Holes began to appear in the plastic as someone frantically tore at it and finally ripped it away. She gasped for air. Darien’s anxious face and the blinding lights of the hospital room appeared before her, while he continued to tear at the bag.
Filling her lungs. she tried to reach out to him. He paused while ripping the tape off around her neck, and took her hand and squeezed tight. “Jesus. Lelandi.” He didn’t say anything more, just held onto her hand and gazed into her eyes.
Jake rushed into the room. “What the hell.” He grabbed her wrist. “Her pulse is frantic.”
“Find out who all was at the hospital, who had access to the coffeepot in the common area, whose fingerprints are on it. I want to know how many were drugged and if everyone’s all right.” Darien finished removing the tape and bag from her neck and head.
Still holding her wrist, Jake remained beside her. “Pulse is more normal.”
Darien seized the leather strap tying her right wrist, and Jake grasped the other and yanked it off.
“I want her home with us until we get somewhere with this investigation.”
Lelandi breathed deeply, unable to comprehend what had happened.
“Did you see who did this to you?” Darien brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, holding her hand again with a firm but tender touch.
The nightmare she was living was getting worse. “I must have been sleeping. I was pretty groggy. What happened?”
“It appears somebody laced the coffee that the staff and visitors drink with heavy-duty sleep medicine.”
Even Sam was sound asleep in the chair next to the wall. “Just to get to me?”
Darien ran his hand over hers. Looks that way,”
“Doc said she could be released?” Jake asked.
“Yeah. Check on the others, will you?”
“Sure thing.” Jake rushed out of the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were Lelandi?”
She frowned. “I told... you. No one would listen.”
“Tell me who she was mated to.”
Lelandi looked away.
He wasn’t used to being disobeyed and her actions thoroughly compounded his irritation concerning what her sister had done. But it wasn’t Lelandi’s fault, and he attempted to curb his temper. “I have to know who’s got it in for you. Maybe knowing who she was mated to doesn’t matter at this point, but I can’t help but wonder if he had contracted someone to shoot you. Was that who accosted you behind Hastings?”
“No.”
Lelandi—”
“It wasn’t!”
Taking a deep breath, he nodded. Her eyes held his hostage, and he couldn’t believe how much he yearned to have her, like he’d wanted her sister. He looked down at his sweaty hands. She made him feel like a pup vying for a female’s attention the first time around. She wasn’t even in a wolf’s heat, yet he desired her like he had no business wanting her.
He took another deep breath and looked at her. “Until I find some answers, you are staying with my brothers and me.”
Her lips parted, but she promptly closed them.
He expected her to object, or say something. But she seemed so withdrawn, he wondered if the attempted murderer had drugged her also. “All right?”
She nodded.
“Silva cleaned your jacket and jeans, but I’m afraid your shirt and...” He glanced down at her breasts covered in the thin hospital gown, her nipples pressed against the fabric. He raised his brows. “She picked up a couple of items for you to wear.”
She gave a tentative nod.
“Did one of the nurses give you more medicine?”
“I... I don’t remember.”
Before Darien responded, Silva pushed a wheelchair into the room. “Jake’s really uptight about something, but he wouldn’t say what. He told me to hurry this down here. What’s going on?” She glanced at Sam. “Boy, I’ve never seen him sleep on guard duty before.” She lifted the ripped-up black plastic sack off the table next to the bed. “What’s this?”
Lelandi shuddered.
“A death mask,” Darien said. “Get her dressed. She’s going to my place, ASAP.”
Darien shook Sam’s arm and woke him. Blurry-eyed, he glowered at Darien.
“Come on. Let’s get some caffeine into you.”
“What... what the bloody hell happened?” Sam growled, rubbing his head, his eyes squinting. “I feel like I’ve pulled an all-nighter and have a Iupus-sized hangover.”
“You’ve been drugged.” Darien helped Sam out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
“Who did this?” Sam bellowed. “I’ll kill ‘em.”
“What in the world happened?” Silva carefully helped Lelandi to the edge of the bed.
Someone put something in the coffee and knocked everyone out. Guy tried to suffocate me.”
“Ohmigod, it’s a good thing I don’t drink coffee. I ran home to get another book to read, thinking you’d be here a while longer. But when I returned, I found Jake trying to wake Ritka and a janitor. Jake yelled at me to get a wheelchair for you and wouldn’t say what was wrong. Was the person who tried to hurt you a guy or a woman?”
“I... I don’t know.”
“Darien’s got to catch the bastard.”
Although Lelandi was healing well, considering shed been shot the night before last, she was sore and weak. Silva took her arm and helped her down from the bed, but Lelandi‘s head began to swirl into darkness, and Silva pushed her back onto the mattress.
Silva’s hands trembled. “Sit. Uhm, I’ll get Nurse Grey to help. You’re less stable on your feet than I thought.”
She hurried out of the room, but Lelandi didn’t need half of the people at the hospital dressing her. She meant to climb off the bed, steady herself for a minute, then get dressed. But as soon as her feet touched the floor, her mind and stomach began floating out to sea and the table started to tilt. Except the table wasn’t tilting, and she grabbed for It when she started to black out, pulling it crashing down on top of her.
Where the edge of the table landed, dull pain hit her thighs. So much for dressing herself. New bruises for sure, but at least she didn’t hit her tender wounds. If she wasn’t so groggy she would have screamed bloody murder for her ineptness.
Darien and Jake rushed into the room, their expressions horrified. Crap.
“Odin’s knees,” Darien said, and Jake echoed his sentiment.
He and his brother hurried to pull the table off her.
“We should leave her in the bed, restrained.” Jake offered her a wry smile.
Lelandi managed a low, feeble growl.
Jake raised a brow and Darien had the gall to smile, although she didn’t know what he thought was so damned funny. If his arm wasn’t so far away from her teeth, she’d bite him.
“Oh no... oh no,” Silva said, hurrying into the room. “I shouldn’t have left you alone for a second. Nurse Grey’s coming in a minute. She was trying to revive Doc, who’s passed out in his office.”
“Is he all right?” Darien lifted Lelandi off the floor, but one of his hands slipped inside the gown opening at the back. His heated fingers pressing against her naked skin sent her temperature soaring, and the look he gave her made her sure it unsettled him as much as it did her. He set her on the bed and adjusted her hospital gown to draw the skimpy fabric lower, past her knees. “Leave. Jake.”
“What?”
“We’re getting her dressed and out of here.”
“I’m staying at your place.” Silva pulled clothes out of a pink bag from Lacy Garments & Accessories. “She’ll need me to help her dress and shower. So, plan on a slumber party, boys.”