Chapter 16
DANNY
When I saw Sadie being dragged by Nick Fowler, I knew something was wrong.
She’d never associate with that jackass.
The moment I got close and saw her condition, anger like I’d never known surged through me, making me see red.
I wanted to punch the asshole’s face into a pulp. Sadie was barely conscious.
But I couldn’t get into a fight with him while he had Sadie trapped under his arm.
Good thing I wasn’t alone.
While I pried her from his grasp, Paris got into his face. If some of the frat boys hadn’t come in to intervene, I’m sure he’d have done what I wanted to do myself. They dragged Nick away, preventing a fight that would cost us big-time.
Now Sadie is passed out in my arms, and I don’t know what to do.
Paris turns his attention to her, still breathing hard from the altercation.
“She’s out cold,” I tell him. “I don’t know what happened. She was fine when I talked to her earlier.”
“Was she drinking?”
“She had a beer in her hand.”
Paris peels her eyelid back. Being premed, he’s more qualified to figure out what’s wrong with her than I am.
“Her pupils are dilated. You said she was fine. How long ago was that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe an hour.”
He rubs his face. “I don’t want to make you even more worried, but I think she was drugged.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“I’m almost positive.”
“I should take her to the emergency room, right?”
“Danny?” Sadie asks in a small voice.
“Sadie, honey. Are you okay?”
Her eyes are only half open and unfocused.
“I can’t feel my body. Where am I?”
“We’re still at the party.”
“What party?” Her eyelids begin to close again.
“Maybe you should take her to the hospital,” Paris tells me.
“What? Why?” she asks in a high-pitched voice.
I don’t like how people are staring at us, so I move toward the front door and don’t answer her until we’re outside. Paris is right behind me.
“What did you take, Sadie?” I ask.
“Two shots of tequila, I think.”
“Do you remember who gave you those shots?” Paris asks.
“No.”
“Shit. There could be more people affected,” he says as he stares at the house.
“Go back and tell Puck and the others to keep an eye out for possible victims,” I tell him. “I’ll take Sadie to the emergency room.”
“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” Sadie insists. “I just need to sleep this off.”
“Sadie, I think you’ve been drugged.”
“Roofied?”
“We don’t know.”
“I can’t go back to the hospital, Danny. Please don’t take me back. Please,” she begs, twisting my insides.
“Don’t take me back , ” she said. What does that mean?
“If she was given a roofie, the effects should wear off between sixteen and thirty-five hours,” Paris explains. “If you keep an eye on her, she should be fine.”
I glance at her, and agony rips through me. Her eyes are shut again, but I can see the streak marks the tears left on her cheeks.
If I find out who gave her those shots, I’m going to kill him.
Paris returns to the party, and I head to my car. People stare at us, and I know tomorrow the gossip mill will be running wild with crazy stories. Not important right now. My only concern is to make sure Sadie is okay.
Afraid she’ll throw up if I lay her down in the back seat, I place her in in the front and buckle her seat belt. Her head lolls forward, heavy and almost lifeless, making my heart twist painfully with worry.
During the drive, I make the decision to go back to my place. I don’t know her roommate, but I can’t rule out the possibility that she might bring back company.
I hope Andy and Jane are done with their evening activities. Both will have a myriad of questions if they see me carrying an unconscious girl into the apartment, but I can deal with them later.
There’s no sign of the lovebirds in the living room, and the apartment is quiet. Hopefully they’re asleep already.
Walking softly, I make a beeline to my room.
I’m glad I tidied up earlier and got rid of the mountain of dirty clothes scattered everywhere.
Carefully, I lay Sadie on my bed. Her short skirt has hiked up to her hips, giving me a view of her black underwear.
Damn. I feel like a pervert for accidentally looking. I have to cover her.
I head out to grab a blanket from the living room, and when I get back, I find Sadie leaning over the side of the bed, making retching sounds.
“Shit.” I rush to her, skidding to a halt before I step over the mess she left on the floor.
“I’m so sorry, Danny. I couldn’t run to the bathroom.”
I push her hair out of the way. “It’s okay, Sadie. Do you think you’re still going to throw up?”
“I don’t know. I got vomit all over me and your bed.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get you cleaned up.” I lift her from the bed and prop her up against me.
She can barely walk on her own, which makes me furious all over again. What would have happened if Nick Fowler had managed to leave the party with her?
In the bathroom, I feel torn about how to proceed. Sadie can’t stand on her own, and unfortunately, there’s no bathtub here.
“Do you think you can sit on the toilet for a second?”
“Yeah.”
She drops like a sack of potatoes and clutches the side of the counter to keep upright while I turn on the shower.
“You got vomit all over your shirt,” she says.
“It’s fine.”
I take it off because it seems I need to get into the shower with her anyway.
Then it hits me. I can’t take off her clothes.
“Uh, Andy’s girlfriend is here. Should I ask her to help you?”
“Are you mental? I don’t want a stranger seeing me like this.”
“You need assistance. You can’t even stand up.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
She waves her hand awkwardly. “I puked all over your room. We passed uncomfortable five exits back.”
Sadie lets go of the counter and tries to pull her soiled top up, but she topples forward instead. I catch her just before she plunges headfirst into the tiled floor.
“Careful there.”
“I think you need to help me out of my clothes.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t care if you peek. Although, I don’t think I look that attractive right now.”
“You’re always attractive, Sadie, no matter what.”
She lifts her gaze to mine. “Really?”
I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t even know how the words left my mouth.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of these filthy clothes.”
She attempts to sit straighter, but it’s clear the drug has reached its peak. I can’t believe she hasn’t passed out yet.
“Lean back a little. I won’t let you fall.”
She does as I told her and braces her hand against the counter.
I pull her top up, glad it doesn’t have a zipper on the back.
I didn’t think to check first. I was expecting to find a bra underneath, but she isn’t wearing one, and I get a full view of her breasts.
My face and ears burn because despite what she said, it doesn’t feel right to see her topless.
I have every intention of looking away, but something else catches my attention—a red scar on her side. It looks recent judging by the color.
Her words come back to me. She didn’t want to go back to the hospital. Does this scar have anything to do with it?
“Are you looking at my battle wound?” she asks.
I force my eyes to return to her face, embarrassed she caught me staring. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind that you see it. I don’t mind a lot of things when it comes to you. Why is that, Danny?”
I swallow hard, not knowing how to answer the question. She’s pretty loopy, and I’m sure she won’t remember this conversation tomorrow, but somehow, she’s never been more honest. Maybe that’s the drug at play too.
“I don’t know, Sadie. It’s the same for me too. Probably why we’re friends.”
Her eyebrows furrow. “Bollocks to friendship. This is way bigger than that.”
I couldn’t agree more, but now is not the time to discuss what’s going on between us.
“We can talk about that tomorrow. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
I can’t bring myself to remove her skirt as well, not when her comments have made me even more aware of my conflicted feelings about our relationship.
I hoist Sadie up, throwing her arm over my shoulder, and then head into the shower stall.
It’s big enough that both of us fit in it.
The water is already warm, but she still jolts when the jets hit her head.
“Ugh. Why am I getting all wet? Is it raining inside?”
“It’s just the shower. You had vomit all over you, remember?”
“No.”
She doesn’t complain further; instead, she lets out a soft moan and rests her head against my chest, making it really hard to wash her, or ignore how her breasts are now pressed against me. I’m keenly aware how the water turned her nipples into pebbles too.
Fuck me.
I decide that just rinsing her off will have to do.
There’s no way I’m lathering her with soap.
I shut off the water and then dry her off with a towel.
Sadie finally passes out on me then. I lift her up, cradling her like a baby with the towel covering her upper body, and return to my room.
It stinks of vomit, reminding me of the mess I still have to clean up.
She did get some on my bed, so I set her in my chair, then quickly change the sheets and wipe off the floor.
Sadie is snoring by the time I finally put her into bed. Even with her makeup all smeared, she’s so beautiful that I can’t help but stare at her for a moment. My chest feels tight suddenly, like I can’t breathe.
A soft knock on the door draws my attention away from her. I’m not surprised to find Andy and Jane standing outside my room. I did make more noise than I intended when I took my dirty sheets to the laundry and started the machine.
“Hey, guys,” I say.
“Is everything okay?” Jane asks.
“Yeah. Sorry if I woke you.”
“We weren’t sleeping.” Andy tries to peer over my shoulder into my room. “Got company there, Danny-boy?”
“Yes. But it’s not what you think.”
“Oh?” His eyebrows arch.
“Since you’re going to find out tomorrow morning anyway, I may as well tell you now. I’ve got Sadie here. She took something she shouldn’t have, and I thought it was best to bring her here to keep an eye on her.”
“What do you mean, she took something she shouldn’t have?” Jane asks, her eyes growing rounder.
“Paris believes she was roofied.”
“What?” Andy’s voice rises in anger. “Please tell me we know by whom.”
His fury rekindles my own, but I put a damper on it. Getting bent out of shape now won’t help me. My focus tonight is taking care of Sadie.
“No. But I left Paris and the rest of the guys to investigate when I left the party.”
“I can’t believe that happened. It’s horrible. What if other girls were drugged too?” Jane says.
“The guys were keeping an eye out for other possible victims,” I reply.
Jane hugs her middle, looking distressed. Andy pulls her into a side hug and kisses her temple. “Don’t worry, babe. The Rebels won’t let anyone get taken advantage of.”
She nods and then asks me, “Where are you going to sleep? In the living room?”
“I want to stay nearby in case she pukes again, so I’ll just sleep on the floor.”
“Dude, we have sleeping bags. Hold on.”
Andy disappears down the hall.
“I’ll grab some extra blankets and pillows,” Jane adds.
A minute later, they return with their items. Jane also grabbed a couple bottles of water, which hadn’t occurred to me.
They head back to Andy’s room, but not before they make me promise to call them if I need anything.
I close the door but keep it unlocked, then set everything down by the end of the bed and go check on Sadie.
She seems fine, and her breathing is steady.
I sit next to her for a moment and brush her damp hair off her forehead. I probably shouldn’t have dunked her under the shower. What if she catches a cold because I made her sleep with wet hair?
Shit, I’m an idiot. Maybe I can dry it off a bit more with a towel.
I begin to slide off the mattress when Sadie murmurs my name.
Her eyes are still closed though. She’s probably dreaming.
“Don’t go, Danny. Don’t leave me alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” I reply, even though I don’t think she’s really talking to me.
I forget about the towel and lie next to her for a moment. I had every intention of moving to the floor in the next minute, but when my eyes begin to shut, I tell myself I’ll relocate in a second.
Should have known it wouldn’t happen.