Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
A waitress in a skimpy black cocktail dress offers me a drink, but I decline, instead cataloguing the servers, noticing they have specific women working this area of the club, making my job easier.
Tawny shows up late, but she obviously knows enough not to blow off such an important event. Photographers take pictures, and even Jade Glow makes an appearance, spending time talking to both Summer and Tawny after having seen both women’s performances.
Summer, dressed in a short sparkly red cocktail dress, beams as she speaks to the major pop star, and the other woman is clearly impressed with Summer as well. My stomach cramps at the sight, knowing she is taking another step toward her dream, a huge positive for her, another nail in the coffin for us.
I scan the crowd. Her agent, who managed to show up after all, and whom I met earlier, is schmoozing Jade Glow’s agent. And once Jade herself leaves, Tawny’s bitchy attitude returns. Summer keeps herself away from the other woman, talking to music executives who came by as well.
An hour passes, and I hope Summer will want to head upstairs soon. I’m not a fan of the loud music or flashing club lights surrounding us. Arms folded across my chest, I study the area, stopping immediately as an unfamiliar woman wearing the black dress waitress uniform approaches Summer with a drink on her tray.
Summer, I’ve learned, isn’t a big fan of hard alcohol because it makes her voice raspy. Wine is her choice. White wine, as she had with Ivy, or a glass of champagne, which is why the red-colored alcohol on the serving tray is a red flag, along with the fact that I don’t recognize the cocktail waitress carrying the drink, and I’ve been watching the same women for as long as we’ve been at the club.
I don’t like how things are adding up in my mind, but someone unfamiliar handing her a drink she doesn’t normally prefer is odd. True, there is a better chance I am overreacting and the alcohol isn’t drugged, but I trust my gut when it comes to the job.
Summer glances at the waitress and gives her a curious look before accepting the drink. Acting on instinct, I dart forward with every intention of stopping her from drinking, but a man in a suit steps in front of me and I have to push him out of the way to get to her.
I’m not in time to stop her from bringing the glass to her lips before I reach her and grab it out of her hand.
“Ben! What was that for?” she asks.
I grasp her elbow and pull her aside, ignoring the stares of people around us. “Did you order this drink?” I ask.
“No. A waitress brought it over, and I was so thirsty. All this talking over the music,” she explains.
I turn to look for the woman who served her, but she is gone.
“What’s wrong?” Jack, Tawny’s bodyguard, steps up to us, grasping Tawny’s arm and pulling her into our circle.
“Hey! What’s with the manhandling? What’s going on?” Tawny asks.
“I think someone drugged Summer’s drink.” I take a sniff, but of course, only inhale the scent of red wine. “If it’s GHB or Rohypnol, it won’t smell. And according to recent studies, it gets lost in the color and fragrance of dark drinks.” There is no way to test it.
“What the hell?” Jack turns to Tawny. “We’re going up to the room. Immediately.”
“The police will be questioning you,” I warn the other woman.
She frowns my way but doesn’t reply. Instead, she grows quiet and lets Jack lead her away.
I need to get Summer to her room, too, but we also need to get this incident on record.
“I drank from it,” she whispers in fear, her gaze shooting to mine.
“A lot?”
She shakes her head. “A tiny sip before you stopped me.” She looks up with gratitude in her gaze.
I slip an arm around her waist and pull her close. “You’ll be okay. Even if I’m right and the drink was drugged, with the minute amount you ingested, you won’t need the hospital.” Although I can always take her there immediately if the need arises.
Just like after the trashing of her dressing area at the last event, Summer and I stay for hours while the police come and take our statements. They agree to test the drink, although they concur with my assessment that there is very little chance of anything showing up. And they write down Tawny’s name and promise to question her and her entourage, especially since she was missing from the area for a long while.
The good news is that if Summer finished the drink or taken enough to poison her system, she’d be showing signs of the drug, but she is coherent, just exhausted.