Page 69 of Storm Warning
“What does that mean?” Her voice trembled, her stomach dropping.
“It means someone may have tried to drug you through your skin.”
“What?” Nick snapped, jaw tight, his voice sharp as a whip crack, as he settled a blanket around her shoulders with hands that shook. The soft fleece was warm, smelling faintly of lavender.
“I’m not saying it worked—but the symptoms match: confusion, pupil dilation, disorientation, memory loss. I’ll run a tox panel, and David can pull the footage. But someone touched her deliberately.” The words hung in the air like a threat.
Kate took the cup handed to her with shaking hands, water sloshing close to the rim, sipping as Nick sat beside her, his thigh warm against hers. Her mind began to clear, the fog lifting in patches.
“Are you back with us now, Kate?” Zach continued speaking in that soft, gentle tone, watching her with unwavering focus.
“I think so. What happened? Why don’t I remember? I swear I went to the restaurant for dinner, but I don’t remember anything after that. Wait, did you say I was drugged?” The words sounded absurd even as she said them, like something from a thriller novel, not her real life.
Kate pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to gather the fragments of her memory like scattered photographs. A dull ache throbbed behind her eyes, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. Her stomach clenched, frustration and confusion adding to her nausea. She rubbed her forehead, making small circles, the motion the only thing keeping the rising panic at bay. Her chest tightened, heart hammering so fast it left her shaky and spent, hollowed out by the effort to hold herself together.
“It’s the shock, honey. Don’t worry, it’ll come back in a minute. Breathe.” Zach shifted his gaze to Lena, who gracefully kneeled beside him, her skirt settling around her like a flower’s petals.
“Kate, you did come to the hotel. You came to the lobby and heard Jessica yelling at my clerk. Do you remember that?”Lena’s voice, soft and laced with concern, soothing as a balm, reached her through the confusion.
A flash of something in her mind. A blonde in a red dress. Anger burning hot in her chest. Applause echoing. “Red dress.”
“Yes, Kate. Jessica was yelling at my desk clerk, and you intervened.” Lena smiled, her eyes crinkling warmly. “You were brilliant. Mr. McHenry even gave you a standing ovation.”
A rush of images—the lobby’s beautiful rattan furniture gleaming under crystal chandeliers, the polished marble floor reflecting light like water—flickered into her mind before her memory flooded back in a sudden, overwhelming wave. “Oh, my god. I remember. I can’t believe I did that.” She was so mortified, heat flooding her face. “And then I freaked out on you. I am so sorry, Lena.”
Lena’s warm smile crinkled the corners of her eyes, genuine affection shining through. “Stop apologizing. Now, how about you tell us what set this all off? You said you had a shock this afternoon, and that you might be leaving tomorrow.”
With a sharp intake of breath, Zach’s gaze snapped to hers, his eyes filled with concern and remorse, his face draining of color. He didn’t think he caused it, did he? Her fingers squeezed his, still wound around her wrist, their warmth a surprising comfort, an anchor in the storm.
“My publisher dropped me. Callie called earlier. Someone filed false complaints that I stole my current book series from them. My entire series is frozen. No, they froze sales of all of my books, not just this series, even though Deanna gave them my copyright paperwork.” The words sat bitter on her tongue.
Kate stared at her hands, her knuckles white where she gripped them together, not looking at anyone as she waited for their reaction to her being fired, the silence deafening, pressing against her like a physical weight.
Zach’s fingers tightened, his grip reassuring. “Kate, do you think this is related to the warning you got?”
She jerked her head up, her muscles tense, every nerve alert, and met Zach’s questioning eyes just as Nick’s menacing growl, “What warning?,” sliced through the air like a blade.
“You think it’s connected?” Relief and concern warred in her chest, unsure which emotion was right, which one to trust.
“I do, especially now.” Zach turned to Nick, his expression unreadable, controlled. “Kate told me this afternoon that she got a note a few days ago telling her to go back where she belonged, and that was the only warning she’d get. With everything else going on, she forgot about it until today.”
His gaze met hers again, steady and certain. “Isn't freezing sales of all your books an overreaction?” Kate nodded, hope flickering like a candle flame. “I’ll get Ghost on it. See what he can find out. If it’s related to all the other stuff, we can get it cleared up.”
Kate’s muscles loosened as tension seeped from her like air from a balloon, a sigh escaping her lips, her eyes remaining locked on Zach’s. “You think so?”
“Yes, Kate, I do. Now, I think you’re stable, so I’ll leave you to Nick while I get my kit. I want a blood sample. Lena, you can take the cart. Someone can fetch it later.”
Zach gave her fingers a final, fleeting squeeze that conveyed reassurance and promise, before he released her hand and rose to his feet with fluid grace.
Lena smiled at Kate, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder with warm fingers. “You call me if you need anything.”
Kate watched them go; the quiet settled around her like the eye of a storm she hadn’t meant to unleash. The silence felt fragile, temporary.
Chapter 37
Anchored
Nick gathered her close,hands unsteady, as if he could somehow anchor her by holding on, his arms a strong, warm band around her.