A couple of men in dark blue uniforms show up. Thankfully they’re young and seem to be in good shape. Now they can deal with this crazy woman.
At the sight of them, she tries to latch onto me. “No! Make them go away. They’re here to take me away from you!”
She is crazy. Abso-fucking-lutely off her rocker. “Watch the teeth. This psycho bit me!” I tell the guards.
“Ryder! How can you betray me like this? It’s all her fault. That witch!”
The guards close in, and she starts running. She doesn’t get very far before they catch her.
The nurse I saw before comes over. “Are you all right?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I’ve had worse. At least the crazy nurse didn’t try to run me over with a Jeep. “Does she actually work here?”
The corners of her mouth droop. “Unfortunately, yes. I’m… I don’t even know what to say. She’s always been a big fan of yours, but none of us had any idea…” She shakes her head. “We should look at that bite.”
“It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s not. She broke the skin.” The nurse frowns, looking more closely at my arm. “Human bites can be more dangerous than dog bites. All kinds of bacteria in the mouth. At least you’re in the right place.”
I sigh. She’s right. The smart play is to get it looked at, just in case. Psycho-nurse could have rabies for all I know. “Is this going to take long? I really need to see my fiancée.”
“Oh, I meant to tell you. She’s been discharged.”
“What?” I stare at the nurse. “She doesn’t have a ride.”
The nurse gives me a professionally sympathetic look. “Might have called a taxi. I don’t really know. Why don’t you call her and ask?”
“I don’t get it. Is she safe? Shouldn’t you keep her here overnight for, I don’t know, observation or something? She almos
t lost her baby today.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have that information. I need to check the records.”
How the fuck can she know that they let Paige go, but not know if my fiancée is okay or not? With an effort, I rein myself in. Yelling at this nurse won’t solve anything. It probably wasn’t even her who processed the paperwork for Paige.
I turn my phone on. The latest text is from my agent Mira. Are you at a hospital? The story’s trending on Twitter.
God, I hate social media.
There are also several earlier texts, all of them from Paige. The last one is fifteen minutes old. I start typing.
* * *
Paige
The car is moving along slowly in the LA traffic. I look outside and notice that Julian’s driver is taking a roundabout way to Ryder’s mansion. But I should’ve known that Julian didn’t show up just to give me a ride.
“Here.” Julian twists the cap off a mini-bottle of water—the kind you’d normally find on an airplane—and hands it to me. “You should stay hydrated.”
I take it and have a sip. Then I realize I’m thirsty. I haven’t had anything to drink since I went to Anthony’s club. “Thanks. But I’m sure you aren’t giving me a ride just to make sure my fluid levels are okay.”
“You’ve probably only heard negative things about me from my son, but I’m not the villain here, Paige.”
Suuuuuure. “Then why are you having me followed?
“Having you followed?” He raises an eyebrow. The angle of his raised brow is exactly the same as Ryder’s when he cocks his, and it disorients me for a moment. They look so different, I sometimes actually forget he’s Ryder’s father. “What do you mean?”
“How else did you know to find me at the hospital?”