Chapter 16 #3
“That’s a very stern expression,” Grace teases as she backs away from me.
“Just a lot on my mind, sweetheart. Let me know if Lili needs anything.”
“I’ll let someone else know, or I’ll handle it myself. You’re busy.”
My eyes narrow, and I reach forward and grip her wrist, pulling her toward me. When she’s standing toe-to-toe with me, I tuck a finger under her chin. “Let me know if Lili needs anything, Mariposa. That’s an order.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue. Just kisses my cheek and heads for the suites and mutters, “yes, Sir.” I’m tempted to follow and put her over my knee just to work out some of my frustration, but she’s been through just as much as I have, so I refrain.
Perhaps later, when I’ve had the chance to double-check that she’s OK and not just faking it for my sake.
In my office, I pull up a browser and start by looking for Kara’s social media. Owen may have gotten to her social media by now, but he was mired in bank accounts and travel itineraries last time we talked about his progress.
It takes me less than two minutes to find her TikTok account. I scroll through videos from the last three weeks. Nothing leaps out as suspicious at first. But a video of her on a dance floor makes me pause. I check the caption and swear. “Motherfucker.”
Kara Lindon was at the club where Grace’s car broke down the night before I met Lili.
And last night, she was at another nightclub on the strip.
I scroll through video after video. It appears as though she either moved to Las Vegas or visited frequently enough in the last six months that it looks like she lives here now.
I snap a picture of her profile picture—there’s no way I put the TikTok app on my phone—and race down the hall to Harper’s suite, intent on finding out if the girl recognizes Kara.
I burst in without announcing myself and curse. Harper lay passed out in the fucking floor, vomit matted in her hair and on her face. Some of it’s dried. I have no fucking clue how long she’s been like this.
“Goddamn it, Harper. What did you do?” I crouch down and check for a pulse. It’s weak but there. I race back to Owen’s play space for Amarjit.
“Doc. I need you now.”
She doesn’t hesitate when she sees my face, and races after me, her medical bag in hand.
“Is it Lili?”
I don’t answer as we race past Lili’s room and head for suite seven instead. “Harper Cantrell,” I say as I push open the door.
“Shit.” Amarjit springs into action and begins checking her over.
“What did she take? Did you search her before you put her in here?”
I smack my hand against my forehead. “It’s been days. I don’t fucking remember. But my guess would be no since she clearly fucking took something.”
“It’s definitely an overdose of some kind. I’m going to give her Narcan and pray it’s not too late. When was the last time you checked on her?”
I shake my head. “Not sure. Yesterday, maybe?”
“Jesus Christ, Victor. We need to get her to a hospital immediately. No arguments.”
“Rafael and one of the guards can take her.”
“I’ll ride along.”
I glare at her. “You’re here to take care of Lili and Mrs. Novak.”
“I’m a doctor, Victor. You don’t really expect me to abandon this girl just because you have an ax to grind with her, do you?”
“I expect you to do what I’m paying you to do.”
“Fine. But if this girl dies, I’m out.”
“Out? You don’t just walk away from a gig like this, Amarjit.”
“It’s Dr. Singh, and I walk when I say I walk. I’ve always treated you all fairly because you treat me fairly and give me a place to be myself. But I won’t be party to people dying. Not when I could have stopped it.”
“Then maybe you ought to reconsider who you give your collar to.” It’s out before I can stop myself, and I close my eyes.
Dr. Singh stares at me for a beat then shakes her head. “We don’t have time for me to even ask you what the fuck that means, but we’re going to talk about it later, I promise you that. Get her out of here and to Spring Valley Memorial now.”
I scoop Harper up and step into the hall just as Grace is coming out of Lili’s room.
“Oh my God. Victor! What happened?”
“We don’t know. She’s going to the hospital, though.”
The doctor slips into Lili’s room without a word to either of us, and Grace follows me to the kitchen where we weave our way through back rooms until we get to the cigar bar where Rafael, the owner and one of our club members, is waiting with a guard.
“This girl doesn’t leave your sight. Not for an X-ray, not for a bathroom break. If anyone asks, you’re fucking married to her. We have her employee file if you need enough information to fake it. Bellamy can send it to you.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Serrano,” the guard says.
When the SUV pulls away with Harper in it, I turn to find Grace staring at me.
“She’ll be OK, Grace.” I know I should tell her about Kara, but the words won’t come. Not when I’m watching her battle guilt over Harper as if she’s the one who drugged her or caused any of this. Learning about Kara stalking her, or Sampson’s suicide now would be too much.
I’ll tell her tomorrow.