Page 57 of Blacklist

I don’t have a choice. Adair might be able to take care of herself normally, but not in this state. Plus, there’s the fact that someone at this party did this. I have no idea who. Are they looking for her now? Waiting for the moment when she’s finally vulnerable? I crouch beside her, unsure what to do. One thing is clear. “I can’t leave you like this.”

“Then don’t.” Despite her condition, I hear the plea in her voice. She wants to be saved, even if I’m the one doing the saving. I brush a lock of copper hair from her forehead. She’s going to be trouble. Scooping her into my arms, I barely stand before she goes limp. “Fuck! Adair!” I shake her but she doesn’t stir. Her chest moves just enough to let me know she’s still breathing. “Fuck!”

I’m not sure how someone so small is so heavy. I manage to pry open the back door without dropping her, my eyes never leaving the slight movement of her chest. I’m not sure what to do once I’m inside. I can’t leave her, but I can’t carry her into a party like this. She’s breathing. All I can do is ride this out until she wakes up. I’d rather not do that here, though.

“If you’re up there, I could use some fucking help,” I say to the ceiling. Francie’s the religious one. I’m not even sure I’m asking right.

“Oh my God!” A shrill English accent answers my prayers. The girl she came here with—Poppy—rushes over to me. “What happened?”

“I found her like this,” I tell her. I don’t need her jumping to any unwarranted conclusions about how I wound up with Adair passed out in my arms.

Poppy shakes her head like this doesn’t make sense. “She wasn’t going to drink tonight.”

“She should’ve stuck to that plan,” I say dryly, “especially, since somebody slipped her something.”

“Should we call the police?” She clutches her chest and looks around wildly as if she expects a villain to appear twirling his mustache. The movement sends her stumbling on her heels.

“She’s not in any danger as long as someone keeps an eye on her. I’ve seen this before.” We might not have had mansions to crash in New York, but I’d been to my fair share of parties. Poppy isn’t going to be much help, but I imagine Adair has handmaidens or some shit. Surely, there’s someone capable of taking care of her. “She’s going to feel like shit in the morning, though. Can you get her home? Is there someone we can call?”

Her head shakes so fast she nearly falls over. “Her dad will kill her, and all our friends—”

“Are here drinking,” I finish for her. Of course, they’re all hitting it hard while I get stuck babysitting their queen bee. “Where was she going to take you when this was over?”

“Oh! Adair has the keys to her family’s pool house. You could take her there!”

“Isn’t there a gate?” I’d been to the MacLaine estate for her mom’s funeral, and I couldn’t see how I’d make it past the security, especially not while sneaking princess back onto the property.

“I know the access code,” Poppy says, “I can go with you. I’ll stay with her.”

“No offense, but you’re hardly in a condition to take care of her.” She’s not exactly sober, and I have no idea how much she drank. There’s no way I can just leave Adair like this.

“If you think that I’m going to let you take my unconscious friend away without any supervision, then you’re an idiot.” She plants her hands on her hips for emphasis. Her stance might be more impressive if she wasn’t hammered.

“Calm down, Wonder Woman,” I stop her. “I’ll help you get her there, but I’m just going to stick around if you don’t mind.”

“Let me find Kai.” She dashes back to the party, and I hope she doesn’t take too long. Adair is practically snoring in my arms. A couple partygoers pass us on their way out to the pool, eyeing me curiously. No one stops to ask if she’s okay or even questions me. Given that half the people here are too drunk to walk, I guess it’s not that weird. Still, I can’t stand to think what might have happened to her if I hadn’t come along. Even though I don’t like Adair, there’s no way I want someone touching her. Not without her consent. Not at all, if I’m being honest. All the times I’d seen this back in New York, the poor choices leading to a blackout were usually voluntary. The guys I knew there didn’t go in for unwilling participation. And fucking with someone’s friend or little sister got you your ass beat—or worse. That’s the code I live by. I don’t have a problem if a girl throws herself at me or if she wants to go. Sex doesn’t have to be some type of religious experience in my book, but this shit isn’t cool.

Poppy reappears with the guy who was with them earlier. He takes one look at Adair and panics. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” I repeat. Drunk people can be so paranoid. “But we should get her somewhere quiet and comfortable. She’s going to have one hell of a headache when she wakes up.”

“Someone did this to her?” Kai asks as they take me to Adair’s car. Poppy digs in Adair’s bag for the keys, and I nearly drop her when they lead me to the Mercedes. At least if I have to put up with these entitled brats I get to drive all these amazing cars.

“This is her car?” I grunt as I get her situated in the front seat. Kai and Poppy pile into the back.

“Technically, it was her mother’s,” Poppy tells me.

That makes more sense. I can’t help wondering if she inherited it—not that it made up for her mom’s death. But it’s a helluva nice way to remember her. The drive to Adair’s house—which is a ludicrously inadequate term for something the size of Versailles—is way too short.

“This is it!” Poppy cries from the backseat when I nearly miss the turn.

“You weren’t kidding earlier,” Kai says. He rolls down his window while I enter the gate access code, so he can hang his head out to stare up the drive.

“Get back in the car,” I order him. The kid is going to fall out of the car if he hangs his body any farther out the window. He manages to get mostly inside but barrages us with awestruck commentary as Poppy gives directions to bypass the main house and go around to the side.

“How many houses does this place have?” I mutter as we pass more and more buildings. My eyes dart over to Adair. She’s slumped against the car door, but she looks fine.

“Oh, that’s the gardener’s shed. This is just a guesthouse. It’s all part of Windfall.”