Page 18

Dustin

I keep my distance while the girls are at the bar even though I want nothing more than to yank Tina away from Fuckface. What were the fucking odds he’d work here? It’s like God is testing me or something, probably thinking, Let’s see how much this guy can take, as he throws the Connor lookalike in my face again and again. I glare at Fuckface, wishing I had laser vision so I could make his head explode.

“Your monster is showing,” Lucius says, shrewd as always, although I’m not being very subtle.

I grunt, not bothering to deny it. “He’s a cunt, I can tell. Where’d you find him?”

He shrugs. “An acquaintance.”

“Well, you’ve got shitty acquaintances, then.”

“You don’t know the half of it, kid.”

I check my watch, noting it’s been almost ten minutes since Rosa texted Lucius letting us know they were going to the restroom. An uneasy feeling brews in my gut.

“They’ve been gone too long,” Lucius says, voicing my concerns.

“It’s crowded. Maybe there’s a line,” I say mostly to reassure myself. It’s not working.

“Where are you?” Lucius barks into the phone.

The second his brows pinch I’m on my feet, rushing to the restrooms. Inside, Rosa is sitting on the floor with what looks like an unconscious Tina in her lap. My pulse skyrockets. “What the fuck happened?”

“Easy.” Lucius grips my shoulder, grounding me before I can fly off the handle.

“I don’t know what happened,” Rosa says. “One minute she’s chatting it up with the gym guy and the next her skin’s pale and sweaty. We headed to the bathroom and got separated. I found her outside in the alley.”

In the alley? At a loss, I glance at Lucius for help.

He types something on his phone then pockets it, saying, “Let’s get Tina back to the hotel.”

Nodding, I crouch beside the two women. A whimper leaves Tina’s lips when I lift her from the restroom floor. Unable to resist, I kiss her temple. Her skin is cold and clammy. “I’ve got you.” She nestles her face into my chest and mumbles something about fireworks and butterflies.

Lucius and Rosa’s conversation barely reaches me in the back seat, but it’s obvious by the tone they’re as concerned as I am. Other than the gibberish earlier, Tina hasn’t stirred. I spend the short drive to the hotel with her head in my lap, stroking her hair, alert for any signs of consciousness—an eyelid flicker, a change in her breathing—but there’s nothing.

“She didn’t drink enough to be this wrecked,” I say, meeting Lucius’s gaze in the rearview mirror. I see the same realization I’ve come to. Tina was drugged. “We need to go to the hospital.”

He shakes his head and returns his gaze to the road. “I have someone meeting us at the room.”

My brow wrinkles. “Someone?”

“A doctor who owes me a favor.”

Rosa twists in her seat, drawing my attention to her. She stares at Tina with tears in her eyes. She faces Lucius again, swiping her cheek with the back of her hand. “It’s my fault. I should’ve stayed away.”

Lucius reaches over and places a hand on her cheek briefly before returning it to the steering wheel. “It may have nothing to do with you, princesa . Unfortunately, this happens all the time.”

“Why would you think it’s your fault?” I ask Rosa. “You haven’t had a problem with Hernandez or his men in years, right?”

It’s slight, but I see Lucius shake his head in my peripheral when Rosa opens her mouth to answer. She turns to the passenger window. Subject closed.

Tina shifts in my lap and I forget all about Lucius and his bullshit. One of her hands reaches up, touching mine still on her scalp, urging me to continue. “You have nice hands, Dusty.”

I look down at my hand, scarred and beat to shit from years of fighting, and I smile. Nice is not a word I would use to describe them. I’ve worked hard to make them feared. Brutal. Merciless. But this girl calling them nice makes me feel like a warrior.

A man is standing by our hotel room when we arrive. When Lucius said “doctor,” I was picturing an old man, not a middle-aged guy who is way too handsome for my liking. He nods at Lucius, giving Rosa a double-take before his attention immediately goes to Tina in my arms.

“I appreciate you coming at such short notice, Knox,” Lucius says, slapping the auburn-haired man on the back hard enough to make an average dude stumble. This guy is made of sturdier stuff and doesn’t falter an inch.

Knox laughs. The deep rumble echoes in the hall. “When Lucius Mendez calls, you don’t ask why, you just ask where and when.”

Like in the car, Lucius shakes his head when Knox gestures to Rosa with his chin. Knox laughs again and this time the bark startles Tina in my arms. “Never a dull moment, eh, my friend?”

Rosa swipes the keycard to unlock the door, and I rush in with my bundle. Lucius and the doctor exchange more words in the hall before joining us.

“Go ahead and lay her on the bed,” Knox says once they enter, setting his bag on the side table and pulling a syringe and empty vial from its depths. I do as I’m told, in somewhat of a haze, having trouble believing this is where the night took us.

“Dusty?” Tina grips my arm, her nails digging into my flesh, when I start to back away. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.” I settle beside her on the bed. Her hand moves to latch onto one of mine.

Knox sits on the other side of her, taking her arm in his. “Make a fist, dove.”

Her frantic gaze flicks from the doctor to me. “What’s happening?”

I cup her cheek with my free hand. “Shhh… it’s okay. He’s here to help.”

Knox ties a band around her arm, taps the vein and makes a satisfied hum before sliding the needle in place. Tina doesn’t even flinch.

“I should have the results soon,” he tells the room at large, moving to pack up his stuff. A vial of Tina’s blood is safely placed in his leather bag. “From what you’ve told me, though, it’s safe to say she was drugged. My guess? With Rohypnol.”

“What do we do now?” I ask.

“Wait. Rest is the best medicine.” He moves to the door. “And make sure she’s not left alone.”

As if. The night’s excitement leaves my lungs in a gust of air. “Thank you, Doc.”

“You’re welcome, man.” He looks at Lucius. “Walk me out?” The two men exit the room, taking their secrets with them.