What the fuck was she on? If one of the guys had given her some goddammed party drug to help her have a ‘good time’ on her birthday, he swore he’d kill the fucker.
“Bel!” he yelled right as her hands went for the woman’s throat. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her backwards. Her legs flew up and she immediately started thrashing wildly.
“Satan! Have to kill Satan!”
He saw how she’d gotten away from the guys earlier. She was using every ounce of strength she had to fight and it was like she didn’t care if she hurt herself to do it. The way she was thrashing, she was likely to dislocate her own arm but it wasn’t stopping her.
Hunter carried her toward the back wall, all the guys and Mel grouping around him as he went. “Nicholas,” he nodded to the largest man, straining to hold on to Isobel who was still fighting like a hellcat.
“Bel. Isobel. It’s us. It’s Hunter. You need to calm down, honey.” Hunter tried to flip her around so she was facing him but she just used the opportunity to thrash out and elbow him in the face.
“Damn.” He grabbed his jaw as Nicholas took hold of Isobel from behind. He crossed her arms over her chest and held them down at her sides like a straightjacket and then gripped her in a backwards bear hug.
“What happened?” Hunter asked, looking around from one shocked face to the next.
“I don’t know,” Liam said, jerking a hand through his hair. “One second she was fine, dancing and partying. The next it was like she was hearing voices. Then when her stepmom and the film crew showed up she just freaked the feck out.”
Hunter’s head jerked around to look at the woman Isobel had attacked. Her stepmother. Who was currently talking to Marie. The Sheriff. And pointing in their direction.
Shit. “We don’t have much time,” Hunter said. “Did any of you give her any drugs?”
“Fuck you,” Mack said, stepping into Hunter, eyes cold.
Hunter wasn’t backing down. He went chest to chest with Mack. “She’s high as fuck on something.”
“None of us gave her anything,” the dread-lock twin said.
“Well what has she had to drink since she’s been here?” asked his brother. He looked around at the little group. “Someone could have roofied her drink.”
“That’s no roofie,” Mack said darkly. “More like fucking meth or angel dust.”
“They handed her some champagne when she came in but I don’t think she even drank it,” Mel said.
“It could be food too,” Hunter said. “Something she ate. We ate at the diner a couple of hours ago but I ate off her plate and I’m fine. Did she eat anything here?”
“Just the pie Nicholas made,” Mel said. “A waiter gave her a piece as soon as she walked in the door.”
“Did one of you tell him to do that?” Hunter asked.
Everyone in the group looked around at one another. Isobel had quieted down with a zoned out look on her face. Christ. They needed to get her to a doctor and find out what the hell was in her system.
Hunter looked at everyone. “So? Did anyone tell the waiter to give her the pie? Were they walking around giving pie to everyone else?”
“They were handing out champagne to everyone,” Mel said, “but not pie.”
“You think someone put something in the pie before they gave it to her?” Reece asked, obviously horrified.
“Pie?” Hunter shook his head in confusion. “Why was there pie anyway?”
“It was a family tradition,” Jeremiah spoke up. “From when she was a kid. She’d have apple pie for her birthday instead of cake. She told us about it this morning.”
“So who else would know she always ate pie on her birthday?” Mack asked, anticipating Hunter’s next question. “If that’s how they drugged her?”
“We were the only ones there,” Mel said, looking around the small circle.
“No. There’s someone else who would know.” Hunter turned around and looked at Isobel’s stepmother. Marie had finished with her and she was apparently so distraught she just had to talk to one of the reporters. On fucking video.
“That bitch,” Mel whispered.