30. Asher
ASHER
“This way, sir,” the nurse says, directing me to the private rooms in the hospital.
“How is she?” I demand.
“She’s being treated as we speak.”
“What happened?”
“Poisoning. I’m told she and the other woman brought in both touched a letter that had been laced with poison.”
Fury rages inside me. How the fuck did this happen?
“You’ll need to wait outside until the doctor comes to speak with you.”
“How long will that be?”
“I don’t know. Her team is doing everything they can.”
“I want the best team you have working on her.”
“They are, sir. She and the other woman are responding to the treatment, but it’s still early in the process. I don’t have any more information for you at the moment, I’m sorry.”
My heart sinks in my chest. Nothing can happen to her. She has to be okay.
I don’t know what I’ll do if she’s not.
“Tell me you have something,” I demand to Sterling as I answer his call. It’s been three hours since Ella was admitted, and I’m losing my goddamn mind. I’ve heard nothing of use. The nurse has stopped by twice to tell me they’re still working to get her stable enough for me to come in.
Cyanide poisoning.
A very low dose, but enough that she was critical for a moment before the doctors administered the antidotes. Her prognosis is good because she got to the hospital quickly, but the doctors are being cautious.
“Forensics just got back to me. The letter is a threat.”
“No shit.”
“No, you don’t understand. It’s a blatant threat, written out. The team found a message written on the paper using a black light. The letter is courtesy of Sergei. He targeted Ella in retribution for Dimitri.”
“Why the fuck wasn’t this vetted? Those types of letters weren’t supposed to get to her.”
“The team found the original envelope. It’s just like the last ones.
It came from your stalker lady in Indiana, but she didn’t do this.
Someone within Langford Holdings had to have known about the stalker’s letters and decided to use them as an opportunity to send a threat that wouldn’t compromise you but would still send the message.
That person had to have intercepted the letter and they either wrote the message and laced it with poison themselves, or they took it to someone to do it. ”
“Fuck,” I hiss under my breath.
“I’ve gone through the cameras to see when the letter arrived and trace its route, but I couldn’t track it. It was covered well.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“Don’t worry. Not all is lost. In my searches, I found something quite interesting that’s been happening up on the executive floor for the past month or so. It looks like Alan has been getting cozy with one of Ella’s coworkers. A Daphne Erickson.”
“Cozy how?”
“They’ve been having little trysts all over the floor. Bathrooms, closets, his office. And to think everyone has been gossiping about you fucking Ella in your office.”
“Watch it,” I growl.
“Hey, no judgement here. If I had a woman like Ella at work with me, I’d be hitting it as often as I could.”
“Don’t make me loosen your teeth the next time I see you.”
“Okay, okay, Mr. Sensitive. Anyway, the point is, Alan has been asking Daphne lots of questions, and Daphne has been feeding the board information about Ella. It hasn’t been anything of note since Daphne’s information was weak at best, but it looks like Alan has been using Daphne any which way he could—including making sure she was the one to deliver the letter directly to Ella.
He sent her a text message with instructions two minutes before she showed up at your office door to hand the papers over. ”
“Get Declan on it. I want Alan in a dark, soundproof room within the hour. And I want answers.”
“Done.”
Just as I end the call, a doctor in scrubs walks toward me. He’s tall, broad, and young.
“Mr. Langford?” the doctor says, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’m Doctor Williams. Ms. Hale is stable and doing well.”
“Thank god,” I sigh. “Can I see her?”
“Yes, I’ll take you there now.”
He fills me in on her condition while we walk.
“The antidote protocol worked well, and I don’t think she will have any long-term effects from the poisoning, but it’s too early to know for sure.
She also has a large goose egg on her head and a concussion from her fall, but otherwise, we’re very happy with her progress.
She’ll need to stay in the hospital for a day or two, just to be safe, but as of now, I think we’re in the clear. ”
“Thank you.”
“I’m actually a friend of Ella’s. I’m sorry that we’re meeting under these circumstances.”
His words bring me up short. “You know Ella?”
“I’m Alec, Zahra’s boyfriend. Ella was living with us before she moved in with you.”
I look over him again, and recognition clicks into place. Of course. I’ve seen a photo of the handsome, African American doctor with Zahra.
“I’m the resident on her case. The head of her case, Dr. Wong, will speak more with you. She’s with Ella now.”
I rush to Ella’s side once we reach the room.
She’s asleep, hooked up to an IV and monitors, and has oxygen tubes in her nose.
I pull a chair next to her bed and sit down, taking her hand in mine.
Both relief and dread fill me. Seeing her alive and in recovery is everything I want, but knowing she’s been through this because of my enemies chills my blood.
Ella, the one thing I’ve come to care about more than anything else in the world, was targeted and poisoned just to send me a fucking message.
I lift her hand to my mouth and press a kiss to it, wishing the apology in my kiss was enough.
Dr. Wong comes to stand next to me and gives me more details about Ella’s treatment and prognosis.
When she’s done, she gives me a concerned look. “Do you have any information on how this happened? A poisoning like this is obviously very rare. We had very little to go on when she was brought in.”
“It seems some enemies of mine targeted her to get to me,” I say before thinking.
I probably shouldn’t have told her that.
But then again, she and Alec are her doctors, they need to know the truth.
“A letter addressed to her was laced with the poison. Needless to say, her mail will be destroyed before it ever gets to her from now on. And I’ll be upping her security. ”
“That is good. I’m very sorry this happened, Mr. Langford.”
“How long will she be out for?”
“We’re keeping her sedated for the next twenty-four hours to let her organs rest. We’ll be checking her labs every few hours to keep tabs on their functions.”
I thank Dr. Wong and the other team members for what they’ve done for Ella. Then all of them but Alec leave.
“Ella doesn’t have anyone listed as an emergency contact since she was unconscious when she was brought in,” he says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, “but I know her mother, Maya, Zahra, and Lucy would be beside themselves if they knew what happened and weren’t informed.
I can’t call them without Ella’s permission, but I think they’d all appreciate it if you did. ”
I nod to him as he leaves. Of course I should inform Ella’s loved ones of what happened. I stupidly didn’t even think about it until now since all I could think about was her condition. I take out my phone but don’t let go of Ella’s hand as I dial. Not touching her is unthinkable right now.
I make four fuck-awful phone calls.
Bright light slices across the dark room, stirring me from my half-asleep state in the lounger in the corner of Ella’s room.
Robert enters. “Boss, we’ve got to go, and we’ve got to get Ella out of here. Now.”
“What’s going on?” My voice is gruff from lack of sleep.
“I have my eyes and ears out searching for threats, and they’ve found one.
News has quietly traveled that Ella’s in the hospital and that you’re here with her.
I just got a report that Antonov’s men are on their way here to corner you while Ella’s laid up.
It’s not safe to stay. We need to get you both back to your penthouse. ”
“Goddammit. Grab Alec—Dr. Williams.”
Five minutes later, Alec enters the room, brows raised.
“What’s going on?”
“My team picked up a threat,” Robert explains. “There are very dangerous men headed this way to get to Ms. Hale and Mr. Langford while they’re vulnerable.”
Alec’s professional, detached manner drops. “Shit.”
“We need to remove Ms. Hale from the hospital for her safety and the safety of every other patient.”
“Where will you take her? She’s still not out of the woods yet.”
“Back to my penthouse,” I say. “They can’t breach the security there. And you’re coming with.”
“I . . . still have a few hours on my shift.”
“You don’t anymore. I’ll inform the head of the hospital. I’ll call whoever I need to call. I’m taking Ella, and you’re coming with to make sure she’s okay.”
“Yeah, okay. Of course. Give me a minute, I need to grab some portable leads and some supplies.”
He hurries out of the room while I untangle Ella from her wires. I wrap her in a robe and tuck her IV bag into it. Just as I pick her up and carry her, Alec returns, and we, along with ten security officers, make our way down a service stairwell to the back, private entrance of the hospital.
I let out a small breath of relief when all three of my town cars are ready and waiting. I get in the middle one with Robert, Jensen, Alec, and two other security guards, while the others file into the two remaining cars. I barely have Ella buckled before we’re off.
“I hate to ask, but is this . . . type of situation normal for you?” Alec asks, his brow creased. “First the poisoning and now this.”
I cradle Ella into me and brush my fingers through her hair, hating the truth. “It can be.” I let out a resigned breath. “It used to be extremely rare for a threat like this to hit my family, but now, it’s happening more often.”
“Why is that?”
“My family, being what it is, has many enemies. Some old ones have resurfaced.”
“And now Ella is a target because she’s with you.”