"Yes," I sleepily mumble into the phone after I finally get it to my ear.
"Sir, Chloe is in the hospital," Ricket says, and I sit up.
"What do you mean "Chloe"s in the hospital"?" I turn on the light. "Is she okay?" I ask, getting out of bed and going over to my suitcase, where I begin tossing all of my belongings inside.
"s.h.i.t." He takes a deep breath. "Duane was keeping an eye on her in the bar and noticed that she"d started acting strange. She went to the restroom and he followed her, so when she didn"t reappear after a few minutes, he went in and found her unconscious on the floor of one of the stalls. Right now, we"re waiting for the doctor to tell us what"s going on."
"What the f.u.c.k happened?" I growl, powering up my computer. I need to get in touch with my pilot to ready the jet. I need to get to Chloe.
"We"re not sure. I"m pulling the video from the bar as we speak."
"Stay with her until I get there. Do not let her out of your sight," I command.
"Will do, sir," he replies immediately.
"The jet will be in the air within the hour. If you hear anything, let me know right away," I tell him while texting my pilot.
"You have my word," he says.
I hang up and go to my suitcase to pull out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, getting dressed quickly before zipping up my bag. Then I pull my phone out and head down to the lobby of the hotel. As soon as I reach the front entrance, I call Wesly and quickly let him know that I"m on my way back to the US and I will be calling Mr. Yakamora. I"ll need to explain that I had to leave j.a.pan immediately and any business we need to discuss can be taken care of via conference call.
I won"t be leaving Chloe again, even if I have to handcuff her to me.
"Can I take your coat?" the flight attendant asks.
I hand it to her and pull out my phone from my pocket when it begins to ring. "Yes?"
"Sir, I wanted to give you an update. The doctor has her on an IV, and they are running a few more tests, but they believe she was drugged with Zolpide and she had an allergic reaction to it."
"Who the f.u.c.k was close enough to her to drug her?" I demand.
"Sir, I"m not sure," Ricket says quietly.
"Can I speak with her?"
"She hasn"t woken up yet," he says almost under his breath, and a ball of hot rage fills my chest.
"Call me the moment she wakes up," I hiss, running a shaky hand through my hair, "and for f.u.c.k"s sake, find out what the f.u.c.k happened!" I shout, clicking off the phone.
By the time we land in New York, my anxiety level has tripled. Chloe still hasn"t woken up and there is no evidence on the tapes showing that anyone had the opportunity to drug her.
It takes an hour to make it from the private airstrip in Westchester to the hospital in downtown Manhattan, where Chloe is. As soon as I pull up outside of the hospital, Ricket is there to meet my town car. Without a word, I follow him into the hospital, and as soon as I step off the elevator, my hackles rise. Maxine is standing in the hall with a man I have never seen before.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her as soon as I get within speaking distance.
Her head turns towards me and she smiles. "I thought it would be best if I met you here," she says quietly and starts to reach out her hand to touch me.
I instantly pull away. "You thought wrong. You can go," I tell her, taking a step towards Chloe"s room, but the man who was standing with her steps in front of me, blocking my path. "I suggest you move aside," I tell him.
"Do you now?" he asks and steps in front of me again when I try to move around him.
If I weren"t exhausted from traveling and worrying, I would lay the kid out, but as it stands, he may be able to get one over on me.
"Sir, this is Chloe"s boyfriend," Maxine says from beside me, and I turn to look at her then back at him.
"The only man in Chloe"s life is me. Now get the f.u.c.k out of my way," I bark.
He opens his mouth and begins to speak, but one of my men steps in, wrapping his hand around the guy"s arm. He starts to struggle but quickly stops when my man leans down and says something to him.
I turn towards Chloe"s room then stop and look over my shoulder. "Bernard."
My bodyguard stops and turns to look at me as well as the guy. "Yes, boss?" he asks, looking back at me.
"I want to know everything about him, and make sure he understands he is not allowed to even breathe the same air as Chloe again," I tell him.
He lifts his chin and starts to lead the guy away.
"Now, you," I say, turning towards Maxine before heading into Chloe"s room. "If I find out you"ve somehow had a hand in all this s.h.i.t, you will pray I end you."
"Nolan," she whispers, and I shake my head.
"Get out, now," I snarl.
She jumps slightly before quickly turning and walking away. I take a breath and stretch my neck before stepping into the room where Chloe is.
The TV is on, blue light casting a glow around the room. My eyes go to the bed, and I take my angel in before stepping towards her. The blankets are tucked around her, her hands at her sides. Her eyes are closed, her dark lashes lying over her cheekbones. Her hair is up, and I can tell she styled it by the way the curls are still holding in her normally straight hair. I walk towards her and see that one of her hands has an IV attached. It feels like it takes forever to make it the ten steps to her side. My hand instantly goes to her face, and my fingers travel down her jaw when I see a large bruise there.
"Jesus, Angel. What the f.u.c.k happened?" I whisper, looking her over. I can"t believe this happened to her. I slip off my shoes and climb into the bed with her, being careful not to move her too much as I wrap myself around her.
"Nolan," Chloe says as I feel her fingers travel though my hair.
I smile and open my eyes a crack. As the events of the last twenty-eight hours come back to me, the smile disappears and my eyes open completely, meeting Chloe"s concerned ones.
"Angel." I swallow, gently pulling her closer so I can press my lips to her forehead.
"Why am I here?" she whimpers, and I can hear the tears in her voice.
I pull slightly away from her so I can look into her eyes. "You got sick and pa.s.sed out in the bathroom of the club."
"I told them I didn"t want to drink," she says faintly, making me instantly annoyed with the people she had gone out with. I should have known better than to trust anyone with her care.
"It"s okay," I say, sitting up on the side of the bed while pressing the call b.u.t.ton for the doctor. Then I slip on my shoes.
"Are you okay?" she asks, and the touch of her hand causes me to let out a sharp breath.
I"m so maddened by the thought of what could have happened to her that I could kill. I turn towards her and push my own personal demons aside. She needs me now, and I cannot let my own emotions overrule that.
"Fine, Beautiful," I tell her, running a hand over her hair.
"Sir," Ricket says, which is followed by someone else"s, "You"re awake."
When I turn my head, an attractive man a few years younger than I am walks in wearing a set of dark-blue scrubs.
"I"m Alex, Chloe"s nurse." He smiles, looking at Chloe a little too long before his eyes meet mine at me.
"We"re fine, Ricket. Thank you," I say, watching him leave before turning to look at Alex.
"I"m going to get the doctor. Do you need anything before that?" he asks Chloe, taking a step closer to the bed.
"I need to use the restroom," Chloe says softly, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
"I can help you with that," he says, but I block his way.
"You just get the doctor. I"ll make sure she makes it to the restroom," I snarl, and a smile twitches his lips, making a growl vibrate my chest.
"Let me just unhook her IV. That way, it"s a little easier for you," he says.
I want to tell him no, but I know that, logically, that doesn"t make sense, so I reluctantly step aside so he can get to Chloe. It only takes a second for him to get her unhooked, and then he leaves the room.
"I can walk," she complains as I pick her up and carry her into the bathroom.
"Not yet," I tell her, helping her to the toilet. I stand at my full height over her, and her eyes narrow.
"You don"t need to wait in here with me. I"m fine," she says.
I sigh, shaking my head. "Until the doctor says otherwise, you"re not to be left alone."
"I hate when you get bossy," she grumbles.
I shrug. She can find it annoying all day long, but it won"t change anything.
After she finishes in the bathroom and I help her wash her hands, I carry her back to bed just in time for the doctor to walk into the room followed by Nurse Alex.
"Miss Kasters," Chloe"s doctor says, coming to stand next to the bed, "how are you feeling?"
Chloe looks from the doctor, to me, then back again. "A little out of it," she frowns.
The doctor nods and looks down at the tablet in her hand. "That"s understandable. Your blood results came back, and it appears you had quite a bit of the drug Ambien in your system."
"Isn"t that sleeping medication?" Chloe asks, and I take her hand in mine.
"Yes, but it"s also used as a predator drug."
"Do you mean like a date rape drug?" Chloe asks, and her nails dig into my skin.
"Unfortunately, yes," the doctor replies softly.
"Did I..." Chloe whispers then pauses to look at me.
The fear and confusion I see in her eyes has me moving so I can hold her face between my hands. "No, Beautiful," I reply on a hoa.r.s.e whisper. "You pa.s.sed out in the bathroom at the club, but no one touched you."
Her eyes close, and I pull her closer to me, placing my lips to her forehead.
"No one touched you," I repeat against her skin.
She nods, and I sit back.
"I know this is very upsetting, but everything seems to be fine now." The doctor smiles softly at Chloe.
"How long must she stay here?"
"I would like to monitor her for the next two hours. If she doesn"t show any signs of having a concussion, I"ll release her." She looks from me to Chloe and lowers her voice. "I need you to let me know if anything changes over the next seventy-two hours. You have been asleep for a long time, but we believe that it was due to the amount of Ambien in your system."
"Maybe it would be best if she stays here," I state, not wanting to risk something happening to her while out of the hospital.
"I"m fine," Chloe says, and I look at her then back at the doctor.
"Are you sure it"s a good idea to send her home?" I ask, watching a smile twitch her lips as Chloe cuts me off with, "I"ll be okay."
I let out a breath and look at my angel. I despise that this has happened, and I don"t know how I"m going to function. Since I met Chloe, I have felt the need to protect her. Now, with this turn of events, I feel that urge getting stronger.
"If the doctor says you should stay, you"re staying," I state, leaving no room for an argument.
"She already said I could go home," Chloe says, and I hear a chuckle from either the doctor or "Alex the Nurse" and ignore it.
"Maybe we should get a second opinion," I grumble under my breath.
"Nolan, that"s ridiculous," she states, rolling her eyes.
I begin to wonder if she hasn"t really hurt herself. I can"t remember Chloe ever being so defiant.
"She just told you I"m okay. If anything changes, I can come back."
"Okay," I say and then look at the doctor. "I"ll need the number for an at-home nurse.
"Nolan," Chloe chimes in.
"No," I a.s.sert, swinging my head in her direction. "If you"re coming home, we"re doing it my way."
She must understand from my tone that this is not something I will budge on, because she instantly jerks her head in an up-and-down motion.
"Now, if that"s everything, she needs her rest until you release her," I bark, looking from Chloe, to her doctor, and then to Alex.
I know it makes no sense to be angry, and I"m not mad at Chloe-I"m mad at this situation. Being who I am, I"m used to having control, and this situation is completely out of my hands. I know I won"t be able to rest easy until I find out who tried to hurt my angel.
"I will be back to bring you your discharge papers. If things look good when I get back, I"ll sign you out."
"Thank you," Chloe says. Then she looks at me and raises an eyebrow, causing me to press my lips together. "Nolan," she whispers and elbows me in the ribs.