
“Fuck.” He slammed his hand against the seat beside him. Maybe if he hadn’t been so cagey about his work and plans, trying to protect her from thinking she caused him problems, she’d have had Brandy call him.
“Call me as soon as you know something,” Ian said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call and Dex sat during rush hour, his pulse racing, as it took what felt like forever to get there.
He rushed into the hospital and a young woman was at the main desk. “I’m here for Samantha Dare. She was brought in by ambulance.”
“Are you family?” she asked.
“I’m the closest thing to family for the moment. Her mother and brother are on their way from Florida and I’m their only means of obtaining information.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call her brother and you can talk to him.” With a few taps, he pulled up Ian’s name from his contacts. “Look, Ian Dare. Same last name.” He turned the screen toward the woman. “I can even get Samantha’s mother on the phone, if that’ll help.”
“Okay, okay. No need. Family is fine.” She scrolled through her computer and met his gaze. “Samantha Dare is currently in surgery. The waiting room is on the fifth floor. If you go there, someone will come out and ask for family members. Do yourself a favor and come up with a relationship,” she said, giving him a friendly wink.
Before he could see what kind of friendly, he thanked her, accepted the sticker with VISITOR written on it, and rushed toward where a security guard pointed to the elevators.
Once in the waiting room, he called Ian who was pulling into the airport and told him what little he knew. Then he settled in for a long night.
Half an hour later, Brandy walked into the room looking dazed, a police officer by her side. She wore blue scrubs and was rubbing her hands together, obsessively. He didn’t want to think about why she needed to change her clothes or wash her hands so thoroughly she was now traumatized.
“Brandy?” He spoke gently, knowing she’d been through an ordeal.
She jerked her head toward him. “Dex? What are you doing here?”
“Ian called me.” Besides, Samantha was hurt. Where else would he be?
Brandy walked straight to him, burrowing her face in his chest and broke down, big gulping sobs coming from her slight frame.
“Sir? I need to talk to the victim’s family. You’re her…”
“Dex Sterling. Her fiancé.” The word came out and he had no desire to take it back.
Brandy straightened and looked up at him. He winked at her and she seemed to understand he needed the officer to know how close he and Samantha were.
“He already questioned me.” Brandy trembled.
Worried about her, Dex wrapped an arm around her. “Come on. Let’s sit,” he said, easing her into a chair.
Though he wanted to get the details of what happened from Brandy, who’d been with Samantha, Dex had no choice but to talk to the officer. “How can I help you?” he asked the man wearing a uniform.
“When was the last time you spoke to Ms. Dare?”
“Around lunchtime. I called to tell her I had a business dinner.”
He typed in the information on a phone app and proceeded to ask him the standard questions he’d expect, mostly about her relationship with her partner. The man finally left him alone and Dex turned to Brandy and sat down beside her.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
