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THIRTY-NINE
ALEXANDER
I’m halfwaythrough my whiskey sour when I spot Alize disappearing into the bathroom. She’s taking quick, harried steps, her face twisted into a scowl.
I look over to where her friends are sitting, watching her run away with a concerned look on their faces.
Did something happen?
I’m setting my glass down on the counter and moving toward the bathroom before I can think better of it. Vance, Ezra and I are sharing our last drink for a while. It doesn’t seem to be helping their foul mood though, so I decide to check on Alize while the alcohol works its magic on them.
When I get to the bathroom, I hear her before I see her.
I bolt the door behind me as I step inside. It’s a full bathroom—shower, double sinks—and meant for one person or a couple. Alize is in the adjoining water closet and it sounds like she’s…puking?
“Alize?” I call, knocking on the door. I try the knob, but it’s locked. “Sweetheart, are you okay in there?”
There’s a quivering moan, then she clears her throat. “No, I’m just still feeling a little sick.” She doesn’t sound like herself.
“Open the door,” I say, twisting the knob again.
It’s a while before she listens to me. She looks like a wreck—sweat has her hair sticking to her temples, her face is flushed and wet with tears. Alize wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, taking shaky steps.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were still sick?” I chide. With a hand on her shoulder, I guide her over to the marble countertop. I turn the faucet on and grab a towel from the rack, dampening it. I use it to clean up her face.
She’s absolutely still in my arms. “I thought I was better,” she whispers. “It must be a flare-up, or something.” Her eyes are focused on the water rushing down the drain.
“I’m taking you to the doctor as soon as we land,” I say. This whole thing has been going on for too long. If she’s still sick, then it could be something else that’s causing all of this.
There’s panic in her eyes when she looks up at me. “No,” she says quickly. “I don’t need to see a doctor, I’ll be fine.”
I narrow my eyes on her. “You don’t have a choice,” I say. “If it was just a cold, it would be gone by now.” I use the back of my hand against her neck to check her temperature. “We need to figure out what’s going on so you can get better.”
She stares at me for a long moment, her eyes filled with….fear?I can’t be sure if it’s how she’s feeling or something else, but she’s definitely spinning some sort of story in her head. I’ve seen her do it so many times.
I didn’t realize she was this scared of doctors.
“Hey,” I say, lowering my voice. I set the towel aside and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “Everything will be fine, I promise. I’ll take you to the family doctor. It won’t be scary, I’ll be there with you.” I run my finger along her cheek.
Her eyes turn glassy. She opens her mouth to say something, then closes it quickly. I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead, running my other hand along her back.
“Can you get me some water?” she asks. “I’ll be out in a few.”
“Of course,” I nod. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”
I stalk out of the bathroom, and get her a bottle of water and some Pepto Bismol from the vending machine in the lobby. My phone buzzes in my pocket while I’m feeding a couple notes to the machine. I fish it out, thinking it’s Alize in need of something else.
Instead of that picture I took of her when she was sleeping, I’m greeted with the wordsUnknown Caller.Sucking in a breath, my finger hovers over the decline icon. This could be one of two people—Graham or Lev Semenov.
And it’s only because it could be Lev that I answer it.
“You’re a hard man to get a hold of,” Graham’s voice chimes in from the other end. My stomach drops. Ireallydon’t want to talk to him now. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re avoiding me.”
I am.
The past few days have been the best of my life. I won the Kingmaker elections—an integral part of cementing my future—and the girl of my dreams wants to spend the rest of her life with me. The haze has finally started to clear.
Graham is only calling to talk about one thing.
