Page 93 of Trust No One

He took the bottle and set it down, and she rested her head against the headboard. “You wanna go back to sleep?” he asked.

She began to shake her head. Stopped abruptly. “No. Will you tell me what happened?”

So he recounted what he’d seen and what he’d heard while sneaking up on Kingsley. “That bastard might have drugged you, but you kicked his ass in the end.”

She turned her head carefully and smiled at him. “No, I think the ass-kicking was all you. I remember now. You came up behind him with a man’s tie and choked him. You gave me zip ties and I cuffed him.” She reached for his hand. “Not the easiest thing to do when your head feels as if it’s floating a foot above your body, but I must have managed.”

“You were a champ, babe.” He regretted that ‘babe’ when she turned and frowned at him.

“Do we still call each other ‘babe’?” she asked.

God, that drug had really affected her memory. “I’ll always call you babe, Mel. No matter what.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, then her eyes fluttered closed again. She slid down the bed and was asleep before he could help ease her down.

* * *

Mel woke slowly and touched her head. It still hurt, but it was just a headache. Not the overwhelming agony she’d felt last time she woke up.

“How’s it feel?” Dev asked. He was close.

She turned her head and saw him sitting on the bed beside her, looking at his phone. He slid it into his pocket and turned to study her.

“Better,” she said, touching her forehead. “Still hurts, but it’s bearable. Not like last time I woke up.” She squirmed on the bed. “All that water I drank – I need to use the bathroom.”

Dev slid off the bed and hurried around to the other side. “Want me to carry you?”

“No!” She stared at him, horrified. “I can walk to the bathroom by myself.”

“Okay,” he said, extending his hand. “At least hold on to me.”

“Fine,” she scowled. “I’ll indulge you.” She gripped his hand and eased off the bed. Stood for a moment, assessing her head. It hurt, but not unbearably. Her legs. Would they work?

She took a step, then another. So far, so good. But she held onto Dev until she was at the bathroom door. “Thanks,” she said, turning her head slowly to look at him. “Sorry I snapped at you.”

Dev smiled. “You’re sorry? Thatsnappingwas the best words I ever heard come out of your mouth,” he said, bending to press a kiss to her head. “I knew you were feeling better.”

He uncurled his hand from hers. Let his palm stroke hers as he let go. When she didn’t immediately move into the bathroom, he said, “You sure you don’t want me to go in there with you? So, you don’t, you know, fall off the throne?”

She put her palm in the center of his chest, as if savoring his warmth. Then she pushed him back. “I’ve got this, Dev. Thanks.”

She walked into the room and closed the door in his face.

Five minutes later she walked out, feeling much better. Dev had been hovering at the door, but when it opened he hurried to step back. “Wanna go back to sleep?”

She shook her head once, then stopped. Not a good idea. Clearing her throat, she said, “No. I think I’m done sleeping.” She looked around his room. “Let’s sit on the couch. You can tell me exactly what happened after Cliff stuck that needle in me.”

She headed for the couch and tripped on the metal strip that held the carpet down. He immediately grabbed her hand and held it until she lowered herself onto the couch. He sat beside her, closer than she’d expected. But instead of moving away, he merely slung his arm over her shoulder.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

She frowned. “I remember him jabbing the needle into my arm,” she said slowly. “Because it really hurt. Everything got fuzzy pretty fast. Then he kind of dragged me toward the plane. My feet didn’t work, so he wrapped his arm around my waist. He was basically carrying me to the jetway.”

She furrowed her forehead. “I remember him telling the gate agent that I’d had some drinks, but everything is kind of jumbled. Then he pushed me into the window seat of our row.”

She looked over at Dev. “It gets pretty fuzzy from there. My head felt as if it was floating above my body.

“I wanted water badly. My mouth was really dry, and I remember thinking that maybe water would flush the drug out of my system. I made Cliff ask the flight attendant for water, and she gave me one of those big bottles they have on the beverage carts. I was able to open it, maybe because I was desperate for it.”

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