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“I’m right here, Nicole. I won’t leave you alone. Lorenzo has examined me plenty of times and I promise you’re in good hands.”
Lorenzo darts a sly look at me, as if recalling the “examinations” he’s given me. Bites. Needles. Scalpels. Blood-letting. All kinds of fun.
Nicole seems like she wants to run far, far away, but I slowly convince her to sit on the table. Lorenzo gets to work taking her pulse and blood pressure and listening to her heart. He shines a light in and out of her eyes, just like he did the night Vinicius was beaten over the head with a baseball bat. He examines her nails, and then pushes back her sleeves and checks her forearms.
“What are you looking for?” I ask him.
“Defensive wounds. Broken nails.” To Nicole, he says, “Did anyone hurt you? Attack you?”
She shakes her head.
“Were you given any drugs?”
“Pills.”
“How long ago?”
“Tonight. Earlier. I don’t know.”
“Do you know what kind?”
She shakes her head again.
“Probably tranqs,” he mutters and turns to me. “She’ll sleep off the drugs and she’ll probably feel sick tomorrow, but other than that, she’s fine. She can stay here, and you can talk to her, but I’m locking her in one of the upstairs rooms.”
My mouth falls open. “She was taken prisoner by the Black Orchid Killer. Try and find some compassion.”
Lorenzo’s expression turns glacial. “Was she?”
He steps back and leans against the counter, arms folded.
I stare between the two of them. Wasn’t she? I look at Nicole’s arms and her face. There’s not a mark on her. She hasn’t been retrained or handled roughly. She hasn’t fought for her life. It’s strange, but I’m not going to draw any conclusions until Nicole’s had the chance to speak for herself. “I’m going to take Nicole upstairs, help her change into some of my pajamas and put her to bed.”
Lorenzo shakes his head, mistrust filling his expression. “Not by yourself, you’re not. Not until she’s been strip-searched. Actually, not even then.”
“Nicole’s not going to hurt me.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Do you think I’m going to take that risk when it’s your life on the line?”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m going to put Nicole to bed. You can stand outside the door if you feel it’s necessary, but that’sit.”
His eyes flare with anger. I haven’t forgotten his expression as he burst into Strife. He was beyond furious, but he was terrified as well. I go to him and put my hands on his chest, gazing up at him.
“I’m fine,” I whisper. “You’re fine. Everyone’s in one piece.”
Lorenzo’s scowl deepens. He’s furious, but not with me. With himself. “Orchid Protocol was meant to keep you safe, not put you in more fucking danger.”
“It was a good idea, but it would have been nice to know about before it happened. Have you got any more tricks like that up your sleeve?”
He shakes his head.
“Good. I didn’t enjoy that. I’ll listen to whatever plans you have to keep me safe, but you have to tell me about them first.”
I go up on my tiptoes and press my mouth against his. A promise for later.
“You need to destress,” I say softly.
“You’re fucking right about that,” he growls, kissing me back even harder.
