Page 15 of Take Me Under

He brought his hand to my head. With a frown that seemed to express both concern and annoyance, he reached for the cloth in the basin and wrung out the excess water. With surprising gentleness, he ran the damp material over my brow.

“You’re still burning with fever.” Setting the cloth aside, he opened the bottle of ibuprofen, then handed me two pills and the glass of water from the nightstand. “Take this. It should help.”

“I’m fine.”

“Would you stop saying that?”

I looked dubiously at the pills. “I don’t need?—”

“It’s Advil. Not poison.” His interruption was flat with a hint of annoyance. “Now, here. Take these.”

He pushed the pills toward me. I stared at them for a moment before giving in.

“I really need to go,” I insisted again after I’d swallowed two caplets.

Ignoring me, he continued. “I’ll go to the Midtown and collect your things for you. Just rest.”

Then, without another word, he ambled out of the room. I didn’t have the energy to chase him, never mind the idea of getting back out of bed. I wanted to, though. I wasn’t only worried about my personal belongings left behind at the motel. I had so many other things I needed to take care of, too. For starters, the expensive plane ticket that was nonrefundable.

But my eyes hurt too much.

Perhaps if I closed them for a bit, I’d be able to find the energy I needed to fix the mess I was in. Succumbing to the heaviness in my lids, I surrendered to the darkness and was back to sleep within seconds.

CHAPTER SIX

Anton

Isat in the front passenger seat of the Volvo as Zeke navigated the city streets toward the Midtown Motel. Leaving Serena alone in the penthouse bedroom had left me on edge, even if it was only for a short time. Keeping a low public profile was becoming harder and harder, and having her there was a risk. For all I knew, she was a tabloid plant looking to get an inside scoop. Vultures were everywhere. While she wouldn’t find anything incriminating about me lying around, I didn’t like having strangers in my personal space.

I wasn’t sure why I’d felt compelled to bring her to the penthouse in the first place. I was the moth, and she was the flame. I was drawn to her despite the danger. The sight of her so vulnerable had stirred a protective instinct I hadn’t felt since my mother was alive, and it was unsettling.

However, when she’d emerged from the bathroom looking pale and gaunt, I knew I’d made the right choice. Her steps hadbeen slow and deliberate and so weak that she reminded me of a fragile flower that might wilt at the slightest touch. Nobody could have faked that.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Zeke asked, breaking the silence in the car.

“What do you mean?”

“This woman. You’ve been quiet ever since you brought her to the penthouse—near lifeless I might add. Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman inside your place before.”

“That’s because there hasn’t been one. Ever. At least not while I was the owner.”

“Exactly. And now we’re going to get this woman’s things from her hotel. Who you’re sleeping with isn’t any of my business, but I need to know if I should do a background check on her.”

“It’s not like that. She’s the person of interest from the Met Gala—Dr. Martinelli.”

“She’sDr. Martinelli? The archeologist?” Zeke asked, incredulous.

“Yes.”

The very sexy archeologist.

I kept that opinion to myself. I wasn’t used to being caught unawares, yet Serena had hit me like a sucker punch. Until I could figure out why this woman unnerved me so much, it was best to keep my thoughts private.

“The phrasing of the article had me picturing?—”

“Someone different?” I finished for him. “I did, too. I don’t know if there’s any connection to the Dr. Martinelli that was mentioned in the article you showed me. I didn’t have the chance to ask before she fell ill. It was all so unexpected, and it threw me off my game. I wasn’t sure what to think when I learned her name, so I went for a walk. I came back and found her barely conscious on a bench. That’s when I called you to come get us.”

“You went for a walk? Where?” Zeke asked, not bothering to hide the accusation in his voice.

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