Deadly Dancing

by Nicolette Pierce

  “What was that about?” I asked Renee.

  “I always like to say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but I can’t even follow my own advice with her. You better watch yourself. It seems like you have competition,” Renee said.

  “Is that what it is?”

  “Competition isn’t so bad. It keeps you on your toes. But there are some people here you don’t want to compete against.”

  “Even my boss is after him,” I confided. “I’m not even sure what he sees in me to keep him interested. How do I compete with all these women?”

  “Hon, have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You could get any man here.” She paused, wagging her finger at me. “Just don’t be messing with mine.”

  “Promise,” I said and crossed my heart. “I have enough men problems.”

  After a few songs, the mai tai was gone. I was ready to order another one, but my mind was fuzzy and it was spreading to my limbs.

  “Renee, can you have Annie get me some water? She was heavy-handed with the alcohol. I’m not feeling too good right now.”

  Renee cruised over to Annie at the other side of the bar. She came back with black coffee and set it in front of me.

  “Here you go. This might make you feel better,” Renee said.

  I took a sip and the warm liquid hit my stomach. It wasn’t smooth or soothing.

  “Girl, you’re turning green.”

  “I feel horrible.”

  “Let’s go backstage and you can lie down.”

  “Brett said not to go back there because of the men.”

  “They don’t mess with me.”

  I stood slowly, pausing so the room would tilt back to normal. Renee grabbed me and my purse, and we wound our way to the back.

  A woman at a table met me with hard, narrow eyes. Her head was covered with tight, frizzy curls.

  “Mars?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Payback’s a bitch,” she snarled. “Stay away from him or next time my hand will slip a little bit more.”

  Renee whispered into my ear, “That’s her.”

  “What did you do?” I panicked.

  She cackled, making her eyes bug out.

  “Renee, get me backstage quickly.”

  Renee pushed through the crowd of women until we made it backstage. Brett spotted us from the stage and ran back to meet us.

  “What the hell happened?” he asked.

  I laughed hysterically. It came out of nowhere. How could I not laugh? Brett was morphing into a bumble bee, and Renee into a bright yellow flower.

  “Buzz,” I mimicked a bee, poking him in the stomach.

  “I think she’s been drugged,” the yellow flower said. “There’s a freaky lady out there.”

  “A talking flower,” I gasped.

  The room grew dark and heavy. My body sank to the floor, twitching. Giant, hairy spiders crawled on me. They nested into my hair.

  “Get them off!” I shrieked. “Get them off!”

  Chapter 12

  My eyes opened to an unfamiliar room. Lead must have replaced my brain, because I couldn’t lift my head. I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the brightness. I squeezed them tight. The piercing light was too bright.

  My head pounded like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. My heart stopped. Sledgehammer? I reached my hand up to inspect my head. I clenched my eyes, searching for damage. I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, just the big knot I’ve had since I flew off the swing when I was six. My dad had said I could be anyone I wanted to be as long as I put my mind to it. I put my mind to becoming Superman . . . it didn’t work.

  I let out a sigh of relief that my head was still intact. Maybe if I go back to sleep, I’ll wake up in my own room. Dreamland was about to swallow me when I heard footsteps. A light kiss fell upon my forehead.

  “Wake up, sleeping beauty.” A smooth voice drifted to a happy part of my brain that wasn’t filled with muck.

  “My head hurts,” I murmured, squeezing my eyes closed even tighter.

  “You were heavily drugged.”

  “She had crazy eyes and bad hair,” I said, trying to remember.

  I cracked my eyes open to see a fuzzy outline. I didn’t have to open them more to know who it was. Judging from the velvety voice, it was Evan.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, squinting at the light.

  “Why do you think? You scared the hell out of me, Mars. You were overdosing. I almost lost you in the ambulance.” He smoothed my hair and placed a light kiss on my lips. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

  I tried to sit.

  “Relax,” he ordered. “Your body has gone through trauma.”

  “When can I leave?”

  “Later.”

  “I have things to do.”

  “You can’t even sit on your own.”

  “The rehearsal dinner for Kym’s wedding is tonight. I have the Stevenson party too. Oh, and I need to pick up my dress.” A list percolated through the sludge.

  He poured some water for me to drink. “You’re infuriating.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Did you get my message?”

  “Yes.”

  “You didn’t reply.”

  “I was drugged.”

  “I’m here now. What’s your reply?”

  “You should be nice to sick people. You know, give them a break.”

  “Sugar, I’ve been far too nice to you. If I had any brains, I’d have seduced you years ago.”

  “Nice try. You said I shouldn’t give up on you.”

  “Yes.”

  “You gave up on relationships, therefore me, long before.”

  He was silent for a moment. Evan brushed the hair from my face. His fingers lingered lightly on my cheek. “I didn’t do anything with the girl from the bar,” he said. “I dropped her off at her apartment and drove home.” He looked as if he were grasping for an explanation. “It didn’t feel right. It hasn’t for a long time.”

  I gave him a small smile, slipping my hand into his. I meant for it to soothe him, but I felt warm and cozy too. “When did you buy a Harley?”

  “You were drugged to an inch of your life, and you’re asking about my Harley?”

  I nodded. Harleys were born and bred in Wisconsin. Call me a schmuck, but a gorgeous man with a Harley between his legs was better than cheesecake . . . unless it’s turtle cheesecake.

  I even squeaked by the road test and got my motorcycle license. I prefer to sit behind a man and wrap my arms around him instead of riding by myself. Not that I’ve had much experience either way. Plus, I can’t afford a motorcycle and, frankly, I scare myself when I drive one.

  Cheesecake is far safer.

  “I bought it a month ago. I’ll take you on a ride soon.”

  “Can I drive?”

  “No.”

  A figure appeared in the doorframe behind Evan. Evan glanced behind him, setting his face hard. He gave me a kiss on the forehead, allowing his hair to fall gently on my face. He didn’t linger long.

  “I’ll see you later, sugar.”

  Evan turned, giving a tight nod to Brett. Brett returned the nod and walked in. He stood by my bed, reaching for my hand.

  “You look like hell,” I told him.

  His face was drawn and white. Deep lines appeared where there had been none before. His weight pressed down on him.

  “I don’t want to talk about me; I want to talk about you. How are you feeling?”

  “My head hurts, my body hurts, and even my baby toe hurts.”

  Brett pulled a chair next to me, collapsing into it. He threaded his fingers through mine.

  “The woman who drugged you has been booked. You’ll eventually need to talk to the police so they can finish their report.”

  “Is she the Hammer?”

  Brett shook his head. “No. I’ve been looking through her file and she’s been in jail during two of the murders. It doesn’t add up that she would try to hurt y
ou. This isn’t in her rap sheet that landed her in jail before.”

  “Renee told me that she was mad that you weren’t at Longhorn’s the other night and that she made a scene.”

  “That’s news to me. No one told me about it. What I did find out was that someone wired a lot of money into her account. I have a feeling she was paid to drug you.”

  “Can the wire transfer be traced?”

  “It led to a dead end.”

  “I don’t understand. Why are people coming out of the woodwork to harm me? People used to like me,” I said. “I’ve never even been in a fight. I’ve never had a black eye. Why now?”

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. His shoulders slumped over slightly and his grip tightened on my hand.

  “Ow,” I whimpered.

  “What?” Brett bolted out of the chair. “What’s wrong?”

  “You hurt my hand.”

  Brett fell back in the chair. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he said, barely audible.

  He was taking this hard. This was personal to him. I’m sure he had gone through this with his sister and now it’s happening all over again.

  “You haven’t slept, have you?”

  Brett shook his head.

  “Please, go get some sleep,” I said. “I’m fine. The woman is in custody, and I have things to do today. I can’t have a sleepy shadow.”

  A sliver of a smile formed. “The doctors said you can’t leave until they’ve done more tests on you.”

  “You go to sleep, and I’ll harass the doctors to get me released.”

  “I’m sleeping here,” he insisted.

  “Sleep wherever you want.”

  “Scoot over and let me in.” He winked.

  “I can barely fit in the bed myself.”

  Brett stood to give me a kiss. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  He sank back into the chair and leaned his head back to rest against the wall. He was out within a couple of minutes. I pushed the nurse’s call button.

  A stout pixie with fire-engine-red hair came fluttering into my room. “You’re awake.” She inspected my eyes and smiled. “How do you feel?”

  “I hurt, but I’m okay.”

  “That was a really nasty overdose,” she said. “The lab is still trying to figure out the concoction. It’s amazing you’re here with us.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told.” I looked at Brett. The nurse followed my gaze.

  “He and Evan brought you in last night. They waited the whole night. The two of them looked like lions stalking their territory. He,” the nurse pointed at Brett, “was on the phone making tons of phone calls that didn’t look pleasant. There were men who kept coming in and out talking to him. One of them was really scary. He had a tarantula tattoo on his neck. I was about ready to get security involved.”

  “You’re sure about the tattoo?”

  “Oh yes, I couldn’t miss something like that.”

  I glanced over at Brett. He was still sleeping. Who is this guy? Why was he talking to the scary tattoo guy?

  “When can I leave?” I asked.

  “The doctor wants to do some more blood work before you can be released. We want to make sure you’re all back to normal.”

  “Can they be done now? I have things to do.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, but you’re on hospital time now. We have our own speed,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Anything you can do to speed up the process would make me very happy.”

  “Just rest some more. Breakfast will be arriving soon.”

  I nodded and leaned back. What the hell is going on? I narrowed in on Brett. He’s keeping something from me. Is he working with the bad guys? Is he one of them, and I’ve fallen for his charm and unbelievably good looks? I hoped I wasn’t such a sucker. But looking at him makes me forget all common sense.

  I really didn’t know anything about him. He may not even be Brett Thompson. His driver’s license could be fake. But why meet my parents and clean my house? He had my car painted too. I softened. He told me to trust him. I’ll have to trust him until I can figure out more.

  I searched for my phone. My purse and clothes were nowhere in sight. The hospital phone was across the room. I wasn’t confident enough to trek over there with an IV stuck in my arm. This sucks!

  I looked at Brett. He must have a phone on him. He’s not wearing a jacket, so it must be in his pants pocket. A sliver of a shiny black object poked out of his front pocket. If I stretched, I might be able to just reach it. My twitchy finger got the best of me. I reached my hand to his pocket. My fingers tightened on the edge of the phone. I held on firmly as I slid it from his pocket. He moved a little, allowing the phone to glide into my hand.

  His phone was sleek and new. I touched the screen and the phone came to life. A woman stared back at me from the screen. She had the same eyes as Brett . . . Eve.

  Would it be invading his privacy if I looked at the other pictures on his phone? Probably, I sighed. However, he could be a bad guy, and then it wouldn’t be invading his privacy, just investigating to protect myself, I reasoned.

  A message popped on the screen and beeped. I jumped from surprise, nearly dropping the phone. I read the message. It’s not my fault. I’m drugged.

  Meet me at 11:00 tonight.

  Uh-oh, I really didn’t want to read that. I quickly slipped the phone back into Brett’s pocket, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn’t move. I wasn’t meant to be James Bond . . . or even Money Penny.

  I called for the nurse again, and she dug out my phone for me. I should have thought of that to begin with. I dialed Emmy.

  “Emmy, I need a favor.”

  “Oh, sure,” Emmy said.

  “Can you go to my house and get the lockets? I couldn’t finish them.”

  “Oh,” she said wryly. “You and Brett must have had some night.”

  “Yes, but it’s not what you think. I’m in the hospital.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “A lot, but I don’t want to get into it right now.”

  “Okay, but you’ll tell me later, right?”

  “Yes. You’ll need to come here and get the key.”

  “I’ll come over now since Jocelyn isn’t here. Curtis can watch the phone for me.”

  “Can I ask one more favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Can you pick up my bridesmaid dress?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  My breakfast arrived after I hung up with Emmy.

  It was dismal.

  I pushed it away and left it for dead, which, judging from its appearance, happened years ago.

  “Hey, girl,” Renee said as she appeared in the doorway. “Good to see you alive and well. You had everyone scared.” She looked over at Brett sleeping and chuckled. “You should’ve seen him. As soon as you fell to the ground twitching, he told me to call nine-one-one. He bounded off the stage, diving on the woman who drugged you. It was complete chaos. She was flat on the ground, and he handcuffed her to the pole until the police came. I don’t know where he got the handcuffs. He could’ve had them tucked in his thong.” She smirked. “Make sure to ask him, won’t you?”

  I smiled.

  “Then the ambulance showed up,” Renee continued, “and there was this drop-dead gorgeous EMT giving you mouth-to-mouth because you stopped breathing. I’m telling you, girl, I wouldn’t mind getting drugged if that EMT was going to give me mouth-to-mouth.”

  “Evan,” I said. He gave me mouth-to-mouth? I touched my lips in wonder.

  “You know him?”

  I nodded.

  “That explains why he and Brett were looking like two alpha dogs trying to get the same bone.”

  I groaned.

  “Yeah, tell me about it. They both rode in the back of the ambulance. I thought for sure you’d never make it to the hospital. I had to follow them because Brett was still wearing his thong.”

  I smiled at the picture forming in my head.


  “Yeah, it was good,” she agreed.

  Renee looked at my breakfast. “This is what they gave you to eat?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, hell no!” she barked.

  Brett stirred but didn’t wake.

  “These Northern hospitals don’t know squat about food. They should serve you biscuits and gravy. Maybe a little fried chicken and sweet potato pie.”

  I eyed Renee. “They wouldn’t serve that to sick patients, would they?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been sick. But I’d rather starve than eat what they served you.” Renee whipped out her phone. “Sweet cheeks, pick up a giant breakfast for Mars. They’re trying to starve her after she almost died. Damn hospital is probably going to charge her a hundred dollars for this junk.”

  I cringed. I didn’t even want to guess how much this was going to cost me. All health care for Jocelyn McCain Events was pumped into Jocelyn’s plastic surgeon’s pocket.

  Renee hung up the phone. “Don’t you worry about a thing.”

  The door to the room crashed open and in stormed my mom like someone stole her last bottle of wine. “My baby!” she cried.

  Brett woke up for her entrance. Seeing that it was my mother, he fell back asleep. Great. This is the time I could use reinforcement, and he falls back asleep.

  Renee gawked at her in awe; a woman after her own heart.

  “Mom, calm down. I’m okay.”

  “You’re not okay! You’re a druggie!”

  “Mom, there’s a difference between being a druggie and getting drugged.”

  “Well, which one are you? I woke up to find a voicemail from Brett saying that you were at the hospital for an overdose. Is he the dealer?” She pointed to Brett. “He seemed like such a nice young man.”

  “Mom, a lunatic woman—who you are starting to resemble—drugged me. Brett and Renee saved me.”

  Mom turned to Renee. Renee inched back, a little worried.

  “Come here,” Mom demanded, a catch in her voice.

  Renee crept up. My mother grabbed her, crushing her in a hug. Renee snapped her head toward me. Her eyes bugged out. I shrugged. She was on her own.

  My dad entered the room. “How are you feeling, honey?” He gave me a kiss on the forehead. “You gave everyone a scare.”

  “I didn’t like it too much either.”