Page 6 of Save Me

“This is Drek. It’s a new designer street drug. Some variant of liquid heroine, but with a supposed smoother high. It’s highly concentrated and can be hidden anywhere. You swallow the capsule whole or it dissolves in a drink before you can blink. We got wind of it only a few weeks ago but it’s all over the strip now. There have been two ODs at other clubs so far. One kid is in the hospital—a complication from an undiagnosed heart issue. But given how fast it’s spreading, this is only the start. These things are so tiny some drunk asshole’s going to pop a handful any day now. I want to get out ahead of this before someone dies here.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with Andie?”

Mike stepped back and hit a spot on the panel behind him. A molded square opened, revealing a hidden wall safe. Eric tried not to stare open-mouthed at the high-tech set up as he hit a few buttons and opened the door. Mike took out a small plastic bag holding a bunch of identical neon purple capsules.

“We found these in Andie’s locker during a random spot check.”

Bullshit. He shook his head. “That can’t be right. She doesn’t do drugs. She barely even drinks. I don’t think I ever saw her drunk the entire time I lived here.”

He didn’t care how much time had passed. That wouldn’t change.

Calen raised a brow. He gestured to the baggie. “This isn’t recreational use. This number of pills can only mean one thing—she’s dealing.”

Eric’s mouth opened, but it took him a minute before he found his voice. “I don’t believe it. Given her family history, she wouldn’t go near this kind of shit.”

His boss’s expression grew even more suspicious. Calen could read people very well, and Eric wondered how long he could maintain the fiction that his interest in this was purely out of concern for a friend.

“And what history is that?” Calen asked in a neutral tone. “Andie doesn’t even have an emergency contact on file.”

Crap. Trust Andie not to have confided in anyone. And how could she not have an emergency contact? She had a ton of friends. Didn’t she have anyone she could count on?

Eric took a deep breath. He was violating a confidence, something she had told him during a late night pillow talk session. But he didn’t have a choice.

“Look, she wouldn’t want this spread around, but Andie told me her mom was a junkie. The woman would get clean and then slip over and over again. Andie spent her childhood bouncing around different relatives’ houses and the occasional foster home.”

He leaned forward. “Andie was careful to downplay it, but it really affected her. She was on her own from the age of sixteen, a firsthand witness to how drugs can wreck someone. It made her more determined to finish school and pursue a career.”

“That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t deal to make some extra cash,” Calen pointed out. “I pay well, but college is expensive.”

Eric wasn’t convinced. “It just doesn’t seem like her. This job was putting her through school. It pays more than any other place on the strip, right? I don’t think she’d jeopardize her place here doing something illegal.”

Despite his reputation, Calen was an exceptional employer. Eric was proof that the man took care of his staff. Calen passed a hand over his hair roughly. He looked tired. “The stuff was found in her locker. Drug affiliation of any kind is grounds for dismissal. It’s in the contract every single member of my staff signs. My hands are tied unless we can prove these belong to someone else.”

Mike coughed, and finally decided to weigh in. “I think there’s some room for doubt. Andie’s worked here for years and except for her ‘friendship’ with this ass, she’s basically a good kid.”

Calen huffed a laugh. “I know she’s a nice girl. We’ve never had an issue before according to the manager. She’s a high earner tip-wise, but it’s up to the police to clear her. And honestly, I don’t see that happening. Not if they think they can track this back to someone bigger.”

“You’ve turned her over to the police?” Eric choked out.

Calen’s mouth turned down. “Not yet. But I don’t think we have a choice. The local cops have been in touch with all the nightspots on the strip. There’s an alert asking for any information on Drek. Someone is coming by in an hour to pick this shit up.”

“So they don’t know about Andie’s involvement yet? Couldn’t we just withhold the information for a day or two? Long enough to find out who this stuff really belongs to?” he asked.

Mike winced. “What do you want us to tell them? That we know who the dealer is, but we’re giving her a few days to clear her name?”

Eric sat up straight. “She didn’t do this. And you’re going to clear Andie.”

“Me?” Mike asked.

“Yes!” Eric turned to Calen. “I know you aren’t convinced Andie is innocent, but I am. Which means you still have someone—most likely another member of the staff—who is dealing this shit behind your back. That person must know where the security cams are located, since you haven’t mentioned catching anyone in the act.”

Calen and Mike exchanged another glance.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Eric asked. “You haven’t caught anyone dealing. Not even Andie. And she’s probably all over the footage serving drinks and doing her job. All you have is this baggie, which could have come from anyone.”

“There was only one possible interaction where she may have slipped a patron something extra along with their drink, but the camera angle’s off,” Calen said. “It could have been an extra napkin for all we know. But the staff lockers have unique combinations. She already told us she hasn’t shared hers with anyone else.”

“Another person could have found her combination out easily enough,” Mike pointed out. “All they had to do was watch her open it. Most people aren’t suspicious enough to keep their locks covered when they put in their combination.”

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