by L. P. Dover
His jaw started to relax and he smirked. Pushing me gently against the wall, he caged me in with his muscular arms surrounding me. Leaning over, he kissed my neck and glided his lips across my collarbone. “I need you to know something, sunshine. When I see something I want, I get it. I don’t like to share if you know what I mean. After watching you tonight, I realized I can’t stand watching another man put his hands on you.”
Breathless, I whispered, “What are you saying?”
He kissed me hungrily on the lips, and I accepted it fully with no reservations, not caring who saw. “I’m saying that I want you to be mine. Now that I’ve had you, I need … more.”
I shuddered under his intense gaze, and almost found myself lost in his blue orbs. Challenging him, I responded boldly, “The only way you’re getting more of me is if I get more of you.”
Alec’s eyes grew wide and he smiled. “Why, Ms. Chase, I think you just challenged me.”
Rolling my eyes, I laughed and pushed him away gently. “So, are you up for it? All I need is honesty and the truth. It’s pretty simple.”
His smile slightly faded and he sighed. “I’ll do what I have to do.”
“Okay, so first things first, I need you to be honest and not worry about what I’m going to think about you. We’ll take baby steps … can you do that?” He nodded, so I continued and asked, “Why don’t you go to bars?”
He groaned and hung his head. “I tell you what … let me get you a drink and then I’ll tell you. Trust me, you might need more alcohol to help with the shock.”
I pursed my lips, and scowled halfheartedly. “You don’t know me very well, Mr. Holden. Believe me, it takes a lot to shock me. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to hit the restroom.”
As I turned to leave, he called out behind me. “What do you want to drink? I’ll order it and wait for you,” Alec offered.
“Rum and Coke,” I called out over my shoulder. I didn’t really have to use the bathroom, but I wanted a few minutes to myself. I wish Emily was in here so I could talk to her. What the hell was going on? Kristian got a hard on while dancing with me, and Alec showed up and got all possessive. Could anything more crazy happen tonight? I wondered.
Yes, it could.
As soon as I walked out of the bathroom, I spotted Alec at the bar with a female trying desperately to drape herself all over him. He was trying to pull her hands away, but she kept going back for more. I had to give him credit, though; he was visibly trying to make her go away.
I stalked over to them, and once I got there, I pushed her away and sat in his lap, kissing him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around my waist and returned my kiss with more heat, more passion. We heard her scoff behind us and stomp away.
When we were in the clear, Alec pulled back and laughed. “You are a life saver, Marissa.”
“I aim to please, Mr. Holden. How about we finish our drinks and get out of here before I have to fight all these girls off?”
He chuckled and finished his beer while I gulped my rum and Coke in three swallows. When we got to the parking lot, I had momentarily forgotten that he would’ve ridden in on his bike. Thankfully, he had an extra helmet strapped onto his bike. He pushed it down over my head and buckled the strap underneath my chin. After helping me onto the back of his bike, he wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Hold on tight, sunshine.”
The bike roared to life and we were off. I held on tightly and probably hindered his breathing because of my grip around his body, but I was nervous and extremely scared. I shouldn’t have drunk the rum and Coke so fast, but I didn’t want to waste it and I could tell he wanted to leave. Alec patted my knee for reassurance, but at that moment I felt anything except that.
Once we pulled into the complex parking lot, I breathed a sigh of relief. The bike came to a halt and Alec helped me off, steadying me as I got to my feet. My world began to spin and dizziness overtook me, blurring my vision. I was losing control of my body, and it took me a while to realize I had fallen.
The brunt force of the hard, biting surface of the pavement beneath momentarily woke me up from my trance. Everything was losing focus, even Alec’s face as he hovered over me, frantically trying to understand what was wrong with me. I felt the threads linking me to reality slowly tearing away, and sending me into a void.
Alec was frantic and screaming at me. “How much did you drink, Marissa?” he yelled, shaking me by the shoulders. “Tell me how much you drank!” Something was wrong, I could feel it. My eyes started to feel heavy and I could barely keep them open. “Don’t close your eyes, Marissa! Stay with me dammit!”
“I can’t,” I sputtered slowly.
I tried to speak more, but couldn’t. My body was numb, even the cold asphalt below me didn’t register, nor did the feel of Alec’s arms shaking me keep me awake. I was floating away, the blackness taking over, and then I was … gone.
Everything was bright … so bright. Why did it have to be morning already? Groaning, I rolled over in my bed and reached for my favorite pillow that I liked to hold when I slept, but instead of finding it I found a set of bars. My hand recoiled and I forced my eyes open, unable to focus at first, but when they cleared, I gasped.
I was in a hospital with no recollection of how I got there; my mind was blank, and as I tried to remember I was left with a huge gaping hole in my memory. The door to my room opened, and the one person who I didn’t expect to see strolled in quietly, holding a cup of coffee. Her long auburn hair was in a messy ponytail, and her T-shirt and jeans were wrinkled; no doubt from the drive up here. She sat her coffee on the little table beside the recliner, and slowly lowered herself into the chair, trying not to wake me with the noise.
“I’m awake, so you can stop creeping around,” I croaked, my voice all raspy and dry.
My sister jumped and flew to the side of the bed, crying hysterically. Fetching a glass of water, she held it to my dry lips; I drank it down greedily. She looked tired and worn out, and I felt bad for all the pain I must’ve caused her with getting drunk and landing myself in the hospital. How long had I been here? I wondered. And what was I in for?
Hesitantly, I looked around the room and asked, “What am I doing here?”
Sighing, she sat down in the chair beside my bed and took my hand, tears streaking her cheeks. “How much do you remember?”
Closing my eyes, I tried to think as far back as I could and the last thing I remembered was the girls at the bar and riding home with Alec on his bike. “The last thing I remember is being with Alec. Why?” I asked.
Tears welled in her eyes. “You were drugged, Marissa. Someone put Rohypnol in your drink.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed in disbelief. The bile rose in the back of my throat and I couldn’t stop the trembling of shock in my body. My hands were shaking uncontrollably and I felt sick … angry and upset that someone would do that to me. It couldn’t have been Alec, could it? He had no reason to use it, but he was the one who ordered my drink.
My voice was hoarse when I spoke, “Does anyone know who did it? How long have I been out?”
She looked at the clock on the wall and furrowed her brows. “Let’s see … Emily called me about six hours ago, and told me you were in the hospital. So probably around seven hours. The police are investigating the situation, and asking your friends some questions. They’re all out in the waiting room.”
“Who’s everyone?” I asked curiously. I really wanted to know if Alec was out there.
She pursed her lips. “Emily, Justin, and Kristian are out there, as well as the guy who brought you in. He rode in the ambulance with you.
“Ambulance?”
“Yes, since you were unconscious, he called 911. Besides, it's not like he could bring you in on a motorcycle. Speaking of, what are you doing riding on a motorcycle, you know how dangerous they are?”
Rolling my eyes, I smiled. My sister was worse than my parents when it came to my safety. “Trust me, I didn’t want to, but that’s
what Alec rode to the bar on. Do they think he was the one who drugged me?”
She shrugged. “He was the one who bought your drink, so needless to say he was the first suspect. The police are going to watch the surveillance video and go from there.”
Groaning, I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. “Alec didn’t do it. He had no reason to.”
“I know,” Kimberly said. I opened my eyes and faced her, waiting on her to continue. “From what I hear he was pretty upset when you passed out. You were brought here immediately, so I honestly don’t think he’d do that if he drugged you.”
“Yeah, I agree. Do you mind letting my friends in? I’d like to talk to them.”
My sister leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “Sure,” she said softly. “I’m going to call Matt and the girls to let them know you’re okay. They’ve been worried about you.”
Matt was her husband and the girls were my nieces. I missed them, especially my nieces. I haven’t been able to see them grow up since I’d been away to college. “Let them know I miss them, and I’ll come see them soon,” I told her.
Nodding, Kimberly grabbed her cell phone and left the room. Two seconds later, the door burst open and in ran Emily, followed by Kristian, Alec, and Justin. Emily was bawling and threw her arms around my neck. “Rissa, oh thank God you’re okay. I’ve been worried sick. When I find out who spiked your drink I’m gonna kill ’em.”
“What did the police ask you guys?” I asked, glancing at them. Kristian looked angry, glaring at Alec, but Alec didn’t pay him any mind. He gazed wearily at me and came to my side.
“They thought it was me at first,” Alec confessed somberly. “I think they still do.”
Kristian scoffed, pacing the room like a caged animal. “Who else could it have been? You were the one who got her the drink!” he yelled.
Alec fumed, but he clenched his teeth and reined in his anger, taking a few deep breaths. “I have no reason to want to drug her. Sedating women to have sex with me isn’t my thing,” he growled low, pinning a dark glare at Kristian.
In my heart, I knew Alec didn’t do it, but Kristian didn’t look like he was going to back down. Before I could say anything in Alec’s defense, Emily cut in and spoke, “He’s right, Kris. It doesn’t add up to Alec doing it. Why would he drug her just to get help the moment she passed out? Besides, she was willing yesterday afternoon so having to drug her would’ve been moot.”
Immediately, Kristian’s color drained from his face and he froze, his whole demeanor deflating. My heart ached at the idea of hurting him, and it only confirmed that he did have feelings for me by the expression on his face.
Angrily, he threw his hands in the air and started for the door. “I have to go, Mare. I can’t be here right now.”
“Kristian, no,” I hollered out, but he kept going and shut the door behind him.
Alec grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I told you, Marissa. The guy’s got feelings for you.”
Emily’s eyes grew wide and she frowned. “Oh no, and here I was spouting out how you and Alec already had sex. I’m such an idiot.”
“It’s done now,” I pointed out wearily. “He was going to find out eventually.”
Alec leaned over and kissed me gently on my lips at the same time my sister walked back into the room closing her cell phone. “Okay, you guys, I have some good news. Marissa’s going to be released in about an hour and she’s going to be fine. I also just got off the phone with Detective Michaels, and he said they watched the surveillance tape.”
She paused and everyone grew silent, waiting to hear more. She took a deep breath and said, “They saw who put the drug in your drink, Marissa, and as we all know it wasn’t Alec.”
“Who was it?” I asked nervously.
She shrugged. “That’s why they want you at the station. They want all of us to come by in the morning to see if you know who the person is.”
Agreeing, I nodded and turned to Alec. “It’s gonna be weird seeing it all play out,” I murmured softly.
Alec kissed my hand and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. “I know what you mean, baby. I was sitting right there and didn’t see anything.”
“Yeah, but you were kind of occupied.”
“Well, what’s even weirder …” my sister began, strolling over to the bed, “… is that the person you’ll be trying to identify isn’t a guy, Marissa. It’s a girl.” We all gasped and stared at her with our eyes wide open in shock.
I was definitely not expecting that.
My sister stayed the night and was offered Emily’s room, but that wasn’t where she ended up. We both ended up sleeping on the couch together and woke up with our muscles aching. I was glad she stayed.
Alec hung out with us for a while the night before and helped my sister cook dinner. It was interesting watching her interact so pleasantly with him, and getting along with him. My sister was a hard person to crack, but I could see in her eyes that she really liked him.
After we had eaten dinner, Alec left, leaving my sister and me alone for the rest of the evening. We watched our mother’s favorite musical, Oklahoma, and ended up falling asleep on the couch, not waking up until morning. My stomach growled, so instead of eating my sad cereal bar, I ended up eating a huge bowl of frosted flakes.
I was surprised I was even hungry with the nerves in my stomach flip flopping out of control. In just an hour’s time I was going to be watching whoever drugged me in the video surveillance. What if it was someone I know?
To wake up, I took a quick shower and towel dried my hair. Rummaging through my closet, I picked a long sleeve shirt to hide the bruises from my fall, and put my hair up in a ponytail.
“Are you ready to go?” my sister asked, peeking her head into my room.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, wishing the day was already over. I was ready to get it done and see what evil person spiked my drink. Emily spent the night at Justin’s again, and promised to meet me, my sister, and Alec at the police station first thing.
I grabbed my purse, cell phone, and a bottle of water from the refrigerator before following my sister out the door. I locked up, and once we were down on Alec’s floor he was already waiting on me.
“Perfect timing,” I pointed out, grinning.
Smiling, he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me gently on the lips. “Let’s go and get this over with. Hopefully, someone will be able to recognize the girl who did it.”
“I sure hope so.”
We all three piled into my sister’s van and headed to the police station. When we pulled into the parking lot, I saw Emily, Justin, and Kristian waiting on the front steps. Alec got out of the car and held my hand as we walked into the station.
It was just as I remembered it from when I came after my attack two years prior; the same blue upholstered chairs sat in the corners, and the walls were starkly white, almost blinding. I could smell the hint of cigarette smoke. Even though it had been banned in the building for however many long years, the scent was still there.
Detective Michaels was the one who took my case when I was attacked on campus, and he was the one helping me with the new case. He was a man who looked to be in his mid-forties with short brown hair that was starting to gray on both sides, and also growing thinner in the back.
I could tell his job was stressful by the weariness in his eyes, and I couldn’t imagine seeing and dealing with the types of things he dealt with on a daily basis. When he saw me enter through the door, he marched right up to me and wrapped me in a bear hug. That’s what he reminded me of … a huge teddy bear.
“You just don’t know how to stay out of trouble, do you?” he asked, forcing a laugh.
“Obviously not,” I muttered. “At least I was given a two year break.”
“Still, young lady, these things shouldn’t be happening to you or to anyone for that matter.” He half-smiled at me and moved on to talk to my sister.
“What’s he talking about?” Alec whispered in my ear. �
�What happened two years ago?”
Sighing, I looked up at him and whispered back, “I was attacked on campus one night after leaving one of my study groups. Thankfully, nothing bad happened except some bruises, but if Kristian hadn’t shown up and help me I don’t know what would’ve happened. It’s how him and I became such good friends.”
“Well, I’m glad he was there.”
“I’ll always be there for her,” Kristian cut in, coming up to my side.
Alec lifted an eyebrow at me, but I waved him off. Detective Michaels was making his way around the group and shook hands with everyone before leading us down the hallway to the conference room. When he opened the door, there was already a screen set up on display.
“Everyone, take a seat and we’ll start,” the detective ordered, gesturing to the seats.
The large rectangular table could seat about twenty people, but I sat in between Alec and my sister while Emily, Justin, and Kristian sat on the opposite side. Once we were all settled, the detective began the commentary. The video started to play, and it showed Alec standing at the bar and ordering our drinks. Both drinks were made and set in front of him and the money was transferred to the bartender.
Detective Michaels paused the film. “Okay, this is where things start. Tell me if you recognize the blonde-headed female that approaches Mr. Holden, and also the other blonde that you will see visibly contaminating the drink.”
The video played again and I saw the leggy blonde in the short skirt putting her arms around Alec. I guess I could understand why Alec didn’t like any other men touching me. I was livid watching that slut put her hands on him. I could feel Kristian’s gaze on me from across the table, but I kept my expression blank knowing he was trying to gauge my reaction.
One thing was definitely for sure, I didn’t recognize the girl on the video.
“Do any of you recognize her?” the detective asked, pausing the video. We all shook our heads as a reply. He sighed and resumed the video. “Okay, so you’ll notice here, Mr. Holden turns his head for a second and in comes blonde suspect number two. As you can see, we don’t have a good visual of her face, but you’ll notice what she does … watch.”