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When the doors slide open, I’m greeted by a small waiting room and Dante and Sienna spot me immediately.
“Cara!” Sienna calls and her voice is too soft, too ready to deliver bad news.
“Where is he? What happened!” I cry as I land in Sienna’s arms and she draws me into a tight hug. It’s almost smothering but I allow it as Dante catches my eye over Sienna’s shoulder.
“The doctor believes he was poisoned. He’d been coughing and feeling a little cold and stuffy during our meeting but it wasn’t until we got home that things started to become more apparent. He couldn’t breathe properly and then he collapsed,” Dante stated as if he was merely reciting from some fact sheet. He sounds so detached and yet his eyes are dark, holding a pain I’ve never seen before.
Ever calm in the presence of his men and yet there must be pain similar to mine buried underneath that armor.
“Poisoned?! How?”
“We don’t know yet,” Sienna says softly as we part and she presses a cool hand to my overheated cheek. “We’re waiting on the doctor to tell us more. Sit, please.”
The world spins and cotton fills my head so suddenly that my knees knock together and a plastic chair rises to meet me. I sit, frozen as my heart thumps painfully in my chest. Sienna clutches gently at my shoulder before she departs, moving to Dante’s side where she belongs.
Who would do this? How did this even happen? I can’t lose him. Not someone else. Please…
Footsteps ring out suddenly and I lift my gaze to see a dark-haired man in a white coat approach. He stops near Dante, whose face quickly becomes pinched with worry.
“What’s happening doctor?”
“Killian is suffering from something called palytoxin poisoning. It’s a poison derived from Zoanthid coral,” the doctor begins, “has Mr. Scarano been anywhere tropical lately? Or interacted with any unsafe aquamarine life?”
“No,” Dante replies shortly, “he doesn’t travel.”
“Hm. Well the level of toxicity in his system suggests he ingested the poison at some point in the past twenty-four hours, did he perhaps eat anywhere serving exotic sea life?” the doctor asks and silence falls as Sienna and Dante exchange glances.
“Not with us,” Dante replies.
I’m the only other one he spends time with. That he eats with.
“No,” I answer in a voice stronger than my body. “I—…. I’ve started cooking for him at home but I haven’t done anything with seafood. I don’t even think helikesseafood.”
All eyes fall on me and the weight of them hits like a truck.
Does that make me look guilty?
It does. It really fucking does.
“If the poison was administered orally,” the doctor continues, oblivious to the silent looks passing between everyone. “Then his meals would be where to look. If he’s been clubbing anywhere with aquatic-infused alcohol, that may be the key. It’s a stretch however as the amount administered was too large to be an accident.”
My eyes slowly begin to fill as no gaze before me offers me any support. There’s a light accusation in every guard and even Dante’s eyes linger on me a second too long before he turns back to the doctor.
“Is he going to be okay? Is it treatable?” Dante asks.
My hands tremble violently until warmth closes over one and I blink through the tears to see Archer has settled next to me. He grips my hand tightly and a swell of gratefulness rises through the pain in my chest.
“Yes, he will make a full recovery,” the doctor replies. “You brought him here swiftly so treatment is being administered as we speak. It’s a fast-acting poison but caught quick enough, the after effects will be minimal.”
Thank God.
I can’t breathe. The whiplash is almost too much and my next breath in, it’s like I’m drowning. Sienna and Dante close together and a few of the guards retake their seats as a breath of relief flows through everyone. It was a short and intense panic but Killian will survive. Such news brings lightness to my heart but the suspicion still lingers in the air.
Killian was poisoned and I’m the one preparing his food. It would be the perfect way to poison him with little effort.
Why would I want to poison Killian?
Archer’s hand squeezes over my knuckles once more and I allow it if only until the doctor begins to leave before I stand up and clear my throat.
