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Lesley had calmed when he came in, and he looked over at her. She looked like hell. Her eyes were still bleary, and she was obviously still under the effects of those drugs, but she recognized him. He hoped the guards got there quick, so he could go to her, and comfort her.
Two large men walked in seconds later. They took Victoria by the arms, and she immediately started fighting. She was screaming and kicking and sank her teeth into the arm of one guard. They quickly got her out of the room, and Antony heard one of them on the radio, calling for the local police. Victoria had played her cards wrong and was going to jail. Antony hoped they could get a protection order for Lesley based on her sneaking into her room.
Sobs broke the silence, and Antony turned toward the bed. Lesley was curled up on her side, body shaking with the force of her cries. He rushed to her side and climbed up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him.
He murmured soft words of comfort and stroked her hair. This garbage in her system was wreaking havoc on her emotions. Antony guessed that she’d have little memory of the night when she finally cleared all the shit out of her system, and even though he knew she’d hate the amnesia, she’d hate knowing that she’d been so weak even if it wasn’t her fault.
And so he held her. Eventually, she quieted and her breathing slowed and deepened. He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. Simon was at the door. Antony nodded, and Simon disappeared. He slowly extricated himself from the sleeping woman, loathe to leave her, even for a moment, and stepped into the hallway.
“What’s up?”
“Didn’t find Smith,” Simon said.
“I heard. How the hell did he get away?”
“Dunno, but we got the video already. Charlie and Aud are back at the office, going over it now. Hopefully, they figured out where he snuck out.”
“Get them to send a copy over to Oliver, would you?”
“What does he want with it?” Simon asked.
He nodded a moment later after Antony had given him the rundown of that situation.
“I take it Smith hasn’t been back to his room?” Antony asked.
“Not sure. They were still waiting to get into the key control to get at a master key. Probably in there right now.” Simon looked at the sleeping woman. “She okay?”
“She will be. They’ve put a rush on the bloodwork to find out what she was given. The doc was concerned with her reaction. Plans to keep her for at least 24.”
“We got you,” Simon told him. “We’ll be in to keep an eye out or sit with her so you can go shower or whatever.”
“I’m gonna have to go to the police department and give a statement here soon,” Antony said. “Victoria was here.”
“What? What happened?”
Antony told him the bit he knew. Simon’s eyes were huge.
“Holy shit. How did she—is she fucking stalking you now?”
“Sounds like she was at the club. I’m not sure. See if she shows up in any of the video. Charlie knows what she looks like, and I’ll send a pic to your phone. I doubt she’s got anything to do with the drugs, but I can at least see how she found out what was going on so quick.”
Simon left with a promise to check in before they stopped for the evening. Antony walked out to the nurses’ station and asked to borrow a pair of crutches for the night. The nurse looked at him funny, and he lifted the cuff of his slacks, showing her the metal of his ankle.
She nodded and walked around a half wall, returning seconds later with an ancient set.
“Sorry, hon, but this is the best I can do right now.”
“Thank you. These are fine. I don’t plan on sprinting soon, anyway,” he said with a smile. “I appreciate all your help tonight.”
She blushed and waved him off with a “just doing my job,” and he went back to Lesley’s room.
He pulled the recliner close to her bed and pulled his leg off, setting it safely under the edge of the hospital bed. The nurse came in and silently handed him a warm blanket, smiling again as he mouthed a thank you.
Within a minute, he was asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
After a fitful night, Lesley woke to the sound of voices in the hall.
