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“Here, hun.” Graham hands me a Kleenex. I wipe the tears and blow my nose.
Sniffing, I rasp, “Thanks.”
“Wow. You look like hell.”
I glare at him even though it’s the truth.
“Come on, let’s move you to a chair.” He dips his head under my arm and brings me to a chair in the hallway. Security has closed off the end, but I notice a few people on the other side of them, glancing my way. Not two minutes go by and I’m already throwing my head into the trashcan. Graham stays by me the whole time. “What did you eat tonight?”
My arms drape around the trashcan like it’s my best friend and my head rests on it. I don’t want to move. It takes effort for me to think about what I’ve eaten. “I had some veggies from the green room and then I had a couple pieces of the chocolate you left for me.”
“What chocolate did I leave for you?”
The mention of food is the last thing I should talk about because my stomach twists again. But I turn my head to peek at him moving no other part of my body. “The chocolate in my room. With the sticky note?”
His eyes widen. Panic floods his eyes.
Oh, shit.
“Someone call 911, NOW!” he screams down the hall.
Chapter Sixteen
Max
“Hey boss.” Stone’s sleep filled voice fills the line. I fist my shaking hand. It’s midnight and I could give two fucks that I just woke him up.
“Wheels up in two hours,” I quip, anger strangling me as I attempt to keep my cool. “Round the guys up too.”
“Yes, sir.”
It’s time to go to work.
And save the woman who continues to stomp on my heart.
Again.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Chapter Seventeen
Sydney
The hospital bed squeaks as I roll to my side, the muscles in my stomach ache. I moan, bringing my legs up to my chest. When I manage to open my eyes, steel-blue eyes meet mine. And they’re burning through me with anger.
“Max,” I whisper. He takes a deep inhale and lets it out through his nostrils, leaning forward, he rests his elbows on his knees. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you.” The rasp in my voice from the stomach acid and the tube to pump my stomach burns. The early day sun brightens the room, lighting up his stern expression. I’m thankful I’m alive to see the sun. There were moments I questioned my mortality during the night. Some moments I begged for it. The sound of my heart drums in my ears as Max stares at me, the sudden feeling of weakness and vulnerability overwhelm me.
He finally breaks his silence, raking his hands through his hair, leaving it in disarray. “Fuck. I don’t even know what to say, Tink. How are you feeling?” His forehead creases with worry.
“Like I gave birth to an alien. Through my mouth.”
He nods once with a slight tic to the mouth. “The police found the chocolate you had packed in your bag. They’re running it now.”
I wince as I sit up. Despite any apprehension I have of him being here, I’m safe with him around. The reality that someone poisoned me is terrifying. “Max, I had no idea it wasn’t from Graham. It was his handwriting. He leaves me little notes all the time. There wasn’t any reason for me to question where it came from,” I say in my defense. This morning, I’ve done nothing except go over the entire night wondering if I missed something out of the ordinary. I didn’t.
“Why'd you get a new phone?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. He’s not going to believe the lie about my family contacting me anymore. “Someone sent me some flowers. They became aggressive wanting a thanks through texts. I thought it was just a crazy fan that would go away,” I explain, dropping my hands on the bed.
